Transitioning to the winter season isn’t always easy. It’s normal to feel like being extra cozy, staying indoors, and spending a little too much time scrolling on social media. But is this the kind of energy you want to bring into the new year? Spoiler: it isn’t! That’s why it’s time to enter the “Winter Arc” glow up challenge 😉
In this article, you’ll learn how to use the colder season to your advantage and make the right changes to your life in order to finish the year strong (and start the new one in the right way). 😉
So, are you ready to have a full glow-up in the next 90 days? Then, let’s get started!
Last update: October 6, 2025
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What is the “Winter Arc”?
It’s the latest Gen Z trend on Tiktok.
The “Winter Arc” refers to a period where people use the coldest, darkest days of the year (aka the last quarter of the year) to reset, refocus, and commit to their vision and goals.
The trend became popular all over TikTok thanks to self-development influencer, Carly Berges, who posted a video explaining her level-up plan before the new year.
The “Winter Arc” is your path to becoming a better version of yourself in only 90 days — glowing up mentally, physically, and spiritually!
But…how?
The “Winter Arc” Challenge: 5 Rules to Glow Up This Winter
If you’re wondering what you must do to join the “Winter Arc”, here are the 5 rules that will help you glow up from the inside out! 😉
1. Wake up earlier
Constantly complaining about not having enough time in the day to get all your things done?
Well, there is a simple way to fix this: making more time! So, how do you do this?
One golden rule is to start your days earlier! 😉
Yes, I’m saying that despite the pitch-dark and the cold weather, you should stick to waking up early even during winter.
Don’t panic, though – cause you don’t have to make drastic changes to your schedule (unless you want to).
Committing to becoming an early riser could simply mean getting into the habit of waking up 15 minutes earlier than usual.
It might seem it doesn’t make that much of a difference, but there’s an invaluable power in getting your days started without rushing.
Waking up even just 15 minutes earlier than usual will give you just enough time to squeeze in some healthy habits to your days, such as:
- Drinking a big glass of water first thing in the morning
- Setting your top 3 priorities for the day
- Doing a quick yoga flow
- Meditating, even if only for 5 minutes
- Setting an intention for the day ahead
Decide how you’d like to start your day, and then make sure to add one micro-habit that can help you get closer to your ideal self.
📌 SHORT ON TIME? PIN IT FOR LATER! 📌
2. Journal daily
Journaling is such an underrated (yet essential) practice.
There are many benefits tied to journaling, such as:
- Positive thinking
- Better decision-making skills
- Higher self-awareness
You can tailor your journaling practice to your own needs and preferences. For example, you could:
- Start a gratitude journal
- Write letters to your future self
- Reflect on past experiences
- Start a bullet journal
- Write inspirational quotes
- Stick to 3 morning pages
Need inspiration for your next journaling session? Grab your FREE “50 Self-Discovery Prompts”
3. Get into reading
The third rule for your “Winter Arc” glow up is to get into the habit of reading.
It doesn’t matter if it’s just one page per day – what matters is that you’re consistent with it.
It’s time to get rid of those unhealthy habits that only make you waste time and lean towards mindful practices that can help you boost your focus, improve your skills, and become a better version of yourself.
Don’t know what to read next? Read “The Top 5 Self-Help Books of All Times”
4. Manifest for success
The real potential of the “Winter Arc” lies in using it as a timeframe to work on creating your new identity.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.” – James Clear, in Atomic Habits
Identity-based habits are the ones that stick in the long run.
Before setting any new goals, you should identify the type of person you aspire to become.
You can achieve all your goals in life, but first you must embody the kind of person who can live up to those goals.
You can become who you aspire to be, but you need to believe it and be ready to put in the work.
Use the next 90 days to manifest your highest self, the one who has it all!
Here are some of the best ways to manifest your dream life:
- Use visualization techniques
- Create a vision board
- Start a manifestation journal
- Do manifestation meditations
- Repeat daily affirmations
You must believe it first. You must commit to it. Then, you will see it too.
5. Create something
Finally, the last tip for your “Winter Arc” glow up challenge is to tap into your creative energy!
With this challenge, you can commit to any project you’ve ever wanted to pursue.
