Holiday Self-Care: Taking Care of YOU This Holiday Season

The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But running around to parties and events, shopping for gifts, cooking elaborate meals, and trying to make everyone happy can also make this season stressful and tiring.

That’s why it’s extra important to take care of yourself this time of year. Self-care – making sure to attend to your physical, mental, emotional, professional, and spiritual needs – should be a priority so you can truly enjoy the holidays.

In this article, we’ll explore the different areas of self-care and give you lots of practical tips to implement them during this busy season. Let’s dive in!

Physical Self-Care: Caring for Your Body

Physical self-care refers to meeting your body’s basic needs for movement, proper nutrition, adequate sleep and rest. Benefits include:

• Increased energy and improved sleep quality
• Enhanced immune system functioning
• Better management of chronic illnesses
• Improved self-confidence and vitality

It’s easy to let some healthy habits slide during the holidays – who wants to workout when there are so many delicious treats around?! But staying active, eating nutritious holiday foods in moderation, and not overindulging in sweets or alcohol will help you feel so much better!

Here are some recommended physical self-care tips for the holiday season:

• Bundle up and go for a short walk or jog every day – this will help manage holiday weight gain and give you an energy boost
• Bring healthy dishes like a vegetable tray, fruit salad or home-cooked sides to share at gatherings
• Listen to your body’s needs for downtime – don’t overschedule yourself! Rest is important.
• Take supplements like vitamin C, vitamin D3, magnesium, melatonin, and probiotics to support immunity, sleep and digestion
• Treat yourself to some new workout clothes, gear or fitness trackers to stay motivated
• Establish a consistent sleep routine and wind-down ritual to improve sleep quality
• Drink plenty of water and herbal teas to stay hydrated during richer holiday meals
• Stretch regularly – even 5 minutes a day makes a difference!
• Give yourself permission to take baths, nap, lounge in PJs on weekends
• Get a massage to soothe holiday tension

In short – be kind to your body this season! Move each day, nourish yourself, rest adequately, take supplements, stay hydrated, treat yourself to relaxing activities and listen to your body’s needs.

Mental Self-Care: Feeding Your Mind

Mental self-care refers to activities that stimulate your mind and allow you to practice mindfulness, boost creativity, and promote mental relaxation. Key benefits include:

• Lower stress levels and anxiety
• Increased productivity, focus and mental clarity
• Greater sense of inner peace, purpose and emotional wellbeing

Between shopping, cooking, attending events, and seeing family, the holidays can quickly become mentally draining. That’s why it’s key you schedule regular mindful activities as part of your holiday self-care routine.

Here are some rejuvenating mental health tips:

• Spend 30+ minutes a day reading an uplifting book, praying, meditating or just enjoying quiet solitude
• Try out that new hobby you’ve been wanting to explore – painting, puzzles, photography etc. Nurture your creativity!
• Limit social media usage to unwind and be more present with loved ones
• Journal regularly to process your emotions and relieve anxiety
• Say no without guilt to commitments that seem mentally exhausting or unfulfilling
• Listen to soothing music and uplifting podcasts when decompressing or driving places
• Spend time visualizing, meditating on and writing out goals and intentions for the new year

The key is to give your mind some deliberate TLC. This will help you better handle the ups and downs of the season with more ease, grace and mental clarity.

Social Self-Care: Nurturing Relationships

Social self-care means forming and nurturing relationships that provide meaningful connection and a sense of community. Benefits include:

• Increased feelings of belonging, intimacy, and life satisfaction
• A support system to lean on during difficult times
• Healthier communication patterns and ability to manage interpersonal conflict

The busyness of holiday events makes it easy to unintentionally neglect important relationships and friendships. Be sure to proactively reach out to close family and friends this season through phone calls, texts, video chats, or meetups. Share stories, laughter, gratitude and support.

