A dark afternoon can feel less heavy when someone has prepared a welcoming light.

Winter afternoons do something to a mood that has nothing to do with what is going on in a life. A lamp left on behind a window, switched by somebody who knew you would be walking back in the dark, changes the arrival before you reach the door. It is a very small intervention against a very large greyness, and it works anyway.

Put a light on for whoever comes home after you this week, and say nothing about it. If you live alone, set one on a timer so the house is lit when you get back. Anticipated warmth is worth arranging in advance.