How to Look after Yourself Throughout the Winter

This is a collaborative post.

During the winter, you do need to make sure you take a little bit more care of yourself. The festive period can be so overwhelming, the weather can create havoc with your skin and the dark nights can often leave you feeling down. I know I feel all of these things a lot during the colder months, despite it being my favourite season! I’ve often found ways to try and keep myself from running on empty and to keep my spirits on form, here’s how I do it:

Plenty of Me Time

For me, winter not only brings the festive period, but it also brings my birthday, Mike’s birthday and our anniversary so we have so much to cram into a short period! I love spending time celebrating with friends and family, but I do have to make sure I give myself some me time. Sometimes I even schedule it into the diary so I don’t book anything else!

My favourite way to spend me time is by running a hot bath, chucking in my favourite Bath Bomb, lighting plenty of candles and totally relaxing. I often put a hair mask on and sometimes even a face mask too. When I’m in the bath I either catch up on my favourite podcasts or read the latest book on my reading list.

Keeping an Eye on my Nutrition

It’s really easy to get caught up in all the parties and fun that winter throws at you but it’s really important to still eat plenty of fruit and vegetable as they contain antioxidants which can boost your immune system. I do this by making stir-fries, pasta packed out with onions, peppers, carrots and chilli and, of course, the best of all, the Sunday roast!

Even when it’s starting to get cold out, you still need to drink the recommended amount of 6-8 glasses of fluid each day but do remember that all of those cups of tea to keep you warm and toasty do count towards it.

During those cold months, we get less exposure to the sun as so it’s so hard to find, which can lead to a drop in serotonin. This kind of drop can affect our moods meaning we can feel quite down. I’d advise looking on the likes of Amrita Nutrition to see if there are any vitamins you can take to help improve this, as I often take vitamin D to help.

Upping my Skincare Routine

During the winter months, I was told by my more beauty orientated friends that I really should be upping my skin care routine and should choose cream-based cleansers, and apply toners as it’s better for my skin when the wind is whipping up and the heating is on which dries out your skin greatly. When your skin is dry and itchy from being exposed to the cold wind and having the heating on, it’s recommended that you stop using products that contain alcohol and fragrances in order to help skin retain its natural oils which is something I do too as I really don’t want dry skin. At night, I will use a richer moisturiser on my face that soaks in gradually whilst I sleep and I moisturise my hands frequently too as these can often crack!

And don’t forget your lips as they really do take a battering during the winter too!