Essential Ways to Prioritize Yourself During Winter

  • Published on:
    January 9, 2023
  • Reading time by:
    6 minutes
Essential Ways to Prioritize Yourself During Winter

When going through each season, prioritizing your well-being can look slightly different. As the weather and light changes may affect your mood and well-being, taking time for self-care is important. Times when you have the lowest amount of motivation – like in the colder months – are when you need to start prioritizing yourself the most. Here are some essential ways to prioritize yourself during the winter.

Why Prioritize Yourself During Wintertime?

As the winter season comes upon you, there is more of a risk of developing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Seasonal affective disorder is depression that manifests when there are changes in the seasons. For most people, it affects you in the fall and carries you into the winter, making you more moody and fatigued.

With shorter days, it can be hard to fit in all your responsibilities, work, social life, and self-care. You may focus on everything but taking care of yourself. However, if you do not manage your well-being, it can lead to more significant issues like loneliness and feeling helpless. Nurturing your health and well-being during this time is extremely important to avoid those negative feelings.

Essential Ways to Prioritize Yourself During Winter

Ways to Put Yourself First

When putting yourself first slips down your priority list, you’ll want to find healthy or constructive ways to get it back at the top. Here are some ways to put yourself first.

1. Spend Time With Friends

If self-care looks like meeting up with your friends and socializing, it may become more difficult as the winter season approaches. With fewer daylight hours and temperatures dropping, the motivation to leave the house or travel can be challenging.

If leaving the house is out of the question, you can utilize other ways to get social with the ones you love. You can schedule weekly video calls or daily text check-ins to maintain your social life. Using today’s technology is an easy and convenient way to stay in touch with people when you can’t see them in person.

2. Take Advantage of the Light

The amount of sunlight you get is important to your well-being. Serotonin is responsible for balancing the moods in your brain. Natural light is one of the best treatments to increase serotonin production, which can decrease the effects of SAD. Getting fresh air during the day best improves your mood. If it isn’t an option, then opening windows or blinds can help too.

You can speak with your employer about flexible hours to get the most out of the available sunlight. Try to see if an extended lunch break is an option or start mornings earlier so you can finish in time to catch last-minute sunlight.

3. Create Morning and Night Routines

When winter is in full effect, it can be difficult to wake up and wind down. Creating routines can make this time of the day effortless and something to look forward to. If you learn how to set up the perfect skin care routine, it will come to feel like a pampering, mindful moment at the beginning and end of your day.

4. Take Care of Your Physical Health

Taking care of your body is just as important as taking care of your mind. There are ways to stay active indoors if it’s difficult to get active after work due to the cold or light changes. After your work day, you can make it a habit to stop at a gym, yoga studio, or wherever you choose to get some activity done indoors.

If you need more motivation or feel intimidated going to a public setting to get the activity, you can dedicate a space in your home to get the job done. You can practice light stretching to ease yourself into it if getting active is new to you. Create a workout routine you look forward to doing to increase your motivation. There are online resources that provide classes or tutorials. Remember that any movement is good movement.

5. Indulge in the Little Things

Don’t underestimate the power of small things to bring you joy throughout the day. Tiny gestures to yourself can have a more significant effect on your mindset than you think. Small things can make you feel more present in the moment, whether it’s lighting a candle, listening to music, or enjoying your favorite drink.

Many people use journaling to feel more present in the moment. It’s a great little thing to do each day to reflect and bring to light what brought you joy. You can find prompts online if it’s hard for you to free write on your own.

6. Treat Rest as a Right

This winter, give yourself unconditional permission to rest. You do not need to earn rest. It can be hard to unlearn the notion that all your tasks need to be completed before you can sit down and relax. At the end of the day, your to-do list is an ongoing reality. There is always something that can be done tomorrow or the following week.

Rest can be considered anything you enjoy that makes you feel mentally, physically, and spiritually at peace. It can be a massage, reading a book, or spending a day in bed. If it’s nourishing you in some way, then it’s a great task to do.

The Bottom Line

Wintertime can be a challenging season when it comes to our priorities and motivation. Making sure you put yourself first is essential for staying in the best shape, both mentally and physically.

Cora Gold

Cora Gold is the Editor-in-Chief for Revivalist Magazine. She has a passion for inspiring women to lead happy, healthy and successful lives. Follow Revivalist on Facebook and Twitter to read more from Cora. 

You might also enjoy..

10 Morning Rituals of Highly Successful People

10 Morning Rituals of Highly Successful People

The way you start your day often sets the tone for everything that follows. Successful individuals understand the power of mornings and leverage this time to optimize productivity, well-being, and success. While routines may vary, there are common habits shared by many high achievers that contribute to their success. Read on 10 Morning Rituals of H
10 Telltale Signs Someone Is Jealous of You

10 Telltale Signs Someone Is Jealous of You

In the intricate dance of human relationships, jealousy often lurks in the shadows, sometimes subtly, other times overtly. It's a complex emotion stemming from insecurity, comparison, and a fear of losing status or possessions to another. Recognizing jealousy in others can be tricky, but there are distinct signs that can help you identify when some
How To Move Forward From Past Mistakes

How To Move Forward From Past Mistakes

Regretting past mistakes is a universal experience. Whether it's a missed opportunity, a poor decision, or a hurtful action, dwelling on what we could have done differently can be a heavy burden to carry. However, it's crucial to understand that dwelling on regret serves no constructive purpose; instead, it holds us back from growth and happiness.
by Deborah Hartung

The Girl Boss Guide To Finding Your Tribe – 5 Types Of  People You Need To Surround Yourself With 

Not many people truly understand just how lonely a road it is when you’re a woman in leadership. Most of the time, we have no mentors or role models, we are trying to figure out who we are and find our own voice, we are fighting the patriarchal system that has been in place for centuries and – arguably the worst of all – we encounter other women wh
10 Instant Techniques to Alleviate Anxiety

10 Instant Techniques to Alleviate Anxiety

In today's fast-paced world, anxiety can creep up on us unexpectedly, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. Whether it's triggered by work, relationships, or other stressors, finding ways to alleviate anxiety in the moment can be a valuable skill. Read on 10 Instant Techniques to Alleviate Anxiety. While there's no one-size-fits-all s

Join the discussion!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *