Holiday Self-Care

The holidays always seem to be the most wonderful, hectic time of the year. There's always lots of food, family, friends, parties, gifts. It can be hard to keep up with everything going on. It can be even harder to keep up with your self-care during this time of year. Between buying gifts, going to holiday school plays, baking cookies, decorating, and making that one dish everyone asks for at every get-together, where do you find the time to take care of yourself?

The good news is that it can be really simple to do what you need to take care of yourself. The bad news is that while it's simple, it's also really hard! Stopping everything for two minutes to just take some deep breaths sounds like a really simple way to help yourself relax. But let's be honest, who has the time to stop for two seconds and breathe?! The best advice that I can give this time of year is to build your self-care into what you already have to do.

Play your favorite music while you do your cooking and baking. It doesn't necessarily have to be Christmas music, just something you enjoy. Dance around the kitchen while you cook and bake. If you have small kids and don't want to deal with a mess after they "help" you, do a dance party and see who has the best moves while you get everything done. That mountain of laundry isn't going to fold itself (unfortunately) but you can put on your favorite movie to watch while you fold. Make it a marathon and switch loads in between movies! (Die Hard is a great Christmas movie series!) Light a scented candle or diffuse your favorite oils while you decorate. Don't wait until you're finished to enjoy it. Put on a face mask while you address Christmas cards.

It may not be quite as relaxing as your usual self-care routine, but it will work in a pinch. Also, make sure that you are taking care of your daily needs as well. Drink your water, do your stretches, and eat healthy foods. You would be amazed at how much better you feel when you stick to basic daily habits. Self-care, especially during the holidays, doesn't have to be a big event. It can be the little daily acts that help keep you feeling human. Take a shower, brush your teeth, do your hair, and get dressed every morning. Move throughout the day and drink lots of water. Go to bed on time and get plenty of rest.

Too often we think that we need a ton of time for self-care. But the truth is that the best self-care is found in your daily routines. It doesn't need to be fancy or complicated, but it does need to work for you. If getting up at 5:00 AM every day to exercise sounds like torture to you, don't do it. Find a time that works for you to go on a walk or take a few minutes to stretch throughout the day. Everyone is different and has different needs and things that will work for them. Find what works for you and go from there. You don't have to exercise 7 days a week, meditate for hours on end, do a 20-step skincare routine, spend 2 hours on your hair, or any of those other crazy things we see influencers do. If there is something you want to do more, try it. Try different ways of doing it. a 20-step skincare routine may be too much for you, but you might be able to handle a 4-step routine. You may not be able to work out 7 days a week, but you might be able to do 3 days a week.

We get so caught up in wanting things to be perfect, that sometimes we forget that the little steps are just as good. Self-care isn't about perfection. You do not have to be perfect to love yourself. You do not have to be perfect to take care of yourself. You just have to do what you can with what you have. Some days that looks like the extravagant Pinterest-worthy self-care, other days it's the bare minimum. Both are good, and both have their place.

Whatever you do, make sure that you take the time to enjoy this holiday season. Tell your family and friends how much you love them and how much they mean to you. Time goes by too quickly, so cherish the time that you have together now.