12 Winter Self-Care Practices
Overworking ourselves and pushing our own needs to the side has quickly become the norm. We praise each other for the amount we can accomplish, and we act as though we are being noble when we push our own needs aside to help someone else. We are human, which means we are social creatures and tend to do this out of love for the people we care about the most. Somewhere along the way, however, we seem to have forgotten to offer ourselves the same decency to prioritize our own needs as well.
What is self-care
The term self-care gets thrown around a ton, and may even feel a little taboo sometimes, but what exactly is it? Self-care, quite literally, is the act of taking care of yourself. On the surface, it seems so simple, “what are you talking about? I always take care of myself. I have delicious food in the fridge, a roof over my head – what’s the big deal.” The thing about self-care is that it goes much deeper than that.
To think about self-care a little bit further, talk about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If you are new to the concept, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory proposed by Abraham Maslow in the 1940s. Maslow uses the image of a pyramid to display 5 human needs stacked on top of one another. The 5 needs (from bottom to top) include physiological needs (food, water, shelter, etc.), safety needs (personal safety, job security, healthy, etc.), love and belonging (friendships, family, relationships, etc.), esteem (self-esteem, freedom, strength, etc.), and self-actualization (wanting the most out of your life).
While many of us may meet our basic needs (including our physiological and safety needs) relatively easily, it often seems our psychological (including our relationships and esteem needs), and our self-actualization gets pushed to the side. Prioritizing our self-care isn’t selfish at all – it’s making sure all of our needs are met (not just our basic needs) to live a complete and balanced life.
Also read: 5 Easy Ways To Prioritize Your Health During the Winter
Why should you prioritize your self-care
Since so many of us tend to push our needs to the side, self-care often becomes something we need to prioritize. Think about it this way: if your manager schedules a meeting with you for 10:30, you make sure you are free at 10:30. You know this time isn’t negotiable, so don’t leave the office at 10:25 for a coffee run or schedule another meeting for the same time.
Think of prioritizing your self-care as scheduling a meeting with your most important boss (yourself). While you don’t need to necessarily map out a specific time and place you need to prioritize your self-care, it’s important to create the same non-negotiable commitment with yourself to do something that lifts you up. If you find that you struggle to stick to your new habits, print off this free habit tracker: it will help you stay consistent and motivated with your goals.
12 Winter Self-Care Practices
Get Some Sun
This one may feel tricky, especially in the winter. The days are both shorter and darker, and it seems as though the sunnier days seem to be the coldest. But the reality is that sunshine is crucial for our well-being. Whether it looks like spending a few minutes stretching your legs before work or stepping outside during lunch, make it a point to get outside as often as you can. If you’re not able to do this, try to see if there’s a place you can sit in the sunlight.
Go for a walk
With that said, going for a walk, in general, can do wonders for us. It gets us outside, moving, with fresh air filling our lungs. It doesn’t need to belong: even 15 minutes can do wonders for you. Just make sure you bundle up, keep cozy, and enjoy yourself.
Prioritize Rest
Sometimes, we get caught up in the idea that we always need to be productive, and our productivity levels need to always be the same. The reality is that there are a ton of different contributing factors that influence our productivity, including, but definitely not limited to, the weather, time of year, and our mental well-being. Allowing your body the proper time to rest allows it to repair itself from the day and recharge its batteries so you can show up as your best self the next. Since the winter can be so tough on us both mentally and physically, trust that it’s a-okay if you need to rest a little extra. Focus on making sure your needs are met as opposed to trying to force yourself to stay up as long as possible. When you wake up, you’ll feel more rested and be better equipped to tackle the day.
Visit With a Friend
The winter months can feel dark and lonely enough on their own, but this year may feel a little more daunting with the global pandemic and varying preventive measures. Many of us are experiencing some form of a lockdown or tightened restrictions, making it impracticable to visit with our friends the way we typically would. But instead of focusing on the things we can’t do, it is important to find creative ways to connect with the people we care about. Whether you try out a FaceTime or Zoom chat, or an outdoor socially distant visit (if your area allows), find a way to prioritize your friendships during the winter.
Practice Yoga
Yoga is a fantastic way to get your body moving because you don’t need a lot of space to do it, and it can be customized to any level. Want a nice, gentle stretch in-between Zoom meetings? There’s a yoga practice for that. Wanting something more advanced? There’s a yoga practice for that. Yoga connects your mind, body, and spirit, and can easily be done all winter long.
Stay Hydrated
When we think of dehydration, a lot of us think about the summer. We know that when the weather gets hotter, we start to sweat more and need to drink more water. During the winter months, however, it may not feel easy to remember. In fact, the last thing we may think about drinking, in general, is a cold glass of water. Remember to drink water as soon as you wake up in the morning and continue drinking water throughout the entire day.
Journal/Meditate
It’s important to check in with your mental health, especially during the winter months. The reality is that spending more time indoors with less daylight can feel extremely isolating for so many people, and if we aren’t checking in with ourselves, we can easily miss out on signs that we are feeling overwhelmed or burnt out. Spend time journaling or meditating to get comfortable with your thoughts regularly, and make subtle adjustments to your day if you find that something isn’t working anymore.
Create a New Routine
To build on point #3, our needs are similar to the seasons in the sense that they are ever-changing. In other words, something may work at one stage of our lives, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work at every stage of our lives. For example, let’s say that waking up at 5 am may do wonders for your mental and physical health during the summer, but you find that you’re extra tired in the winter and need a little more sleep to feel more fulfilled during your days. Waking up one hour later does not make you lazy or unproductive at all, but rather, it’s meeting your body’s needs. Spend some time evaluating your current routine, and don’t be afraid to switch things up if something isn’t working.
Get Cozy
Two words: prioritize comfort. The winter can quickly feel uncomfortable, which means that sometimes the best way to focus on our self-care is to get cozy. Cuddle up in a soft sweatshirt at the end of the day, throw on a pair of leggings under your pants if you know you’ll be outside for long periods, or even invest in a heated blanket. Tip: if you don’t want to make the commitment to getting a heated blanket, try tossing a throw blanket into the dryer for a couple of minutes it does virtually the same thing).
Take Up a Winter Hobby
Find a hobby that you enjoy doing in the winter, such as skating, taking your dog for a walk on a snowy trail, or tobogganing with your family. The goal of this is to give yourself a reason to look forward to the winter months.
Moisturize
Not only do we need to make sure we’re getting enough water in, but we also need to make sure that we’re moisturizing enough. Our skin can quickly feel dry and cracked during the winter months, especially with the increased hand washing and sanitizing. Try to keep hand cream readily available for you (ie: in your purse, at your desk, on your nightstand) so you can apply it throughout the day.
Forgive Yourself
The winter is really, really tough on a ton of people – if you are feeling the winter blues, be kind and forgive yourself. It doesn’t mean that you can’t handle as much as someone else, sometimes it just means you need to check back in with your needs and see what’s going on. Remember that it’s okay to ask for help, or to speak with your doctor or therapist. Everything in life is temporary, so be gentle and remember that the snow will melt soon enough, the weather will warm up, and the sun will shine. Hang in there.