Guide to Winter Self Care: Living With the Blues
Sure winter comes with some fun holidays and ringing in the new year, but what about the rest of winter? After the holidays it just stretches onnnnn through the beginning of the year. And even though spring is *almost* here, with the grey weather and potential for limited activities (especially during the recent pandemic) it’s still easy to come down with the winter blues.
To help lessen those winter blues, we’re giving you our guide to winter self care!
Winter Self Care Ideas for Beating Seasonal Blues
It’s important to practice winter self care during the colder months (and every month, tbh) to beat the blues and bring joy back into your everyday life. It’s not about big events or major lifestyle changes either. Finding small ways to take care of yourself, relaxing to re-energize, and taking joy in little things goes a long way!
Try out these winter self care ideas to help lessen those blues this year:
- Connect with someone with good conversation
- Take time to pamper yourself
- Soak up the sunlight when you can
- Live in the moment while enjoying a good beverage
- Have fun with a new hobby
Beat the Winter Blues with Good Conversation
We’re social beings, no doubt about it! Even if you’re more introverted (right here! 🙋🏻♀️), having a chat with a close friend or family member can make a huge difference in our mood. This is why first up in our guide to winter self care is sharing good conversation with someone.
During the best of winters it can be difficult to meet up in person, but given the recent pandemic everyone’s gotten creative with ways to experience that personal connection with one another. There’s the phone (yikes 😬–we know), sure, but the pandemic has also seen an awesome rise in video chat platforms like Zoom and audio apps like Clubhouse that let us connect with others we can’t meet with right now. It’s also given us time to reflect on gratitude for our relationships and find ways to engage with others more mindfully.
Pamper Yourself - Now and Always
You can’t have a guide to self care for the winter blues and not mention taking time to pamper yourself. This winter self care can be as easy as enjoying a long bath to reset and unwind, starting a new skincare routine to feel refreshed, or really doing anything that celebrates you!
Learning how to beat the winter blues with self pampering means taking a little time to focus on your. Winter self care routines add mindfulness to your life and help you slow down to live in the moment.
Soak Up the Winter Sunlight
The winter months can often come with a major lack of sunshine. The grey weather might be nice here and there, but it can be depressing after a while! Natural sunlight helps your brain produce serotonin, a hormone that improves your mood, brings your calm, and helps you focus.
Practice self care for the winter blues by making an effort to soak up some sun whenever you get the chance. Go for a walk on those rare sunny days or pull back all the curtains to let the sunlight pour in while staying inside!
☀️🎶 Let the sunshine in 🎶☀️
Practice Mindful Drinking to Savor the Moment
Moving on in our guide to winter self care is taking the time to enjoy a great beverage. Lots of times we’re multitasking and downing our morning coffee (essential for life ☕️) or knocking back a nightcap without taking the time to really enjoy it.
Mindfulness pairs with self care for the winter blues here again. Instead of grabbing your coffee on the run or watching tv while you’re trying out that new CBD drink recipe, slow down and just focus on the act of enjoying it. Take in the smell, feel the warmth of the cup in your hand, and focus on the sensations you feel as you drink it.
New Hobby, Who Dis?
Winter self care to beat the seasonal blues isn’t just pampering yourself and taking things slow. It’s all about finding what brings you joy! Finding ways to spark your creativity is one of the best winter self care practices you can do.
Since we have a bit more time before spring is here, try jump-starting your mood with a new hobby like learning to play an instrument or getting crafty with some DIY projects. Even if your project doesn’t turn out just right (nailed it!) it’s about the fun you have on the journey.
Movement is also great for improving mood and helping creativity, so you can also consider looking into something like hiking, a dance workout, or running!
Seasonal blues can be a total bummer but we hope our guide to winter self care inspires you to find ways to bring joy into your daily life! Remember it’s about what makes you happy.
Make that connection with someone, add a CBD tincture to your evening drink and live in that moment, or bake the most delicious ugly cake you’ve ever seen. Have fun with it and boost your mental health this season!
Feeling symptoms of depression for a prolonged period could be signs of a more serious mental health condition such as Seasonal Affective Disorder. Always consult a healthcare professional for help and treatment and let others around you know how you're feeling.