How To Prioritize Self-Care During The Holidays

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” I love the holiday season. The colors, the lights, the music, the hot chocolate – all of it! But the one thing I do not love is the hustle. This year, I truly am prioritizing celebrating this time of joy and merriment with friends and families. While there is plenty to enjoy, the holidays can come with an array of exhausting activities – connecting with relatives, preparing dinners and parties, gift shopping, and attending holiday events. In the past, I’ve done it and ran all over this green earth to get to “all of the things” and it is not worth it. Your sanity is not worth it. And for some, the holidays can be hard. I like to think of this time as a time of peace and contentment. And it starts with prioritizing self-care during the holidays. Let’s get started!

Take 15 minutes For Yourself

Whenever you start feeling overwhelmed, give yourself at least 15 minutes away from the task or situation at hand to do something that relaxes you. And no, this is not 15 minutes spent scrolling on social media. Try to really focus on listening to what you need – think sitting outside for a moment, going for a quick walk, stretching, or playing a game.

Taking short breaks will free up your mind from the frazzled, burnt-out feeling and make you feel ready to take on whatever it is you’re facing once you’re back at it!

If you’re like me and active tasks like organizing, cleaning, and decluttering help you to feel more calm, then check out this list of tasks you can do in 5 minutes and prioritize self-care during the holidays.

Prioritize Rest

For some (like me), the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. The calendar immediately starts filling up with all of the extra tasks to do and errands to run. It is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of the season. When I think of the overwhelm, I just want to curl up with my hot chocolate in a beautiful mug under a warm knit blanket in front of a warm fire and ignore all of it. But instead, I make a list first and do a brain dump. Then I allow myself to rest.

You have to allow yourself to have some downtime on the regular to simply relax, do things you enjoy, take a nap, and recharge. Remember: Resting and relaxing isn’t a waste of time. In fact, scheduling time to recharge your energy is essential for your mental and physical well-being. Plus, after allowing yourself to take a breather and slow down, you’ll bounce back faster and be more productive. It’s a win-win!

Eat food & Move Your Body In Ways That Makes You Feel Good

I’ve used this point before in another blog post about different ways of living intentionally and it is just too good to not share! Yes, it’s totally okay to indulge in your favorite holiday goodies and treats. I love my ginger snaps and my Mom’s famous banana bread. After all, part of the magic of the holidays is all of the amazing food! There’s just something about a home-cooked meal. But, with that being said, it’s important that we eat nourishing and nutritious food most of the time! I know it is hard, especially when my own personal downfall is hot chocolate. I like to drink my calories. It’s a problem. Anyway, I digress, try to make an effort to keep your diet balanced during the day so you can feel healthy and energized throughout the season and eat those Christmas cookies guilt-free!

Also, it’s important to move your body for at least 30 minutes a day. I love yoga and HIIT but you do you! While morning walks may not be a ton of fun during the colder months, there are plenty of options out there to help you get your heart rate up!

There are a ton of free workouts out there on youtube. I recommend working with Alesha Courtney, a certified personal trainer, and nutritionist. She is amazing and has helped so much in my overall food and fitness journey. I love that she shares a ton of great tips for both food and fitness on Instagram. She has the best workouts for less time but maximum impact. Go follow her and tell her that I sent you!

Self-care during the holidays is so important. And it starts with taking care of your body – drink your water, get some exercise, and get good rest. Your body will thank you for it!

Adjust and Set Reasonable Expectations

It’s natural to have high expectations of the holiday season; everywhere we look, we’re reminded that this is a time for family, friends, joy, and abundance. However, it’s equally important to check in with ourselves about managing our hopes and expectations. Setting unrealistic expectations for people and events can lead to disappointment. Having no expectations is equally unrealistic and conveys that others don’t need to think about you, which can lead to disappointment. Oftentimes, the expectations we have are the ones we’ve put on ourselves for how we think things need to go. Other times, the expectations are placed by family members or others who are close to you.

We live in the age of comparison. Seeing picture-perfect IG posts can make you believe that your holiday experience needs to look a certain way. As a result, we sometimes get fixated on trying to make everything look perfect rather than focusing on making moments and memories where we can find true joy. 

By putting too much effort into making things SEEM perfect, we may find ourselves spending way too much time and energy on actions that may not really matter. Instead, choose this year to focus on what matters most. Adjust your expectations for this holiday season. Take the pressure off and decide that you’re going to do what works best for you and your family.

Always be open with how you want to do things differently and prioritize self-care during the holidays this year.

In Conclusion,

While we enjoy this time of joy and merriment with friends and families, we need to take some time for ourselves too. Remember, self-care is not selfish. When you look back on this holiday season, I hope that you will say, “I enjoyed it so much more than I ever have before because I practiced self-care during the holidays this year.”

Cheers!

Love,