Self-Care Practices for The Holidays

I hope that you find warmth and enjoyment during this holiday time. Sometimes this may mean that you start from a blank canvas. Like a painter creating a piece of work, you can call your own. You too can approach the holidays and create your version of contentment.

6 Ways To Enjoy The Holidays

1. Write a letter to yourself. Write as your future self to your current self-expressing gratitude for how you choose to purposefully live this holiday season.  
2. Continue to take care of yourself. Sometimes during the holidays people can feel strained to pick between spending time with family and giving themselves 45 minutes to slow down with a relaxing book. I want to encourage you to come up with a list of the common self-care practices that you engage in. Now create a schedule that includes your self-care practices which you will follow during the holiday break. It’s okay to value yourself.
3. Review your boundaries. As a quick reminder, boundaries can be defined as a house. The house represents you and your values. You get to decide who you let in and the type of access you give people. For instance, let’s say that you have a family member that you do not get along with. You reflect on last year and notice that you felt tense and frustrated when you were around them last holiday season. You quickly remember that the feelings came up when the family member began to ask you questions you didn’t feel comfortable answering. You felt pressured and not okay. This year, with the focus on boundaries you can decide to practice your boundaries by not giving this person access. You can do this by saying, “I don’t feel comfortable answering that. Let’s talk about this instead.” Click here to learn more about boundaries.
4. Plan ahead. Find a journal to write in. Jot down your plan for the holiday season. Start today and go until the last day. Do your best to write down what you would like to do. Include activities that ignite joy and calmness. Put down activities that you will remember with fondness.
5. The truth is that sometimes the best days can have difficult moments. I find that resetting is an essential tool that can be used during the holiday stretch. You may find yourself in the middle of a situation that makes you feel a little uneasy. Instead of shifting to a reactive mode, try to step away and reset. Take a deep inhalation and release the tension on the exhalation. When you reset, you can reduce tension and think clearly.
6. Get to know how the winter months impact you. Some people during the winter experience seasonal affective disorder which can further impact their mood and emotional stability during the winter holiday season. Click here to learn more about the winter blues also known as seasonal affective disorder.

A Mental Health Podcast:

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The podcast is a wonderful tool that can be used during the holiday time. Enjoy the listen and share!