This time of year can bring on a lot of feelings. Some may feel joy, some may feel sadness, but regardless of how you feel, it's important to create a self-care routine to help navigate through holiday stress! Here are some helpful ways to practice self-care this holiday season.
Creating a Holiday “Me-time” Routine
The holidays are here and with that comes a busy calendar filled with family activities,
decorating, gift shopping, work deadlines and the never-ending to-do list! During the holiday season, it is easy to get overwhelmed and caught up in our to-do list and forget self-care. Here are some tips to add a little self-care time to keep you grounded during the busy holiday season!
The power of saying “No”
The holiday season can come with a lot of obligations such as dinners, parties, and family
traditions. If you have too many obligations, you can often feel overwhelmed and that you are
spreading yourself thin. It can be hard to say no as you can be afraid of letting people down but
what about taking care of yourself? Practice setting boundaries with others and factor in how
much time you have to spend on those obligations. Prioritize implementing self-care time for
yourself when possible even if it is 5 minutes of self-care. Practice saying, “Thank you for the
invite, but maybe next year.”
Mindfulness practices
Focus on what you are doing at the moment as it is easy to get distracted during this busy season with gift lists, social media and social gatherings. Practice being in the moment by putting the phone down and try to minimize multitasking. You can try a quick 5 minute mindful breathing technique before family gatherings or traditions to soothe any uneasy feelings.
Unplug!
As we know, technology can be a distraction and with social media, it often can set up unrealistic
expectations of what the holidays should look like and can possibly lead to comparison. Practice
putting the phone down at designated times during the day such as at dinner or when doing a
family activity. Unplugging can be a whole family activity by implementing a tech-free hour
before bedtime and promoting activities such as reading, drawing, or coloring to promote
mindfulness and quality interaction. Also practice trying our best to practice gratitude if we find
ourselves comparing ourselves to others and limit scrolling on social media.
Try new activities and be creative!
Be intentional with scheduling time for activities that make you feel good and trying new
activities. Activities can include reading a book, coloring, baking, a quiet morning coffee ritual,
or yoga. Have fun with trying new things and you can even include family/friends to create new
and simple traditions during the holidays.
Enjoy yourself!
Enjoy your time off and practice appreciating the small things in life. By practicing to implement more self-care time, even if it is only 5 minutes, it can allow for you to take a moment to pause and ground yourself during this busy season. During this season, it is easy to forget about ourselves, so try out these tips to promote taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself does not mean ‘me first’, it means ‘me too’.
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