It’s true that the winter season may seem endless. After the stress and excitement of the Christmas holidays and all the happenings around the New Year, we face the cold wind of January, February icicles and March sleet. One more reason to make the warm atmosphere of your home contrast with winter’s routines on the streets. Wearing coats, runny noses, and ice-frozen ears, just like crossing our fingers every time we want to start the car, shouldn’t be the only things we remember about this season.
Whether you appreciate the winter, or you would like to sleep through the entire period as a bear, there are many ways to make this season more pleasant and relax in the comfort of your house. That’s why we’ve compiled some ways to teach you how to spend this winter season actually enjoying it.
1. A perfect cup of tea
As many of us already know, the tea is an excellent companion of our small winter home routines, but also a lovely addition to all friend gatherings. The beauty of it is that it is so easy to prepare and it can be done in seconds. Furthermore, tea comes in all different tastes which means that you can explore and pick your favorites. Isn’t there anything more beautiful than making yourself this warm beverage while it is snowing outside?
2. Typical winter food
Winter invites us to make changes in our routines. We shelter ourselves to withstand the low temperatures and we make radical changes in our food habits. The urge to eat salads or fruits stops here – and cravings for rich foods full of calories such as pasta, stews, meats, legumes, soups make their own way back to our everyday needs.
When we think of winter meals, we always think of succulent, steaming and refreshing dishes. These meals not only give us body heat, but the exact cooking process can bring a lot of heat and fun to the home. And yeah, it’s so relaxing on both levels – preparing the food for your friends and family or simply enjoying it yourself. In your cozy kitchen or in front of the TV. Alone or in a good company.
Inventing a new recipe, in addition to giving wings to your creativity, will make you have a good time in the kitchen, as well. It’s not even necessary to be a super cook – not if there are dozens of Buzzfeed Tasty videos for dummies out there.
3. Great books
Apart from signing up for all the winter-themed outings, you can also take advantage and rest at home with some old, good. In this way, we manage to take refuge from the low temperatures for a while as we enter a completely new fictional world. For many, the perfect solution is to take that book that they left half-read a long time ago and finish it once and for all. Get all the novels, impressive thrillers or tear-jerking dramas you’ve always wanted to read, make yourself comfy in front of the fireplace – and the time that’s only yours can begin.
4. A cozy blanket
There’s absolutely nothing like staying home during a cold snowy day with an irresistibly fluffy blanket that wraps us whole and leaves our body and our heart warm. Add some great movie, a big mug of smokin’ hot chocolate or mulled wine – and we have the perfect plan. The major point is: the blanket can’t be missing at home in winter. No way. Moreover, get yourself several, for each room in the house.
A plaid-designed one for the sofa, another lovely weighted blanket from YNM Home for the bed… One more here and there… Undoubtedly, there are many more reasons to enjoy the winter, but to make it warm and comfortable with this kind of addition is always number one. So, just roll inside your and the cold is over.
5. Lovely candles and sticks
Candles can be the final touch for a romantic dinner, but they also contribute to the temperature of the home releasing small amounts of heat after being lit for a while. Don’t be lazy – just put them around and enjoy the sparkling energy. One plus tip – don’t leave any lights on: that will let you sink completely into the atmosphere. In some Indian shops or other thematic ones, you can also find some magically fragrant incense sticks for your living room.
The best thing about all this? You can choose any scent that comes to your mind. Think about your favorite fragrances and aromas and make this idea come true. Your nose and your mind will be extremely thankful.
6. Meditation and yoga
When this season comes, a sense of lethargy simply invades us. For many people, it’s the season where you least want to exercise – you just want to curl up somewhere warm and hibernate. But what if I tell you that yoga is one of the best practices to stay active, fight the cold and get warm?
A gentle physical exercise, which combines breathing, stretching and light movements, is the best solution to reactivate you. It sounds good, right? A morning yoga session helps us recover body temperature, prevents muscle stiffness and possible related pains, which are more common in winter. As yoga strengthens our body at a general level, including the immune system, its practice even helps keep viruses and bacteria at bay.
Not to even mention that, if you perform conscious breathing exercises correctly, you’ll also boost your immunity and feel much relaxed during the day.
7. A pamper session
Take out your favorite bath salts, fill your tub with water, light scented candles, turn on the music you love, pour yourself a glass of good wine and simply – indulge in the benefits of bubbles and soap.
At least half an hour of total relaxation will please both body and mind, and a warm bath is the most perfect way to let your brain graze and forget about any problems at work. Simply pretend your bathroom is a spa and after a good bath, treat yourself to a thorough beauty treatment. The result? Instantly ready for new challenges – or restarted, as computer geeks would say.
8. Sleeping well
Winter days are all short, but the nights, oh, nights… It’s the season when you can enjoy sleeping even more. And there’s no better feeling than jumping inside fresh and clean sheets after a long day. For better dreams, make sure the ambient temperature doesn’t exceed 18.5º, as the opposite can lead to discomfort situations. It’s also recommendable that you change the sheets every week so that the quality of sleep is better and that the atmosphere in your bedroom stays comfortable. It should be perfect for spending more time in bed on your days off or on weekends, reading or just reflecting – as much as you want.
You know what you’re going to do tonight yet? We have one more suggestion: choose all those small, lovely things that’ll make you enjoy the season (even if it had always brought out the worst version of you!) and enjoy its rich range of possibilities.
