Winter and Holiday Self-Care Ideas to Destress and Rejuvenate

It’s December and many of us are hustling and bustling to get Christmas presents and make our Christmas plans. Throw in a pandemic into the mix and you have yourself one stressful holiday season!

I am a firm believer in relieving stress when I can in order to maintain a healthy and balanced life. Therefore, I thought I’d share some of my favorite winter self-care ideas with you so that, should you find yourself in a holiday slump, you can rest and rejuvenate to get back on your feet.

Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post may include affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.

I laid out these ideas into categories so that you could use the self-care ideas that speak most to you and your situation. It’s important to note your current energy levels before embarking on an old self-care favorite. For example, when I feel overwhelmed, I like to step away from everything and find a distracting activity that I can do by myself.

When I’m sad or bored, I enjoy seeking out activities that I can do with others. The best way to conquer winter self-care is to know where you are on the emotional spectrum so that you can seek out self-care activities that will relieve that part of you.

Also, depending on whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, you may find certain activities appeal more or less to you. I’m an introvert, for example, and therefore favor staying in rather than going out.

Either way, I’m sure you’ll find some inspiration for your winter, holiday self-care that will help you get back to all of the holiday fun!

Indoor Self-Care

Indoor self-care is aimed at my introverts, but really, anyone can enjoy these self-care activities.

Read a book

My favorite self-care activity is to cozy up on the couch and read a good book. Especially when it is cold and windy outside (I live right next to the windy city: Chicago, so winters are a tad rough), I like to sit next to my heater with a nice blanket and spend the day reading.

Reading is insanely beneficial and is one of the habits that nearly every CEO and successful person partake in each and every day. I definitely recommend looking into the benefits of reading and then implementing this activity into your daily routine.

Watch a show

While I have a love-hate relationship with television, I can understand how it can be the perfect distraction for somebody who is overwhelmed. I grew up in a household where the tv was always on as background noise and it wasn’t until I moved out that I realized that there’s no need for the tv to be on 24/7.

That said, the tv can be a great reliever of stress and unwanted anxiety or worry. In the evenings, especially this time of year, it’s really nice to cozy up on the couch and watch a Christmas special. I love doing a Christmas movie bucket list each year and find that checking off all of the Christmas movies is the ultimate stress reliever.

Have a bubble bath

Would a self-care holiday list be complete without a bubble bath? Definitely not.

A great way to relieve stress and get away from all of your troubles is by filling up your tub with nice, warm water and filling the bath with bubbles or a bath bomb. I’m not a big fan of bath bombs if I’m being honest, but I LOVE bubbles.

Having a bath is relaxing and there are several ways to vamp up your home spa. Include a towel behind your head so you can lay back and relax. Put on a nice face mask while you’re sitting in the bath. Allow yourself to soak and then when you’re done, put on your favorite moisturizer.

Outdoor Self-Care

While the above options involve indoor self-care, I know many people can favor more extroverted activities. I think a great way to appeal to your social needs in the winter (and a pandemic) is to go out when and where you can.

Go to your favorite coffee shop

If you have a local coffee shop that is open and allows you to sit inside, you may enjoy just leaving the house for a cup of coffee. Find a nice seat and spend your time people watching, working on a laptop, or journaling. Changing up your environment every now and again also increases productivity which will surely increase your mood.

If you want to be more social, invite a friend or family member to come along and have a small conversation over coffee. While winter and covid prevent us from doing many of the things we love to do over the holidays, there are still some opportunities available.

Peruse thrift or department stores

The holiday season thrives most in department and thrift stores this time of year. Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit like perusing the holiday sections of department stores. I used to work at Target and honestly, I miss being surrounded by all of their holiday home decor!

It’s so fun to go through the outdoor winter sections of department stores, to walk through the prop trees, to peruse the stockings and ornaments. It’s a great way to invite a little Christmas spirit into your life. Plus, you never know when you’ll find something you like or come up with an awesome Christmas present idea!

Take a walk

Another tip to get out and about is to take a walk. While not every day will have the right weather conditions for this, you can take advantage of warmer, sunnier winter days to go for a walk with your dog, a friend, or a family member.

On colder days, especially ones filled with snow, it can be nice just to go sledding or to take a short walk and admire the winter scenery. Although this activity requires certain conditions, it can be great just to get out and receive a bit of fresh air.

Cozy Self-Care Ideas

Alright, so as we all know, winter is here. It’s December, the world is cold and the holidays are upon us. Below are some more holiday-centric ideas that are cozy and are sure to invite some Hygge relief into your life.

Make gingerbread cookies

A new tradition for me is baking loads of gingerbread cookies. I’ll admit, gingerbread isn’t my favorite (I love chocolate chip a little more!). But, my boyfriend loves gingerbread so the past two years, we’ve spent our evenings making gingerbread men and houses.

It’s a great activity to do with others and makes those nights in a little more enjoyable.

Sit by the fire with some hot cocoa

I know not everyone has a fireplace. If you do, I’m totally jealous. But one of my favorite things to do is to sit next to a warm heater and drink hot cocoa. It’s not the same as a fire, but being warm and cozy with a nice warm beverage and binging Christmas movies is one of my favorite things about the holiday season.

Snuggle up in blankets and do a puzzle

Matt and I love working on puzzles. It’s a great way to disengage from technology, to feel present, and challenge your mind. It’s also a wonderful team activity when you can’t go outside and enjoy the daylight and nice weather (since it simply doesn’t exist in winter).

Puzzles are great because you can build conversations with others while you work or you can watch tv or movies. While I have that love-hate relationship with television, I tend to use it a lot in winter. Of course, puzzles and board games will always be the main focus of my cozy nights in winter.

If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below!

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite winter self-care activities are!

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Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.

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