10 easy ways to practice self-care this winter
With the weather growing colder, the lack of sunlight, & much of the natural world around us lying dormant, it can be easy to feel the winter blues creeping in. We tend to spend more time indoors & be less active, which can be detrimental to our physical & mental wellbeing, & the stress of the holidays & pressure of the new year can make things even worse.
But winter, like all seasons, has its own unique joys to offer. I love to tailor my self-care practices & hobbies to the season I am in, & winter is the perfect season to reflect on your lifestyle & make some healthy changes.
As mentioned in previous blog posts, self-care is a very personal experience, & you should always make time to do things that bring you joy & comfort. But, there is nothing wrong with switching up your regular routine to reflect the unique joys & challenges that each season brings. Try a few activities, find what works best for you, & keep it in your back pocket for the next stressful day ahead.
1. Get some sunshine
One of the biggest challenges winter brings for our mental & physical health is the lack of sunshine. Even if you don’t suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) (a type of depression caused by the lack of sunlight), the reduced levels of Vitamin D can still negatively impact your mental & physical wellbeing. And many of us are less active indoors, which means our bodies & minds only suffer more.
Make an effort this winter to get some sunshine. Even if it’s only for a few minutes a day, soaking in the sun’s rays can greatly improve your mental & physical health by regulating your melatonin levels, improving your sleep, reducing the effects of SAD, & strengthening your immune system. Take a walk, or just sit outside with a hot cup of tea or coffee & relax.
If you can’t get outdoors during the day, consider investing in a sun lamp. It’s not as good as the real thing, but spending 15 minutes basking in the glow of this fake sun can help improve your mental health.
2. Hydrate
Despite the lack of sunlight, our bodies are still losing water all the time, & it’s one of the most important elements we need to survive. When we don’t drink enough water, it negatively impacts our organ function, immune system, & energy.
Try to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. If you are traveling, regularly exercising, struggling to get in enough sleep, or fighting off illness, consider also adding electrolytes to your drink. Nuun is a great choice – it has different options depending on your activity & personal needs. Nuun Vitamins, Nuun Immunity, & Nuun Rest can all be great options to drink daily.
Your skin also needs some extra hydrating love in the winter. Buy yourself a quality, unscented moisturizer to nourish your skin with daily.
3. Treat yourself
The holidays are full of yummy treats to indulge in, & once the holidays end & the winter blues often kick in, we can find ourselves craving those indulgent cookies & cakes again.
It’s important to treat our food as fuel. The goal at feeding times should always be to nourish ourselves. But when you are craving a special treat, there is nothing wrong with indulging yourself. In fact, studies show when you satisfy a craving with a small treat instead of restricting yourself, you are less likely to binge later, which means you will be more successful at achieving your health & wellness goals.
So, go ahead – have that cup of hot cocoa & a cookie, snuggle up in a warm blanket, & enjoy those chilly winter evenings.
4. Exercise
The limited daylight means we are often less active in the winter. This can lead to weight gain, inflammation, & fatigue. Energize your body by moving it in loving ways. Go for a run or walk, lift weights, do yoga, or even join a fun class at your local gym! Just getting your body up & moving releases happy hormones like serotonin that will help you feel better throughout your day & give you the energy to tackle your goals.
5. Take a bubble bath
The weather outside is frightful, but a hot, bubbly bath is so delightful.
Warm yourself up with a hot bubble bath on cold winter nights. You can even add some epsom salts to help detox your body of any toxins it may be holding & decrease unhealthy inflammation. You could also add some therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil to help calm your senses. Light some candles to add to the ambience & turn on some relaxing music or read a book to relax & decompress.
6. Spend time with those you love
When we spend more time indoors, we tend to spend more time alone, which can lead to feeling isolated from the world. Make it a point to reach out to friends & family members, even after the holidays. Invite friends over for dinner, or even just make time for a weekly phone call with someone you love. It can help you to feel more connected to others, which is important for your mental health & wellbeing. Studies show that people who feel connected to others have lower levels of anxiety & depression, & they also tend to have higher levels of self-esteem & self-confidence.
7. Explore new hobbies
With all this time cooped up indoors, winter is the perfect season to explore new hobbies & interests. Why don’t you read that book that’s been sitting on your shelf for months, or why don’t you finally start learning to paint? Try something creative, or sit down to research & learn about something new. You might find you discover a new passion you never knew you had.
8. Make goals for the new year
Winter is the perfect time to set goals & resolutions for the year ahead. What have you been wanting to achieve in your life? What passions do you have? Set new goals for the year, & then make a point every week to do something to help you achieve them. If you want to lose weight, make it a goal every week to exercise & eat healthy. If you want to improve your financial literacy, make a weekly/monthly budget. If you want to read more, pick out a new book every month. Whatever your goal is, write out a list of smaller steps to help you achieve that lofty long-term resolution so it seems more manageable & achievable.
9. Stay cozy inside
If you’re stuck inside looking out at the cold, you might as well make the best of it. Cozy up with a hot drink, a good book, & a warm blanket, or have a movie night with your family, huddled up in a blanket fort in your living room. You can have a pyjama day, or spend time practicing hygge in your space.
10. Eat healthy
As stated above, the winter season is full of tasty treats that are meant to make us feel warm & cozy inside. It’s the perfect time to indulge & enjoy, but those winter treats can also add up, which means more inflammation, weight gain & bloating.
