It is that time of year where the days get shorter and we spend more time inside.
I find the fall and winter to be fun at first but by the time February rolls around I am miserable. I want sunshine and sandals. But what I do find great about winter is that you can spend your time in a cocoon phase in order to break out and flourish come spring time.
5 No BS Winter Arc Tips to a New You:
- Uncover Your Limiting Beliefs
- Prioritize Creativity
- Home is what you make it
- Movement can be fun
- Meditations
Uncover your Limiting Beliefs
The dark days can make it easier to not want to do anything. By 4pm the sun is down and your body does not have any energy to do anything else. This is a great time to journal with the intention of uncovering your limiting beliefs.
What are limiting beliefs?
A limiting belief is a belief that you believe to be true no matter what about some area of your life. This belief is usually solidified in your childhood and it can be very hard to identify and extract it from yourself.
The most common limiting beliefs are:
- I am not good enough to achieve [insert goal here]
- I do not have enough time.
- I will never make enough money
- I am not pretty enough
- I always mess things up
There are handful more you can find and I implore you to search for other limiting beliefs if these examples do not spark anything inside you.
3 Ways to Uncover Your Limiting Belief
Name it
The first step in overcoming your limiting belief is to put a name to it. You can do this through journaling, asking yourself what areas of your life are you struggling in. What stories have you told yourself about an industry. For example, I always believed that you cannot make a money as a writer. This is false. I can make money as a writer and I do.
Call it out + collect evidence
Once you name you need to call it out for what it is. This is a belief that is holding me back. I don’t want to have this belief any longer. Next step with in this is to collect evidence of your limiting belief, you will struggle here. For instance if your belief is that “I don’t have time” you will collect evidence for all the time you do have. If you believe “I always mess things up” as you self what does messed up really mean? Who says you’ve messed up and why is their voice stronger than yours?
Get clear on what the belief is and why in your current day to day it is not needed in your life right now.
Re affirm a new belief
Lastly, you have to fill the space with what you do want to believe. If you want to over come the “I am not pretty enough” limiting belief you need to ask yourself why and then look at how you can build your self esteem and confidence. This would be wearing outfits that fill you with confidence or start a skin care routine that is filled with love and kindness.
Another big factor in your limiting beliefs is that most of them can come from your family or friends or something embarrassing that happened years ago. So you shut off that possibility of ever being able to achieve something.
It takes dedicated time and action to uncover your limiting beliefs and to then work through them by taking daily action towards your goals.
This winter spend a couple nights a week journaling about your limiting beliefs and what life will look like if you did not have that belief.
Prioritize Creativity
Everything feels a little more cozy during the winter which gives you copious amounts of time to create something or start a new hobby. This is purely for creativities sake and not monetization. Your hobby can be just for fun.
This can mean puzzling each night, drawing, crochet, knit or something else entirely. Designating 30 minutes each night to a creative project will allow you to make progress on your art, stop the doom scroll and build your confidence.
Home is what you make it
This is about your physical space at home and your mindset about your space at home. Winter can be a very hard time for people with family, friends or a lack of community. I want you to focus on what you do have. Easier written than done. But if you wake up every day with the thought “I hate my home” and you look at all the things you dislike, you will continue to hate your home. To flip this thought, spend the winter decluttering spaces that overwhelm you, buy one small knick knack from the thrift store that brings you joy when you see it in your space and take action on meeting up with your friends and family if you can.
READ: Your 7 Day Mindset Glow Up Starts Now
Movement Can Be Fun
This is usually the time of year where we throw our health and fitness goals out the window because it’s the holidays! There will be treats and snacks and big dinners. There is no possible way you can maintain and workout routine this season?←That is a limiting belief.
You can make it a priority to move every single day. You can dance for 5 minutes, hit step goal by walking around your living room and still enough the holiday season.
Movement can be fun. You do not need a gym membership (unless you want one) or to restrict your food if you are having a big dinner tonight. Find ways to make movement fun for you. Listen to your favourite holiday music and do a step working out while you dance it out.
