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The Winter weather is well and truly here, I have definitely be feeling the cold in the past few weeks. So it means a shift in my self care practises, as to what my body and mind need during the Winter months.
Self care is really important. The concept gets thrown around a lot, but at the core taking care of yourself should be a thought you have everyday. You cannot do anything if you are not healthy in every sense. Your health and wellbeing should be a priority for you. When I was diagnose with Fibromyalgia, I had to learn the best self care activities that would help me to take care of my body. During the Winter I tend to experience more pain and fatigue so switching up my self care routine is a must.
Let’s dive into 12 self care activities that I am going to be doing this Winter.
Photo by Hanna Balan on Unsplash
1. Enjoy more hot drinks
I tend to drink more hot drinks during the Winter as it works quickly to warm me up. The cold weather makes our bodies tense and stiff, with my body even more so. Drinking a hot beverage can help me to instantly unwind and feel more relaxed. My favourite hot drinks are tea and hot chocolates and well Winter gives me a great reason to drink hot chocolates.
2. Soak up any sun
When the sun makes an appearance I am going to do my best to get outside and soak up the vitamin D. Vitamin D is so beneficial for your health and immune system. Nature can be extremely healing and grounding even during the Winter months.
3. Move my body
Moving more can actually help chronic pain. It’s true and as strange as it sounds. During the Winter, there is a lot of rain and so on these days I find it difficult to move, getting cold and wet, which then makes me be in more pain. It can be so tempting to stay warm cosy and stay under my weighted blanket. So, I have been making an effort to move even if it is a small amount everyday. This is a goal that I am going to continue to practise in 2023.
4. Moisturise everywhere
As the weather gets colder my skin becomes dry and chapped. During the Winter I have to moisturise more, I am currently using Soap & Glory body lotion and it is so hydrating and leaves my skin so soft. When I put the lotion on, I also give myself a small massage, this helps the pain in my body.
5. Switch to more hydrating skincare
Like I said previously during the Winter months my skin can get dry and chapped. I like to swap my skincare to products that are more hydrating and moisturising. I also tend to use more face masks to pamper my skin. It’s also important to hydrate your body inside out, which has beneficial effects on skin hydration. For this purpose, IV hydration may be considered one of the most helpful methods, as it can help replenish lost moisture in skin cells, addressing signs of fatigue and dehydration in minutes. IV hydration therapy delivers the key active ingredients – such as amino acids, vitamins, and minerals – that your body needs to nourish the skin from within. I can certainly notice a difference when I adapt my skincare to the changing seasons.
6. Bake something
The smell of something baking in the oven can fill the home and gives me a warm cozy feeling. I cannot tell you how many years it has been since I baked something. But, this Winter I want to bake more and learn some recipes. One thing I would love to bake is gingerbread. Baking is a great way to practise following directions and build self esteem. Not only that but the oven will keep you warm whilst it bakes!
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
7. Prep for the Christmas holiday
Along with the cold weather, Winter brings the Christmas holidays and amazing family time together. However, holidays brings a lot of things to do….shopping for gifts, decorating, food shopping, food prep, travelling and more. Trying to balance all of these elements can be extremely stressful. It is important that preparations are made to avoid stress. I want out Christmas to be stress-free, so my family and I have been making prep lists. I have nearly finished my Christmas shopping luckily. So that is one stress eliminated for me.
8. A Winter cleaning list
Cleaning can be a productive activity as well as a self care activity. Having a regular cleaning list will help to keep our home/space clean and tidy. When you have a clean and tidy space your mental health improves as well as your self esteem.
I like to have regular declutters and cleans. It makes me feel good when I have decluttered an area and it looks better. I find that when my space especially my desk is clear and clean, I feel less stressed, it is a much more relaxing environment.
9. Watch my favourite Christmas movies
When it is cold outside, I love to get cozy inside. Get under my weighted blanket and watch my favourite Christmas movies with my loved ones. The films not only give me a warm fuzzy feeling, but also get me more into the festive mood.
Some of my favourite Winter and Christmas films are: The Holiday, Jingle All The Way, Love Actually and Home Alone. A Christmas movie night is a great way to spend an evening, relaxing and making time do some things I enjoy.
10. Try daily affirmations
Affirmations are a successful form of behavioural therapy. Practising the repetition of words and belief in those words can create a powerful change. Whether you speak the affirmations out loud or write them in a journal, they boost self esteem and can be a source of motivation. I have tried affirmations before, but I didn’t do them daily, so this Winter I am going to incorporate them into my self care routine. Here are some great self esteem and confidence affirmations or affirmations that will improve your mindset.
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11. Journal
Journaling is something I have done on and off since I was really young. I loved writing in my diary and that continued as I got older. I haven’t been journaling for a little while and I have been meaning to start again, but then life gets in the way. This is something I am changing. I have a huge selection of notebooks and journal supplies to choose from. I am going to start daily journaling and use it as part of my evening routine. When I journal daily it helps me to offload and improve my mental health. I can also use journal prompts to discover more about myself and improve my personal growth.
