Winter Self-Care
Despite the groundhog seeing its shadow, winter doesn’t look like it’s letting up anytime soon here in Canada. Even as I edit this post, my city is on yet another weather alert for 10-20cm of snow (read: a lot) over the next 24 hours. Many of us wake up in the dark and commute home from work in the dark. It is cold, dark, and wet outside.
It doesn’t set an inspiring or uplifting scene. I get it.
I argue that winter is probably the most important time of the year to have a strong self-care game, because our environment is exactly helping us with natural mood boosters. Winter 2022 has been particularly challenging, with a hostile geopolitical climate, global pandemic, and climate change - just to name a few of the things we are each navigating everyday!
So here are some self-care tips and areas to check-in with yourself to make sure that you are nourishing yourself and refilling your cup.
Move Your Body
You don’t have to brave the outdoor climate or dig out your car to go to your local gym in order to exercise. You also don’t have to have an intense, well-planned home workout routine to jump into on snow days. What’s important is that each and every day you are moving your body. It sounds simple, but moving your body has been shown to have positive benefits on mood, muscle health, and bone density.
Quick and easy ways to move your body can include:
Light stretching (even if it’s just while sitting at your desk or in your chair)
Yoga or Pilates (there are great online resources such as YouTube for these!)
Walking/moving around your house
Brief cardio (jumping jacks, jump rope, dance party)
Taking a trip up/down your stairs
Connect with Others
Don’t let yourself become isolated!! I know I’ve been guilty of this, too, particularly during a pandemic. Government restrictions have limited options to spend time with people indoors, and the frigid weather makes seeing people outside a challenge.
But luckily for us, this is 2022 and there are many options to connect with others virtually, whether that be by phone or video calling.
Even just a simple text can help mitigate the negative impact of being isolated and cooped up in your home. This is especially essential if you live alone.
Back to Basics
It is important that you are checking in with your health and eating habits during this time of year. We often tend to hibernate in the winter, and many health habits fall to the wayside. Booking an annual checkup with your doctor can help you proactively examine your health and make sure that you are set up to succeed.
For example, are you getting your essential nutrients and vitamins? You may be surprised! Recent studies have demonstrated that Canadians have reduced concentrations of vitamin D during the winter months. If you have questions or concerns, be sure to speak with your primary healthcare practitioner.
Get Outside
I know this doesn’t sound appealing to many. It’s cold, wet, and often dark outside. We tend to avoid facing the cold and the snow, preferring to stay bundled indoors. But this often means that we lose the benefits of fresh air, making the most of the sunlight that we have, a change of scenery, chances to explore, or even just the benefits of moving our bodies through small things like going for a walk or roll around the block.
The winter season also is an opportunity for fun! When was the last time you went skating or tobogganing? As kids, many of us enjoyed putting on our snowsuits (not a quick task, either!) and going outside to build snowmen, make snow angels, or try to catch snowflakes on our tongue. For the only children out there like myself, this didn’t necessarily need to be a shared activity, although it can be extra fun with a friend!
The other day, at the end of a particularly difficult day, I impulsively decided to jump right into a snowbank. And, I have to admit, honouring my inner child and just enjoying the snow brought a big smile to my face and lifted my mood for awhile. I think we have all lost a little bit of that playfulness, but the winter gives you a chance to foster this trait that, deep down, we all have within us.
Get Cozy!
Denmark has been repeatedly ranked the happiest country in the world, and I think a big reason for this is their art of hygge. You’ve probably heard of this word after a book with this title became a worldwide phenomenon. Hygge does not have a direct translation to English, but a close translation is: “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”
I find myself turning to this practice more in the winter than any other season. It effectively is all about creating a warm, inviting environment that you truly enjoy being in. And if we’re stuck inside for the majority of our time anyway, why not make that a place that sparks joy and brings us some comfort? The best part about hygge, or getting cozy in general, is that this can look like whatever you want! It can involve rituals and routine, or none of those things.
For me, hygge looks like scented candles, lo-fi music in the background, soft blankets, and changing into my comfiest clothes when I get home from work. I read novels a little bit more than usual, and make a conscious effort to practice mindfulness and observe the beauty of the snow falling outside my window (without thinking ahead to all the shoveling I’ll have to do tomorrow!). Winter is a time where I intentionally reach out to friends and only agree to the things that truly fill my cup.
