Self-Care for Cloudy Days
Self Care for Cloudy Days
We are all inevitably affected by the changing of seasons and, even more invasively, the immediate weather. When a cloudy day comes along, are you one to let it be as dreary as it appears, or have you already learned about the reality that without rain, there are no flowers? The nourishment our planet receives from a cloudy day is necessary to create the lush topography we live upon and is also valuable to the cycling that occurs within the various facets of function in our atmosphere.
If we were to take a moment and compare ourselves to the planet, considering our multitude of cells a unique ecosystem, then wouldn't we be able to brighten around the idea that a cloudy day is, in fact, a chance to self-care?
Northern Self Care & Gifts is an enterprise of only the highest quality self-care standards in the Northern Michigan region. We have compiled an easy-to-digest, soothing self-care list for cloudy days. Whether it is you who is gray all day, or the sky, give one of these regimens a try and reap what your sow— flowers from your rainy day.
Read, Rest, Repeat
Reading on a rainy day is always great nourishment. A literal form of brain food, the experience of digesting words and creating imaginative thoughts is delectable for our frontal lobe. Curling up in a warm blanket on a gray-skies kind of day is a gentle way to engage with a good book while leaving room to drift off and rest. Feel free to repeat this process as many times as needed, for as long as you please (or can). The body doesn't do well with excessive sleep, but single REM cycles during a nap can be very therapeutic after a long week, month… or year.
2. Candlelit Mindfulness
Mindfulness is to focus on the present moment. This can be found in various practices, such as meditation or yoga, but is also enacted through other sensory explorations. You could choose to practice it with comfort foods, taking each bite slowly and carefully, ensuring to experience the food for all it offers. You could also choose to use calming music and gentle humming to bring yourself to a place of simplicity.
Whatever your method of obtaining and maintaining mindfulness, it may be more appreciated on a cloudy day besides candlelight. Why is this? The warming sensation of the candle will play with our primal side, that which craves to see and feel fire on cloudy, wet days. While the candles can play various other roles, the bottom line is that our biology is nourished uniquely during its presence. Indeed, its function forces our minds to enter the present moment. It's quite the hack and can be a versatile way of embracing self-care.
3. Warm Drinks & Healthy Comfort Foods
Warm drinks and comfort foods are great for chilly spring days, but even more so when they are healthy in a way that warms us from the inside out. While we can be cliché and assume warm oatmeal and American Chili are what I am referencing, it may be more nourishing to consider something archaic and novel.
Ayurveda practices are based on natural systems and how foods, liquids, and herbs engage with our bodies. Originating in India over 3,000 years ago, the concept is rooted in Sanskrit foundations. The word itself breaks down into "Life-Knowledge" or Knowledge of Life. When addressed in an establishment of practice, this consumption awareness is considered a medical approach, but it can be applied to day-to-day life when assessing foods.
Ayurveda categorizes foods into various categories, and one of those is the comparison of warming and cooling foods. This practice is known as Ritucharya, or lifestyle cycling with the seasons. Avoid cooling foods such as yogurts, melons, and leafy greens on a cloudy spring day. Warming foods, such as turmeric, radishes, carrots, beetroots, chili peppers, and ginger, make great body-regulating choices during chilly days and are also very versatile in becoming comfort-food type dishes.
Keep in mind the more profound value of self-care regarding healthy consumption. Warm drinks don't need to be sugar-coated hot cocoas or caffeine-packed lattes to be satiating to someone's sweet tooth. During self-care, consider using the opportunity to craft a warming ginger tea or to try a guilt-free recipe for cocoa. If you don't know any keywords off the bat to help engage your search, check out the recipe below for a peppermint variation with sugar-free options!
| VEGAN PEPPERMINT COCOA |
2 cups non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons of agave nectar or monk fruit
1 cup of raw cocoa powder
Crushed red-dye free peppermint
1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extract
Option; shredded dark chocolate pieces, coconut whipped cream
Steps:
Boil milk, slowly stirring in peppermint extract and cocoa powder.
Once cocoa has mixed thoroughly, add sweetener with the burner turned down to low to prevent burning.
Pour into mugs, top with crushed peppermint and other extras of preference!
When snacking, don't let the emotional experiences of all-day gray skies get the best of you. There is beauty in cloudy days, such as the opportunity to self-care. Because of that, the bottom line, ensure that foods and beverages are nourishing. Does this mean excessively healthy? No. It means nourishing and considerate of your bigger picture goals with lifestyle. We are performing self-care when we are focused and forward with ourselves about our choices. Choose to consume responsibly.
4. Make a Pillow Fort
This recommendation is a great way to bring out your inner child, whether you have children or not. As a mom, I know forts are great for occupying the kids on a cloudy day, but even more so, it is twice the fun when you are the one in the fort. Don't hesitate to make one for yourself, by yourself, though. It would be a great place to bring your candle, warm drink, and book+blanket duo.
