It’s a lot easier to stay active and engaged in the spring, summer, and fall. But once the leaves have hit the ground and the mercury’s dropped, there’s a natural impulse to hunker down with a great playlist or streaming experience and some good eats and drinks, and simply hibernate. We’re with you on this—mostly. It’s hard to overstate the joys of hygge on a chill winter’s evening or stormy day. That said, like fine food and drink, a certain degree of moderation is key. Cocooning can certainly serve as part of your self-care, but it works best in combination with complementary tactics.
So we’ve come up with a handful of good suggestions to tide you over through the shorter days and longer nights and bring you into springtime with a healthy glow. If you’re not a fan of the whole New Year’s Resolution concept, just try these ideas out and see if the way they make you feel doesn’t have you voluntarily coming back for more.
Cocooning can certainly serve as part of your self-care, but it works best in combination with complementary tactics.
1. Skin Love
Dry indoor air and chilly breezes can do a number on skin—the largest organ of the human body and our primary line of defense against harsh weather, dehydration, and bacteria. Your skin loves you. Love it back! It’s the perfect time of year to find expert guidance and the right products that will help maintain great skin condition. If you’ve never tried a good facial or all-over treatment, you’ll be amazed at how good it feels.
2. Turning Inward
Ancient wisdom says that this is the season to turn inward. Delve into your thoughts with journaling; pick up a pad of paper and some watercolors or pencils and try your hand at capturing what’s out the window or in your dreams. There are a great many meditation tips and guides and videos available; try some out to get started on a practice that will help you sort this crazy world. Or check around at spas and yoga centers to find a group to delve with.
3. Hands-On
Aches and pains can be more noticeable when we slow down a bit. Take yours to a practitioner of healing touch for some TLC. Massage, Reiki, and acupuncture have all grown in popularity in spite of mainstream Western medicine’s reluctance to give them any cred. Beyond legitimately soothing those sore spots, expert hands-on healing will leave you glowing with free-flowing internal energy.
4. Float Away
This is a twofer: Flotation sessions are noted for helping relieve both mind and body aches, easing your muscles and sore back while providing the perfect venue for inner exploration. When you float, you’re basically removing all the external stressors and stimuli at once, for an experience that leaves you fresh all over.
5. Sunshine
Fresh air and sunshine! All of our grandmas were absolutely right about this, and in winter, you need to grab it when you can. Find a sunny corner out of the wind for a couple of outdoor chairs and a table. Take walks and rediscover the magic of falling snow. And even if you’re a hibernator by nature, take a look at our suggestions for outdoor fun in winter; there are some lower-impact ideas that might just help you overwhelm the objections of your inner couch potato.
6. Move It
Find a yoga or exercise routine that feels so good you’ll never want to give it up. There are endless possibilities—sample a few genres with online videos, then find the local, real-life folks who are having fun doing it at the fitness center, the yoga studio or in nature. Not only will it boost your mood, it will strengthen your body.
