January Wellness Tips: Finding Calm, Reducing Stress & Spending More Time Outdoors

January has a habit of asking too much. Big promises. Sharp turns. Overnight transformations.

We’ve never been big on dramatic resets. We’re more interested in the small shifts – the ones that happen slowly, settle in, and feel good to live with. A little less doing. A little more noticing.

This is how we’ll be approaching the year ahead.

1. Find calm by doing less (and meaning it)

Calm doesn’t always come from adding new rituals. Often, it shows up when we remove a few things instead.

Shorter lists. Fewer plans. Leaving space between moments.

Even a small daily pause – a cup of tea by a window, a walk without a destination, ten minutes outside before dark – can reset the nervous system more than we realise.

2. Spend more time outdoors (especially when it’s cold)

Winter doesn’t need to be endured. It can be met.

Cold air, low light, crunching ground underfoot – these things wake us up in a quieter way. A short walk outside, even on grey days, has been shown to improve mood, sleep and focus.

No epic hikes required. Familiar paths count. So do slow wanders and standing still (or even bathing outdoors – explore our shacks with outdoor baths here).

3. Eat simply, seasonally, and without rules

January eating doesn’t need discipline – it needs kindness.

Warm food. Root vegetables. Things cooked slowly. Meals shared when possible. Eating well can be less about restriction and more about returning to basics.

Think nourishment over numbers. Pleasure over perfection. Here are some warming recipes by BBC Good Food, most of which can be cooked at the cabin on the hob. Just remember our shacks dont have an oven, so skip those recipes – find them here.

4. Be around people you love (without overfilling the diary)

Connection doesn’t have to be loud or constant to be meaningful.

A shared walk. A long conversation. Sitting side by side, doing very little. These moments ground us more deeply than packed calendars ever could.

5. Let nature set the pace

One of the simplest resets is borrowing the rhythm of the landscape.

Early nights. Slow mornings. Noticing the weather instead of fighting it. Letting the season be the season.

There’s something reassuring about remembering we’re part of something much older and wilder than our to-do lists.

If any of this feels like what you’re craving right now, our shacks are open year-round – placed in wild settings, designed for rest, and shaped by the landscape around them.

Come for the space. Stay for the quiet. You’ll find all our shacks here.