5. Engage with Creativity
If self-care is best received on a cloudy day with slow momentum to productivity, consider engaging with your creative side. Whether you express yourself through dance, painting, or even impromptu cooking— creativity is abundantly healthy for our mind and body. Taking a slower approach to the activity will help ensure conscious creation is taking place. If you haven't considered creativity a self-care experience in the past, consider this your sign. Whether trying out a beat lab app or signing up for a late-night tutorial on watercolor painting, there are ample avenues to begin creative pathways on a cloudy day.
6. Hand Write Letters to Loved Ones
What more beautiful and touching could you do for the ones you love than to handwrite them a letter. Use your favorite pen or go with a pencil so you can leave room for rewrites, grab your favorite pad of paper, and begin scrolling. An old friend from college, your grandmother who passed, or even your daughter on her graduation day. There are ample routes to go with the prompt of handwriting letters, so don't feel discouraged if you can't think of someone you love to send one to. In fact, if that is the case, then it's clear the person who needs a handwritten love letter the most is yourself, and who better to write it than the person who knows you best?
7. Declutter a Room
Decluttering is a great self-care strategy if your self-care feels best accompanied by productivity. While there is a quiet intention to avoid technology and unnecessary noises on a rainy day, there is still room for getting things done and kick-starting those neurons. Decluttering your bathroom, makeup bag, and closet are all great places to start, but far from where your ideas should end.
If it interests you, you could also take an hour to learn about ways to detox your space. This is different from decluttering as it focuses on the air quality, bacteria, and other unique elements that go undiscussed most of the time. There are great reads on the subject, as well as content creators on youtube that have valid advice. If you feel torn about some of your clutters value, take this route and start with addressing your health through elimination and rejuvenation.
8. Indulge in Yoga
While yoga is sometimes intimidating to prepare for, the relief it provides to your muscles is always an indulgence. Consider it a guilt-free way to self-care, as it consistently nourishes the brain and body. Great for rainy days when you're in need of nourishment, and the run you planned to take doesn't seem half as appealing due to the forecast.
9. Do a Physical Puzzle
This sounds abstract, but trust me, it's as simple as your second guess. Yes, I'm suggesting breaking out the 1000-piece jigsaw your grandmother gave you and get to it! Puzzles are an underrated method of self-care and intellect development. A puzzle is great for family self-care, but also can be just as calming and satisfying for an individual. During a rainy afternoon, a detailed Nat Geo or shimmery dragon puzzle could be what your rambunctious children need to wind down and connect with the simpler things in life.
There is value to completing a puzzle in real-life over a digital format. While it is debatable how counterproductive media can be to self-care, it is not debatable how nourishing it is to physically see, touch, and experience the creation that takes place in this unique form of art and strategy. A puzzle is also a great way to connect with others for long-term benefits. This type of quality time can leave space for healthy dialogue to take place and (typically) lacks the competitive nature that boardgames bring to the table— so to speak.
10. Make a Playlist & Dance
Don't hesitate to do this one first thing in the morning and right before bed, every night, no gray sky necessary. Dancing to our favorite songs, the ones that move us layers deep, is a guaranteed way to not only invigorate the best parts of ourselves but to also reattach to our physical bodies. This is an element of self-care that is commonly overlooked, though usually addressed in practice. Attaching to our physical bodies is needed, more often than we realize. The cloudy, slowed-down lens we view life through when our minds are overwhelmed with processing can be just as dreary as a rainy day. Treat yourself with this guilt-free, no purchase necessary self-care during any season.
Too often, we feel guilty for pampering ourselves, treating ourselves to beautiful moments of solidarity, and for riding the waves of seasonal emotions and mindscapes. A cloudy day is sure to be gray, but our inner selves can represent the lush nourishment of this weather rather than the color as a mood.
Northern Nail Polish is dedicated to providing realistic tips and tricks to self-care all year round. During the onset of spring there are valuable lessons to be learned in our reflections from the past year. Don't pass up the opportunity to establish awareness of your already accomplished growth and your intentions for the months to come. Through this process, take rainy, cloudy days as checkpoints. Absorb your experiences, emotions, and ambitions, just as the soil is absorbing the seasonal shifts in all their water-logged fashions.
I'm sure you're wondering why we would make a list of self-care strategies that do not include cosmetics or unique merchandise? Well, because we hope you will invest in those things as you need them. Our products are non-toxic, Michigan-oriented, and ambitious about providing guilt-free self-care experiences but are not the only way to invest in yourself. We hope you aren't scrolling our storefront if you are trying to curl up on the couch with a good book on a cloudy day. Do that the next day. Take your cloudy day to detox from modernity; reflect and restore.
If you decide your self-care would benefit from holistic, handmade products sourced from local and women owned small businesses, check out the Seasonal Self Care Subscription Box through Northern Nail Polish. There is no better brand to trust for nourishing self-care products, with their socially and environmentally responsible standards.
