Between the sun setting at the ungodly hour of 4:30pm in New York and temperatures steadily dropping, it can be easier than ever to fall into a seasonal funk or depression. Starting and ending work in the pitch black does a number on your serotonin levels, in a bad way. That is why it is extra important to continue or expand on your self care or self love practice as winter sets in.
It’s about taking a few moments every day for yourself and not forgetting that you need to invest some time back in yourself! When it gets colder, being lazy can be an easy habit to fall into. Without even knowing it you’re 8 episodes in on Love is Blind and its 10pm and you barely took 100 steps in the day… Not speaking from personal experiences or anything.
As the weather shifts to full blown winter mode, friendly reminder – it’s still fall, putting a little extra effort in your self care practice can only breed positive things! Here are some ideas to keep your self care practice alive in the winter :
Winter Self Care Practices
Pick Up a New Book
Get lost in a romance novel or fill your brain with positivity with self love book, why not even learn about the past by diving into a historical documentary? Take the time to sit by yourself and lose yourself into the world that the author curated. Reading not only keeps your mind sharp, but it can be a great exercise to start decompressing after a busy day. Reading is a great activity for a night time routine.
Move Your Body in the Morning
Don’t get stuck to your bed or sofa during the winter, even though it’s incredibly easy to grab a fuzzy blanket and hunker down for the day when it gets chilly. Take advantage of the sun being up in the morning, throw on a jacket and take a walk outside. It’s important to take in the sunlight when you can – even if it’s an over cast day, going outside and breathing in the fresh air can be an absolute game changer.
Hot Chocolate Dates with Friends
The laziness can fully set in and next thing you know you’re lonely and haven’t checked-in with your friends in days! The days can all blend together in the winter it you allow them to. Staying in touch with friends and planning hot chocolate dates or Christmas Movie nights can help pick up everyone’s spirits when they may be silently sinking into a seasonal funk. Self Care can be spending time alone, but it can also be spending time with ones you love the most as well!
Pick Up a Winter Hobby
Continually growth propels us internally and can be a driver for learning new skills or activities. When I hear winter hobbies I immediately think skiing, snowboarding, and even snowshoeing – which are all great! I highly recommend trying them all if you have not. They are readily available during the winter and gives you something to do on even the days when there’s a snowstorm! If you’re not ready for braving the elements in the cold, there’s plenty of indoor winter hobbies to explore – indoor pickle ball, craft classes at AC Moore, indoor rock climbing, and more. Keeping up a certain level of activity during the winter is an ultimate self care practice!
Meditation
This is a self care practice that sees not season! Continuing your meditation practice throughout the winter and year round is a great way to show yourself some extra self love. We value movement and activity, which is wildly valuable, but exercising the mind is just as important. Using meditation as a tool for self care can be beneficial in many ways – it can help combat anxious thoughts, depressing thoughts, mental roadblocks, and can be used to ground ourselves when we let our minds wander and get lost in thought.
Phone a Friend
It’s easy to isolate ourselves in the winter – “it’s too cold to go outside” “I’ll meet up with them next time” “Did you see the storm that’s coming” – but it’s important to not let ourselves be stranded alone on an island. Even if you aren’t feeling up to getting outside or going out with friend, there’s not reason to not pick up the phone and call someone! Having a facetime or hour long conversation with a friend can fill your social bucket without having to leave your home. Practicing self care does not mean you have to be alone or an individual activity, keep yourself involved with your people!
5 Reasons To Practice Self-Love
You are your best friend There’s one person who will always be in your corner no matter what, that’s yourself. Practicing self-love does not take hours, its a couple minutes or even seconds out of your day to give back to yourself. At the end of the day you’re the only one who truly has…
Get Creative
Keep your brain healthy and maybe find a new passion by picking up a new art project or craft. There are plenty of places to find inspiration online like Etsy and Pinterest, but even taking a trip to your local Michaels or Hobby Lobby can spark some ideas to get your creativity flowing. Instead of sitting around watching TV or scrolling through social media, you can make some incredible art! Who knows this one time winter hobby could become a life long practice (just like self care!).
Online Yoga
Starting a new form of exercise can be intimidating, even stepping into a Yoga studio with all the zen and calm vibes can be scary at first. To kick start this practice, that incorporates breathing techniques, stretching, and meditation, all you need is a yoga mat and YouTube! There are amazing creators that post many videos on different Yoga practices that you can try in the comfort of your own home. The beauty of trying Yoga on YouTube is that it is free! It can also build up your skill set so you understand some basic flows and then the idea of going to a yoga studio is not so daunting after all. It’s a perfect self care practice to continue after the snow melts and the temperature rises back up.
Start a Blog
I can say from experience that starting this blog has been an amazing self care practice. It has created an outlet for me to be creative but also share my stories and even make friends. I do need to be more consistent with posting, but sometimes life gets busy and I need to prioritize other things. Regardless I know my blog is always here and I find comfort in sitting down and writing about what’s on my mind. Maybe a starting a blog will be beneficial for you too!
Daily Practices That Promote Self Love
With the warm summer weather in full swing and good vibes all around, it seems like a pretty good time to add in some daily practices that promote self-love! Check out some super simple ways to add a little bit of self-love into your daily routine this summer, and beyond! Meditation Meditation is a great…
Teena Fey 