8 (Cheap) Ways to Do Self-Care this Winter
UPDATED JULY 2025
With all the chaos in the world, taking care of ourselves is even more important than usual. That doesn’t include any pain or overwhelm you might have from your chronic illness or high sensitivity.
It’s safe to say that we all need some self-love and self-care.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care is definitely a buzzword. After all, who hasn’t heard that they need to exercise more and eat better and their lives will just magically change. I mean, they might over time, but that’s certainly not the first answer for those of us with bodies that function differently.
So for us, in this context, I define self-care as the way people care for themselves, whether those are things for your body, mind, or spirit. So things like reading, creating, meditating, stretching, being in nature, etc. It doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or even all that intensive. If you sit with yourself for a few minutes, you’ll probably be able to tell where you need care the most in that particular moment. Listen to your intuition - it’s there and it’s rarely wrong.
The International Self-Care Foundation has some awesome information not just about what defines self-care, but also the necessities you need to implement self-care in your own life.
8 Ways to Do Self-Care Even on Flare or Overwhelm Days
Taking care of your own wellness is critical not just for your own emotional & physical wellbeing, but also to have coping strategies for the changes going on around you.
People with chronic illness and high sensitivity have a tendency to shy away from self-care “plans” or specific activities because sometimes they’re too much for flare or overwhelm days. It’s okay! No advice to go for a run here (and if you see me running, you should DEFINITELY run, shit must be going down if I’m running).
These ideas are calm, don’t take a lot of energy that you may or may not have, and can be adapted to your own style of creativity. Try them out and let me know how they go!
Color
Maybe you haven’t colored since you were a kid. You remember the lidless container of broken, paperless crayons everyone’s parents and grandparents seemed to have, right? I can picture the exact dented floral box.
As it turns out, coloring isn’t just for kids! It’s a great stress reliever for adults, too. There’s even science & research to back it up. Coloring pages for adults can take your mind out of your worry zone and relax your brain. You don’t have to color anything in the “right” colors or even in the lines - it’s about whatever you want to do in the moment.
It can also be really fun and satisfying to see something pretty come together knowing that you have absolutely no obligation to do anything with it later. (i.e. it’s not a gift you “have to” find a place for).
Grab some adult color pages and look for other creative coloring ideas.
PAIN WORKAROUND: If you’re having a high pain day, especially in your hands, try a free coloring app like Happy Color that allows you to “color” on your phone.
Write in a Journal
Reading can be soothing, a nice escape from reality. But sometimes even reading feels like too much - it becomes some kind of race or duty to finish the book.
Have you ever had that feeling?
Journaling can be a great way to express yourself and your worries without pressure. While the idea of a “diary” can feel cumbersome, there are lots of studies that show that journaling can help not just cope with stress, but also with anxiety and depression.
Journaling is a great form of self-care because it’s private and it can look however you want it to! It doesn’t have to be endless pages of dramatic scenes from your life like you see in teen movies. Nor does it have to be a defined structure at all. It’s literally there for you to express whatever you’re feeling without having to worry about other people being involved.
By the way, a “journal” doesn’t have to be fancy. It could be a regular notebook, composition book, legal pad, or even just a pad of paper laying around the house. If you do like fancy journals (I definitely do!), I recommend Peter Pauper Press- they’re affordable and feel very luxe.
PAIN WORKAROUND: If you can’t find a comfortable writing pen, 750words.com allows you to type into an online journal every day for free.
Watch your Favorite Movie or TV Series
Do you have a favorite movie? You know, one that you love no matter how many times you watch it? Or perhaps a guilty pleasure TV series that you can’t seem to stop watching even though you’ve seen it 10 times? I’m not going to tell you how many times I’ve watched the entire series of Bob’s Burgers, but it’s A LOT.
Watch it again.
Watching the same thing over and over again isn’t actually that weird. In fact, a lot of people do it! Studies show that watching our trusty favorites over and over again helps anxiety because we know what’s going to happen - it’s predictable.
When you don’t feel up to doing very much of anything, what’s more comforting than having a small modicum of predictability?
I watch Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) all year long. No shame here! I love it and it makes me happy.
OVERWHELM WORKAROUND: If the TV feels too bright or too loud for how you’re feeling, turn the brightness setting on the TV down and turn the volume really low. Seeing and hearing familiar words will still be comforting but less overwhelming for your brain.
Take a Bubble Bath or Hot Shower
I don’t know about you, but when I’m stressed and overwhelmed, or if I’ve just had a bad day, I feel the immense need to shower. To me, it feels like I’m washing off the day’s crap and the warm water helps the world fall away for a few minutes.
Evidently I’m not the only one who feels this way!
Sometimes I like a bubble bath, but more importantly than the mode of getting clean is the getting clean part itself. The hot water can help you breathe better, relieve pain, and even open your pores.
Taking a hot bath or shower can also give you a moment of quiet alone time - or meditation time - away from everything else in your life. It can also feel really good if you’re stiff on a flare day. The best thing is, you don’t really need to buy anything to indulge! If you do want to get a little fancy, I like lavender Epsom salt.
