Simple holiday self care
Simple holiday self care may not be the first thing you think of as you head into this festive season — but imagine what it would be like to put yourself at the top of your list. The Thanksgiving turkey hits the oven this week, the absolute latest it could be in the month (with the fourth Thursday falling exactly on the 28th).
Which means that have just three and a half weeks before Christmas — and a lot to cram into a few short weeks! Picture yourself relaxed and confident, grateful and unhurried, with space to breathe and be flexible for those around you. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
Hold that beautiful thought … and acknowledge the hustle
The reality is the whirlwind of fall is barely past and most of us haven’t had time to catch our breath. Yet the retail world is in high gear for the holidays, reminding us of everything we need or might want to create a memorable experience for our loved ones.
On top of all this holiday hustle, let’s just acknowledge that you already have a lot on your plate. None of us escapes reality; multiple competing priorities plague all of us in midlife! Perhaps you struggle this year more than others. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one, you’re ill or helping someone you care for deeply who is ill, or you’re struggling with finances or relationships, or — life is just complicated.
You see why we must take care of ourselves? If we’re not paying attention to what’s going on within and around us, we ramp up without even realizing what we’ve done.
So breathe in deep and let it go
Isn’t the most important thing in the world to bring peace to ourselves and our family in this season? Wouldn’t you like to slow down and really listen to the words of the great Christmas tunes like “Silent Night, Holy Night” “Joy to the World” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”? Truthfully, we must allow ourselves space to appreciate the greatest gift and the reason for the season.
We need simple holiday self care
We need to slow down. We need to breathe. And more than anything, we need to notice what’s going on within and around us.
What if for the rest of this holiday season you dedicated just a few minutes a day to yourself?
So, let’s get started before it gets too crazy and we begin to lose control.
Take just five minutes to create a simple holiday self care plan
We’re going to make this super easy! So easy that you can come back to this plan at any moment — and recenter yourself and your day. Here is my simple three-step holiday self-care plan recommendation for you:
- Pay attention to your mind and body. Ask yourself what you need so that you can approach the day or the moment with clarity, compassion and kindness. And give yourself good sleep, a gentle pace, healthy food. Make one good choice for yourself and then another.
- Be present. Commit to a slower pace, to doing only one thing at a time, to paying attention to your people (more than your task, or your devices).
- Be grateful — and shower gratefulness around you. My pastor said this week that gratefulness is like popcorn, let it explode around you! Little kernels become great big happy pieces that create more great big happy pieces.
Oh yes, and you have my permission to say no to anything that gets in the way of creating a calm and peaceful rhythm for your days! The world depends on happy, healthy humans — not stressed out, frazzled and overwhelmed humans. I’m speaking to you, and me, and those wonderful ladies beside us: remind them also!
May you experience peace and calm this holiday season. May you simplify and focus on essentials — and let the “small stuff” go. And may you find many reasons to be grateful!
