6 Ideas to Change Up Your Winter Self-Care Routine

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With winter upon us and the coldest weather of the year, it’s time to bump up our self care routine a bit more. Changing up our routines each season keeps us ahead of the changes in daylight and weather conditions that naturally occur. If you don’t have a self care routine in place, check out my post Hello Routine, my old Friend. to learn more about why you should have one and how to start one.

In my opinion winter is an extreme season. I can handle extreme heat over extreme cold any day, so for me, winter is the most uncomfortable season. Some people I know, thoroughly enjoy winter and the cool weather, don’t worry I won’t leave you out.

A couple of these you will probably recognize from my Autumn Self-care Routine post from 3 months ago as they are important when the weather cools and the days shorten.

Moisturize! I cannot stress enough the importance of moisturizing, especially if you are an outdoors person. Lotions, moisturizers, lip balm, body butters, and hand cream. Oh my yes, the air will dry out your entire body, which brings us to the next thing.

Hydrate! Drink your water. Room temperature water is easier to get in, so work your way up to your perfect water intake amount easier this way. If you really just cannot drink plain water, add some lemon, lime, or water flavoring. Water made into non caffeinated beverages such as wassail or herbal tea, helps to hydrate as well. Use a humidifier to moisten the air, adding a couple drops of your favorite essential oil can liven up the room as you add humidity.

Vitamin D3! I can’t stress enough how much we need this vitamin in the months of shorter days and lack of sunshine. Some doctors recommend a dosage upward of 4000 IU daily due to its short half life. Studies have shown that taking vitamin D during these months can lessen Seasonal Effective Disorder tremendously.

Exercise! If you are a year round outdoors person even when the weather is frigid the exercise you could partake in would be skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, hiking, walking, jogging, and running. If you want to exercise but don’t want to go out to do it, I suggest searching YouTube for some great workout videos, Walk Away the Pounds, TaeBo, T-Tapp, Yoga, Pilates, and so many more. My personal favorites are Walk Away the Pounds and T-Tapp, these fantastic ways to stay in shape if the weather is less than ideal or if you are in a pinch for time.

Relax! Cozy up on the sofa with a new Netflix series, a good book, or a new thread project (crochet, knit, embroidery, Tunisian, tatting, or latch hook). Have upbeat or classical music playing in your home often. Maybe construct a puzzle or two. Soak in the tub with a great bath bomb or salts to relieve the tension in your body.

Personal Development! Now is a great time to invest in yourself. What are things that you have always wanted to learn or do? Meditate, recite affirmations, learn a new hobby or marketable skill. You could join a reading challenge, photography challenge, handwriting challenge, or drawing challenge. Maybe even take a class that you have been wanting to take for some time.

As we go through the year season by season changing our routine to accommodate the weather and the available daylight hours this maintains our well being. We must keep up on our self care to keep us healthy and positive.

Until next time,

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