Winter Self-Care Routine: A Cozy Guide to Wellness Habits and Rituals

Photo: jakub Curl GicI

When winter comes, it brings an endless loop of cold temperatures, short days and dark weather. The seasons can affect your mood, and it can make fun moments that will enhance your spirit and feel impossible. You can constantly be rounded and fight with the desire to hibernate.

But dark mornings and chilly nights can invite you to take care of yourself more late. This is because there is a priority to caring for your physical health, as winter weather can lead to many bacteria that turn disease. In addition to this, endless bad weather in many parts of the world, combined with short periods of sunlight, can encourage you to concentrate more on your mental health to make you feel better about this challenging season.

Winter brings many moments of beauty and happiness, including watching the shining snow settle down, enjoying a warm drink while wrapped in a blanket, or immersing yourself in the silence of a long dark night. But sometimes, this isn’t enough to empower you all season. If you’re feeling low, your energy levels will be low and you will have little motivation. This makes winter the perfect season to create a self-care routine that will cause joy, slow down and calm you down.

Why do you make self-care so much better in winter?

It’s not a lie that winter changes everything. Whether you enjoy a sunny, early morning run or enjoy exploring nature on a warm day, activities and daily life are not very appealing when it is dark and absolutely freezing outside. This is why we need to update our regular routines when the seasons change.

A little known fact about winter is that short days will affect you more than you know. This is because when the human body is exposed to more darkness, it produces more melatonin (sleep hormone). In addition to this, lowering serotonin levels by not exposing too much to sunlight can affect mood and energy levels. This is usually known as a winter slump. Here, I feel lethargic and restless. So, taking care of yourself as a priority can make a big difference in this slump and improvement, as you need a little more self-care during this tough season.

The first thing you need to do before you get into your winter self-care routine is to embrace the season. Now, this may seem difficult as it’s more appealing than ever, just keeping the season away. Cold mornings, early sunsets, and grey sky are not irritated. You just want to lock yourself in and wait for it to finish. But learning to embrace the seasons can help to take away that negative mental fee and completely change the outlook for winter. Instead of focusing on things you can’t do, such as long outdoor afternoons or spontaneous sunny walks, start thinking about what you can create during this difficult time.

Winter is actually a season of nutrition, tranquility and reflection. It’s time to go at a slower pace, so make the most of this as much as you can. Give permission to rest, read longer and prioritize your emotional well-being. You can discover new hobbies and try your hand at a variety of activities, such as journaling, exploring meditation, or simply catching up to sleep without feeling guilty. Treat it not as an opportunity to reset the seasons, but as something that prevents you from doing what you want.

Photo: Tallinn Elliott

The next step in a healthy winter self-care routine is to make your environment cozy, warm and attractive. Create that dream space by thinking about what you always wanted to see and feel when you see and feel your home. Winter is the perfect time for this as you can spend more time indoors to change the space rather than leaving it to another day thinking about space. This is an important change as your surroundings play a big role in your feelings. Returning to a chaotic, cold, harsh environment from a long, cold day at work can make you feel even more uncomfortable than you already have. While you return to a warm, tidy, homely environment with low lighting that glows, you will smell delicious, and the flickering candles with the smell of thick, cute blankets will make you feel so happy and give you that vague feeling.

The scent can also make you feel warm and cozy during the cold season. Candles, diffusers, or your favorite essential oil blends can put a smile on your face no matter what you’re doing.

The winter cravings are very easy due to bad weather, dim days and low mood mix. These cravings often lead to choosing comfortable foods that are not the healthiest options. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in sweet treats or unhealthy diets to alleviate the negative emotions associated with the season, but your body needs more nutrition than ever in the winter.

This isn’t just about focusing on what you eat, but it involves how you treat your body. Gentle movements, such as stretching, yoga, or mindful walks, can be bundled into layers and bring wonders to circulation and mental clarity.

Hydration may not be thirsty, but it is just as important as summer and winter. A warm herbal tea or infusion and skincare routine, and hydrate inside and outside. Speaking of skin care, your body may need a little more love during the cold season. Adjust your regimen to include richer moisturizers, lip balms, and those that provide protection from dry and cold air.

Photo: Ylanite Koppens

Winter is the ideal time to reconnect with routines that you enjoy but don’t have the usual time. There may be old routines that you haven’t done in years, or routines you do from time to time. Whichever you love, it’s the perfect time to incorporate them into your daily life to boost your mood and not let the winter get bored. These routines often consist of small meaningful actions that bring structure and peace to your day.

This could mean starting your morning with a 10-minute journaling or finishing the night with a calm skincare routine. These moments help you move through the day with more elegance and mindfulness, allowing you to take a breather by reflecting from negative emotions. They also provide you with a time to rebuild your mind and feel refreshed.

Winter is probably more reflective than any other season. As the year ends, it is only natural for you to start to consider what you have learned, what you have lost, and what you want in the next few months. Instead of rushing towards your next goal, allow yourself a space to acknowledge everything this year. You also need to give yourself time to escape these thoughts by creating a healthy winter self-care routine to help you feel better and refreshed.

The final thought…