January can be the most depressing month of the year. The holiday festivities are over and we’ve still got a few more wet and cold months before spring kicks in and the weather brightens up.

This is why self-care is so important now. It’s easy to neglect our spiritual, physical and mental well-being when everything seems so miserable.

Here’s our favourite suggestions for taking care of you so you can have the best start to the year possible.

1. Take it easy

While we don’t go into hibernation the way bears do, it is natural to take things at a slower pace during the darker months. Our metabolism slows down, energy levels take a dive and you may find yourself feeling sleepier than usual.

Listen to your body and go with the tides as best you can. With the shorter days, the change in light triggers your body’s natural responses to feel sleepy earlier, so try going to bed an hour earlier than you usually do. If you struggle to fall asleep, you could use this time to do something a little more introspective, such as keeping a diary or meditating.

It’s just as important to spend time consolidating the lessons of the past year as it is rushing forward to make plans for the new and now’s is the perfect time to do so.

2. Go out and about

We know, we know. The last thing you want to do is go outside when it’s cold, wet and windy. Yet if you can be brave and wrap yourself up against the weather, it’s amazing just how invigorating it can be to spend sometime outside. Getting what sunshine you can will help boost your vitamin D levels and reconnecting with the Great Outdoors, rain or shine, has been shown to help improve your mood, as well as support your immune system.

You could even go out after dark and go star gazing. See how many constellations you can spot at this time of year and compare them to what you can see in the sky during the summer.

3. Put a natural remedy kit together

It’s hard to avoid all the bugs flying around at this time of year, so give your immune system a helping hand with a self-care health kit. Some of our favourite natural remedies to fight against winter sickness include elderberry syrup to ward off coughs and colds, and garlic, which is a great natural antibiotic. It’s also worth having honey, lemon and ginger to hand for soothing drinks if you are unlucky enough to develop a cold.

And if you do happen to come down with something, be kind to yourself. Don’t be a hero and try to do too much too soon. If you’re gentle on yourself when you feel under the weather, you’ll be back to full health much faster.

4. Get some exercise

If you’re feeling sluggish, the best thing to do is get some exercise. Energy breeds energy, so if you’re feeling a bit low in get-up-and-go, the best way to change that is to get moving. This will help to support your metabolism and improve your mood. Studies have shown that light exercise two-three times a week lessens the impact of seasonal blues, so whether it’s a yoga class or a swim, a walk or a run, get moving! You can even combine this with going outside for one big super mood lifter.

5. Eat seasonally

In these days of globalisation, it’s very easy to get your favourite fruits and vegetables all year round, no matter where they’re grown. However, our bodies are designed to follow the seasonal foods available, and it’s so much better for your health – and the environment – if you focus on seasonal, local foods. While it might seem that you don’t have much choice, there’s plenty of delicious food available at this time of year, including Brussel sprouts, onions, leeks, parsnips, turnips, and, of course, that king of superfoods, kale! Put together soups and stews in a slow cooker so you’ve got something warm and filling waiting for you when you come back from work.

6. Practice daily gratitudes

The simple fact of saying thank you and focusing on the things we’re grateful for is a very effective way of helping you focus on the positive and improve your mood.

Make it a daily habit to say thank you for at least one thing in your life, maybe just before you go to bed as you look back on your day. You might like to share your thoughts on social media so your friends and family can join in as well.

7. Reconnect with loved ones

We can become so caught up in feeling sorry for ourselves, that we lose touch with the people who care about us. Even when we live with our family and/or friends, we can be so stressed about just surviving the winter, we forget that every day can be special if we want it to be.

Accept the fact that the weather’s going to be bad for a while yet and turn your focus into making your indoor life as rewarding as possible. You may not have an open fire you can all cuddle up in front of but why not try sitting with your family underneath blankets watching a movie together? Or have a candlelit dinner made out of all those seasonal fruit and vegetables?

When you make an active decision to enjoy the winter, you can create some of your most cherished memories.

8. Schedule your year

Start looking into what’s happening in 2019 and make bookings for events you’d like to attend. Whether you want to attend a few festivals or concerts or you’d like to go to a spiritual retreat or two, knowing you’ve got your tickets booked now means you can relax in knowing you’ve got some great events to look forward to in the coming year.

If you run your own business, you might like to go to some networking events or even put yourself forward as a speaker to start growing your brand and establish your authority.

9. Make plans

Many of us love to make New Year’s resolutions which rarely last past January. Instead of telling yourself you’re going to give up chocolate or finally write that novel, make some concrete plans for the year ahead, things you know you can achieve and which will improve your quality of life.

Having something positive to look forward to can really help when you’re feeling low.

Tune into your intuition. What does it tell you you need to focus on in 2019? Is there anything you’re expecting to happen or might want to make manifest?

Envision how you would like your life to be and then take the first steps towards that reality.

10. Accept your body

It’s not unusual to pile on a few pounds over the winter. As a consequence, we have a tendency to be even harder on ourselves and make those resolutions we never stick to and then feel even worse about when we break them.

Decide you’re going to love your body this year. If there’s something you don’t like about it, put together a plan to change it, but remember that it’s those imperfections that make us who we are. We’re all a work in progress and we’re never going to be perfect, so promise yourself you’re going to accept your body as it is right now, warts and all, and love every little bit of it.

11. Make time for you

Treat yourself as being equally important as your business, children, or whoever/whatever else you prioritise before yourself. Make time for yourself every day, actively scheduling it in your diary if you need to, and keep that appointment, just as you would if it was a meeting with your manager or a child’s activity. Use that time to do something you know will bring you joy, whether that be listening to music, catching up on a TV show, doing some reading or going out to the movies.

Maybe you’d like to take this time to start a new winter hobby, something you used to love as a child, like jigsaw puzzles or colouring. Doing those things we used to enjoy but let go for no real reason is a wonderful way to spend the winter.

12. Bonus suggestion (Our favourite!)

Spend a day curled up in bed with a good book. Only emerge for mugs of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.

While we can’t do this every day during the winter (wouldn’t it be wonderful, though?), the occasional lazy day losing yourself in a great writer’s words makes the time fly by and it’s spring before you know it.

What’s your favourite winter self-care activity? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.