Embrace Winter Wellbeing: Habits, Routines, and Rituals for Seasonal Living

While winter is often the harshest season on the health of both our mind and bodies, it is also a time of self-care, introspection, and embracing the beauty of the season. And there is still beauty to be found in this season of cold and darkness.

The habits and routines we stick to shouldn’t be the same through energy season. The beauty in a seasonal way of living is in that it allows you to adapt and change with the season, choosing the habits and rituals and the way you complete them to align with and complement the seasons you are in.

When we can prioritise our daily routine in this way we also ensure we are prioritising and supporting our health and wellbeing in the best way possible.

As the winter season approaches, it's important to adapt our habits, routines, and rituals to a slower pace. Winter brings colder temperatures, shorter days, and a natural inclination towards introspection and hibernation.

It is naturally a season of turning inward, daydreaming, and staying cosy.

The Winter Season

It takes intention and will to untangle ourselves from over productive tendencies Nature + the seasons are here to remind us that now is the time to find beauty in depth, in release, in darkness, in death, rest, replenishment and the inertia before rebirth.

Winter begins on 21 Dec and lasts until 21-23 March the following year. The 21 Dec, Winter Solstice, is the shortest day of the year. This is the season when nature is it at it’s quietest, and least active. Very few plants grow, the trees are bare (suspended and conserving their energy and strength until the Spring), we see fewer animals, and many birds have flown south for the winter.

While Winter can feel cold and bleak the Winter solstice is a symbol and celebration of Hope. From the shortest day of the year the days begin to slowly lighten and the sun returns.

This is the season for hibernating indoors, conserving energy, doing less active pursuits and only spending short spaces of time outdoors in the cold. While bad weather can naturally force us to follow this pattern, it is often accompanied by a feeling of guilt that we ‘should be doing more’…. in fact the opposite is true. Winter is the season to take up more passive hobbies and interests that you can do indoors — boardgames, painting, knitting, colouring, baking, reading, or learning something new. But not all the time…. it is still important to have time out in fresh air and nurturing your connection with the natural world.

The main focus of winter is Rest and doing the Inner work. Deep rest and self care without the guilt or pressure to be ‘doing’. Taking time and luxuriating over nurturing your mind, body, and soul. Winter allows you to rejuvenate those creative juices and feed your inspiration so you can come back stronger and ready to leap into new ideas and projects come Spring.

Daily Habits & Rituals for Winter Health & Wellbeing

By incorporating healthy habits, establishing comforting routines, and embracing seasonal rituals, we can enhance our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing during the winter and make it a more enjoyable season.

Routines are great for keeping us consistent. But they also need some flexibility of their own, and should be adapted and changed for each season to offer us the most support as our motivation, productivity and energy levels change one day, one season, one cycle to the next..

The more we listen + work with those seasonal rhythms, the less we feel in battle with ourselves. And taking time to plan the habits and rituals you want to adopt into your winter lifestyle + routine now is better than regretting not making time for them later….

Explore some practices to embrace for a holistic approach to winter wellness and seasonal living below and see which ones most appeal to you...

Embracing Hygge. Make Your Home a place you want to spend time by using this Danish concept of embracing cosiness and contentment, is a perfect starting point for winter wellness. Create an inviting atmosphere by lighting candles, using soft lighting, and incorporating warm, comforting textures. Cosy up with a good book, indulge in warm beverages, and surround yourself with loved ones to nurture a sense of connection and happiness.

This is also a perfect time to clear out, declutter, deep clean and rearrange your space to make your home feel new and different as well as cosy — it’s nice to mix things up a feel you have a whole new space, especially when you will be spending more time than usual in it this season.

Focus on Seasonal Foods to nourish and fuel your body. Part of seasonal living is using foods that are in season. Support your body through the cold winter months by nourishing it with seasonal foods rich in nutrients. Incorporate warming ingredients like root vegetables, hearty soups, stews, and herbal teas. These foods provide nourishment, comfort, and a boost to your immune system. Eating mindfully, savouring the taste of winter flavours, and trying new recipes can also bring joy to your meals.

Keep skin nourished, moisturised and protected by using thick vitamin E moisturisers, oils, and using a beeswax balm like my Heal All Balm to protect your skin barrier and trap moisture in your skin when you go outside - this balm has been my saviour and stopped the dermatisis flare up I would always get, without fail, when the weather changed in October/November. I haven’t had that flare up for three years now!

