Winter Self-Care
Although it’s raining today, and not snowing, Winter is here. I’m a Summer baby all the way, so this is not my favorite time of the year. However, in recent years, I’ve made an effort to see the good that comes with Winter.
No, I still don’t like shoveling or driving in the snow. I don’t like the cold weather or that it gets dark so early, but I can appreciate the beauty of the snow when it first falls and that Winter seems to offer us an opportunity to slow down.
As much as I love Summer, it can be stressful sometimes.
Between my family and my in-laws, we have fifteen Summer birthdays. Even when combining a few of those get-togethers, that’s a lot of birthdays. On top of that, because we live in the Midwest where we have a limited amount of warm weather, there are often more activities going on during this time. As a whole, we seem to cram in as many concerts, festivals, beer gardens, and other outdoor activities as we can while the weather allows.
While all of that is great, and it really is, it can make for some very busy months. When taking a moment to reflect on that, it helps create more gratitude for the natural slow down of Winter.
We are a part of nature, and a lot of nature goes dormant in the Winter. Similar to when it rains, it’s a survival response to want to stay inside when it rains, to stay safe and dry. So sure, we’re not bears or chipmunks and we can’t just sleep for months at a time, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t take advantage of this time to slow down, rest, and reset.
Taking care of yourself during the Winter months is important to help prevent or manage feelings of seasonal depression. Your self-care routine may need a tune up to fit better with Winter. You might also have a chance to do things that you wouldn’t typically have time to do during Summer and other busier times of the year. Here are some ideas to help you get started or adjust your self-care routine for Winter:
Move your body: The Winter slow down might allow you more time to dedicate to movement, and you might also need to adjust your movement routine to fit into Winter. My husband and I love to be active, and my husband in particular loves to do the cardio parts of his workout outside. Where we live, there are many times, not even just in the Winter, that outdoor activities are not an option. This causes him to choose not to do cardio more often than not. Although he has been using our indoor bike more often, it has taken him quite awhile to accept that, if he wants to move his body in this way, he’s going to have to do it indoors sometimes.
I say all of that to say that you may need to change up your movement routine to work for Winter or other poor weather days, as well. There are many options for how to do this, such as:
Going to the gym more often or joining a gym, even if just for the Winter months. Many gyms run promotions for joining at the beginning of the year.
Doing yoga, pilates, or other movement at home, whatever you enjoy and your space allows for
Use a timer or app that reminds you to stand up and move your body every so often
Use the stairs or take the longer route to get to the bathroom or kitchen or wherever
Use a standing desk
Have a dance party (solo dance parties absolutely count)
Write: I’ll be honest. I am not a consistent journaler. It’s just not something I’ve ever done consistently (thinking about all of the diaries I started and abandoned in elementary school). Writing is helpful, even when you don’t do it consistently. Read 'The Joys of Journaling: Benefits of Journaling, Six Ways to Journal, & Journal Prompts' for more on this.
Here are some journal prompts for reflection during a time of reset that were shared with me by a colleague:
What’s worthy of my time and energy?
What brings me life?
In what areas am I experiencing success? At what cost?
What am I driven by?
Do I really want that or do I feel like I “should” want that?
How does my body feel?
Find an indoor hobby: There are so many things that we can do inside. SO many. After coming out of grad school and starting my career, it has taken me years to get back to making time for hobbies. So I get it, if you’re not quite there yet. However, I encourage you to try to incorporate at least one day to do one hobby each week.
With Winter and since the Pandemic, my hobbies have had to adapt. You may have noticed the same for yourself. While there are some things that I’ve been able to start doing again, there are other things that I still have not returned to since pre-2020. Although I plan to return to those things, it has been a good opportunity to open myself up to other options, as well.
For me, that has meant delving into hobbies that I don’t typically do in the warm weather parts of the year, like different art projects, reading, and taking courses to expand my business. For my husband, that has meant learning more about carpentry to work on finishing our basement. Whatever it means for you, allow yourself to be open and creative with it. Maybe it will mean reengaging with a hobby or an activity that you used to enjoy. Maybe it will mean trying something brand new that you had never thought about or that you’ve been waiting to have the time to try.
Slow down: Slowing down may seem like a foreign concept to you. It may even seem like an unobtainable concept. We live in a world that is still highly driven by achievement, performance, and “hustle culture.” So, it makes sense if slowing down seems silly, but it is possible, even in small ways. One way to do this is by setting boundaries to protect your time to slow down and still make time for the things that are important to you. As you reflect with those questions above, try to set boundaries that fall in line with what you care about and value. If you value this time to slow down, say no to doing things that you don’t want to do to make sure you’re time for slowing down stays slow. If you care about spending time with an aging family member, say no or take other tasks off your plate to make time for that.
Winter brings some difficult things with it. More darkness, less sun. More cold, less opportunity in some ways. However, it also opens the door for other opportunities that we may miss or not take advantage of when we are so busy in other parts of the year. How will you engage in self-care this Winter? Will you adjust your movement routine? Or maybe write in your journal to reflect or slow down? Or will you find a new hobby or reengage with an old one? Like with the rest of nature, Winter gives us the opportunity to slow down, rest, and reset, in whatever ways are meaningful for you to do.