This is your sign to get into that creative hobby, explore your passions, or finally start your dream project!
Whether that’s:
- Making jewellery and selling it online
- Taking ceramics classes
- Getting into drawing
- Launching your blog
- Designing your clothes
- Making handcrafted bookmarks
How to Get Started with the “Winter Arc” for a Winter Glow Up
If you’re wondering how you can get started on the “Winter Arc” challenge, here are 5 golden tips to make the most of it!
1. Set your goals
First of all, you need to set your goals. What do you want to achieve in the 90 days?
The “Winter Arc” is meant to help you level up mentally, physically, and spiritually – but you can tailor the challenge to any area of your life.
As a rule of thumb, aim at setting 1 to 3 goals. What do you want to improve?
For example, if you want to improve your relationships, you could set the goals of:
- Calling your family once a week to catch up on life
- Texting your friends to check up on them at least once a day
- Planning a date with your loved one once per week
If you want a better health, you could start by:
- Drinking 2L of water per day
- Adding more veggies and fruits to your meals
- Fixing your sleep schedule
Or, if you want to improve your work-life balance, you could:
- Set clear boundaries
- Spend your evenings doing something creative
- Plan both rest and social activities for the weekend
The clearer your vision, the better.
The more specific your goals, the higher your chances of success.
Get your 90-Day Goal Action Plan and take the first step to achieve your goals!
Identify the obstacles
Before creating a plan around your new goals, you must identify what challenges and obstacles may arise and stop you from achieving the desired results.
Let’s be honest: life happens!
You could have the best action plan ever but, if you didn’t take into account that things could NOT go as planned, then you’re already setting yourself up for failure…
The sooner you identify what might stop you from achieving your goals, the faster you’ll be able to rise above any setbacks 😉
Break down your goals
The next step is breaking down your big goals into smaller, more manageable chunks.
You need to get your bigger goal and define the specific actions you must take to get there.
It’s time for you to go a step further and get into the nitty-gritty of what “fixing your sleep schedule” really means. Is it:
- Sticking to the 7/11 rule – up by 7 AM and in bed by 11 PM?
- Not using your phone one hour before sleeping?
- Ditching alcohol completely?
Sometimes, the process of breaking down your goals and making them more manageable is as simple as:
- Setting a daily reminder on your phone to check in with your friends
- Adding “call mom” to your weekly to-do list
- Setting app limits to reduce your daily screen time
Define exactly what you must do to get from where you are to where you want to go, and then…start doing it!
Let go of the pressure
It’s not always the case but, oftentimes, when we set new goals we think they’re permanent. That they’re forever and can’t change.
This way of thinking might stop you from even setting new goals in the first place, as you’re not ready to make such a commitment.
That’s why I want you to treat the “Winter Arc” challenge as an experiment. You’re just giving some habits a shot before the end of the year — you don’t have to commit to them forever.
Give your new habits and routines a shot for the next 90 days before deciding whether they’re worth sticking to or not.
If you realize something is not as good as you thought, when the new year approaches, you have the total freedom to let it go…
But also, if at any point along the “Winter Arc”, you realize that something is really not for you – then drop it!
You don’t have to please anyone – so just let go of the pressure and get rid of what’s not working, anytime!
Keep track of your progress
Finally, to make the most of the “Winter Arc”, you should start a journal or plan weekly review sessions to keep track of your progress.
It’s essential to do this so that you can take everything into account when planning for the new year!
For example, let’s say you thought that waking up at 5.30 AM would have been life-changing for you. Then, throughout the challenge, you’ve realized that – on most days – your productivity crashes at 2 PM and you are accomplishing half of the things you were before.
Having tried this first-hand, you now know that “waking up early” wont’t make the cut on your New Year’s resolution list! But you wouldn’t have known it if you didn’t give it a chance 😉
What are you still waiting for? Grab your FREE Weekly Reflections to review, reflect, and restart. Every. Single. Week. 😉
Conclusion
That’s all from me today!
I hope you’re now ready to glow up with the “Winter Arc” challenge and step into the new year as a better version of yourself 😉
There are still three months left in the year — why wait to make changes when you could start today?
Q: “What do you want to accomplish during your Winter Arc?” – Let me know in a comment! 🙂
Until next time,
