alittlebitsocial2 The festive season brings lots of joy, but many people feel stressed and overworked. Here are ten self-care tips for the festive season to ensure you stay on your game this year.
When you feel overwhelmed during the festive period, try taking some time to focus on yourself. You deserve to be happy; if you aren’t feeling it, take care of yourself first. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try getting into bed earlier. If you’re struggling to get motivated, go for a walk outside. And if you’re feeling anxious, try doing something relaxing, such as reading a book or listening to music.
1. Take Time Off.
Take some time off if you’re overwhelmed by the festive season’s hustle and bustle. You deserve it.
The Christmas period can be stressful, especially if you’re trying to keep up with family traditions while still making sure you’re spending quality time with loved ones. To help ease the stress, try taking some time off from work even if it’s just a day to have your hair done or meet a friend for coffee.
2. Eat Well.
It’s easy to forget how much we rely on our bodies when stressed out. Make sure you eat well, sleep well, and exercise well.
It can be tough to stick to any healthy eating routine over Christmas; with tins of chocolates within easy reach on the coffee table and mince pies coming out of your ears, it can be easy to slip into the trap of ‘it’s Christmas‘, but you should also remain mindful of how much you are eating and drinking.
3. Exercise Regularly.
Now is the perfect time to start if you’re not exercising regularly, and you’ll feel more energetic and less likely to overeat at parties. Try walking, running, swimming, biking, dancing, yoga, or any other activity that gets your blood pumping.
4. Sleep More.
It’s easy to let stress and exhaustion creep into our lives during the festivities. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking time to exercise.
The festive season can be stressful for many people. Plenty of things keep us busy between shopping, cooking, decorating, and hosting family members. However, if we aren’t careful, we can easily fall victim to stress and exhaustion. In fact, according to the Mental Health Foundation, stress has been linked to insomnia, depression, anxiety, headaches, and other health problems.
5. Manage stress.
If you find yourself stressed out by the Christmas rush, try these simple ways to manage your stress levels:
• Take deep breaths.
• Get up and move around every hour or two.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Exercise regularly.
• Spend time with friends and family.
The Christmas period can be stressful, especially if you’re trying to keep up with your busy schedule. To help ease some of the pressure, take advantage of self-care techniques such as taking deep breaths, getting up and moving around every hour or two, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, spending time with friends and family, and managing stress.
6. Limit Alcohol
Self-Care tips for the festive season can include considering your alcohol consumption. Sometimes without even knowing it, your’re ordering your sixth drink or topping up your wine glass but do we ever really know when enough is enough.
This festive season whether you’re wanting to cut back or cut out alcohol altogether, cutting back on the amount of alcohol you drink can benefit your mind and body in many ways.
Not only will it reduce your risk of alcohol-caused disease such as cancer and stroke, but you’ll see short-term benefits too. Think improved mood and decreased anxiety, increase energy levels, better sleep, brighter skin and a slimmer waistline, not to mention the cost-savings.
7. Pamper yourself
Having a little pamper of yourself now and again, doesn’t have to be complicated, stressful or selfish and with Christmas fast approaching perhaps its time to run yourself a bath, throw in some bath bombs, light some candles and indulge yourself with some self-care gift sets from Sephora UK (yes, the are in the UK now and I couldn’t be more pleased).
Create yourself an at home spa in your own bathroom, with face masks, bubble baths, give yourself a manicure and pedicure, or if a home spa isn’t your thing try restorative yoga, a bit of online shopping, or treat yourself to a duvet day in front of the fire with a good book. Pampering yourself shouldn’t be stressful or make you feel guilty.
8. Take a Walk
According to the NHS, walking is the most overlooked form of exercise. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. Walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.
However, when it’s cold and miserable outside we often find excuses to stay wrapped up in the warm, but if you get outside even just once a week, the benefits can be huge. Pull on your wellies, grab your hats, scarfs and gloves and bicycles and head to your local national trust site for a country walk.
9. Try and keep to a routine
Trying to keep a routine around Christmas can be extremely difficult, with the huge list of things that need to be done from the shopping, food prep, Christmas plays, Carol concerts, Santa visits and making sure to get all the family visits in. It can easily become stressful and disorganised.
If you usually get up at 6.30 am and go for a run with the dog then don’t stop for the festive period, if you usually have lunch at 1 pm attempt to keep it the same, this can be easier said that done but do what works for you, also consider your little ones who thrive on routine. If they usually have a snack at 4 pm, try and at least keep to it, same with nap times. However, if you find your routine goes out the window by day four, don’t stress. It can wait!
10. Do Something you love
If you follow one self-care tip this festive season, it’s find time to do something you love! Grab a coffee with a friend, read a book, get some baking done, take the kids to the cinema, stroll around a Christmas market, watch a Christmas movie anything you fancy just make sure you take some time out to do something you love this Christmas.
Thank you for reading 10 Self-Care Tips for the Festive Season, I hope you have found them helpful. Perhaps you can let me know in the comments if there is anything you do to relax that I have missed off?
Thanks for the reminders. This is a rough time of the year, and it’s easy to get caught up in the seasonal depression rather than battle it. So, it helps to have some ideas on the backburner.
Thank you Laura; it can be so hard this time of year to make sure we take care of ourselves, even if for five minutes.
Oh awesome!!! I need so self-care this December even though my schedule is kinda tight. I need to get enough sleep and pampered myself.
Thank you, Fadima. I know exactly how you feel. December it’s such a heavy month for schedules. Wishing you lots of sleep and relaxation.
This time of year can be quite stressful or busy for some so it’s a great idea to boost self-care. I love your suggestions here and I will make sure I do some of them over the holiday period.
Thank you Molly, it is an extremely tough time of the year to think about our self-care. I’m so glad you found them helpful.
This time of year gets so busy that it can be easy to forego self-care. Your post is a good reminder of simple ways to avoid overwhelm.
Thank you Liz, it is so hard this time of year not to neglect ourselves.
Thank you Liz, it is so hard this time of year not to neglect ourselves.
Such good reminders. Thank you x
Thank you Donna.