A few months back, I watched a content creator discuss the idea of being in a "soft winter." She stated that for most of evolution and nature, the winter months are a slow period where rest, recovery and ease are prioritized. As humans, we have deviated from this with our constant hustle culture and go go go mentality. I'm sure we can all relate to the post-holiday season crash where you're left feeling exhausted, burnt out and less motivated for life than usual. This has always been my experience at the start of the new year and during the wintertime. After a busy and stressful holiday season followed by getting sick in January, I was feeling tired, a little down and just uninspired. Instead of wallowing or beating myself up about it, being sick and her video pushed me to just embrace the slowness. To take the time to really rest on all fronts: physically, mentally + emotionally.
In a similar regard, I've also been working on ways to lower my overall stress and cortisol levels. I haven't actually had my levels tested, however I often wonder how my body handles stress on a more cellular level. Stress itself is an unavoidable part of life that we're all faced with. While we can't necessarily combat it completely, finding ways to manage and cope properly is crucial. There are also so many studies on the negative impact and consequences caused by unmanaged stress. I've been trying to be proactive now by prioritizing myself + more ways to relax. If you're also looking to lower stress or just embrace your soft girl era, here are some of my current favorite ways to prioritize yourself + embrace a more relaxed, slower pace.
MORE SELF + LESS STRESS:
+SCROLL LESS - I would be willing to bet there is a spike in overall screen time during the winter months. We're all inside more and it's an easy way to pass the time. While I'm all for the internet + social media (ya girl loves to scroll herself!), I definitely find too much impacts me negatively. I catch myself spending way too much time just aimlessly watching TikTok and depending on what I'm seeing, I often feel more anxious and stressed. Lately I've focused on trying to spend some of my scrolling time doing other things, as well as be more mindful of what I'm watching. I now try to only consume things that make me feel uplifted or inspired. If something starts to shift my mood negatively, I swipe up + keep it moving.
+READ A BOOK - In place of less scrolling is more reading. I've recently picked it back up and it's made my life so much more enjoyable. There's just nothing like diving into a new world inside of books. Reading can also significantly lower your stress levels + will always be underrated IMO.
+GET YOUR NAILS DONE - I recently went to get my nails done for the first time in YEARS. I always go back and forth on whether I should go or not but honestly, it makes a world of difference for me. Having them done is an instant confidence boost that makes me feel so much more put together. It's also a nice little luxury to treat yourself with and for me, is a lot less stress than trying to do my own!
+LOW IMPACT ACTIVITY - Despite all of the typical New Year's resolutions to get in shape and workout, I have NOT been feeling it. Totally keeping it real- the only thing that has pushed me to still workout is my monthly OTF membership, lol. I refuse to miss a paid class but I've been dragging my feet. While I'm all about discipline and staying consistent, it's okay to switch things up and give yourself a little grace. For me, that also means embracing lower impact activities to keep moving but give my body a little bit of rest from HIIT or intense cardio. I like to walk a lot but have also looked into starting yoga or pilates!
+SLEEP MORE - One of my biggest challenges when it comes to health is always sleep. Habitually, I tend to stay up too late which sacrifices my sleep hours + quality. While I still haven't figured this one out completely, I've been a tiny bit better these last few months. I've been pushing myself to go to bed when I actually feel tired (who would have ever thought of such a thing?? lol) + also allowing myself to sleep in a little bit more when I feel I need to. Like with stress, your sleep has a huge impact on overall health + is one of the most important aspects of self care.
What self care habits do you use to lower stress?
