Tis the season for celebration, holiday lights and gathering with friends and family.
Are there things you love about the season?
Or are you dreading the stress and chaos of gatherings at your home, with your family or your co-workers?
As your Self-Care coach, I'm here to help you navigate the season with some Self-Care tools and tips in your toolbox so that you can avoid the stress and unpleasant expectations.
Here are 7 Spiritual Self-Care Tips to help you maintain inner peace for your body and soul this holiday season.
1- Take Time Outs;
There's nothing like gathering family and friends in one place to remind us of the sweetest things in life. And there's nothing like gathering family and friends in one place to test your triggers, bring up old hurts and bring out your inner five-year-old, tantrums and foot stomping included.
The best gift you can give yourself is to set up a pre-game strategy of taking well-placed time-outs.
Give yourself permission to tag out and find pockets of peace and quiet. Here are a few ideas include:
- Take a walk outside to reset your inner peace.
- Lie down in a quiet room with peaceful music.
- Remove yourself from a conversation that might be getting heated and take a few minutes to breath deeply. Be honest when this happens so you can model peaceful behavior.
- Don't drink too much to numb yourself, instead commit to giving yourself these pockets of peace and reset your well-being.
2- Say YES more;
Sometimes during the holiday season, we can already assume overwhelm before it arrives. The truth is, being around positive happy friends in the spirit of simple gratitude and celebration is like a hot cocoa for the soul.
Say yes to hosting, initiating and inviting dear friends or those you would like to get to know better. Simple celebrations don't take much effort and pay large dividends of joy, laughter, and inner well-being.
Here are a few ideas:
- Invite a few friends for hot-cocoa and cookies.
- Gather a few friends to co-host a pot-luck brunch or breakfast where you brainstorm ways to do some acts of service in your community for those who have less.
- Start a new tradition with a new gratitude practice like delivering meals to the homeless or to local retirement homes. These acts will warm your heart, add love to the world and put the focus back on people instead of stuff.
3 - Say NO more;
I know I know. I just said to say YES more. But this is important too, so listen up. One of the main reasons we tend to experience overwhelm during the holidays is because we try to make everyone happy and say yes to things we truly don't want to do.
Sometimes we have a hard time saying no to someone in the moment. One Self-Care strategy that I teach my clients when it comes to learning the art of the graceful no is to say, "I'll have to think about that." Now, if you already know that your answer is no, it's ok to say, "no thank you, that won't work for me." And don't feel like you have to explain yourself. No is a complete sentence.
If you're undecided, ask for some time to think about it. Usually, a bit of space and time is enough to hear your inner GPS response.
Trust yourself and give yourself permission to say, "no thank you."
4 - Take Time to Sparkle;
My mom always says, "Honey, when you put on some sparkly earrings, everything seems better." I used to laugh at that and think it was silly. But now I know better. When you take some extra time to sparkle yourself up, you really do feel better. The reason is not just that sparkle makes everyone happy. The reason this is important is because as women and moms, we tend to give time and energy to all those around us.
We're good at giving to others. But when it comes to taking time for YOU, there's always a sense of 'cutting corners' and 'good enough'.
This season {and beyond}, I invite you to take an extra 5 minutes to put on that mascara, do your hair or put on those sparkly earrings. YOU are worth your time. And from that place of nourishment, you'll have even more energy and love to give to others.
5 - Hugs for the win;
In this modern era, we can mistake Facebook messages or emails as intimacy. And while we can build relationships online, there's one critical element that is missing... the human touch.
There's something SO beautiful about holding a hand, reaching out to someone you love and getting a real-life-hug. When you get or give a hug, your body releases happy chemicals and you can feel yourself release tension in a way that is built into our human-ness.
There is no replacement for human touch. So how do we get it? Ask. I know it might feel a bit weird, but next time you're with a friend, simply ask for a hug. Or better yet, become a hugging friend. That's what I am. One caveat ... not everyone is as comfortable with hugs as I am. So you may have to learn to be comfortable with the occasional no as a response.
I have yet to hear a no when I offer a hug, and I never say no to one from a friend or loved one. Please use caution when you're with strangers, not everyone wants to hug a stranger. Use your good common sense inner wisdom to guide you.
6 - Embrace the Chaos;
Sometimes we suffer because we resist what is happening around us. Or we get so caught up in the house being perfectly clean and tidy before guests arrive. This type of control can raise the level of stress and tension for everyone.
What if you simply decided that you're ok with a 5% increase in chaos around you?
Some of the results may include: more laughter, more play, a house well loved and lived in.
Sometimes we can take ourselves so seriously that we forget to actually enjoy the moment were working so hard to create. So this year, give yourself permission to embrace the chaos.
7- Grow Your Gratitude Muscle;
Gratitude is not a seasonal activity. Gratitude is a daily muscle that we can work on building all year long. One simple practice that I've done for years now is to keep a simple journal dedicated to gratitude. Sometimes I write down 3-5 things I'm grateful for each day. And sometimes I challenge myself to write 20 or 30. That's when I get to the good stuff.
I invite you to create your own daily gratitude practice.
By the time the holidays roll in, you'll already be in a state of peace and joy because you live in gratitude for the simplest gifts of breath, life, and friendship.
This is one to share.
If you enjoyed this, please share with a friend. Let's spread the cheer, the love and peace.