During the holidays, self-care often gets tossed out the window.
Sure, there are lots of celebrations and gatherings, plenty of fun and excitement.
But this often goes hand in hand with neglecting daily self-care. And this self-care is essential to our well-being.
The good news is that there are some simple actions we can take to practice great self-care over the holidays.
Let’s go over 10 Simple Holiday Self-Care Tips to boost your well-being this holiday season!
Now, I’m going to skip right over things like sleep, exercise, nutrition, and hydration, not because I don’t think they’re important, (spoiler alert: they are!) but because we tend to hear these tips repeatedly. Instead, I’m going to focus on a handful of other less-discussed tips.
1. 10 min daily quiet-time
This can be as simple as waking up a little earlier, before the rest of the household, and making yourself coffee or tea in relative quiet. Or maybe this looks like sitting down to read, journal, draw, pray, or meditate.
When I’m in a season of prioritizing my self-care, one of the things I do is meditate for ten minutes. I use the Headspace app which is a paid subscription. Since I meditate consistently, this investment is worth every penny to me because of all of the unique options and resources it has to offer. Headspace does offer a FREE trial if you’re interested in checking it out.
Other FREE resources, (as of the time of this blog post) are Insight Timer and Calm, both apps that I used before purchasing a paid subscription to Headspace.
But regardless of what you do during these 10 minutes, the important thing is to spend it in a quiet and focused way.
2. Schedule “white space” on the calendar
I don’t have time for self-care or rest!
Is this a thought you have from time to time?
We’re so used to scheduling everything in our lives, from appointments/meetings/activities/gatherings, but how often do we schedule in time for self-care?
Here’s the thing though…
If we don’t get intentional about scheduling our self-care, it isn’t going to happen!
So here’s what I want you to do: Go through your calendar/planner and mark off time each week for rest and relaxation.
Let’s refer to this as your “white space” on the calendar.
This is a time that you are setting aside when you have no plans or obligations.
And no fake resting is allowed!
What the heck is fake rest!?!
Great question.
Fake rest is throwing in a load of laundry, prepping dinner, returning phone calls, or reviewing your schedule for the upcoming week.
And this is not REAL rest!
During this “white space” time, real rest is anything that provides REAL relaxation and decompression in your life. This might include reading, watching a show, catching up with a friend, or baking some cookies.
Anything that feels relaxing, restful, and nourishing to you.
If you’re able to schedule one day a week, fabulous! But half a day or a few hours a week is definitely enough to benefit your overall well-being.
So go ahead, schedule yourself some “white space” and take some time to unwind.
3. Read Christmas picture books
Is there any simple holiday activity more delightful than sitting down with a pile of Christmas picture books? I certainly don’t think so! If you’ve got an ample stash at home, snuggle up on the couch and pour over the pages of some of your most treasured titles.
If you don’t own many yourself, head to your nearest bookstore or local library for countless holiday books.
Need some inspiration?
Check out my post on 10 Delightful Christmas Picture Books.
4. String up indoor twinkle lights
Here’s a simple trick to make your home feel instantly cozier. Get yourself some indoor string lights and hang them up around the house.
An added benefit: Your kids will love these!
String up indoor twinkle lights to add some simple magic to your home.
5. Stretch or Foam Roll
We often don’t realize how tense we can become during the holiday season. Taking a few minutes each day to stretch can work wonders for tension, tight muscles, headaches, and insomnia.
And how about giving a foam roller a try? I try to foam roll for about 10 minutes a day. It’s a super-effective way to loosen up tight areas and goes even deeper than stretching alone.
I encourage you to take a few minutes each day to stretch or foam roll.
6. Try a new flavor or brand of tea or coffee
Full disclosure: I am a shameless pumpkin spice lover.
And as a shameless pumpkin spice lover, I realize that I’m on the bandwagon with countless other pumpkin spice fanatics. But I’m OK with this! Because I love what I love, and I do LOVE all things pumpkin spice!
So if you’re right there with me, let’s sip along together! But if pumpkin spice isn’t your jam, there are SO many other seasonal varieties of tea and coffee out there.
Why not choose a new flavor or brand to celebrate the holiday season?
Here are a couple of my favorite finds this season:
Tazo Chai Pumpkin Spice Tea and Starbucks Fall Blend coffee.
Consider choosing a new tea or coffee selection and sip to your self-care!
7. Light candles
Right along with indoor string lights, candles are key to creating a warm environment.
Whether you go with a scented candle, basic tea lights, or battery-operated “flameless” candles, a flickering flame truly does help to set a warm and cozy atmosphere.
So go ahead and light those candles!
8. Make your house smell like the holidays
Whether you go with a scented candle, essential oils in a diffuser, a pot on the stove, or a crockpot full of seasonal goodness, holiday smells can be so comforting.
Do you enjoy the scent of pine trees? Apple cider? Christmas cookies baking?
Find a scent that you love and make your house smell like the holidays.
9. Put on a cozy pair of socks
Ah, the feeling of pulling on warm socks over cold feet.
Bliss!
The image of sitting by the fire with a hot cup of tea, reading a book, snuggled up with a blanket, and wearing warm socks, is oh-so-comforting.
So go get yourself a cozy pair of socks and enjoy your time nesting at home.
10. Opt-out of gift exchanges
What!?!
I know, this one can feel a bit, well…
Controversial.
This is the “season for giving” after all and we want to shower those we love with gifts we think they’ll enjoy.
But here’s the thing…
Budgets are often tight. And the volume of gifts we are expected to purchase can feel overwhelming. Planning, shopping, wrapping, and exchanging is often completely exhausting.
I’m not suggesting that you forego the regular annual Secret Santa gift exchange with your close friends, or colleagues, or book club members.
But what if you could opt-out of some of the other gift exchanges you participate in each year?
Would this relieve any stress?
In years past, when our budget has been especially tight, we’ve limited gifts to those for the children in our extended family. After a candid discussion between adults, we decided that instead of exchanging gifts with everyone, we would keep the focus on the kids. This eliminated any unnecessary financial stress as well as the time, energy, and resources involved in purchasing so much.
I am not claiming this is easy!
It took my husband and I a few years before suggesting this to extended family. But it was received with understanding and ended up relieving a lot of unnecessary stress from our lives.
The result was more space left to enjoy the holiday season.
So if at all possible, opt out of some of your gift exchanges.
Look, I really want this holiday season to be one of joy and celebration for you. I hope you find the motivation to prioritize your self-care and that these 10 Simple Holiday Self-Care Tips help you feel nourished and inspired!
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