5 Fun Tips to Mentally Recover from Winter

Winter. Enough said.
 
Personally, winter is the season when I go into hibernation. I long for the spring – which brings with it the warmth of sunshine, the allure of fresh greenery, and the accompanied desire to reinvest in life.
 
Finding the energy to incorporate wellness efforts back into my lifestyle is a struggle every year.
After a few years of realizing and accepting that this is my pattern, I think I am finally figuring out how to overcome it.
 
Sound familiar? I don’t believe I am the only one who struggles to keep a healthy routine through winter.
 
Here are a few tips to help you make a mental shift out of winter isolation to embrace the beauty of spring:
 

1. Get grateful!

When your natural gratitude is running low, it is time to grab your gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is wonderful for cultivating gratitude and helping yourself get grateful quick. Start writing in it every night, citing anything from the day to be grateful for. Start with the little things – sharing a friendly smile with a stranger, being greeted by your pup when you walk through the door, etc.
 
Better yet, if you already have a gratitude journal habit, re-read past entries for a mental boost, or a documentation of what has really made you happy. These journals may serve as a reminder of the positive habits that have slipped and a motivator to incorporate them back into our lives.
 

2. Change it up

We all get into the ruts of a day-in, day-out routine, and sometimes all we need is a change of scenery to help reset our mind states. For example, try giving yourself more time in the morning to relax and drink a cup of coffee, tea, or warm lemon water before you jump into your day.
 
Simply adding this extra, peaceful, 10-20 minutes can help you to intentionally cultivate a positive mindset for the day ahead. It also makes it easier to wake up every day knowing you’ve built in some time for you.
 

3. Pencil in your bestie

Being around the people you love is always helpful to snap out of winter isolation. It is so easy to start a downward spiral, allowing our daily routines to only consist of work and home. This can have a negative impact on anyone.
 
We need people, we need sunshine and we need fresh air. Incorporating social time into our schedules forces us out of hibernation to accomplish all of these at once.
 

4. Get your heartrate up

It can be difficult to simply throw yourself back into a yoga or exercise routine after a lazy hiatus. Going from 0-100 can be a challenge, especially if we’ve been less active during the winter months.
 
Sometimes we NEED to start with something small, instead of picking up where we left off in our fitness regimen. Set realistic goals, and build upon them. Maybe it’s going to yoga two times a week, so you can eventually get back to the four classes you were attending pre-winter hibernation.
 

5. Stimulate your heart and challenge your mind

Pick up a yoga book or a wellness magazine (if you’re on YouAligned.com, this counts!!). This inspires you to get into gear, and fits nicely into a wellness revitalization.
 
Books on spirituality, self-help, yoga, or any other positive form of information combined with self-empowerment will propel you to keep moving forward, and will reawaken your passion for mind and body wellness. Unsure of where to look or how to start?
 
Read this book list for inspiration: 5 Books to Kickstart Your Mindful Reading

“Every second brings a fresh beginning. Every hour holds a new promise. Every night our dreams can bring hope. Every day is what you choose to make it.” -Anonymous

Spring brings with it a promise for new beginnings. Try incorporating some or all of these wellness efforts into your routine and see if it reenergizes you after a long winter.
 
Have any wellness tips or ways you use to help yourself out of a winter funk and into a spring rejuvenation? We love hearing from our fellow yogis in the comments below!