The Winter Retreat // Enjoying a minute of self-care in the bleak mid Winter

As I write this, the wind is ferociously whipping around my house, shaking the roof while heavy rain lashes aggressively against the windows. Today, this typically January weather is taking things to extremes, there’s barely any light, the sky a moody palette of dull heather and watery grey.

We’re deep into the wintertime now, and whilst I do have a vase of cheery Daffodils on my kitchen windowsill and the noses of my Snowdrops are poking through the soil in my garden, it isn’t officially Spring until March 20th. We still have a way to go.

I was recently sent a print copy of The Winter Retreat* – A guide lovingly curated by the Build a life you.love mother/daughter duo. The Winter Retreat contains 9 self-care experiences designed to restore a different area of your life whether that be your mind, your finances or your home. The booklets makes for an ideal exercise to immerse yourself into, especially on a dull weekend at the end of January.

The colour mood in these pictures really reflects the weather outside, in the fading light, there was simply nothing else to do but light one of my favourite Anthropologie jar candles, make a cup of Earl Grey in a mug large enough to pass as a soup bowl and enjoy a restorative, self-care experience via The Winter Retreat.

The Winter Retreat is part guide, part journal and features some truly gorgeous photography. The booklet is designed and printed in the UK on thick, sumptuous 170gsm paper and is full of motivational quotes, tips, self-care advice and sensory activities. The retreat is designed to help you take a break and restore yourself back to centre.

Now that January is coming to a close, sure, we can feel the lightness and longer days returning, however, it’s also a tough time for many, we’re trying to keep up to new goals and resolutions, we’re trying to cut back on spending after the extravagance of the festive period and we can end up feeling everything is that little bit more of a struggle. The Winter Retreat aims to help with this.

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I particularly love how the booklet breaks self-care down into some bitesize sections looking at:

Your body

Your emotions

Your mind

Your virtual space

Your spirit

Your home space

Your money

Your community

It’s your choice whether you’d like to work on all or just some of these areas. There’s also space in the booklet for you to jot down your own thoughts and feelings on the lined journal pages. As the Build a life you.love team say: “Winter is a wonderful opportunity for restoration”.

* The Winter Retreat book was gifted to me by Tracy and Holly at Build a life you.love.