3 Winter Self Care Tips

The winter months seem to drag sometimes, especially if you’re prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder. These SADs affect up to 3 in 100 people every year, with most people beginning to show signs in their 20s and 30s. Studies show that women are about 4 times more likely to be affected by Season Affective Disorder than men; not only that but children can also suffer from the dreaded ‘winter blues’.

Seasonal Affective Disorder can seriously affect a person’s quality of life, therefore, during the darker and colder months, it’s important to pay extra attention to your self-care routine. The winter months can put a lot of stress on your mental wellbeing, as well as your physical wellbeing, so take note of the tips below to ensure you stay in tip-top condition this winter.

1 Get A Good Night’s Sleep

I don’t know about you, but with winter, comes the inevitable stress of Christmas. So often I have found myself worrying about Christmas presents, food, making sure everyone’s happy, and creating a lovely environment for everyone to enjoy. The problem with that is that it kept me up at night. The anxiety of trying to please everyone and create the ‘perfect’ Christmas was eating away at me and, as a result, I found that I was getting very little sleep and becoming agitated easily.

Getting a good night’s sleep is important whatever the time of year, however, it’s especially important in winter. Make sure you have some good quality curtains that block out any outside light so you can fall asleep in a dark, peaceful environment. Having good quality bedding is also vital to getting a good night’s sleep, so if your duvet is a bit lumpy or your bedding is fraying, now is the time to go and pick up some new soft furnishings for your bedroom.

Create a nighttime routine for yourself that encompasses all the things that make you happy and calm. Maybe you could take a bath, light some candles and read for half an hour. Perhaps you’d rather practice meditation or do some mindfulness exercises. Whatever it is that brings you calm and stillness before bed will help you to get a good night’s sleep and feel refreshed, ready to take on the day.

2 Look After Your Skin

The cold, the rain, and the extra dry indoor air can really take it’s toll on your skin during the winter months. Caring for your skin during the winter months takes a little bit of extra time due to the extreme conditions that your skin has to face on a daily basis. It’s common for skin to become dry and itchy as we battle the cold weather, and often these conditions can then lead to skin cracking and even bleeding.

To look after your skin during winter make sure you continue to drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated. In order to keep your natural oils, avoid taking long hot baths and or washing too frequently. When you do wash, make sure to moisturise your body well and pat your skin dry, rather than scrubbing and causing more irritation. Generally speaking, switching to an oil based moisturiser during the winter months will benefit your skin, especially the driest areas such as your hands, elbows, and knees.

Don’t forget your lip balm and sunscreen! Just because the sun isn’t shining brightly, doesn’t mean the harmful UV rays aren’t still hitting your skin.

3 Eat Well During The Festive Period

We all know that overindulging during the festive period is a given – I mean, surely the food is one of the best things about Christmas? The key to keeping yourself healthy and happy during the season is to stick to your normal balanced diet as much as you can. It can be tempting to indulge in over sugary treats more often than your body is used to, and this can cause some real issues including sugar crashes and mood swings.

Make sure to start your day off with a healthy breakfast packed with protein. A breakfast such as porridge with fruit and probiotic yoghurt is packed full of immune boosting goodies that’ll help combat some of the festive season’s less desirable symptoms, such as lack of sleep and overdrinking. Packing the protein in will keep you full for longer and help you to resist any temptation that may come your way. Having a pre-party snack will help curb the cravings for the canapes, and make sure you’re not skipping any meals.