Chapped lips, dry hands, reddened cheeks and noses can indicate fragile and irritated skin so choose products which contain natural ingredients and soothing properties such as calendula, honey, plantain, and yarrow. My honey lipbalm, magical skin balm, and heal all balm are all wonderful for those dry hands, lips and noses.

Your skin will thank you. Foods rich in omega 3 oils such as salmon, mackerel and walnuts will also all help to keep your skin top condition.

Top up your Vitamin D as much as you can by getting outside in the daylight, especially when the sun is shining. You should also be taking a liquid (or liquid capsule) form of vitamin D each morning through the autumn winter to help support your energy levels and mental health at this time of year — seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is caused in part by a deficiency of vitamin D which we usually absorb through sunlight.

Stay warm and nourished through the winter, this is not the season to be dieting or trying to lose weight. Your body needs a little extra to keep your organs warm through winter and help regulate your temperature, fuel your energy, and immune system among other things, so remember to wrap up warm, and keep your nutrition choices full of nourishing whole foods with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Protect your hair as well as skin and nails in the cold seasons. Especially as we move a lot between centrally heated rooms and the cold outdoors hair and nails can become dry, brittle and frizzy. Fuel your hair growth and repair any damage with foods full of biotin and other B vitamins such as eggs, salmon, avocado, nuts and seeds. And add a weekly hair mask of rosemary oil into your routine to keep hair nourished and strong.

Keep active even though it’s cold outside. It can be so tempting to just stay indoors when the weather gets bad, and while winter is the season for slowing down and doing less, we still need that fresh air and movement to keep us healthy mentally and physically through the winter. If you struggle to get outdoors try walking with a friend or volunteering to walk rescue dogs. Bundle up and go for a winter walk, take up winter photography, or spend time in a nearby park. Even 30 minutes a day is enough to help you sleep better, get some exercise, and lift your mood.

Find what works for you, but try to get some outdoor activity time as often as you can. Despite the colder temperatures, spending time outdoors and connecting with nature is vital for our wellbeing. Breathing in the fresh air and witnessing the beauty of winter landscapes can invigorate your body and calm your mind.

Staying connected and not isolating yourself is also important through the winter. Humans are essential social creatures, we are made to live in communities, and spending all your time alone and indoors through the winter is detrimental to your wellbeing. Connecting to other humans (social connection) is a pillar of lifestyle medicine. As humans, we are wired to connect, and a connection or disconnection can affect our health positively or negatively. There is significant evidence that feeling connected helps people maintain a healthy body mass index, control blood sugar levels, decrease cardiovascular mortality and symptoms of depression, as well as improve overall mental health.

Find ways in which to connect to the people you love and love spending time with. It’s true it may take more effort during the winter months, but scheduling in time to chat, catching up for a coffee or better still a walk in nature, will do wonders for your overall wellness.

Nurturing your circadian rhythm through winter is super important if you want to continue to have good sleeping patterns. Your body needs sunlight first thing on a morning to truly wake you up, and when the sun goes down it needs darkness and no blue light so that you can naturally fall asleep. Your brain releases hormones morning and night that set your circadian rhythms and keep them going. But it’s easy in winter, with the longer hours of darkness for laptops, headlights, tv’s, mobile phones etc. to disrupt that rhythm. Start each day by going outside and looking at the sunlight for 3minutes as soon as you wake up, and try to keep artificial light and use of devices to a minimum one you get home for the evening. This will help to keep your circadian rhythm and sleep patterns working and make sure you still get good quality sleep.

Listen to your body's needs. This is important every day in any season, but to ensure you make the most of, and have a healthy and enjoyable winter season, it’s important to listen to what your body is telling you. Lean into doing less in the cold and wet weather. If you need to rest, then sleep more, or spend a day on the sofa. Try reading more instead of watching tv or being on your phone and begin to plan less into your weeks, with fewer tasks each day.

This includes your mental and emotional needs, making time to focus on creativity for your own enjoyment, taking up a new hobby, or even spending time daydreaming and spending time to work on your plans, dreams, goals for next year important too.

It’s always easier to take some rest time if you know you have lots of exciting plans and ideas coming up.

Together with the natural remedies we just covered in Herbs to help you transition to Winter these practices have proven their effectiveness in helping us stay healthy and resilient throughout the winter months.

Remember, winter offers an opportunity for personal growth and inner reflection – a chance to find joy and contentment amidst the snowflakes.

And lets focus on finishing the year off slowly. quietly. peacefully. soundly.

What are you doing for yourself this winter to keep yourself grounded and protect your energy?

xo Emily