When there's no reason to leave the house, give yourself every reason to stay in. Michigan is notorious for trapping its residents indoors during the snow season but dread not. Here are a handful of nourishing, thoughtful self-care ideas best suited for snow days. 

1.     Dance to Your Favorite Music

            When there is a drive to care for oneself, physical activity sometimes sounds opposing— so don't think of this like that. Dance to your favorite music without intention, not to break a sweat, but to simply move. Do it where no one can see you or in the living room with the family, with the music up too loud or in your earbuds. The only objective in this self-care strategy is to feel the music in your body and follow it to see where it leads you.

             Fluid movement is a satiating form of body therapy that impacts individuals in all realms of conscious function, from emotional to physical. There is nothing more reviving on a snow day than putting on some old records and swaying to the sound. Breathe in the nostalgia and optimism around classic sounds and breathe out the pressure to do anything aside from what feels natural.

2.     Take a Therapeutic Hot Bath 

           Even just looking at the winter wonderland outside can make someone chilly when snowed in. If that is the case, surely a hot bath can be relieving. Don't jump in just yet, though! There are great ways to spice up your relaxing bath, making the most of the experience— one which provides care to our inner selves, not just cleanliness to our skin. 

           If you happen to have some, a therapeutic bath may look like turning the jets on, but the self-care magic really begins with bombs and satchels of herbs, salts, and other soaking scents. When made with safe ingredients, these are great ways to detox stress using a combination effect with aromatherapy and steam-based diffusion. Made with all-natural, simple ingredients, Northern Self Care and Gifts sells a Michigan-made Epson salt bath soak blend that comes in various fragrances such as Sweet Orange and Jasmine. Available at our Self Care shop in Traverse City!

3.     Get Bundled and Take a Nap

           This refers to sleeping in the snow— or a hammock if you happen to have one. As strange as that sounds, it is quite the treat. If you are equipped with decent snow gear and a clear sky, a snow day is a great time to get outside and try something outlandish. Bundle up, pack a snack, and find that perfect spot. Is it under a tree, cozy and tucked away? Is it in a clearing, so you can see the clouds as you drift off? Maybe it is a bit of both, off the edge of a stream so you can hear the faint trickle of the water nearby. 

           Wherever it is must be, know that it is worth the time and effort it takes to get there. Sleep complications are disabling at times. In other moments their dysfunctional symptoms become normalized and embedded into our routines. This may be something we all face one time or another in the hustle of life's expectations. Still, it is not something that we should accept as typical. If granted a snow day, napping may very well be a healthy activity for most, as our day-to-day lives do not always account for needing improved or extended rest. 

           Resting outside, though, is considerably nourishing for those trying to re-establish a functional sleep schedule. For this reason, taking advantage of the lack of outside hazards, such as insects, is an optimal self-care decision. 

4.     Bake Something Delicious

        While cooking is, of course, a great habit to have, it tends to be the task that gets done regularly. Baking may be tedious. It could lead to a pile of dishes or demand a rigorous prep depending on what's cooking. For that reason, baking something delicious is best done on a day where there is plentiful time to focus and be present for the aromas. 

           It is also a unique formula for expressing care to our inner selves. The preparation of food is bountiful in nutrition for our egos and our physical bodies. Alongside this, the intake from our olfactory receptors regarding memory plays a vital role, as well. When baking a dessert or a dish, we can create a scent-memory attached to the sentiment of self. Going forward, this scent would convey that concept innately. With a thoughtful resource like this, a person is equipped with a form of on-demand sovereignty. Say you feel insecure on a snow day in December; what can you do to resolve your tension? Bake that rosemary squash pie you made last year when you were in a place of wellness and good intent. The aromas will remind your frontal cortex that good things rotate back around, and most importantly, that you (should) love yourself. 

5.     Journal a Positive Memory

                 Reliving a positive experience is a great way to endorse dopamine production healthily. This is a good strategy if there is trouble feeling motivated to do other self-care routines and also for the promotion of self-care before bed. Reflection is a great way to stimulate the minds processing functions, which helps us detox the overwhelming experiences throughout the day. 

            If you are entering a snow day with a sense of gloom, pessimism, or even vagueness, reflect on a moment when the resolution to life's dilemma had been found. In the after-effect era, this would be ideally one of wellness and contentment, maybe even pure joy. Create an entry in a journal or on loose paper using this memory. An entry could be a paragraph, a narrative, prose or poetry, or even just keywords that reflect details of the positive memory. 