12. Set goals for the New Year
This time of year is the perfect time to look at the New Year and start exploring what I want to get out of my life in the next year. Self care is also about personal development and growth. I will be taking time to focus on what my goals will be for the first quarter as well as what my focus will be for 2023. It will give me motivation and help me to achieve the goals I want to in the next year.
These are 12 new self care activities that I am going to try this Winter to help take care of my physical and mental health. Self care is something that is super personal and this post is just sharing what I feel will benefit me. You definitely should try different activities to see what makes you feel pampered etc.
What self care activities are you going to practise this Winter? I’d love to hear in the comments.
Such a great message to share about looking after yourself! 😊 I want to take more time for myself this winter, which I tend not to do when focused on gifts and food and spending time with others, which gets overwhelming.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I love ALLLLL of these ideas! I’ll certainly be making use of these over the coming weeks and into the new year when us retail workers will really need the come down!
These things I have been starting most of them already and I am definitely making more time for myself. I am now very aware of when I need to take breaks and time for myself. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I definitely need to move my gosh more! I find that this is toughest during the colder months as well, so I’ll definitely be trying!
I joined the gym yesterday and have been twice and already feel so much better physically and mentally. Moving definitely makes you feel good. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Love these self-care tips and as you say, they should be at the top of our minds everyday. We need to figure out what works for us, but as days go shorter, it is important to soak up the sun as often as we can. It’s easy to become gloomy when it’s dark and cold all the time. I like the possitive affirmations, that will help your mind look at things in a different light. Great post
These are the things that I know will work for me and have already started using them. I am feeling much better already x
Oh my gosh these are great! Especially the ones about hydrating the skin more. The dry winter can be really damaging to the skin
Definitely. Thank you for reading and commenting.
There are some great things on this list! We are moving this weekend and there is something about the new house that has me seriously excited about baking this season. I was already telling my husband all about the different things I want to make – muffins, cookies, bread, etc.
Ooo good luck with the move. I hope it all goes smoothly. That sounds awesome. I hope you get to bake all those yummy things soon. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Love these ideas, especially getting more sun! I’m trying to do the same with daily walks in the morning 🙂 thank you for sharing!
That’s great. Thank you for reading and commenting.
We’re going to use most of these ideas! We’ve already started drinking more hot chocolate and moisturizing.
That’s great. I hope you have a great December and Winter x
Such great self care tips. I love Soap & Glory body lotion. And I’m having all the hot drinks I can at the moment.
I love the Soap and Glory one as it has a pump the big bottle and it is so easy when my hands are painful to use. Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are great Winter themed self-care ideas! I need to try and get into baking this Christmas! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I don’t drink tea or coffee, but hot chocolate is a real treat for me!
I must admit I’ve been watching the Christmas films on TV these past couple of weeks 🙂
Oo I haven’t watched any Christmas films yet, but I am visiting winter wonderland at the weekend so I may be watching Christmas films after that. Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are all amazing ideas. I practice affirmations daily and would highly recommend to all! I’d also love to spend more time baking this winter too!
I hope you get to bake more this Winter. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I need to start moisturising everywhere, as my skin is starting to get a little drier with the colder months. Thank you for sharing Lauren x
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Love these ideas they are so simple but that’s all it takes to tip my self care into the positive! I am going to try to move more, now I’m back at work it’s so easy just to stay in watch tv but I always feel better when I get out!
Rosie
This is a good winter plan. I love the movies and baking idea. Wish you a good season.
I hope you have a good December x
These are great ideas. I’ll be doing some of these as well!
I hope you have a great month!
These are really great winter season ideas; I have to make sure I fit some extra self-care into my routine too. I want to make sure I moisturize, enjoy more hot drinks, get some serious cleaning done and watch some Christmas movies!
I hope you get to do these this month!
That’s awesome list. I like the idea of going outside to get sun. Winter make the day shorter and we need that Vitamin D. I’m trying to get out as well.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
This is a really good list of ideas! I’m struggling to look after myself atm so this will definitely be useful! Thank you!
I hope this helps. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I need to do ALL of these as well. Self care is so important and I get way too distracted during the holidays. Thanks for the reminder.
I hope you manage to get some time in for self care. Thank you for reading and commenting.
The colder days are hard on our bodies. Especially when a chronic illness is involved. I find that frequent changes in movement / position are a great help. Hot tea and cider are my favorite winter drinks.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I feel that self care is even more important in the winter months so I appreciate getting these suggestions!
These are things that are working for me. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Really useful ideas :). Mine is definitely regular exercise as well as time to work on new projects. Christmas is such a short period that consumes so much of our time, definitely a good idea to plan ahead for winter rather than just the next few weeks 🖤
Self care is always important, more so in the dark, cold and yet ridiculously busy Christmas season. I’ll be getting outside daily, taking a vit D supplement and blocking out time in my diary so that I don’t overload my schedule. Lots of snuggly movie nights too, a bit of cosy always feels good!
Those are some great self care ideas for winter for sure!
Thank you for reading and commenting.