Holiday Survival Guide
For all the wonderful holiday moments—seeing friends and family, eating delicious food, sharing gifts—there’s also a lot of stress involved—awkward dinner party conversations, shopping for thoughtful gifts, hosting parties, traveling, attending family gatherings.... It can be a hectic time of the year, and what do we do when we’re stressed?
We lean into self care and self love methods to bring us calm and ensure that we’re primed and ready for this time of the year. From meditating and journaling to taking time for our rituals, here are some tips on how to add extra
comfort & joy into your life this holiday season.
Be Intentional.
Ask yourself what’s most important to you during the holidays.
What do you want to do?
Who do you want to spend time with?
How do you want to feel?
Being clear on your priorities will help you stay focused
on what matters most so you can
have the most meaningful holiday experience.
Ditch the Perfection Mentality.
We all want the holidays to be memorable and meaningful, but if you’re striving for perfection, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of stress and disappointment. Perfection doesn’t exist and chasing it will only make you crazy. Let go of having the “perfect” holiday and be okay with having an authentic, present one. We guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself and your loved ones much more.
Let Go.
The holidays can bring up a lot of emotions, baggage, and discomfort.
Maybe you’re stressed about money. Maybe you’re missing a departed loved one.
Maybe you’re dreading spending time with difficult family members.
The worst thing you can do is keep everything in, so talk to someone—a therapist, a friend, or someone
you trust to provide you with a safe space to vent and who will listen to you.
Make Healthy Choices
(Most of the Time).
Try to be healthy but also, treat yourself.
We get it, between the slew of holiday cookies and sweets, cocoa and egg nog, it’s easy to over-indulge this time of year.
The goal here is to strike a balance: focus on staying healthy without feeling like you are restricting yourself.
Maybe this is simply eating what you are craving in the moment and making time for a short walk
with family members to stay active.
Or starting each day of the holiday season with a green smoothie to make sure you get those veggies in, first thing. And if you do go a little too crazy with the cookies,
don’t stress about it too much.
Carve Out Time for Self-Care.
We can’t overstate the importance of self-care during the holidays. But I’ve got
too much to do, you may be thinking. How am I supposed to make time for self-care?
Our answer: when you are crazy busy is when you need self-care most. So make sure to schedule time for you this
holiday season. Even ten minutes can positively impact your mental health, and it’s enough time to get outside for a breath of fresh air, a quick meditation, fit in a quick workout, or chat with a loved one to help you reset.
Meditate.
Meditation is an incredible practice to create space and stillness in the craziness that is the holidays.
It will help you stay grounded and centered to help you feel your best and enjoy the present moment.
We recommend an app like Insight Timer that offers short, guided meditations on a range of subjects to help you center yourself and keep calm through the holiday hustle and bustle.
Recite Affirmations.
Affirmations are another great way to center yourself, and align with your intention for how you want to feel and show up for yourself and others during the holiday season. Try reciting and/or writing the following affirmation
over and over when you need a reset: “I breathe in calmness and positivity”. Or pick some other positive statement that aligns with your desired state.
Embrace Movement.
Making time for movement can help you relieve stress and anxiety, boost energy, work off those yummy holiday
feasts and just feel better all around. Try to fit in physical activity where you can.
It doesn’t have to be super-intense or take a ton of time. Even five-minute walks around the block and taking the stairs instead of the elevator add up and can help increase your overall stamina.
Don’t be afraid to say, “No”.
It’s easy to stretch ourselves too thin over the holidays by saying yes to all the things. While we encourage you to say yes to the things that are most important to you, we also want to remind you to be kind to yourself, guard your time, and to politely decline anything that drains you or feels stressful.
Get Enough Sleep.
It may be tempting to clock some late nights shopping, wrapping gifts, celebrating, and cooking/baking,
but adequate sleep is key for us to feel our best in mind,
body, and spirit and help keep our immune system strong, because no one likes to get sick.
Aim to catch between seven and eight hours of zzz’s a night.
Stay Hydrated.
We tend to underestimate the importance of adequate water intake and forget to hydrate altogether when we’re busy,
but dehydration can often take a toll on the body and bring you down.
Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces a day and keep a reusable water bottle on you at all times.
Water helps boost energy and flushes toxins from your system, among other things.
Take Your Vitamins.
A lot of people tend to get sick around the holidays because they’re stressed, overcommitted, and they’re not eating well or sleeping enough. Taking vitamins and supplements can help give your immune system an extra boost when it needs it most.
Take deep breaths..
If the length of your to-do list or other worries are weighing you down, try taking some slow, deep breaths in and out. This simple act can increase positivity, decrease emotional reactivity, improve brain health, and promote feelings of calmness.
Make Time for Beauty Rituals.
The holidays are a great time to treat yourself to a little pampering. Buy yourself a gift, get a new ‘do, go for a relaxing massage, give yourself a manicure, or do something else for you & only you.
Make a Budget and Respect It.
We all want to be generous with our loved ones, but holiday shopping shouldn’t jeopardize our financial health. Be realistic about what you can afford to spend on your loved ones, set yourself a budget, and stick to it.
And remember: thoughtfulness doesn’t have a value. Consider replacing materialistic gifts for experiences,
make handmade gifts, or donate time or money to a charity you admire.
Ask for Support.
If you’ve got too much on your plate or you’re feeling overwhelmed, the best thing you can do is speak up and ask for help. People want to help, so reach out and be clear about what kind of support you need most.
Take a Break From Social Media.
The holidays can be stressful enough without falling prey to the comparison game, which social media tends to fuel. So be kind with yourself and take a break from social media as often as you can. We suggest adjusting your phone settings to limit your screen time, social media-free weekends, leaving your phone out of your bedroom at night, and/or vowing to keep it out of sight during holiday activities that deserve your focused attention.
Practice Gratitude.
Spend some time acknowledging, celebrating, and expressing gratitude for all you have to be grateful for.
Every night, write down everything big and small you appreciate in your life and present moment.
Gratitude improves physical and mental health, sleep, self-esteem, etc.
