Halloween is over and we are officially into the holiday season! This means your life is more chaotic than usual, your caffeine consumption (mostly of pumpkin spice lattes) triples, your self-care goes out the window, and your tolerance for whining children vanishes. Sounds like a ton of fun, doesn’t it? How will we ever survive the season?
It happens every year like clockwork: We over-commit, over-schedule, and add more to-do’s into our already-packed agenda. Wouldn’t it be dreamy to live in a Hallmark Christmas movie instead? Where everything is effortlessly picture perfect and there is always a happy ending? What if I told you that you can get pretty dang close to this magic, if you would just put yourself first?
**Gasp!**
Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but in order to save your sanity this (and every) holiday season, you will have to practice radical self-care. Oh, and just to be clear, I’m not talking about massages and spa days. While those can be rather lovely, I’m actually talking about respecting yourself and your time so that you don’t lose your you-know-what.
Self respect.
Self-love.
Self-care.
These words are interchangeable.
Do you see why I’m calling this RADICAL? It’s hard to swallow that we may not be respecting ourselves. Or worse, that we don’t even see how badly we are treating ourselves…all for the sake of having the “perfect” holiday.
What do you think mama? Are you ready to step up your self-care game, and make decisions based on how YOU want to feel this season of survival?
“What does that even look like?
I’m not good at doing things for myself.
And who will run the show if I’m not doing it?”
Great questions!
Here are 5 questions to help you figure this out:
Don’t overthink it. Go with your gut and answer them.
- What holiday events would you rather avoid?
- What holiday events are you excited to partake in?
- What energizes you and actually brings you joy?
- On a scale of 1-10, how important is being present with your family?
- How would you like to look and feel over the holidays?
Yes, you have to answer them. Unless you are cool with the way you feel every December 26th. EXHAUSTED and bloated. That’s what I thought. Carry on, and answer the questions.
Now that you know what your holiday season can look like, how you want to feel, and what’s important to you, here’s the RADICAL self-care to take: COMMIT to YOURSELF.
You can do this by promising to respect yourself, your time, and your energy to allow for seasonal survival by doing the following:
- Remove all unnecessary events from your calendar. (Sweet relief!)
- Add in an activity that YOU LOVE, just for you. Consider it your Christmas gift(s) to yourself if your mind says you are being selfish. (You are NOT selfish!)
- Enjoy the most meaningful events spent with your family in your slower paced life and SMILE! (Hallmark Christmas movie magic!)
When you practice self-care, you are showing your family how to do the same. You get your time, your energy, and your sanity back without the burnout and panic that has become the norm. And THAT is really the greatest gift of all.
How’s that for a happy ending?