Focus on eating lots of protein & vegetables in your daily life. Decrease your consumption of processed foods, & instead, eat more foods that come from the earth. Your physical & mental wellbeing will improve, which means the next time you see a tasty treat, you can enjoy it without feeling regretful later.
What are your favorite winter self-care activities? Leave me a comment below!
10 seasonal ways to practice self-care this spring
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Self-care is important any time of year, but spring is the perfect season to take a little extra time for yourself. While the world is waking from its slumber & committing itself to new growth once again, you can do the same.
Spending some time to engage in self-care looks different for everyone. It’s important to match the type of self-care you use with what is actually beneficial & meaningful to you. A bubble bath can be a great way to relax, but if you don’t have a comfortable place to soak, your muscles don’t need to relax, or, even worse, if you don’t even like soaking in baths, this may not be the best way to engage in self-care for you. I find it interesting when people force themselves to do self-care, & they choose an activity that they don’t enjoy & get it done like just any other task on their to-do list. Self-care should be something that you need & that brings relief & relaxation to your life in some way. This means that sometimes it is indulgent, like eating chocolate or bingeing on your favorite Netflix show, but sometimes its actually less glamorous, like cleaning out your closet or spending a day getting all the things done that never make it onto your to-do list. No matter what, at the end of your activity, you should feel some sort of relief & feel better about your current state in life.
With that being said, I love to theme my activities to the season I am in, personally & in the world. Spring is a perfect time for self-care because there are so many things you can do! Listed below are 10 ways you can engage in self-care this spring. As stated above, make sure you choose one that is meaningful to you, & enjoy your self-care time! You deserve it.
1. Go for a walk
The weather has finally gotten warmer, which means it is the perfect time to go for a relaxed walk outdoors & enjoy some fresh air. If you are looking to get your heart & adrenaline pumping a little more, go for a run or bike ride. The clean air & physical activity are good for your mental & physical health.
2. Do some spring cleaning
The time for spring cleaning is here, but this doesn’t have to be treated like just another annoying task you have to complete. Making your environment clean & orderly is beneficial for your mental health. A cluttered space encourages a cluttered mind. Take some time to purge your house of things you no longer need, & then take some time to clean up & maybe even decorate your environment in a new way that brings you joy, not just for the day, but for months to come.
3. Make a healthy meal with ingredients from the farmer’s market
Healthy food nourishes our body & helps us feel our best. Why not support a local farmer’s market & take some time for yourself by making a gourmet meal with all fresh ingredients? It’s a fun activity, & a healthy way to take to nourish your body.
4. Plan a day-trip
Now that the weather is warmer, it is the perfect time to go for a trip. Plan your itinerary for little getaway in your local tourist spot, or make it more spontaneous & just walk around the area to see what attracts you most. You can do it alone for some quality time with you, or go with your family or a friend for some much-needed social time.
5. Start a new skincare routine
If you’re anything like me, your skin is feeling a little dry & pale after a long, cold winter. Try out a new skincare routine to help moisturize your cracked skin & give it a fresh glow for the new season.
6. Plant a garden
It’s good for you, & its good for the environment, too. Spend some time getting in some physical activity by planting a garden, & then reap the benefits for months to come with the fresh, healthy & delicious produce you harvest. Or, plant a flower garden & let the bright colors & lovely scents bring you joy every day.
7. Buy yourself flowers
If you aren’t into gardening, bring spring into your home by buying yourself some fresh flowers. Put them in a lovely vase on your table or wherever you will see them to brighten your space. A little touch of spring indoors is a great way to celebrate the season & show yourself some love.
8. Diffuse spring-themed essential oils
Bring the lovely smells of spring into your home by diffusing spring-themed essential oils, such as lemongrass, lavender, eucalyptus, & citrus scents like lemon & tangerine. Diffusing essential oils can help reduce stress, & different essential oils have additional benefits, such as using lavender to help reduce insomnia or peppermint to relieve headaches.
9. Make a batch of fruit-infused water
Fresh fruits are in abundance, which means it’s the perfect time to make fruit-infused water. If you are terrible at drinking your daily intake of water, or if you just want to switch up the flavor a little bit, try chopping up fresh fruit & putting it in a pitcher of water to infuse. It is a delicious way to hydrate our bodies, which helps our body systems to work as they are supposed to, as well as brightens our skin, gives us more energy, & improves our mood.
10. Start a new hobby
Spring is the time of new beginnings, so why not try something new? If you want to do something healthy for your body, try a new exercise routine or start cooking more healthy meals at home. If you’re just looking to engage your mind in a new way, why not try a new craft or start doing crossword puzzles. Whatever appeals to you or whatever you have been wanting to try, this is the perfect time to start doing it.
I hope you found a new self-care activity that excites you. Try to give yourself a little time each day, even if it’s just a few minutes, to give yourself a little extra love & care. Your body, mind & soul will thank you.
What’s your favorite way to engage in self-care? Leave me a comment below!
Do you need a little more inspiration? Download my free printable self-care calendar for April! It has a different activity idea for every day, making it the perfect way to remind you to spend some time for yourself daily, as well as try out different self-care activities if you’re not sure what you like best. It helps when we support each other, even with self-care, so stay tuned to my social media next month for my own journey with self-care, using this calendar & article for inspiration.
P.S. Self-care shouldn’t feel like work. Why not get it delivered to your doorstep every month? The Sunshine Box is a personalized self-care subscription box that is filled with items picked out just for you! It’s the perfect way to show yourself a little extra love each month. Learn more & subscribe here.