Self-Care and the Holidays — Tips to Help You Get Through The Festive Season
It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it isn’t always the most stress-free time of the year — especially in 2020. While the holiday season is often associated with festive sentiments of love and happiness, for some people, the holidays can bring on untold stress. From Thanksgiving preparations to finding the perfect gifts and spending time with family, the holidays can sometimes feel overwhelming. If you’re feeling a little frazzled this holiday period, here are some self-care tips you can use to protect your energy and improve your wellbeing.
Make Time For Yourself
The holiday season is usually packed full of activities, making it difficult to schedule some time out. While it can be challenging to find the time, self-care necessitates a calm and quiet environment — especially if you lean towards introversion.
Take some time each day to align with your values, and recognize where your gratitude lies. Reflecting on what is important to you can help you to ensure you’re aligning with your true self. Even 15 minutes a day of calm introspection can be beneficial. If you find it difficult to quieten your mind, start with a few minutes of alone time. As you get more comfortable, you can increase the duration and feel the increased benefits.
Do Everything With Intent
The holidays can be a time that prompts worry and anxiety for some people, from concerns about how you’re going to get through the season to what awaits you in the year ahead. Rather than allowing the past to haunt you or obsessing about what the future holds, give yourself the gift of the present.
Take some time to immerse yourself in the current moment, and thank yourself for all the growth you’ve experienced over the past year. Your daily skincare routine is a perfect moment during the morning, where you can set positive intentions and appreciate your body. If you want to get the most emotionally, physically, and spiritually from your morning routine, consider incorporating facial massage. Avari Beauty’s Rose Quartz Facial Wands are the perfect way to honor time with yourself, set your intentions, and start your day with unconditional love and acceptance.
Embrace Your Emotional Intelligence
In modern society, it can be challenging to connect to your emotions deeply. Empaths, in particular, often feel overwhelmed and vulnerable around the holidays. Noticing when you begin to feel burdened can help you to understand your coping mechanism and bring yourself back to equilibrium. For some people this can mean taking a break from the conversation or clearing some quiet time out of the day to regroup and recharge.
Create Healthy Boundaries
Boundaries are essential for our emotional and mental wellbeing. It’s helpful to establish what your limitations are and honor them with yourself.
The holidays are the perfect time to practice your boundaries with others. It’s crucial that you stay mindful of repelling toxicity, but try not to let negativity overshadow all of the positive things you have going on. Although family members nagging about your personal life can be frustrating, it’s okay to confide in people who genuinely care about you and can offer support.
Show Gratitude
Gratitude is an acknowledgment that helps us broaden our perspective. You can practice gratitude any time, anywhere, and there’s no limit to the things in your life that you can feel gratitude for. Sharing your gratitude with others can be cathartic, not only for you, but for the person you’re thankful for. In fact, sharing gratitude with other people can improve your bonding experience and spark a deeper and more meaningful relationship.
There are many ways you can express gratitude, from a kind word to a handwritten note or a thoughtful gift. Regardless of how you choose to show it, the most important thing is that you do.
Practice Forgiveness
The holiday season often forces us to evaluate the past year and what we’ve experienced. As we prepare for the new year ahead, you might notice a pattern in some of the obstacles you faced. From negative self-talk to an unhealthy habit you’ve yet to kick, we can create many barriers to our own wellbeing. Of course, this is perfectly natural — to err is human; however, forgiving ourselves for past decisions or behaviors is a crucial aspect of self-care. We are multifaceted creatures, simply trying to do our best in the circumstances we’ve been given.
Commit to Growth
The end of the year promises us a fresh start and a new year ahead. This is the ideal time to take stock of what you’ve achieved and hold yourself accountable for where you’d like to see improvements. Ask yourself questions, such as, “How have I made use of my strengths?” and, “How have I worked on my personal growth journey?” As the year closes out, it isn’t a time to admonish yourself if you didn’t achieve all that you set out to, but a time better used to embrace yourself — imperfections and all.
No one is perfect; but, everyone has the potential to grow. Instead of getting down on yourself for the resolutions you let go in February, make a note of all of the things that went well. You can use the remaining gaps to empower yourself to set more self-loving goals for the new year.
