When was the last time you had a bath? Unless your name is Mr Tom Ford – who once famously declared that he took four a day – then the answer is probably, “So long ago it escapes me”. And to be clear, here, we’re not talking about one of those quicky magnesium-salt muscle soaks or a torturous ice-water immersion that serves the sole purpose of getting you back on the gym floor quicker. We mean a proper, luxuriant, just-because bath.

In our always-on, hustle-driven society, there’s something outrageously indulgent about whiling away the time in the bathroom, but if you can stave off feelings of guilt, switch off from your to-do list and tap into self-care mode then it’s guaranteed to pay off. Lean into the indulgence, we say, by dashing in a good glug of Susanne Kaufmann bath oil, which won’t leave you prune-like, and lighting a scented candle. And while you’re at it, why not throw on a laid-back album that will aid in the unwinding efforts and, more importantly, drown out the noise of your cohabitants?

That brings us to the matter of what to wear while staying in, which – unsurprisingly – we have an opinion or two on. As it happens, not all pyjama days are made equal, and trading your tired old sweats for something more luxurious (in cashmere, ideally) can make a world of difference to your staying-in mood.

“Where to begin in extolling the virtues of fancy loungewear?” asks MR PORTER’s Deputy Style Director Ms Sophie Hardcastle. Choosing the right pieces, she says, can “elevate the hibernation process. Mr P.’s cashmere hoodies and sweatpants are the perfect place to start. Add a patterned sock and some shearling slippers and I promise you won’t look back.”

Such items are, she admits, “not a necessity by any means”, but life’s little luxuries are exactly the sort of thing that you should be hoping to get given as a gift. And, with the holidays around the corner, maybe it’s time to lay on hints as hefty as a thick terry robe.

There’s nothing like a delicious staying-in meal to quash feelings of Fomo. And while some days call for a time-saving takeaway that you can binge on along with your Netflix, the joy of tucking into a home-cooked winter warmer simply can’t be beaten.

But what to whip up exactly? Legendary British chef Mr Jeremy Lee of Quo Vadis fame has a few suggestions. First up, a hearty soup of red lentils, carrot and smoked ham hough – “a soothing bowl of comfort and joy” – served with a crusty loaf and a spoonful chopped curly parsley. “It takes as long as a Cary Grant film to restore bonhomie and a feeling of delight,” says Lee. “And the recipe cannot help but make lots, and of course, benefits from sitting overnight and freezes remarkably well for those emergency moments.”

For frosty winter days, Lee also favours “a dish of the fluffiest mashed potato mixed with chopped parsley, and perhaps a few rocket leaves beneath a fillet of lightly steamed smoked haddock… with a spoonful of horseradish cream”. And if the goal is to keep it super simple, he recommends scrambled eggs on toast – albeit dressed up with “an anchovy or six and a scattering of capers”.

You’ve fluffed your nest to perfection, washed away your worries and swaddled yourself in cashmere while your soup bubbles away on the stove. If, in the meantime, you find yourself reflexively reaching for your iPhone and flicking through Instagram stories, then it’s worth taking pause.

“[The idea] of Fomo seemed to enter literature reviews as social media became more popular, and it’s because we have access to what other people are doing we might fear missing out,” says psychologist Dr Audrey Tang. “Before social media we either didn’t know or only saw photos [later] and that perhaps mattered less.” She continues: “If you don’t want to see what others are up to, you don’t have to. We have the power to mute and that can even be a form of self care. And it’s not just parties you’ll switch off from – a break from negative feeds in general can be a welcome relief.”