The winter blues, amirite?

When it comes to “seasonal depression,” I think the “winter blues” is the most well known. We’re all staying inside because it’s literally below freezing outside. For me, I personally like staying inside because it means I can remain cozy under a blanket on my couch reading a good book or watching a favorite show.

However, as much as I’ve talked about reading as self-care and no matter how much I watch Gilmore Girls or New Girl on repeat, I’m trying to stay busy and happy and healthy during the winter. While this year, I’m trying to reignite my health and fitness journey, those two things aren’t solely considered self-care (although they contribute to me taking care of myself). For me, self-care is taking care of myself emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. So while a great treadmill workout is good self-care, I also love a good clean session, Bible study and quiet time with the Lord, and a great cozy reading nook.

These are my favorite self-care activities for the winter.

Bible Study + Journaling First Thing in the A.M.

Lately, I have not been good about reading or spending quiet time with the Lord first thing in the morning. I grab my phone instead of my Bible, and instantly, my mood declines just a little bit. It’s like my body knows that I shouldn’t be doing this, but my brain is screaming for its daily Instagram fix. However, reading my Bible is one self-care activity I want to do more of in 2022, especially this winter.

Walk on the treadmill.

It’s freezing, y’all. So when I go outside, I only stay outside until my dog goes pee and then we run back inside. One thing, like I mentioned earlier, is that I’m trying to reignite my health and fitness journey. I’m not a weightlifting expert and I get so intimidated by anything in the gym. But I found this fitness program created by Lauren Giraldo on TikTok, called 12-3-30, where you walk on the treadmill at a 12 incline at 3 mph for 30 minutes. I’m only starting out, so I’m really doing it at a 6 incline but slow and steady wins the race! It’s fun, and in the new year, I’m trying to make fitness fun again, so that’s what it’s really all about.

Stretch more.

One thing I’ve done for stress relief is stretching. I’m not going to act like I’m the first person to ever discover stretching, but when I started to do a simple child’s pose when I started to get stressed out, it was an instant stress relief for not only my muscles, but my anxiety as well! This helps during work hours or after work if you’ve had a long day. Or, do some simple stretches in the morning (or just sit in child’s pose) to help set you up for a great day.

Reading on slow mornings.

On the weekends, one of my FAVORITE things to do is to read in the morning, on my couch, with a big ole cup of coffee. This just allows me to decompress and not think about everything going on in my life in this one moment.

Clean.

Another thing I like to do on the weekends is to clean my entire apartment (or most of it, honestly). I like to do most of my chores around my apartment so I have the entire weekend to feel refreshed. Besides, cleaning helps me clear my head and again, decompress.

AND THAT’S IT! Most of these, you can do all year-round, but I love doing these in the winter to uplift my mood and to take care of myself. What do you like to do for self-care in the winter?