Why is self-care important during the holidays?
The holiday season can be a special time. We can spend time with the people we love and celebrate the year gone by.
This special time can also come with more responsibilities, like cooking, cleaning, shopping, and hosting family visits. All these extra tasks can feel like extra stress. And sometimes, extra guilt for feeling this way.
This is where self-care comes in. When we practice self-care, we spend time charging our internal battery. Our battery gives us the energy to complete day-to-day tasks and make the most of the holidays.
Self-care is never selfish.
By taking care of ourselves, we are making sure that we are able to remain present with the people we care about, and enjoy the holidays together.
Don’t neglect self-care this holiday season!
Make Time for Yourself
I love going Christmas shopping by myself. I look forward to taking my time in stores, listening to carols while I ride the bus, and splurging on holiday-themed coffees, all year long. I protect my shopping time fiercely. I get to spend time by myself, doing exactly what I want to do.
What do you love about the holidays? How can you make time to do those things for yourself?
Making time for ourselves is a huge part of self-care. When we carve out time for ourselves, doing things that fulfill us, we commit to recharging our inner battery. When we’re in the habit of re-charging, we have more energy to give to our day-to-day tasks and holiday fun!
Check out the graphic below for some ideas for holiday-themed self-care activities.
Set Boundaries
Does this sound familiar? You’ve finally got your shopping done. You’re looking forward to a few days off between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Suddenly, last-minute, Aunt Erma calls and invites your family to brunch on Christmas morning.
Oh no! You’re not sure how on earth that could work. Between opening presents, video calls, and home visits, your holidays have been booked for weeks. Maybe you can move some activities around, but then you might miss out on the family Christmas movie tradition.
Let’s give ourselves the gift of clear and firm boundaries this holiday season.
Aunt Erma likely did not want to send us into a stress spiral. She probably just wanted to invite us to share a special day. It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to protect our time and traditions.
Here is a simple graphic to help guide boundary setting.
Manage your Responsibilities
We are not responsible for making the holidays happen. Taking on extra holiday tasks can quickly snowball into becoming over-committed and burnt out.
When we stretch ourselves thin, we compromise both our mental health and our enjoyment. We can’t expect to be present and mindful when we have a holiday TO DO list as long as the fridge!
Instead, try to remember that we are part of a community. Let’s not forget to ask, “Where can I delegate tasks?”
Let’s get together with our family and friends and plan for the holiday. We can:
- Make a list of care tasks (cleaning, cooking), fun tasks (holiday events, traditions, etc.), and admin tasks (shopping, budgeting, sending out holiday mail).
- Share tasks with family members. Involve kids by giving them age-appropriate tasks.
- Set up checklists and calendars, so we can track tasks and celebrate when they’re complete!
- Be flexible! Our family might not get through everything on our list this year. That’s okay!
Remember Your Reasons
At the end of the day, the holiday season is about celebrating relationship and making it through another year. During this time, we are meant to press pause on our busy lives and slow down. We remember to say “I love you” and “thank you”. We must also remember to say these things to ourselves.
What are you celebrating this year? How are you going to take care of yourself this holiday?
Whatever your plans may be, we wish you a safe and happy holiday.
Take extra good care of yourself this holiday season!
Give the Gift of Self-Care This Holiday Season
Family Solutions Group is thrilled to present Self-Care Isn’t Selfish, a 90-Day guided journal and wellness companion. Built by psychologists, for you at home.
Come with us on a 90-day journey to learn about setting boundaries, finding balance, and feeling stronger. In this journal you will:
- learn therapist approved tools for better self-care .
- complete activities to develop resiliency and self-awareness.
- Track your progress with 90-days of daily and nightly journal pages.
You can learn more about Self-Care Isn’t Selfish, and order your copy for delivery before December 25, 2021 here.