PAIN WORKAROUND: If you’re in a lot of pain, getting in the shower can actually help a lot. Try putting a plastic chair or stool in the bathtub that you can sit on when you’re under the water. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as it’s okay to get wet. You might be surprised by how soothing the hot water is.
Meditate
I’ve written a lot about meditation, but it’s a daily staple for me. When I was younger (and my anxiety was wildly out of control), I thought meditation was only for religious use. I also thought that everyone who meditated had figured out how to fold their legs just so and magically could achieve inner peace by rhythmically chanting “Ohm.”
I won’t say that those things aren’t true, because you definitely can meditate for religious reasons - and if sitting with crossed legs on a yoga mat works for you, go for it!
But that’s not the only way to practice meditation. I don’t remember the last time I sat cross legged and not immediately moved because it hurt.
Meditation can happen in a number of ways - even down to 5 minute mindfulness practices! It’s a great tool for self-care because when you meditate, you clear your mind and focus on your breathing. As you learn how to effectively meditate, you can more quickly and easily shed stress and anxiety.
I particularly like the Insight Timer and Calm apps - both free to use with lots of options for guided imagery, breathing, and general mindfulness. I use at least one them for before bed every night and often during the day to relax when I have a moment.
OVERWHELM WORKAROUND: If you’re overwhelmed and need immediate assistance calming down, Insight Timer has guided talks that will help you come down from being panicky. It also has courses (on the premium version) that can help you learn how to figure out your best path to calm when you get overwhelmed.
Go for a Walk or Sit Outside
I’m a big proponent of walking. I have two dogs, so we walk a lot - usually 3-4 times a day, especially when the weather is nice! In the extremes we hide indoors.
Walking is good form of exercise, pretty low pressure on your body if you take it at your own pace. For self-care, getting your body moving regularly can have great physical & mental benefits! It changes your scenery for a little bit and can give you time away from whatever you’ve been working on or worrying about to focus on yourself or something that you want to think about.
Bonus: if you have dogs, they’ll be glad to join you and they won’t require you to come up with any conversation - perfect for overwhelm days.
PAIN WORKAROUND: I love walking, but some days I just can’t do as much as I want. If you have chronic pain, you know. If you’re having a flare day, open your door and feel the breeze for a little while. If you can, sit outside for a few minutes. You’ll still get benefits from being outside but without a lot of painful movement.
Take a Nap or Rest
Before I had other coping strategies for my anxiety, napping was my immediate go-to. It’s the fastest, most effective way to shut down my brain and bring it to a full stop. I’ve found that when I’m overwhelmed, doing a brief meditation and resting for a little while really helps. I can’t always fall asleep if I’m in pain or overwhelmed, but it still helps to rest.
As it turns out, napping remains a great self-care strategy, although I’m glad I have some other tools now, too. Napping is a great form of self-care because you’re listening to your mind and body about what it needs.
While it can seem counterproductive to take a nap amidst a mile-long to-do list (or the one thing you promised yourself you’d do today but you can’t seem to get motivated to do), you’ll find that taking a moment for a little self-care actually boosts productivity and morale. You’ll feel more relaxed when you wake up or get up from your rest, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
This is easily one of my top 3 well-loved and most used forms of self-care.
OVERWHELM WORKAROUND: If your brain is exploding and everything feels like too much, your brain may not love laying down. Try turning on soft music or white noise and lay down anyway. Set a timer and focus on breathing in and out slowly. Continue to tell yourself it’s okay, and remind yourself that you set a timer so you won’t rest “too long.” I’m not saying it’s easy, a lot of times it’s not; however, if you practice for a few minutes at a time, you can build up a practice that will work for you when you need it.
Get Creative and/or Find a Hobby
With so many of us working from home or having a side business, it’s important to have some sort of separation between work and personal life. If you’re like me, working could easily take over everything if you don’t intentionally set boundaries and practice self-care.
Figuring out other things to do was, at first, tricky. I love learning new things, and I generally like things I do at work. No matter how much you like your job or pieces of it, it’s a good idea to have something completely separate for a hobby.
The more I do it, the more I realize that making and taking the time to work on creative things is easily one of my top 3 types of self-care. It’s satisfying to make something cute or pretty and I can get completely absorbed in something that I purely enjoy rather than have to “work on” to make money.
Right now I’m really into Sharpie and watercolor, and making tiny coloring books (that I probably won’t ever use but are so cute.
PAIN WORKAROUND: If what you love to do isn’t doable with your pain, try opening a free Canva account and design something. It’s super user-friendly, and you’re not obligated to show anyone. Sometimes it’s even fun to just look around at all the things you could create if you wanted. Maybe it will inspire you to try one.
Doing self-care doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take yourself to a spa (but if you’re going, I’ll tag along). It’s about the small things, a lot of which are cheap and doable, that help us take care of all of ourselves - body, mind, and spirit.
Do you do something that’s not listed? Let me know!