I also recommend:

• Volunteering together with loved ones to help those in need – being of service unites
• Reminiscing over old stories and memories with elders in your family
• Exchanging thoughtful little gifts to show people in your network you care
• Setting healthy boundaries with toxic relationships or limiting overly draining interactions

Strengthening social ties through quality time, deepening intimacy, acts of service, laughter, and gratitude will provide great comfort and joy during the holidays – and strengthen relationships for the long run.

Professional Self-Care: Setting Work Boundaries

Professional self-care refers to effectively managing your work life through healthy time management, appropriate boundaries, smart goal-setting and proper rest. Benefits include:

• Improved job satisfaction, engagement, creativity and loyalty
• Avoiding burnout by better managing work related stress
• Greater career motivation, productivity and advancement

Many of us have to keep plugging away at work at least a bit over the holidays. Here’s how to practice professional self-care even in the busiest seasons:

• Negotiate with your manager early on for additional time off, flexibility or reduced hours
• Create an automated email response for when you deliberately unplug from work
• Designate specific work hours in your calendar – don’t let it bleed into all hours
• Use slower holiday work days to thoughtfully organize your tasks, projects and schedule for January
• Take proper lunch breaks and get up regularly to stretch, chat with coworkers etc.
• Prioritize organization so you return without a mountain of “catch-up” work awaiting

Establishing work-life boundaries communicates self respect, and will help you return feeling centered, refreshed and ready to excel at your job.

Spiritual Self-Care: Feeding the Soul

Spiritual self-care refers to activities that connect you with a sense of meaning, purpose, virtue, tranquility, inspiration and inner wisdom. Benefits include:

• An enhanced sense of integrity, hope, resilience and perspective
• Principled, ethical personal decision-making
• Greater overall life satisfaction and interconnectedness

It’s easy to lose sight of your deeper sense of purpose and core values amidst the busyness, consumerism and baked goods. Here are some quick tips to renew your spirit:

• Spend quality time in nature reflecting on your personal principles
• Give back to others through volunteering, charity, kindness or service
• Express gratitude through prayer, meditation, ceremony, or journaling
• Share inspiring stories, wisdom or encouragement with loved ones
• Read spiritual books, listen to uplifting talks, or digest inspiring media
• Have centering discussions with mentors, teachers, or advisors

Nourishing your soul through connecting with inspirational people and ideas, spending reflective time in nature, and consciously practicing virtues and gratitude will provide deeper meaning that lasts beyond the tinsel.

Implementing an Intentional Holiday Self-Care Plan

I’ve suggested tons of specific self-care tips across physical, mental, social, professional and spiritual domains. Now let’s talk about how to actually adopt self-care as a daily habit amidst the chaos of the holidays.

Here are some key strategies:

• Write out a specific self-care plan for December rather than keeping it vague – put it in your calendar!
• Build new positive habits through using a tracker app or bullet journaling
• Identify unique holiday obstacles standing in your way, then problem-solve creative solutions
• Schedule set times for self-care activities like exercise, quiet contemplation, connecting with loved ones etc. And protect that time!
• Leave buffer time for traffic, wrapping gifts, family needs – reduce self-imposed pressures
• Remind yourself daily why you deserve self-care – because your health and peace of mind matter!
• Tell friends and family about your self-care commitment so they support you
• Batch cook healthy foods so you always have nutritious options available

The key is realizing you must be deliberate and creative about self-care during the busy holiday season, or it likely won’t happen. Plan it, schedule it, communicate it with loved ones – make it a priority!

Don’t Forget About Yourself This Holiday Season

The holidays often sprint by and are gone in a flash. That’s why proactively caring for yourself across all dimensions is vital – so you can be fully present and absorb the special moments with your cherished people.

Stop feeling guilty or selfish about prioritizing your physical, mental and emotional health – it’s essential. The best gift you can give your loved ones is YOU feeling your very best!

Wishing you incredible peace, joy, meaning and rest this holiday season and into the year ahead! May you design a holiday season that deeply nourishes your body, mind and spirit.