Hello beautiful people! How are you doing? Is it just me or was spring and summer only last week? Spooky season is practically here and its sister Christmas, will be here before we know it! Anyways, I was perusing social media and there’s a trend called the winter arc. Before we dive in, if like me you’ve never heard the term before, let me explain. A winter arc is a challenge that encourages people to use the winter months to focus on personal growth and improvement over 90 days. Basically you commit to setting and achieving specific goals. So if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, read on to learn 10 things you may want to include in your winter arc.
10 Things you may Want to Include in your Winter Arc
Declutter Your Digital Life
Let’s face it, we all have a lot of emails, pictures, videos and memes that have taken up so much space on our phone, tablet and/or laptop. Do we really need to keep that meme from 2016? Those daily newsletters that you don’t read even though you say you will, admit to yourself that it’s time to unsubcribe. I say this for myself as well and I will be going through my phone and cloud storage to clear out what has been taking up so much space! I guarantee that you will feel better.
Improve Your Sleep Hygiene
This is something that I’ve been working on for the last few months and I’ve gotten a lot better. It’s not where I would like it to be however, I no longer sleep for 8 hours a week. Some things that helped me was setting a bedtime and a wake up time. The other thing I did was to start taking magnesium and ashwaghanda nightly. Please do speak to your GP before taking any supplements, I’m only sharing what has worked for me. Box breathing has also been incredibly helpful in getting me to a relaxed state which fosters sleep. Finally, I introduced nighttime yin yoga because your body holds stress and it’s good to slowly stretch out muscles in preparation for sleep. If you add any of these to your sleep routine, let me know in the comments below with your thoughts.
Mindfulness Meditation
Sticking with managing stress, why not introduce mindfulness meditation which can also help with improving your focus. Taking a moment to be still and pay attention to what you’re actually feeling and what you need is a great practice to pick up during your winter arc. I’ve written here about the benefits of meditating regularly.
Learn Something New
Hear me out, imagine you decide to sign up for the class that you’ve been talking about for months, even years. Imagine how you will feel after 3 months of doing this new thing that you’ve been wanting to. For me, I’ve wanted to sign up for salsa classes for ages! I even took 1 or 2 classes ages ago but didn’t stick it out. This year I started Cuban Salsa classes and some evenings I don’t feel like going but I go and I enjoy it every single time. So if it’s pottery class, learning how to apply makeup via YouTube, reading a book to stimulate your mind and boost your confidence or, whatever it is, try it for 3 months. See what happens and how you feel after the 3 months. Wouldn’t it be great to learn something new that adds value to your life? Just a thought!
Go on a Solo Adventure
If you follow my blog you know that I’m a huge supporter and encourager of going on solo travel. You learn so much about yourself, gain new skills, builds self-confidence, fosters compassion and learn about new cultures. All of this and more helps to shape you into a well rounded human. I’ve said this before (here) but if you’re scared or simply don’t have the funds to travel abroad, explore a new area like a park. Or go to a new museum, restaurant with a cuisine you’ve been wanting to try or something that takes you physically out of your norm.
Learn a New Language
Learning a new language helps expand your life because you can communicate with people from a different country or culture. It also improves your attention span, memory, boosts creativity, slows down cognitive decline and more! I’m not saying to speak like a native in 3 months, instead learn enough to do the basics if you were dropped in the country that speaks your chosen language.
Consistent Workout Routine
Some of us have started working out and life happens or we lose motivation. For this winter arc get into the habit of working out and be consistent. Having a consistent workout routine does not rely on motivation, it relies on discipline. Discipline means that you show up for yourself despite how you feel and repeat. It will also help to choose something that you enjoy. Some people thrive and enjoy pilates, others don’t. Some may feel intimidated by going to the gym, start at home or walking until you feel mentally strong enough to go to the gym if that’s what you want. Whatever it is, be consistent for at least 3 times a week.
Gratitude Journalling
Being grateful and having gratitude can really change your life for the better. It’s taking some time daily to reflect on things you are grateful for. It doesn’t mean that you’re avoiding the reality of your life instead, it’s shifting the focus to what you do have. It helps you to relish good thoughts, feel more positive and deal with adversity. So it’s, that moment wasn’t great and I am grateful for X instead of, that moment ruined my life.
Try a Cold Plunge
Now this is a little controversial but try a cold plunge or shower on a morning. UCLA Health explains benefits to consider of having a cold shower. A couple of the benefits that I’ve experienced is that it has helped with circulation and muscle soreness. A caveat here, if you have a heart condition or something that will be exacerbated by the shock, please avoid this. Also, start slowly and build up to it. I’m currently on 15 seconds and aim to get up to 1 minute. Have you tried a full on cold plunge before? I did in Iceland and screamed like a baby however, I felt more invigorated and alive than I had in a long time. It also helps if you alternate between hot and cold.
Have Self-Care Rituals
My final tip you may want to include in your winter arc is to have self-care rituals. These could be anything from regular massages, weekly face masks, going to the sauna or steam room or doing daily stretches because you’ve been working out consistently and it helps your recovery. Whatever it is, do it consistently for 90 days and see how you feel. Fine tune it to match your needs.
These are 10 things you may want to include in your winter arc. Will you be doing any of these things? Let me know which ones you’re going to commit to in the comments below.
Thank you for reading and until next time, be well! X
