Whether you’re a writer or not, taking care of ourselves is important. Wintertime self-care is especially important as studies show many people may experience an increase in depressed mood over the winter months.
This is especially true for those of us who live in places where snow and darkness surround much of our days!
And then you have us writers who stereotypically don’t take very good care of ourselves even at the best of times, neglecting our health so we can write until the wee hours of the morning or binging on junk food/caffeine/alcohol to get us through the day.
Let’s beat (and change!) the stereotypes.
Caring for ourselves is a type of self-love. It’s also a way to love others and to love our writing.
So how can we take good care of ourselves even when it’s not easy?
Winter Self-Care
Before we get started, we need to remember that depression and Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) are serious issues and should be treated as such.
In this post we’re mostly looking at general self-care strategies to combat low levels of depressed mood. It is not meant to replace a doctor or a therapist.
If you (or someone you know) is struggling with their mental state, don’t hesitate to get help! There are many really wonderful and skilled people available who can guide us toward wellness. You are not alone.
7 Self-Care Strategies for Writers
(And Everyone!)
1. Evaluate Our Health
How are you doing today?
Evaluating where we’re at physically, mentally, spiritually, and creatively is helpful in determining how to best care for ourselves. Are we already at the top of our game? Or can we identify where we have room for improvement?
I’ve created a handy Wellness For Writers worksheet that can be helpful to walk through as we reflect on how we’re doing.
2. Say Hello to the Sun
When was the last time you were outside? Getting enough fresh air and sunshine is hard in the winter, and vitamin D is important!
Even if it’s just popping out to get the mail or making sure to sit next to the window, finding ways to get natural light in our lives can really help our mental state.
3. Drink Water, Eat Healthy
I’m terrible about drinking enough water in the wintertime because I don’t have my usual cues of playing sports outside or being overheated. However, our bodies need water throughout all months of the year, not just in the summer!
The same goes for fruits, veggies, and healthy foods.
Everyone’s health is different so everyone’s diet is going to look different! Find what works for you, listen to your body’s needs, and chat with your doctor for ideas.
I’m not saying we can’t ever eat cookies! We just want to also be mindful of caring for our bodies well.
And our bodies generally function best when we fill them with good things.
4. Get Moving & Go Somewhere
Whether it’s a walk, yoga, some stretching, or something more extreme- moving our bodies promotes health and boosts positive endorphins in the brain. (Spoiler: These endorphins make us feel good!)
Even if it’s just a couple minutes, try to get moving!
And while we’re moving… it’s time to leave the house.
I know. It’s cold outside and it gets dark early. There are days (weeks) when I don’t want to go anywhere either.
But let’s do it anyway. Go to the library! Visit the pet shelter or walk around the mall.
When we’re not feeling our best it’s easy to settle into a rut where we avoid even activities we enjoy. But ironically, it’s participating in these activities that will often help us feel our best again.
5. Talk to People
So I’m an introvert and when I’m not feeling well I often avoid people. I decline invitations to events and stop inviting people over. Even (or especially) making small talk at the grocery store can be really exhausting sometimes.
But even us introverts are social creatures on some level.
Connection with others is important for our health and happiness.
Maybe we don’t want to invite people over into our space every day and that’s okay. We can find a balance of connectivity that works for us. We just don’t want to neglect or avoid these relationships.
Our relationships with our friends and family are vital and shouldn’t be ignored- both for our sake and for theirs.
6. Create
Sometimes the gray skies of winter can put us in a blah mood regarding our creativity. It can be hard to motivate ourselves to write.
Sometimes writing is hard.
But creating things (anything!) is one of the best ways to bring color and a sense of purpose back into our lives!
Pro tip: What we create doesn’t even need to be very good. Or even any good at all.
Let’s make bad art. Let’s write terrible stories.
As we keep going and keep creating, something magical happens. It isn’t always terrible forever.
Greatness can sometimes be found among the rubbish. And sometimes we need to make a lot of rubbish and give ourselves permission to be terrible before we ever get anywhere good.
Regardless, continuing to create is an important (dare I say vital?) part of wellness for writers. Persistence is key. Creativity needs exercise just as much as the rest of us.
And writing throughout the winter will lead us to blooming in spring.
7. Rest
Okay, I know I’ve been talking a lot about things to do. Go outside. Go do things. Drink water. Talk to people.
But you know what?
Sometimes it’s okay, and even really super duper important, to just rest.
We need time to relax. To cozy up with good books. To sleep.
Sure, we don’t want to hibernate all winter and block out the world. But letting ourselves slow down and recharge, having the grace for ourselves to let a few things slide here and there, giving ourselves a chance to just be still- this is priceless.
How’s Your Winter Wellness?
Do you feel healthy and balanced today?
We may not always be “happy”- but that’s normal and to be expected, honestly. We just want to make sure we have a healthy baseline where we aren’t dipping to unhealthy levels of isolation, depressed and negative thinking, extreme anxiety, etc.
As writers, our writing comes from within us. If we’re not taking care of ourselves we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
Plus, you are valuable and worthwhile, my friend! You are worth taking care of and protecting.
For more self-care strategies (for winter and whenever!) check out these 30 Self-Care Strategies.
What’s one thing you can do for your self-care today?
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