How to Embody Spiritual Wellness for the Winter Season

If you’re anything like me, you’re wondering how the year went by so fast and you’re now looking at your calendar in shock as you realize winter is basically here. Which of course means it’s time to begin the journey of releasing fall and descending deeper into the darkest season of the year. 

As with any seasonal transition, you might feel a little tired or anxious while your spirit adapts to the change of energy. This is even more true when we transition from fall to winter because the holiday season occurs at the same time which is stressful enough in itself. 

Extra care is needed for this particular season change and this post is here to offer you some ways to do exactly that. Just like the earth, the way you take care of yourself probably needs to shift a bit as you shift into winter so here are five ways to help your mind, body and soul ease into the winter season. 

Self-care: Use richer, more emollient ingredients

The winter time can be incredibly drying for the skin. Cold, harsh winds strip the skin of moisture but also being inside all day with the heater going can leave your skin feeling extremely dehydrated leading to flakiness and itchiness. 

Switch out your moisturizers including body lotions, face creams and hair care for products with thicker oils and butters. However, avoid creams made solely with oils and butters as these are not actually moisturizing. True hydration comes from water not fats and slathering something like pure shea butter on dry skin does very little to address the true problem which is lack of moisture. If you do choose to use something that heavy, be sure to use a hydrating cream first with a high water content and then put the heavier cream on top. 

Bonus tip: You still need to wear sunscreen during winter and yes, even when it's stormy or cloudy. Sunscreen is a year round job and according to Medical News Daily, up to 90% of UV rays can pass through clouds, even on those gloomy days. Protect your skin and therefore your long-term health by making sure you’re protected all year long. 

Mental Wellness: Digital detox before bed

The body needs rest and that includes your mind. Too much time on your phone, especially before bed can lead to overstimulation that keeps your mind racing at night which means, your sleep may not be all that restful. Have you ever woken up in the morning after a full night’s sleep and still feel tired? There’s many reasons why this could be the case but one of the biggest reasons is putting too much in your brain just before bed. 

Most phones now have a sleep mode which you can program for any time of the day. Set yours to about 1-2 hours before you go to bed which will prevent you from receiving notifications and calls. And don’t worry if you have kids or you need to be available for some people. You can set exceptions so that you’ll still receive notifications from certain people or apps. 

I’ll be honest honey, this is one I really struggle with. I LOVE to be inspired and I LOVE information so I’m always grabbing my phone, looking through Pinterest, Instagram or just googling something online that I’m curious about. Last night, I was googling Cleopatra because of a book I’m reading. But I have found myself staying up for hours on my phone and then I struggle to sleep afterwards and it's starting to take its toll on me. 

Winter is supposed to be a time for darkness and stillness which doesn’t include a bright blue screen. The transition from autumn to winter is the perfect time to work on turning inward and taking care of your own energy rather than giving it away to the world wide web. 

Can’t let go of the phone before bed? 

If putting down the phone before bed is too hard (we do live in a digital age after all), then dedicate time throughout the day to avoid your phone. Set your phone on focus mode for at least 20 minutes and give yourself a break from overstimulation. You can increase this time as you get used to not picking up your phone every five minutes. 

Nourishment: Eat Fermented Foods

I recently watched a masterclass on gut health. They talked about how modern diets have basically destroyed the gut microbiome, effectively causing billions of strains of good bacteria to become extinct. And with their extinction, we’ve lost a lot of the natural ability we had to fight off diseases and infections. But the good news is that not all is lost. Some of these “extinct” bacteria are still present in other countries with less developed commercial farming practices. These places rely on things like fermentation to keep food from spoiling and its fermentation which can help to reintroduce healthy bacteria into the gut. Over time, this can make your immune system , which is directly impacted by the gut by the way, much stronger. 

Eating foods like pickles, miso, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi can boost gut health leading to less digestive troubles and better immunity. It seems everywhere I look, someone I know is getting sick so the winter blues are already on the rise. Switching to more fermented foods this season can help to protect you from colds and flus while also preparing your gut to better digest heavier holidays meals. 

Not feeling fermented foods? 

At the very least, consider taking a pre and probiotic. Over the summer, I had my gut tested which came with personalized pre and probiotics and its hands down, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve suffered from gas and bloating for YEARS and since taking this test, I’ve been bloat and gas free probably 95% of the time. I’m not sponsored and the company doesn’t know I exist. I just got really awesome results from a company called Viome. I highly recommend it if you’re having any kind of gut troubles, especially as we head into the holidays when you’re probably eating a lot of things that are outside of your traditional diet. 

Spiritual Practice: Soothing Your Energy

This is a chaotic time of year. For one, you’re transitioning from one season to the next. Two, its the holidays and the world is busy buzzing around with holiday shopping and the busiest time of the year for travel. And three and this is probably the biggest offender is that its the end of the year and all of the year’s choices, mistakes, events and regrets tend to dump on you all at once. 

In a nutshell, this time of year can make you want to crawl into a cave and stay there. And you’re probably already feeling a lot of that overstimulating energy in every corner of your spirit. So as you descend into winter, it’s really important to work on soothing your energy. Work with ingredients and rituals which have a relaxing element to them. Things like lavender, orange, vanilla, skullcap, chamomile, passionflower and evergreens can be really therapeutic during the first weeks of winter and well into spring. 

And then of course, be gentle with yourself. Now might be an excellent time to bring mindfulness to how you speak and care for yourself. Go out of your way to give yourself words of encouragement. Reflecting is a natural practice for this time of year but rather than focusing on what you’ve accomplished, try turning your attention towards ways to lift yourself up. You may write down a quote or affirmation that you love everyday or listen to an inspiring message every morning that makes you feel really good or understood. Anything you can do to reduce some of that stress can go a long way during winter. 

For the Home: Make everything warm and cozy

Fall comes along and everyone is talking about cozy everything but I think winter is really the cozy season. Its definitely the time when you’ll get the most out of your coats, sweaters, sock and blankets so go ahead and go all out. Wear, eat and drink things that have a comforting quality to them such as warm cinnamon milk, a favorite latte, or a cozy sweater that’s the perfect amount of soft. Switch out bedding for heavier comforters or layer with quilts and flannel sheets. You can also add heavier drapes to the windows to reduce drafts.

Then layer up the mood. Candles, simmer pots, fire (even fake ones like this one) contribute to a feeling of warmth and coziness which is also really soothing to the nervous system. Go out of your way to choose candles and simmer ports that have spiritually healing properties if you like or any ones that bring you joy. During the holidays, be sure to add festive touches even if its just a few things here and there. 

Need some inspiration? Check out my membership, for a selection of DIY simmer pots and candles like the Winter Ritual Candle to try this winter.

Giving any of these winter self-care tips a try? Let me know how it goes.