Winter is a beautiful time of year. It’s a time for frosty mornings, cool and crisp air, fires at any time of day, snow angels, flannelette bed sheets, oversized jumpers and fluffy socks. It’s all about comfort.
It’s an opportunity to slow down, to rest. Life is not linear, and humans are not meant to live a linear lifestyle. We cannot achieve all the things in Winter that we achieved in Summer. We cannot always wake up as early to go for a jog. We cannot always run a million errands after work and toss a cold salad together at 8pm as a result.
We live differently through these colder months, and we must not feel guilty or ashamed about it. It is however extremely important to continue to care for ourselves in this time – even more so than usual.
Self-care is the greatest form of self-love. If you already frequently perform self-care rituals on yourself, the good news is that you love yourself! At least enough to look after yourself! If you find yourself stuck when it comes to self-love and self-care, especially during winter, we’ve got some suggestions for you.
Supporting your immune system during Winter
Winter can be a challenging time for our bodies and immune system. Cold temperatures dimmish the immune response by reducing blood flow in the body, which means there are fewer white blood cells to fight disease. A deregulated immune system combined with the fact that viruses thrive during cold seasons leads to a higher percentage of sickness and infection.
It is more important during Winter, than any other season, that we take care of our bodies!
Our Winter immunity tips are as follows:
- Take Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc supplements. These are all essential, immune supporting nutrients. Vitamin D also plays an important role in serotonin regulation and decreasing the risk of depression or anxiety. The best natural source of Vitamin D is sunshine, which we don’t get enough of in Winter. So, get some when you can!
- Dress to the occasion (in other words – rug up!)
- Up your daily dosage of vegetables
- Get as much sleep as possible (8 hours is ideal)
- Rest and de-stress
Supporting gut health
Gut health is the foundation of everything in our bodies – including our emotions. Poor gut health = increased vulnerability to anxiety and depression. If you have any gut issues, talk to your GP and nip them in the bud now. If your gut isn’t a problem, support it anyway by feeding it nutritious, organic, low sugar and low inflammatory foods.
Supporting dry skin and dry hair
As we all know, the cold can really do a number on our skin and hair. We recommend switching to a gentler and more hydrating facial cleanser and moisturiser. Possibly switch to a milk cleanser rather than gel or foam.
Moisturise your entire body after showering of a nighttime. Use coconut or jojoba oil mixed with our Certified Organic Essential Oils for a beautifully hydrating, organic and natural body oil.
Reach for a more hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner for the dryer / colder months depending on your hair type of course. If you are usually a Bergamot user, you could take a step up and reach for the Rose or Lavender ranges. If you are a Rose or Lavender user, you could reach for the Moisture range. Apply a hair treatment more often that usual as well – once a week is a nice amount during winter.
Movement
Yes, it’s freezing and not charming to get into gym clothes, but movement is one of the best ways to look after our bodies and minds at the same time! Movement releases dopamine, serotonin and endorphins! Any form of movement is great. If you are a jogger or a gym goer good on you! If you would prefer light movement, try stretching, yoga, walking or dancing.
Water
Drink it up! At least 3-4 litres a day. Every part of your body will thank you!
Minimised screen time
We are all beginning to become more and more aware of the detrimental effects of excessive screen / mobile device use. Excessive screen time can affect our physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, cognitive function and sleep.
We generally eat dinner earlier in Winter because the sun goes down earlier. So, with that being said, there’s often some extra spare time to relax before bed. The majority will spend this time on social media or on a screen in general – quick and easy entertainment. Instead, we recommend trying the activities / practices / rituals in the next paragraph.
Non-screen related practices for any time of day
Reading – there are endless benefits to reading, and it is an especially useful tool to wind down before bed.
Journaling – journal about your day, your feelings, what’s on your mind, what you are grateful for. Write goals, set intentions, release whatever needs to be released.
Meditating – meditating will give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional wellbeing and overall health. A useful way to relax and recenter.
Taking a bath – A self-love ritual that may not even feel like a ritual. It definitely is! Fill up a bath with warm water and add organic herbs and / or Essential Oils. A bath blend that we recommend to wind down would be 3 drops of Lavender Oil, 3 drops of Patchouli Oil and 3 drops of Geranium Oil.
Getting creative – Get creative through painting, sketching, pottery, photography, writing a poem, writing a book, rituals, prayer, listening to music, making music, creating playlists, rearranging or redecorating a space, gardening and so much more!
Spending time in nature – Simply eating dinner outside by a fire is a plenty. If you work from home, take regular 5-minute breaks to get some fresh air and sunshine. If you work in an office, try an afternoon walk or outdoor stretches
