How To Fight The Winter Blues With A Night Of Self-Care
As the cold of winter begins to creep in, it can be increasingly harder for you to find the energy to want to go outside — for the obvious reason (umm, the cold AF weather), but also because of a shift in mood as the days grow shorter and darkness seems to be around much longer than the daylight hours. But, winter also bring the holiday season and plenty of cheer if you can look on the bright side and stick it out until springtime.
Instead of moping around while you're spending all of that time indoors — doing these little acts of kindness for yourself will help you tend to the parts of you that need it most and help give you the boost that you need to layer up and get out of the door each and every cold winter's morn.
In this round-up of winter-y self-care items, you'll find plenty of items that offer a sense of warmth and/or light in some way, shape or form — because that's what you're missing in your life after all, right?
Including these items into your nightly routine or as often as possible will get you feeling good again, despite the blues you felt at the beginning of the season.
1. Something To Burn
Whether it's palo santo (which we've been really into burning lately), a candle or a fireplace (if you're lucky enough to have one of those!) — burning something will offer a bit of warmth and a soft glow, and not to mention, a scent, that will make you feel good again.
2. Something To Cuddle
Find something soft and snuggly and hold onto it for dear life! It may be a blanket, it may
be a luxurious robe, it may be one of the dozens of pillows you've got on your bed. Whatever it is for you, having something to snuggle will make you feel safe and comforted and will literally be a security blanket of sorts to help get you through the season.
3. Something To Sip
Hot cocoa, tea, hot cider, coffee — winter is the time to begin your love affair with warm beverages because before long it'll be iced coffee season again! Having something soothing and warm in your belly will work wonders for calming you, easing your mind and overall reminding you that winter has its benefits, too!
4. Something To Soak In
You may or may not have a nice, deep soaker tub, but that doesn't mean you can't give at least some part of your body a warm bath this winter. Soaking your feet in steaming hot water, doing a facial steam or wrapping your hands in a warm towel are all great alternatives to just taking a nice, long bath. And if you can do that — do that too. It'll help ease the muscles and get you feeling nice and relaxed.
5. Something To Help You Stay In The Present
Try to do some yoga, keep a journal or make a list of things you're grateful for. We recently heard a recommendation from the "In Progress" podcast to jot down three new things you're thankful for each and every day. That way, you realize how great things are right now instead of constantly looking to spring or to the future for good things to happen. Things are good for you now. So, try to remind yourself of that.
A little self-care goes a long way, and doing activities like these as often as possible will help you appreciate the now and keep those winter blues at bay.
**Remember, we are in no way experts in this area! We'll be doing these right along with you!
—Labels and Lacquer girls
Images: Photo by Aricka Lewis on Unsplash (1); Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash (1); Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash (1); L&L Original (1); Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash (1)