Geeky Self Care: Winter Survival Edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP3xf6BFEIo Soon it will be the new year, and several of us will find ourselves in that dark stretch of cold and unpredictable weather that seems to last much longer than the three months that make up the winter season. And while there are a lot of people out there who love winter activities, I thought it might be nice to dedicate a post to the importance of taking care of yourself and having fun as we both finish a rough year and do our best to make better of the next one.
Activity 1: A themed "me" party
We have posted a few times about ideas about theme parties for you and your friends, but after the flurry of holiday activities, I am looking forward to some alone time. Taking the time out for a deep dive into something you love can be extremely comforting and relaxing. Catch up on your favorite comic series, take a chance to watch some of those cult classic films your friends are always telling you about, or just do some binge watching on Netflix. Relax, recharge, and tune out all that background noise. My own plan is as follows: Watching Next Gen while wearing slippers and drinking Earl Grey.
Activity 2: Keep hydrated for SCIENCE
Now is the time for the usual reminder that we need to be thinking about our bodies as well as our minds when it comes to self care. Your doctor can help you with specifics on your own medical needs, but in a more general sense, there are a lot of things we can be doing to take care of ourselves in the short and long term.
For me, I need to remember to keep up my water intake as the winter rolls around. I dry out like crazy and no amount of lip balm can make up for dehydration. My plan is to not only boost my water intake, but also adjust my skin care routine to make up for the dryness — especially after showering. This might seem like obvious stuff, but when life gets in the way, it can be hard to remember what often seems like little things.
Here are a couple "treat yo self" worthy products I am using to spoil myself this winter:
Etude House I Need You Sheet Mask - Great to use before bed while you read Station Eleven, you can really feel a difference the next morning. Plus, they have wacky ingredients like Snail Mucus and Pearls.
Buffy (LUSH) - I swear there was a time this was called Buffy the Backside Slayer since they used to recommend it to help with dryness and bumps in a certain area. I always like to cut it up and use bits of it for my elbows, ankles, and other random dry patches. Plus, it's named Buffy. My geeky little heart appreciates that.
Activity 3: Drag your friends along
Wacky hi-jinks are often much more fun when you have someone to share them with. And if you're anything like me, it's a lot easier to follow through when there's someone else involved. Bonus: You can all commiserate about the cold and dark together. So get out there, brave the weather, and try new things. You are a winter warrior, and House Stark supports you.
Need some ideas for group activities? Here you go:
Comicazi Book Club - This is an easy one because it has a built in group of people waiting to meet you. CBC members are a ton of fun, and you automatically have something to talk about if you don't already know someone there.
More general ideas: trapped rooms (Trapology, 5wits), board game cafes (Knight Moves Cafe), indoor scavenger hunts (Watson Adventures).
Activity 4: Wacky projects
So what happens when you find yourself stranded by ice and snow and you have nothing to watch or read? My answer: Take a little me time and create something. Creative projects can keep you sharp, stretch your mind, and remind you how great you are at problem-solving and not backing down from a challenge.
When winter rolls around, I like to dig back into my craft supplies and experiment with baking and wacky cake decorating.
For those of us familiar with GISHWHES, you can even revisit the lists from years past and try a few items that interest you. Think of it as practice for the official hunt when summer rolls around. Also, the community service items have the additional benefit of making you feel good too.
Looking for some inspiration and instructions, start here:
How to Cake It - I love this lady and her videos. I don't think I would ever recreate one of her cakes, but she does have a lot of good basic instructions and recipes.
Instructables - Think of something you want and do a search. You might be surprised by what you can learn. You might also be surprised by how much junk is out there.
Craftster - All. The. Things.
Still looking for ideas after all that? Might I suggest you check out our Puppet Making Workshop on January 14? How can you say no to a face like this?
