As we turn the clocks back, this should be a signal to you that it’s also time to double down on your selfcare.

After all, it’s what happens in nature. The trees shed their leaves to preserve the energy they have remaining to survive the winter and some animals bed down and start storing food to get them through the starker months.

You too need to act now to get you through the colder days, darker nights and pre-Christmas frenzy in the most healthy, happy and stress-free way.

Here are my five top tips to help you thrive and not just get you through the next couple of months.

1. Seek out sunlight

Human beings need to absorb light through our eyes and skin in order to regulate our sleep, our mood, our ability to manage stress and support our immune system. Now that the clocks have gone back, and days are shorter it’s important to make a special effort to get outside in the daylight as much as possible and as early in the morning as we can.

Try doing this short Morning Light exercise before work. Get out for a 10-minute walk at lunchtime. Or eat your lunch in the garden or on a park bench, especially if it’s a crisp, sunny day. You’ll sleep better and feel better for it! 

Sunlight is how we get the vast majority of the Vitamin D we need for good sleep, healthy bones and a strong immune system. If it’s difficult for you to get out during daylight hours, then the NHS does recommend that most adults in the northern hemisphere take a Vitamin D supplement from October to March.

Check out the advice here and speak to your medical professional if you have any questions about this.

2. Pay attention to your shoulders

This time of year can be extra hard on our shoulders as we tend to hunch them against the cold wind or if we feel self-conscious moving around on darker nights. We also tend to spend more time indoors hunched over our craft projects or slumped on the sofa.

Remember to check in with your shoulders as often as you can and consciously allow them to relax and drop throughout the day. This will ease neck and shoulder pain, and help to relieve stress and tension.

If your shoulders need a little extra help to de-stress, then consider booking an Indian Head Massage. It’s the perfect quick fix for our shoulders and our stress levels during the autumn and winter months.

3. Stock up your natural medicine cabinet

Having a few natural essential oils and herbal products in your medicine cabinet will help you navigate cold and flu season and support your immune system. Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree can really help with sinus congestion and kill air-borne viruses when inhaled from a room diffuser or a few drops added to a steaming bowl of hot water or in the shower. I also love the Eucalyptus Salve and Pastilles from Neal’s Yard Remedies.

4. Get ahead with your gifting

If festive gifting is a source of stress for you then it’s time to get a handle on it and remove that stress from your life.

Don’t be afraid to have a conversation with family and friends about stopping unnecessary gifting. Nobody who truly cares about you will mind if you say that you think it’s time to stop exchanging gifts or swap to doing something alternative like planning a couples meal out together rather than giving presents or exchanging promises to babysit or offering a taxi service to the airport. If anyone wants to promise to clean my oven, I’ll take that over a present any day!

If you do want to offer a gift, then a treatment gift voucher is the gift that keeps on giving. Your recipient will have the exciting gift box to open on the big day but then also have a second treat to look forward to in the New Year when they come for their treatment.

I offer printed and e-vouchers for all of my individual treatments as well as the option to choose a monetary amount so your recipient can make their own choice. Simply contact me to order yours.

If you are looking for natural, organic and vegan wellbeing gifts then I can also help with some ready-made and bespoke options from Neal’s Yard. Why not book a Personalised Festive Gifting appointment with me and we can work through your list together to find the perfect gift that matches your budget and shows you care about their wellbeing. This can be done in person, over the phone or via zoom.

5. Count your blessings

Finally, remember that this is also the season of Thanksgiving. If you find this time of year hard, see if you can list five things that you actually like about it and hold on to these. It can be as small a thing as being able to indulge in a tasty hot chocolate, snuggling under a blanket with the dog, or not having to worry about shaving your legs! Picking out the positives from each day always makes you more hopeful and better able to cope with the less positive aspects of the season.