Explore dozens of helpful winter self-care ideas to get you through the winter months, from December through January and February, by reading and doing so many other great things that help you stay warm, healthy, hydrated, and happy on cold days.
Full List of Winter Self-Care Ideas
This full list of simple self-care ideas for Winter teaches you how to survive in Winter when you’re feeling less than yourself and longing for warmer, sunnier days ahead. Spend time creating a Winter routine you love, and you’ll feel free of the Winter blues.
Attend the theater.
Bask in the daylight.
Bake.
Boost your immunity.
Breathe in the fresh air.
Burn a candle.
Build a fire.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day).
Color.
Connect with someone else, particularly someone lonely or in need.
Cook something seasonal.
Create a photo yearbook for the prior year.
Cross something off your to-do list.
Cuddle with your favorite person or pet.
Curl up with a blanket.
Decorate your home for the season.
Do an act of service in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
Do something that makes you feel nostalgic.
Do yoga.
Drink a warm beverage.
Eat healthy food that energizes you.
Enjoy indoor gardening/plants.
Exercise.
Get a massage.
Get or give yourself a Winter-themed manicure.
Go ice skating.
Go skiing.
Go to bed early.
Have a cup of soup.
Hydrate your skin and body.
Implement the hygge lifestyle.
Join a club.
Journal.
Knit or needlepoint.
Listen to a Winter-themed playlist.
Make a craft or art project.
Make a puzzle.
Meditate.
Order takeout food.
Organize.
Play an instrument.
Practice gratitude.
Practice mindfulness.
Read a book.
Plan ahead for the year to come.
Play a game.
Play in the snow.
Reframe the narrative and focus on the joy and beauty of the season.
Send cards.
Set new goals for the year.
Sleep in.
Stay in your pajamas all day.
Take a bath (using the best bath ideas).
Take an indoor or virtual class.
Take a personal day.
Take your vitamins.
Travel in real life.
Travel virtually.
Unplug with a social media detox.
Use warm towels.
Videoconference with your loved ones.
Visit a museum.
Visit the doctor for routine health care.
Wander around a bookstore or library.
Watch movies or have a tv marathon.
Watch a Winter sporting event.
Wear cozy clothes.
Wear a fluffy robe and slippers.
Work on your resolutions.
Write something creative.
Top Tips for Winter Self-Care
I often find myself struggling on the days in the new year when I really want to be extra energetic to work on my resolutions. My top tips for self-care and beating these blues are to lean into things that are cozy and restful in this restorative season.
My husband and I really found our way to peak Winter self-care on Christmas Day during the very lonely days of the Coronavirus pandemic. We stayed in our pajamas all day, ate comfort foods, and binge-watched movies by the fireplace. Spending such a normally busy holiday doing nothing but resting essentially set the standard for how I now like to implement self-care for Winter!
Below are my personal favorite Winter lifestyle tips based on what I love to do myself as a cozy, introverted, indoor gal. Let’s get hygge!
First and foremost, read one of the best winter books and/or winter thrillers. They totally set the mood for snowy, indoor days by the fireplace, curled up under a blanket. You may also enjoy my review of the book Quiet for wintering.
In our house, we use the cult favorite ChappyWrap blankets, which are oversized, extra warm, and wash like a dream. And, you can write about your Winter reads in a Reading Journal to relax and indulge even further in your bookish life — I’m doing a lot more of this myself.
Add a warm beverage to that — from hot tea to hot chocolate, or my personal favorite — mulled wine. I’m also a soup fanatic on cold days. Nothing warms your belly quite like it.
And take yourself STRAIGHT to the bath. I am always cold and nothing warms my freezing extremities (and muscles) like hot water. I use and recommend Necessaire’s bath products for your body and Olive & June’s care essentials for your hands. Specifically, Olive & June’s Overnight Hand Treatment is the #1 most hydrating product I’ve used to date, and I top it with some seasonal Winter nail colors.
Yoga has also always been a good way to sneak in some exercise while treating your body to indulgent stretches. I always leave my at-home sessions feeling both better and more relaxed.
Lastly, I more or less ONLY wear comfortable clothing these days from my Winter capsule wardrobe. This includes L.L. Bean slippers, soft and snuggly Barefoot Dreams cardigans, wool-lined Allbirds flats, and the like. Gilmore Girls fan? If so, then make it the famous Rory Gilmore sweater.
SHOP THE POST
Why Winter Self-Care Is Important
“That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again.”
Taking care of yourself and your mental health is an extra important part of life in the Winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is felt most during the coldest and darkest days of the year, can make us feel sad, grumpy, sluggish, sleepy, and more not-so-pleasant feelings.
Winter Self-Care Challenge
Now that you know all the best Winter self-care ideas, take the Winter self-care challenge! Use the Instagram story template below to track your own custom season of taking care of YOU.
Conclusion
These Winter self-care ideas will help survive in winter and prepare for sunnier days ahead. So, beat the winter blues with some of my tried and true practices like taking a bath, doing yoga, drinking warm beverages, and of course reading books!
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