10 Simple Winter Self-Care Tips

How about 10 simple winter self-care tips to help you thrive this season!?!

Because while this season often signals celebration, coziness, and memories, it can also represent a time of overwhelm, loneliness, and sadness.

And for so many of us, we experience a combination of all of these feelings. Because life is complicated and we’re human beings, after all.

My hope is that the following suggestions offer you practical support and permission to take care of yourself during this season.

Here is your list of 10 simple winter self-care tips!

1. Sip on Hot lemon water or herbal tea

Having a warm beverage nearby throughout the day offers comfort during chilly times. And as much as I love my coffee, too much caffeine leaves me jittery and anxious.

Maybe it’s the same for you too?

Sipping on hot water with a little lemon or some herbal tea is a great alternative to a standard bottle of cold water and offers an excellent way to stay hydrated throughout the winter months.

Choose a warm beverage option that sounds appealing and incorporate it into your day.

2. incorporate Humor throughout your day

What makes you laugh?

Because plenty of heaviness can seep into this season and humor is a fantastic tool to help keep us grounded.

For me, episodes of The Office and Parks & Rec are guaranteed to make me laugh. Listening to The Popcast will lighten my mood. I’ll call a friend of mine who is hilarious. Sometimes I’ll watch a few of those ridiculous videos with animals doing absurd things.

What are some things that you can do to sprinkle some humor throughout your winter days?

3. Follow the moon cycle or stargaze

Now before you think I’m getting all woo-woo on you, I’m simply suggesting that you look up what the moon cycle is for the month and casually follow it’s journey each night (when it’s visible from your location).

This is something most of us never do and yet it’s such a simple and powerful way to connect to nature and your surroundings.

Additionally, (or alternatively) you might want to spend some time stargazing.

Spending time connecting to the night sky is a wonderful way to feel connected.

4. Slow down

Beginning with the busy holiday season, our schedules often ramp up during this time of year. But if we tune into our natural surroundings and winter’s subtle cues, (or not so subtle, depending on where we live!) we receive an invitation to minimize the frenzy and prioritize rest.

I get that our lives can feel really busy and it can often feel impossible to carve out intentional time to slow down.

But it’s so worth it.

So whether you wake up 20 minutes earlier to incorporate a morning quiet time or meditation, or put the screens away for an hour before bed so you can try to enhance your quality of sleep,

Slowing down is often the best form of self-care.

5. Practice saying no

This one can be so hard!

May it’s saying no to a volunteer opportunity you’re feeling pressured to accept.

Or declining an invitation to do something that sounds fun but will require a large time commitment on your part.

Saying no can feel really uncomfortable, (and sometimes downright scary!) but the more you do it, the easier it will become.

Saying no is essential to prioritizing your time and self-care.

6. Spend time with animals

Do you have pets?

If you’ve got pets that are able to snuggle with you and go on walks, make time for these activities. If you’ve got animals that aren’t of the “snuggleable” variety, spend a little time observing and caring for them.

And if you don’t have pets of your own, get together with a friend who does, visit a local animal shelter, or simply pay attention to them outside as you go about your day.

Animals can help us keep our lives and responsibilities in check.

7. read Poetry

It’s so easy to overlook the significance of poetry in our go-go-go world.

Poetry requires us to slow down. To read the words with care. Consider and contemplate.

If you have no idea where to start, I suggest anything by Mary Oliver or John O’Donahue.

But don’t disregard poetry for children either!

I find it’s often the most delightful place to start. I’ve got a few different lists of recommended poetry with many of my all-time favorite titles. I encourage you to check them out!

10 Enchanting Poetry Books for Young Kids

10 Captivating Poetry Books for Middle Schoolers

10 Exceptional Poetry Books for High Schoolers

Get your hand on one of these books and enjoy slowing down with a little poetry.

8. use a quality lotion to protect dry skin

I don’t know about you but if I’m not intentional about applying lotion in the winter months, my skin really suffers.

If you live in a climate where your skin is inclined to become dry and chapped, get yourself a high-quality lotion to help protect your skin. And even if you live in a more temperate, humid climate, it’s still a great season to get a nice smelling lotion.

Treat yourself to some lotion to help combat dryness.

9. Develop a nighttime routine

This doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Simply lighting a few candles, playing some relaxing music, stretching for a few minutes… there are many small ways to nurture a relaxing nighttime routine.

Develop a nighttime routine to help you wind down before going to bed.

10. implement an Earlier bedtime

This one is so tough for so many of us!

And as a self-proclaimed night owl, I admit that I struggle with going to bed early. In fact, I’ve struggled with getting high-quality sleep for most of my life. But over the years I’ve been able to implement some solid tools to help with my sleep.

This doesn’t have to be an extreme change. Consider moving your bedtime up by even just 20 minutes.

Look around to what is happening in nature and take these changes as a cue for you to slow down too.

Consider going to bed a little earlier than usual.

In summary, here are 10 simple winter self-care tips:

Sip on hot lemon water or herbal tea
Incorporate humor throughout your day
Follow the moon cycle or stargaze
Slow down
Practice saying no
Spend time with animals
Read poetry
Use quality lotion to protect dry skin
Develop a nighttime routine
Implement an earlier bedtime

Be sure to check out simple self-care tips for the other three seasons too!

And if you have any specific self-care practices you find especially helpful, I’d love to know what they are!