If you’ve been on TikTok at all over the past couple of months, you’ve probably heard of the Winter Arc. The concept has made it to over platforms like YouTube as well. Content creators are promising to help you achieve your own version of this self-improvement meme.
Maybe you’re already working on your Winter Arc. Maybe you’re wondering if there’s enough time left to pull one off. Before you start, let’s talk a little about some of the pitfalls of the concept.
What is a Winter Arc?
The Winter Arc takes its name from the anime training arc. This is a common plot sequence in shonen anime in which a protagonist dedicates himself to developing his skills. Typically, this means seeking out a master or going into isolation to get stronger.
In Dragon Ball Z, this is when the characters go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Or when Goku seeks out King Kai to learn the Kaio-ken. In My Hero Academia, there’s an early training arc when Deku undergoes a grueling workout regime in order to harness the power of the quirk One For All.
According to Know Your Meme, the Winter Arc concept first started appearing online in 2022. However, it came into its own in late 2024. The idea is that winter is the perfect time to buckle down and apply yourself to improving yourself. The Winter Arc is often tied to improving your fitness.
Anime has become more mainstream. It makes sense gym bros have started apply anime narrative arcs to their own lives. Idolizing the physiques of characters like Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling and Guts from Berserk.
The Winter Arc, however, isn’t limited to fitness. The concept has been broadened to many kinds of self-improvement, including developing skills and cutting out bad habits.
A core aspect of the Winter Arc is stepping back from the world for a while. Winter is a convenient time to do this. Most people are less inclined to leave the house when the weather is terrible anyway.
“Disappear and Come Back Different”
Really, that’s the central fantasy of the Winter Arc — the idea that you can leave your normal life for a while and return changed. That notion has shown up in a variety of ads and memes over the last few years.
It’s definitely a seductive concept. If you’re dissatisfied with yourself, the idea of abandoning your everyday world then returning months later as a different, better person is incredibly compelling.
All kinds of literature contain this sort of story. Consider The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the title character escapes from prison and returns to society as a wealthy noble to avenge himself.
Or there’s The Princess Bride, wherein Westley disappears from the narrative then returns as the Dread Pirate Roberts to save Buttercup from Prince Humperdinck. Obviously, the desire to quietly build ourselves up in isolation and then make a grand re-appearance is one that transcends time and place.
It’s also true that deep change in reality often involves changing our surroundings. For instance, if you’re trying to quit smoking or drinking but all of your friends do these things in abundance, you might need to find new people to hang out with. If you’re trying to prioritize fitness but nobody around you does, it can help to seek out a peer group that shares your values.
Connection is Key
The problem is that influencers discussing the Winter Arc often talk about self-isolation as a key part of the process. There are all kinds of videos on YouTube about getting anime physiques or just using inspirational anime footage about going off on your own to get better.
Not to overgeneralize, but I have to imagine that these videos are mainly targeting young men who watch a lot of anime on their own. And I worry that telling people who are already kind of isolated to further cut ties in hopes of getting jacked is only going to make their lives worse.
Don’t get me wrong: being comfortable being on your own without distracting or numbing yourself is a skill worth cultivating. But with so many people feeling deeply lonely and isolated, selling the dream of transformation through isolation feels borderline irresponsible.
Because as tantalizing as the idea of a Winter Arc is, change doesn’t usually happen in short bursts. It takes time, sometimes more than just a few months. Improving your fitness means dedicating yourself to the process of exercising on a regular basis. Developing a skill means putting some time into it everyday. As much as we’d like to disappear for a season and return as an unrecognizable version of ourselves, that’s a fantasy.
So yes, if you want to change some aspect of yourself, you might need to examine your environment and change that too. But life is about interpersonal relationships. And pulling away from those in the pursuit of self-improvement can end up being pretty counterproductive.
Besides, if we’re sticking with the anime analogy, how many difficult battles are only won because the protagonist has close friends to back him up?
How Can You Have a Strong Winter Arc?
Setting an intention to improve yourself over the winter is great, and actually acting on that intention is admirable. But withdrawing from your world and the people in it isn’t necessarily the best way to create lasting change or happiness. So, what can you do to ensure that you stick to your plan? One of the best things you can do is involve other people.
Accountability
Accountability is a major factor in motivating change. Plenty of us find it difficult to break promises to our friends and family, but easy to break promises to ourselves.
If you tell yourself “I’m going to go to the gym everyday,” then you might find yourself rationalizing skipping one day, which could become a week. But if you have a gym buddy you go with, you’re not just disappointing yourself, you’re disappointing them, too.
Community
Don’t have a friend who will join you on your Winter Arc journey? Sign up for a class. Structured activities are not only great for motivation, they’re a great way to meet people. Going someplace where everyone is doing the same thing, like kickboxing or yoga, puts you in a place where people share at least one of your interests.
This doesn’t just hold true for fitness, either. If you’re looking to improve, say, your drawing abilities or learn photography, see if there are any in-person classes offered nearby.
Personal Relationships
And hey, if you want to stand out from the pack, why not use winter as a time to deepen your relationships? Pick up the phone and call a family member, or make time to hang out with a friend.
People tend to hunker down in the colder months, which means they have less going on. And making an effort to reach out to people will probably do more to transform your life in the long run than getting abs.
Four Steps To Make Your Winter Arc Meaningful and Successful
A few final notes about the Winter Arc. Here are four steps to follow to find success.
1) Self-improvement Needs To Be For You
Don’t do it because some YouTuber cajoled or shamed you into it.
Don’t do it because you think it’s going to get you sexual or romantic attention.
Do it because you’ve decided that you respect yourself and want to change some specific aspect of your life, whether that’s your physical health, hobbies, schedule, or whatever.
2) Try to pick one thing.
It’s tempting to try and imagine that you’re going to radically improve every aspect of your life at once. But picking one thing and focusing on it makes you that much more likely to succeed. If there are a lot of things you want to change, pick one at random for now. Once you’ve got that on lock, you can move on to something else.
3) Whatever You Focus On, Try and Fall in Love With The Process
Going to the gym is always going to feel like going to the gym. It’s never going to feel like you imagine it’ll feel. People who are able to commit to developing an artistic practice or fitness routine understand and embrace this. The people who wash out are typically the ones who can’t.
4) If You Encounter a Setback, Dust Yourself Off and Get Back To It As Soon As Possible
You’re a human being, and you’re going to screw up. That’s fine. Beating yourself up over missing a day at the gym is not going to help you. What’s important is that you don’t let one screwup become a pattern. Again, this is easier to do with the help of other people.
Oh, and one last thing: don’t buy into any influencer’s training course or unregulated supplements, ok? You don’t need them. I promise.
Now get out there. You’ve got this.
