Are you looking for self-care ideas that will keep you busy, happy and away from Seasonal Affective Disorder during the cold winter months?
The winter months can be challenging, especially for those who struggle with Major Depressive Disorder or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
And even if you have never experienced depression, if you are not hip to self-care and don’t have a regimen you practice regularly, your mental health is bound to take a hit, especially during the cold winter months.
*This post contains affiliate links, at no additional cost to you I am compensated if you purchase after clicking on the links.*
So with sometimes severe cold weather and limited sunlight, how you take care of yourself in the winter season will either make or break your mental health. Some people fear the winter because they don’t know what to do with themselves during those months, but fear not, I have a few self-care ideas that you can utilize during the winters months to help maintain your physical and mental health.Â
Okay, so let’s get to it! What will it actually take for you to maintain your happiness and sanity during the sometimes isolating winter months and avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder at the same time?
I will share two major components that will help you avoid and overcome the negative affects of the winter season. These two strategies with help you to continuously stay in a positive space.
The first component is your mindset. Before you embark on any journey, you already have a mindset of your expectations and outcome. What do I mean by this?
Well, a lot of us love the beginning of winter. We enjoy the winter fashion and the winter holidays, like Christmas. But after January first and the deeper we get into the winter, most of us are pretty much over it.Â
But winter is a part of our atmospheric culture and it will be what we make of it.
So, what if we didn’t view winter in such a negative light? What if we had a more positive outlook on the meaning of these three or so months?
There are actually many positive parts of winter. However, those positives are sometimes overshadowed by the cold weather, isolation, and lack of sunlight.Â
What if we viewed winter as a time to slow down, nourish and replenish our mental health?
During the summer months, we spend most of our time outdoors eating at restaurants, traveling, going to the beach, and entertaining family and friends, that we barely have time to slow down and spend time with ourselves.Â
However, during the winter months, we have a real opportunity to cater to every part of our health, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, etc. Why not seize that moment?
If we viewed the winter as taking time off to slow down, regroup, and recuperate, I bet we’d feel a lot more differently than with the somewhat negative mindset we have now.Â
Self-care is central to your mental health
The second component is having a list of winter self-care ideas that you can incorporate into your daily self-care routine. Without a detailed self-care plan for the winter, you’re going to find yourself on the couch every night eating takeout and watching Netflix or Hulu, not the healthiest way to spend your winter.Â
Self-care is central to maintaining your mental health and your general health. Without self-care, you are more like to become overwhelmed and overly sensitive to routine life-stressors. Self-care needs to be practiced all the time, through every season.
If you need some examples of ideas to incorporate into your winter self-care routine, use these 25 examples below as a guide for self-care tips.
25 Winter Self-Care Ideas
*** The first two ideas are very important and will set the tone for a fabulous winter.***
Day 1: Reading a book
 Start by picking out 2-3 books to read through the winter and try to read at least five pages each day.
Day 2: Choose a hobby
Choose ONE hobby that you are going to invest yourself in this winter. Are you going to learn how to crochet, knit, play pool, play chess, paint, ice skating, skiing, indoor rock climbing, etc.? What’s one hobby that you’ve been dying to pick up? This winter, make it a reality. Isn’t this such a great idea?
Day 3: Drink a hot cup of teaÂ
Make drinking tea a daily habit. Research has shown that drinking tea is good for you. Read more about why tea is good for you here. Substitute drinking tea once or twice a week with a different warm beverage like hot chocolate. Here’s one of my favorite tea to drink right before bed. I also enjoy this hot chocolate in the morning or in the middle of the day. My daughter and I both LOVE hot chocolate so we always have it handy during the winter. This is the brand that we like.
Day 4: Journal
Journaling will help you record your winter experience and help you keep track of your mood and feelings. Notice if there are specific patterns to your mood. If you notice that you have been experiencing low mood for more than two weeks, it could indicate depression. Use my mood tracker for a more comprehension mood tracker analysis.Â
Day 5: Take a nice warm/hot bath
Ever notice how you are so cold, and as soon as you take a shower, that cold feeling is gone? Well, this is when those bath bombs you might have in your winter self-care toolkit will come in handy. Bath bombs have a way of making you feel calm and relax.Â
Day 6: Take a walk
Yes, I know it might be cold outside, but bundle up and take a walk outside. Sunlight is so limited during the wintertime that it’s important to take advantage of it during the day. Stay out for as long as you can. Sunlight improves your mood. That’s why I also recommend a sun lamp for the days that sunlight is scarce.Â
Day 7: Workout
Working out more days during the week will help to release happy hormones. You feel good after a good workout and get in shape at the same time.