Meditations
Candlelit evenings, warm cups of hot chocolate, your favourite pair of leggings and comfy top. Now sit down in a quiet space as you do breath work, meditations or somatic yoga to regulate your nervous system to connect with the vision you have for your life.
This is a great time to build safety in your pursuit for more. If uncovering the limiting belief of “never having enough money” makes your chest tight, your mind wander because you don’t want to think about it. This is the space where you can breathe, say “Money is safe with me” and “I am a safe space for money to harbour before I send it off on it’s next journey” and watch how your mindset and belief will start to change over the coming months.
In order to shift your mindset and beliefs about the big goals in your life you need to feel safe in what you are pursuing. Spend some time each morning or evening do a meditation or breath work exercise in order to centre yourself.
The Best Winter Arc Morning Routine
Your morning routine can look different this is a feel good routine to get you excited for the day during the winter.
Music
Put on your favourite playlist first thing in the morning to boost your mood. This can be while you are getting ready, making breakfast or even a meditation.
Skincare
If you enjoy doing skincare this is a great way to centre yourself in the morning. While you are doing skincare talk about your affirmations, goals or intentions for the day.
Journal
Another great morning activity is journaling. This does not have to be structured or neat. I would prefer you to scribble and write the free flow thoughts out of your head and onto the paper.
Outfit of the day
Pick an outfit that makes you feel amazing. Something you love wearing that will boost your confidence for the day.
Get outside
Even if it is for jut five minutes in the morning on your balcony or front porch. Just stand outside in the cool morning are and breathe. Even better if you can go for a 5 – 10 minute walk this will help you wake up and get started for the day. If the sun isn’t full up before you have to leave for work I would recommend taking your vitamins or a sun lamp to help get that vitamin D.
Lastly, every morning routine should help set yourself up for success. You do not want a routine that makes you feel rushed or aggravated. It needs to add to your day. It should be something you look forward to each morning.
The Best Winter Arc Night Routine
It can be easy to curl in bed at 5pm because it’s so dark and just doom scroll away. That is not going to set you for success! Let’s build a Night Routine that feels good, is fun and helps you get closer to your goals without being to rigid.
Tidy Your space
Tidy up your space every night. I put on a 5 minute timer and then just go for it. You will realize that it does not take that long to tidy your spaces. It also means you get to start the next day with no visible clutter which is a win. I will also note that every since I started my night time tidy routine that during the day I am more mindful of where I put my clothes – they go in the hamper – or if I bring a dish into my office I will bring it to the kitchen right when I finish with it so my night time tidy is easier.
Cozy screen free time
This is where you get to let your cozy creativity take up space. Pick a creative project or craft and get away from the screens. This is a time for your to disconnect from your and just focus on your art. I know for me that I like to have a TV Show or YouTube video playing in the background while I crochet. This can work as long as you are not only focused on the show. I would recommend weening yourself off needing background noise and start getting comfortable with the quiet, with your thoughts and watch your mindset and confidence improve.
Skincare
A night time skincare routine is a great way to transition into a calming part of the evening. While you are in front of the mirror you can talk to yourself about your day. What went well, what didn’t, what are your prioritize for tomorrow. And then once you are done that you just focus on the evening in front of you. S
Journal
Ending the night with a journaling session can also help you get all of your thoughts out of your head before you go to sleep so you don’t have ruminate on them. You can also end with a gratitude list so your last thoughts are about what you are grateful for.
Music
Listening to calming, instrumental music or even a subliminal message playlist while you lay in bed and calm your body will help you relax and fall asleep without the need of doom scrolling.
Remember, Winter time is great for many reasons but it can be hard when we as humans need sunlight and outside time. Work through your No BS Winter Arc tips in order to build internal habits this winter and then flourish when the first greens start sprouting this spring.
Take time to ask yourself what you need and then fill your morning or night routine with those daily actions.