I'm Too Cold for Self Care

by Chelsea Cortright, Counselor & Adjunct Faculty (Psychology)

I am not a fan of the winter months. I don’t like snow, I’m not involved in any fun winter sports, and I go stir crazy sitting in my house. I find the deeper I get into the winter, the lazier and crankier I get. As a counselor and psychology adjunct, I often find myself talking to students about the importance of self-care. However, I have noticed that when it comes to the winter I don’t practice what I preach. I know that I should be doing things to boost my mood, stay healthy and stay productive—but all I want to do is hibernate (I should have been a bear). The realization of my poor self-care hit me the hardest last week. I am an avid runner, and I had a friend asked me what I was doing to stay active in the winter. As I thought about it, I realized I hadn’t done much more than speed walk from my car to my office in the past 3 months. Not good. So I realized I needed to confront my poor self-care habits right away. I started reviewing the tips I knew from my work in counseling, as well as some sage advice from other counselors I know, to reboot my winter self-care. I think (I hope!) I am not alone in this winter self-care struggle, so I thought I would share 5 of the best tips I found. 1. Find something you LIKE about winter This was hard for me. I spend so much time complaining about the winter, I don’t often stop to think of anything I enjoy. I sat down and made a list and was surprised—there were some nice things! Hot chocolate, warm fires, cozy sweaters, helping my daughter build a snowman, etc. Being appreciative of some of these monthly events helped me see things in a more positive light. 2. Set realistic goals I know that I am not going to run 5 miles in the freezing cold. It isn’t going to happen. But could I do a 20 minute yoga video on YouTube video to stay active? Sure! So often we get stuck in this all or nothing thinking that we have to achieve our highest goal, or it is a complete fail. We have to confront this tendency, especially when the elements are against us. 3. Prepare for the spring Someone gave me the advice of looking at the winter as a prep stage to start out the spring on the best note possible. I like the idea of using this time to reflect on the year ahead of me, what I want to get done, and getting organized. If I can’t go outside, I might as well clean out my closet, right? 4. Slow down and be mindful Part of why I don’t like winter is because I always want to be on the go! I hate sitting still. In reality though, being slow and mindful helps us reconnect with ourselves and do some introspection. Perhaps the winter is the perfect time to force us to slow down and re-center. 5. Get help when you need it I am lucky that my winter blues, while frustrating, remain pretty mild. However, this isn’t always the case for everyone. Seasonal depression is an issue facing many, and sometimes it is good to ask yourself “Is this just frustration with winter—or something more?” It is always important to get help (from family, friends, counselors, etc.) when you need to. I hope these tips can help someone else out as much as they have been helping me! I still don’t like the winter, but at least now I can trudge through the snow with a half-smile.