Day 8: Check-in with a friend
Having a support system is vital in overcoming any stressful situation. During the wintertime, isolation is more common. It is important to make intentional efforts to reach out to your support system. Check-in with a close friend and see how they are doing and tell them what you have been up to.Â
Day 9: Watch a movie
Put on a comfy pair of pajamas with comfy socks and use that weighted blanket that you might have stashed in your winter self-care box and watch your favorite winter movie.
Day 10: Cook a new dish
Pinterest has so many amazing food bloggers. Try out a new recipe. Stephanie from Spaceships and Laser Beams is notorious for great recipes. Check her out here.Â
Day 11: Bake something
If you’re into baking, that’s great, but if you’re not, treat yourself and try baking something. Princess Pinky Girl has some great easy baking recipes for beginners and veteran bakers. Check her out here.
Day 12: Light your favorite scented candle
Whatever task or project you may be working on, there is no harm in lighting your favorite scented candle like the Water Lily Pear candle below by.
Day 13: Eat a healthy breakfast
People tell me all the time that they are not morning eaters, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A good healthy breakfast gives you plenty of energy to get through your morning routine.Â
Day 14: Adult Coloring books
It might come in handy to have a stash of adult coloring books. Coloring helps you to practice mindfulness by helping you to stay in the present and focus on the moment. So pull out your crayons and start coloring.
Day 15: Polish your nails
What’s your favorite nail polish color? I know a few people who use a different color on their nails every week, and I love that idea. Colors have a way of improving your mood. Use nail polish colors that make you happy.
Day 16: Put on some lipstick
I love this idea. Lipstick especially, a bold color, puts me in a boss mood, LOL. It really does! What’s your favorite lipstick color? Whatever color it may be, use that to get into a boss mood. Also, try using a new color too, that’s always exciting.
Day 17: Moisturize your body
We all know how dry the skin gets during the winter. Use this day to nourish your beautiful skin. I’ve always been a big fan of cocoa butter, so I’ve always used a lotion with cocoa butter, but if you have something that works for you, that’s great too.
Day 18: Order some takeout
I am not always in the mood to cook, so this is my favorite idea. If you have the budget for it, take a break from cooking and order some takeout, yummy!
Day 19: Listen to some upbeat music
If you are a lover of music, use this day to listen to your favorite upbeat playlist. Use these super cool Beats noise cancelling headphones by Dr. Dre to enhance your jamming to your favorite playlist. You can purchase these headphones HERE.
Day 20: Drink lots of water
Drinking enough water is something we don’t always do, but it is necessary. Use this day to be mindful of your water intake, your skin will thank you later.
Day 21: Go to bed early
If you’ve been staying up late, use this day to go to bed early to get more rest. Rejuvenation is key to great to self-care.
Day 22: Go for a jog or run outside
Especially if you’re used to working out inside, a change of scenery could give you a little bit more motivation to exercise. So bundle up, and head to your town’s track, and jog (or run) for a mile or two. Don’t forget to breathe in and out. Let some fresh air into your lungs.Â
Day 23: Drink some soupÂ
Soup has a way of making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Declare this day, soup day. Drink soup for lunch and dinner! And if you don’t mind it, why not have soup for breakfast too, LOL.Â
Day 24: Stretch your body
The cold weather has a way of making the body stiff. Start the day with stretching your body to loosen up those tense muscles.
Day 25: Listen to a podcast
They are so many great podcast out there these days. I always feel so motivated and renewed after listening to a good podcast. Give listening to a podcast a shot and see what it does for you.
What kind of activities do you practice during the winter months that you consider being self-care?Â
The Best Winter Self-Care Ideas For Better Mental Health
Love this post! It’s so important to go a little further and do a little extra for yourself in winter, otherwise you’ll feel trapped inside and bored the whole time. Thanks for all these ideas!
I love this list! So many different ways to self-care.
This is a great list! Thanks for sharing!