Winter Self-Care

Winter Self-Care - Kortni Jeane

Winter Self-CareSelf care isn’t just a spa day + skincare -- it’s doing what you love and reminding yourself what makes you feel happy + fulfilled! This winter, we have a list of things you can do to really take care of yourself and fill your season with memories and good feelings. Well, go ahead, give it a read! 

Sleep + relax

Winter months can definitely make you feel more tired. As the days get shorter and darker, our bodies produce melatonin earlier, making us a lot more sleepy. If you’re a night owl, try getting to bed an hour earlier than you normally would! Plus, with the winter months being packed tight with holiday parties, making time to do absolutely nothing is also necessary. Intentionally make time to rest and recover so you can replenish your energy. Relaxing could be anything! Wear soft and comfortable clothes. Get a new haircut. Play with your puppers. Cook your favorite comfort foods. Journal. Binge-watch your favorite TV show or movie series. Take a dip in the hot tub in a KJ swimmer. There is no limit! Do what makes you happy so you can truly relax.

Stay nourished + hydrated

When it’s chilly outside, the first drinks in hand are hot cocoa and spiced apple cider. As delicious as these winter drinks are, water has amazing benefits for your energy, skin, sleep, concentration, and even digestive system. In the winter months, it is important to keep your body hydrated when the air is extremely dry. Sometimes we forget that our bodies are mostly water. So drink up! Plus, we love love love all the yummy treats that winter has to offer, but sugar paired with cold takes a toll on your energy and immune system. When choosing what to eat, make sure to include lots of colorful veggies and extra spices to help warm you up. We’ve heard that you are what you eat, so remember that good nutrition is key! But never feel bad about eating those treats - we sure don’t! #worthit

Bundle up + go on a walk

Raise of hands to anyone who’s skipped the gym because it was snowing outside. We get it but exercise will always be an item on self-care lists. Exercise improves your mood, gives you energy, and reduces stress. This winter, try bundling up and going for a walk as a low-impact form of exercise. Soak up the limited winter sun, explore winter festivals, or visit new places you’ve never seen before. Another idea is to take photos of nature in the winter season, to fill up your camera roll with the natural beauty all around us. You could call your friends and have a seasonal photo shoot! Who doesn’t want a cute winter photo for a new desk picture or for the IG? Either way, getting outside reduces stress and improves your mood. Walking outside will do you lots of good, especially in the winter. 

Winterize + Decorate

We’ve heard of spring cleaning, but how about winterizing? The cold winter season is perfect for reorganizing your home, car, desk, or any space where you spend a lot of your time. Decorate your spaces with fun and festive colors, include an indoor garden with potted plants, be bold with lights or other things that make you happy. Find small ways to change things up and see if it makes a difference in how you feel. Plus, you’re about to get a whole lot of new things from the holidays, so now would be a great time to start cleaning, sorting, organizing and finding new homes for all of that new stuff. 

Light up your life

The flicker of lights produce a lovely ambiance that cannot be beat! This winter, light a candle, build a fire, or hang up a string of lights indoors. These kinds of lights can really add a cozy, warm, and welcoming atmosphere to your life. Candles and fires are known for their soothing and healing effects, because of their lovely flicker and gentle glow. So whichever way works for you, light up your life, watch the light flicker and just breathe for a few minutes - it can make a big difference.

Make a holiday playlist

As Buddy the Elf taught us, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Some days in the winter months seem so cold and dreary but can be easily brightened through music! Both listening to and creating music have been known to have positive effects on mood and mental health. This winter, incorporate music into your everyday life. Make a playlist for the season, jam out with a friend singing your favorite winter tunes, or write your own music. Anyway you go about it, filling your winter days with music is a good call. 

Do Something You Loved as a Kid

There’s this magic in the winter air that invites all of us to enjoy the holidays like we used to in our childhood, so get out there and do something you loved doing as a kid! One of our personal favorites is to go sledding! Go back in time as you slide down a hill, laughing your heart out, and then crash into the snow at the bottom. Make holiday shaped sugar cookies and then spend time decorating them to your heart's content! Make a fort out of blankets and pillows around the house and watch a Christmas movie inside. Doorbell ditch your neighbors while leaving them those yummy cookies you’ve created! Whatever you loved as a kid, do it now! Winter is the time to relive those childhood memories. 

bake you favorite holiday treats

Who decides that you can only have certain treats during the winter months? Because we need to have a serious talk. Get to work making your favorite fruit pies, gingerbread cookies, yule logs, peppermint truffles, reindeer chow, and christmas popcorn because for some odd reason, they’ll disappear after New Years. Fill your kitchens with those holiday smells you’ll miss when they’re gone, like pumpkin, cinnamon, and roasted chestnuts. And try out this chocolate peppermint Rice Krispie treats recipe while you're at it! What are your favorite holiday treats? Fill us in below! 

read a book while curled up in bed

Throughout the year we are go-go-go and only ever find time to Netflix and scroll here and there. During the winter months, replace that Netflix time with a good, old-fashioned, paper made book. Curl up in a soft blanket, in front of your fireplace, and read something new (or something old)! Reading is great mental stimulation that will help reduce the stress that often comes with holiday demands and even improves your ability to focus, concentrate and memorize. Need something to read this holiday season? Check out our favorite reads list or open up to some classic holiday stories, like A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, or The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

Start a New Tradition

Many of us here at KJ are single but living away from family or newly married, faced with building our own homes and starting our own holiday traditions. It’s exciting, isn’t it?! Honestly, anyone could start any of these traditions at any point of the winter months because they are just too fun! You could start by picking out a Christmas ornament every year, or unplugging everything except for the lights on the christmas tree (or the candles you lit around the house). You could even start the tradition of giving back. What better time of year to volunteer and help those in need? Create a holiday card by yourself, with roommates/friends, or with your own family. Host a movie marathon of your favorite series or a collection of holiday movies. Whatever you choose, starting new traditions will help you feel amazing and create wonderful memories this season. 

We hope you are already treating yourself to some winter self care! Have some ideas that weren’t on our list? Make a list of your own holiday activities that bring the most joy to you and share it with us! We’d love to see how you love to take care of yourself during the winter season.

xoxo,
Kortni Jeane + Team

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