Getting ready for the holidays, then all the holiday gatherings and the big days… all a little exhausting am I right? I’m feeling a collective groan of people everywhere as we enter this festive season. It’ll be great… but also so overwhelming and tiring at the same time. So, how do we get through it? Holiday self-care.
Self-care, holiday style – that’s how.
In amongst all of the goodness, we all have to carve out a little time for ourselves to recharge and get ready for the next big thing. That’s why I came up with this list of my top 25 self-care activities that you can enjoy this holiday season.
Top 25 Holiday Self-care activities
- Make a list (and check it twice). There is so much going on this season that it can be hard to keep track of it all. By keeping a list you can empty it from your brain.
- Be naughty. Play hooky from work for an afternoon or take a nap as soon as the kids leave for school instead of jumping right into chores.
- Choose joy. You can’t do everything. Choose what brings you the most joy. If you don’t want to go to that hockey game, then take that time to do something that you love, or knock something off your list while you don’t have a house full (hint, gift wrapping)
- Sparkle up those nails. Fingers and toes need to sparkle this season, pack up the beiges and bring out the reds and golds… an evening painting nails or an appointment with your favourite cosmetologist will leave you refreshed and ready to hit the town.
- Get in your H2O. If you are attending events with alcohol especially don’t forget to drink plenty of water. You’ll thank me later.
- Eat Grandma’s rum cake. Go ahead, enjoy some of the sweets that come with this season, then eat some veggies and fruits to balance them out. And don’t forget to brush your teeth.
- Keep moving. Even though the days are shorter and the weather less predictable, it’s still as important to get your exercise in. If you’re not at the gym each week, then park a little farther away from the mall and take an extra lap. Your waistband will be very grateful.
- Sharing is caring. If you can share the workload, do it. Your spouse can do some shopping, you can gather with friends to do some baking together.
- Have a snowball fight. Don’t forget to laugh. Get out and get your giggle on.
- Take a pause. Even a small pause to be present and feel your breath will serve you well.
- Get your ZZZZ’s. Sleep is just as important during the holidays as it is the rest of the year.
- Practice gratitude. There tends to be an abundance of things to be truly grateful for during the holidays. Lean into that.
- Have a good cry. The holidays can be a particularly hard time for many folks, let all of that emotion out. It can be so helpful to just sit and feel all the feelings and just have a good cry.
- Take your vitamins. Whatever you do to feel your best, this is a time that you’ll need it.
- Say no. You really can and should say no to those activities that aren’t going to bring you joy or enhance the holidays for your loved ones.
- Pamper yourself. This is a great time to get a massage, take an extra long bubble bath, or do whatever it is that leaves you feeling refreshed and amazing.
- Make a budget and follow it. This is a big part of self-care. What good is it to have a great holiday season if you suffer from the stress of having to pay for it in the months that follow?
- Take a break from social media. This is a season that is full of opportunities to grab a great picture and share it with your friends. Unfortunately, it’s also a great season for comparison and that’s what you want to avoid. Limiting your time on social media will help with this.
- Ditch the perfection. It’s easy to get carried away but rarely do things go exactly as we hope so it’ll be easier on you and those around you if you aim for a solid 75% this season. Who needs to be perfect? Not me, that’s for sure.
- Good for Me’s. I wrote about these in the article about Self-Compassion. It’s an easy practice where you purposefully write down 3-5 things that you’re proud of yourself for each day.
- Give, Give, Give. Donate something warm to a local shelter. Spend time arranging toys for your local Christmas Bureau or serve food to the homeless. At this time of great giving and receiving, thinking of and helping those in need will warm your heart.
- Have a dance party. Even if you’re on your own. And sing along! We all know the words to “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” don’t we?
- Schedule quiet time. When it gets overwhelmingly busy, you may need to put quiet time right into your calendar to block it out. You deserve it and likely will need it to recharge.
- Cozy up with your favourites. Do you watch Home Alone each Christmas season? Well, if you don’t, then you can start now. Curling up with your favourite movies or books gives you a couple of hours to escape your day-to-day and journey into your imagination.
- Pull on those fuzzy holiday pjs. Getting cozy and warm is just what the doctor ordered for those evenings between events. Have to write out holiday cards, it’s more comfy in pjs. Need to get the wrapping done… yep, better in pjs. Want to squeeze in a batch of butter tarts? Do it in fuzzy pjs. Everything is better in fuzzy pjs.
I’m sure that you have a few that you’d add to this list. But even if you don’t, please remember to take care of you this season. Don’t put you on a shelf (you’re not an elf).
Curate a fabulous festive season that is purely yours to enjoy and celebrate with your best people.
Here are some other articles you might enjoy.
The basics of self-care, A beautiful journey to a better life