6.     Reading w/ a Favorite Drink

        Iconic as it is, reading with a cup of cocoa, hot tea, or even lavender coffee can be an otherworldly self-care strategy— literally, depending on what you're reading. Curling up next to a frosty window or in a blanket filled bed with a suspense novel, the recent almanac, or even just a magazine can do wonders for how our dopamine levels experience intake thereafter. For this reason, it is a healthy method of dopamine regulation and is a considerably valid form of self-care. 

It goes without saying that when our favorite drinks actually nourish our bodies too, such as herbal tea blends like ashwagandha + lemon, there is an internalized drive to repeat the action. We are planting the seed of loving ourselves a little deeper by taking our self-care to an intimate, primal place— that of top priority needs. 

7.     Make Art

           Making art will always be a foundational way to take care of oneself— if you happen to not be a working artist of a sort. Some great ways to make art while encompassing intentional self-care concepts include making collages about empowering topics, scrapbooking photos of loved ones or positive memories, or even just painting with colors that entice relaxation. If you can incorporate catering to yourself in making art, then restoration is sure to follow. 

8.     Attend an Online Class

           There are online classes for everything and anything. Want to learn how to speak Latin? Do a headstand? Bake a quiche? If you are trying to self-care on a snow day and feel recharged when intaking new information or meeting new people, then this is the way to go. While some require a financial exchange or are scheduled and not spontaneous enough for a snow day, this is not the case for all. Various platforms and class topics are still nourishing under the pressure of last-minute attendance. They can be attended the same day of sign up, so take time to browse hosting platforms and see what opportunities await. 

           This strategy is an excellent tool for kids too. Since the shift to online formatting being the norm, there are endless opportunities for online kid programs, with a great deal being live. For anyone who's snow day does not include isolation, but wishes it did for a moment to self-care, consider platforms such as Out School to occupy your child in a guilt-free way. This very affordable provisioning platform is worth checking out for self-caring during motherhood amid a snow day. It is almost self-care for the kids with live instructors, live children, and off-the-wall yet creative subjects.  

9.     Paint Your Nails

        While, of course, a coloring page or a form drawing activity can be soothing and creative in similar ways, there is something quite special about the patience required of painting on a canvas as small as a fingernail. Painting nails is an excellent form of self-care, as it slows down our focus— in a beneficial way— and boosts our perception of ourselves. When we coordinate our nail color in a way that matches our expression of self, we are validating our internal beliefs on such every time we lay our eyes on them. 

           Outside of the brain hack, it can be; it is enjoyable in its act as well. The execution of painting nails is to be appreciated as much as the aftermath! The patience and calmness required to lay coat after coat, smoothly and crisply, is a level of tolerance that our minds thrive from. 

           Of course, getting your nails done at a salon is pampering and can leave you with some exotic looks. Still, it can also be expensive, toxic, and thus not caring for ourselves or those around us. Self-care is defined as the act one performs for the sake of or with the effect of an improved sense of wellbeing. For truly nourishing nail polish, check out Northern Nail Polish personal line of non-toxic, vegan, professional-grade polish. For shades to wear on a snow day, they release seasonally and are sure to have a hue to match your moment.

Snow Day? Everyday. 

            Self-care is a realistic priority to take up during a snow day. Don't let that be the only time, though! Self-care is something we all need more of, even after the ice has melted. There are plenty of reasons we find ourselves busy doing everything else that life demands. It seems that it is about time we start getting creative about why we need to prioritize caring for ourselves, inside and out. If using a snow day as a reason works, take it and run— but maintain creativity for the sake of consistency. 

        Most snow day self-care ideas work great in the spring, summer, and fall, too. Thankfully, those are the seasons Northern Self-Care and Gifts is most active with filling online orders. For all self-care items on a shopping list, this is a one-stop-shop in the market for all. With non-toxic, local-oriented, high-quality, cruelty-free products, Northern Self Care and Gifts has done the hard work for you. Ensuring that gift-giving and self-care don't have to be ethically imbalanced, the shop's curated selection is for that reason. 

Sure to suit everyone who appreciates relaxation, restoration, and recreation; stop in and see what is in season today @northernnailpolish located in the beautiful Traverse City, Michigan. We are open on Saturdays, check out our Facebook for more information and open hours!