Self-Care Tips for the Holiday Season
Hello my Lovelies,
Holidays are upon us! With Halloween in the rear-view, we are ushering in the next wave of holiday festivities. Let me say that this time of year, joyous as it may be, can be equally stressful. I wanted to share a few tips to help you navigate the next two months as we head towards the New Year.
Let me begin by saying that you may already have a good handle on what feels nurturing and supportive for you. By all means honor and apply this awareness to help care for yourself. But if you might benefit from a loving reminder to be kind and gentle with yourself, here are some possible options:
Schedule Time for Yourself
This can be a challenging one for busy bees, but super helpful. Have time set aside in advance just to regroup, recenter and reset. If you know you have a busy social calendar, look for the gaps and protect this time as sacred! Allow yourself to rest or take more naps, even a short 20 minute snooze can help. Be patient with yourself, you may find that your energetic endurance is impacted, through no fault of your own. It’s simply that the collective buzz generated around this time of year may leave you feeling more fatigued than usual, even with minimal exertion.
Give Yourself Permission to Say “No”
Past experience and our conditioning can often leave us feeling anxious and off-center when we say “no” to something. This can be particularly difficult when faced with annual family “traditions” or expectations. I want you to reinvent or re-imagine saying “No” as a loving act.
When you are true to yourself and say no to something that is out of alignment, that honors everyone. This holds true, even when our ego or other egos, think otherwise. The ‘no’ doesn’t always make sense in a straightforward, linear-way. And honestly, you may never know why something is a no. This is just a simple and truthful exchange; what is no for you, is no for the other person as well- Souls always agree at this level of Truth. Perhaps you both were meant to be elsewhere at that precise moment? Perhaps your friend, now free, can finally slow down for a minute? Perhaps you being there prevents your friend from meeting and making a new connection? Oh the possibilities are endless, and they are steeped in love. Trust the no.
Nurture Yourself
Nurturing yourself is an individual practice- each person feels nurtured in different ways. Consider opening your favorite wine, curling up with your favorite book, and just savoring both. Pamper your physical body with warm baths, delicious “smellies” as my British Granny Rhodes would say (e.g your favorite lotion, scented candles, bath salts and essential oils) . Feed the body with nutritious and scrumptious meals and drink plenty of water. You want to do your best to give your body the support it needs, especially when your stress levels may be elevated.
Connect to Nature
Go outside, take some walks, listen to the leaves crinkle and crunch under your feet, look up at the stars, breathe in the crisp evening air, watch the sunrise or set, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. Nature is truly a salve for the spirit!
Focus on the Basics
Be present,
be truthful,
be joyous,
be you,
be you,
be you.
These are some of the essentials. If you show up and you are present to yourself, you will know what you want, and you can connect with others on a deeper level. If you are truthful in all moments you will hear your own truth and know what to do. If you are joyous you will connect to the spirit within, your playful, creative-self that loves to inspire you. And if all else fails, be you, be you, be you. I wish I could shout this from the rooftops! As I said in a previous post, you are unique, the Universe does not duplicate. So, with this in mind, please take up all of your Divine space, radiate your beautiful self to the world, laugh until your belly aches of the laughter and know you are right, just as you are. You are a gift to us all when you are your True Self. *(Points for anyone who can name the Cyndi Lauper song now playing in my head…)
Take such good care of yourself this holiday season and beyond. Self-care is a gift to you and others, allowing you to be present as your most authentic and shimmering-self. Befriend the body and trust the Soul, and as always, be kind and gentle with yourselves.
With Love,
Joanne