The moment the weather starts to cool down, life tends to feel more rushed. Routines change — maybe you’ve gone back to school, or have to adjust your schedule to account for fewer hours of daylight. As the days get shorter, to-do lists get longer and, before you know it, the mad rush of the holidays arrives. On top of it all, this year we’re also dealing with the stress of the election.
Carving out time to hunker down, sleep, and practice mindfulness and self-care is essential. That’s why, in our books, some winter days are meant for hibernating: resting, napping, puttering, catching up on Love Is Blind, and generally taking it slow. “Any time there are heightened emotions can be stressful,” says Sinikiwe Dhliwayo, founder of wellbeing company Naaya Wellness, which aims to make wellness more accessible to people of color. “Finding any opportunity to take care of yourself is important.”
For Toronto-based clinical psychologist and wellness coach Dr. Monica Vermani, that starts with focusing on your energy sources. It may sound like the opposite of hibernating, but hear her out: “Stress, in my definition, is when your activity level surpasses your energy level. Activity is mental and physical, and you can only bring that down so much — you still have to work, you still have to go to school, you still have to pay your bills,” she says. “So the next option to reduce stress in your life is to bring up your energy level, and that means going back to basics, [something] we take for granted every day.”
Your number-one priority should be taking care of your basic sources of energy: food, your state of mind, and sleep. Think of it this way: When we’re sick, we tend to sleep more to heal. We should approach the time we take for ourselves at home in the same restorative way. With that in mind, Dhliwayo and Vermani share their top self-care tips so you can live your best hibernation era this winter.
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Say no to plans (and don’t feel bad about it)
We know what you're thinking: WHO HAS TIME TO HIBERNATE? Step one is saying no to plans so you can carve out even a few hours for yourself here and there. “Get comfortable with saying no and setting boundaries with other people,” says Vermani. Same goes for setting boundaries for yourself, too. “Learn to listen to your body — if you’re tired, say no to that extra [episode] on Netflix, say no to doomscrolling on social media. You need downtime. Declining an invitation is saying yes to yourself, to rest and rejuvenation.”
So the next time you wake up and your body is protesting getting out of bed to make those brunch plans? Send that text saying you won’t be able to make it after all — and get some more shut-eye.
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Embrace the glimmers
Deb Dana, LCSW, psychotherapist and author, coined the term “glimmers”: micro-moments of joy that allow us to feel calm and give us a sense of inner peace by calming our nervous system. Self-care or hibernation days should be about embracing these glimmers.
Put on a movie you love or get some kind of treatment, like a massage or a facial. Or, if you’re set on staying home, Dhliwayo loves treating herself to a more luxurious skincare routine, perhaps using a rich body oil. Crack open those really special products that have been collecting dust on your shelf because they’re too expensive to use, and enjoy.
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Invest in a quality mattress
The one thing that’ll throw a wrench in your great hibernation plans? A mattress that’s too soft, or too firm, or too lumpy, or too hot. But a *great* one, like Avocado’s Green Mattress — the Goldilocks of mattresses, if you will — can deliver unparalleled comfort that'll ensure a good night’s sleep.
Here’s how that happens: The Avocado Green Mattress not only boasts up to 1,379 individually wrapped innerspring coils in seven ergonomic zones to help support and maintain spinal alignment (that means no aches or pains in the morning), it’s also one of the industry’s coolest mattresses thanks to the use of certified organic natural fibers — plus, it’s all hand-tufted and assembled in Los Angeles (!).
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Book a staycation
If you live in the same city as much of your family and friends, hibernating can be a lot trickier. (Certain people in your life just “popping by” or expecting to see you regularly can disrupt your cozy cocoon.) That’s why Dhliwayo recommends booking a staycation at a cute hotel if you're financially able to — even if it’s just for one day. Pack up your fave self-care and cozy-day essentials and escape the noise for a few hours.
Friendly reminder: If you’re traveling home for the holidays, Dhliwayo wants to remind you that it’s more than okay to stay at a hotel or with a friend instead of with family. “It’s often trickier to have that moment [of self-care] and be like, ‘I need a second right now’ when you’re in a house full of people,” she says. This will give you an opportunity to set up a hibernation cave away from home, too.
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Create a space that’s just for you
Designating a space for the very act of hibernating is an important piece of the self-care puzzle, according to Dhliwayo. Maybe you share your living space with someone, or maybe you work from home — either way, an area that’s shut off from everything else and makes you feel at peace can help lower cortisol levels, even if you're in a one-room studio and carve out an hour to hang in your bathtub.
“For me, that’s having a really cozy bedroom, where there’s a place for my meditation cushion to sit, and having really comfortable sheets on my bed,” Dhliwayo says. “If I need to get away, I know I can come home and do that.”
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Practice small moments of thanks
“We live in a world where we’re racing around, and we don’t pause to reflect on or notice how much we have versus what we lack,” says Vermani. Part of taking things slow should include thinking about the good you have in your life, which includes how much you’ve grown as a person.
That’s why Vermani loves a gratitude journal. Yes, it can feel a bit corny, but using one on hibernation days will give you the space to reframe your mindset and help you develop practicing gratitude as a habit. “Gratitude is seeing accurately how your life is going versus going into an anxious spiral,” she says. “The more you see the good on the inside, the more you’re able to materialize it on the outside.”
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Eat something that's not takeout
When you’re taking time for yourself, nourishing your body is key. Instead of reaching for an ultra-processed snack during a Love Island marathon, cook an easy meal that you like and that will make you feel good. For Dhliwayo, that’s a bowl of comforting oatmeal, but it can be whatever you want. “Eating something nutrient-rich — there are endless options — is key to maximizing the energy we get from the food we eat,” adds Vermani.
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Actually take a deep breath
We store a lot of stress in our body so it’s important that our hibernation days aren’t just lying on the couch for hours at a time. Dhliwayo has a dedicated meditation practice that lets her take a breath and slow things down. “Trying to focus on your breath in some way — just acknowledging it — is a means of being present,” she says.
During this time of year, we’re often thinking about the future, wondering how we’re going to finish off the year or set ourselves up for success in the new one. While hibernating, you should, as Dhliwayo says, “cultivate presence,” or be in the now. If meditation isn’t your thing, you can do this by counting your breaths or the steps you take as you walk from your bedroom to the kitchen.
Vermani agrees that the simple act of breathing is crucial: “When you do breathing practices, you bring yourself back to a belly breath — and when we’re running around all day feeling stressed out, we do very short and shallow breaths. Deep breaths restore and rejuvenate every muscle in your body; they calm your mind and nervous system.” Photographed by Erika Long.
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