Ah, Christmas. How I love you! It’s such a fun and meaningful time of year filled with so much goodness…and indulgence. If you’re someone who tends to get a little too relaxed during this time, regretting it in the new year, here are some ways to boost self-care during the silly season so you can enjoy the festive season stress-free.
1. Pace yourself and say ‘no’ when you need to. ‘Tis the season of functions, parties, eating and drinking! But that doesn’t mean you have to overindulge in all of the above if you don’t want to. Pick the functions you really want to go to and pass on the ‘meh’ ones.
2. Take time out for yourself. This would potentially be a hard one if you have kiddies, but if you can, schedule in some YOU time every day or at least once a week. This could be some time out at the beach, a 15min meditation in the morning, a yoga class, a walk outside, a deluxe facial/massage or even some shopping for YOU, sweet lady. It’s easy to put your family first at this time of year (which feels lovely of course) but you also deserve some spoiling, and you don’t want to get to Christmas Day feeling burnt out.
3. Let go of guilt. Christmas Day in terms of all the food and drink on offer, can bring up some ‘stuff’, namely, GUILT. Let’s address this feeling of guilt now. Do you feel guilty when you over eat/drink, eat lots of sweets/processed food or a combo of both? And does it bring up this feeling of guilt because you’re not happy with your body as it is now or because you feel stressed about gaining weight?
If you’re answering ‘yes’ to all or most of the above, here are a few ideas to help you:
a) Eat and drink ‘mindfully’. If possible, don’t let anyone serve you up a plate of food – you be in charge of what and how much you’d like on your plate. Eat slowly and take note of when you’re starting to fill up, and stop there. I also recommend having your first drink with your lunch and not before.
b) If it helps with the mindset stuff, if time permits, do some exercise in the morning. My fiancé and I have a ritual of going to Cottesloe beach with a mate of his at 7am and doing a 20-30min weights sesh at the surf club and then a few laps in the ocean, followed by a sun bake and a light brekky at the local cafe. It works for us, gets the metabolism going and is a lovely thing to do on a Christmas summer’s morning!
c) Remind yourself that there’s a lot of healthy food on offer too! Turkey, ham, salads, seafood (if you live in the Southern Hemisphere)…all great food! It’s the potato salad, cake, puddings, pastries, chocolates and alcohol that create this feeling of guilt. But hey, if you can’t indulge a little on Christmas Day, when can you? It’s the ‘over’indulging that’s the killer…so again, be mindful of what you put on your plate. I tend to have mostly protein (turkey, ham and crayfish) and leafy salad with a small serving of potato salad and I always leave room for a slice of Christmas cake (with brandy butter and ice cream!) and one of my Mum’s famous mince pies and jam tarts (which I usually get into before lunch or in the arvo). I’m not a big drinker, but we always have champagne with our meal and a glass or two is generally my max for the day. That’s what feels good for me…what will feel good for you?
d) Ask yourself what it is you need to do leading up to Christmas to make yourself feel more relaxed about enjoying the day guilt-free and joy-filled. Would amping up your exercise feel good for you? Not drinking so much? Or perhaps practicing some self-love and body worshipping would be the key?
TIP: it’s this feeling of stress that releases cortisol in your body that can lead to weight gain and bloating, so if you can let go of this and be kind to yourself on this special day, you’ll be on the right track. Yeah!
4. Make daily movement a non-negotiable. If you live in Australia, there’s really no excuse! Summer is SO conducive to getting outdoors and moving your booty – even if it’s just a brisk walk or 15 minute circuit in your living room (for my Northern Hemisphere friends, rug up and hit the gym!). Exercise and eating nutrient dense whole foods are such massive parts of self-care. Aside from the obvious physical benefits, it’s the way it makes us feel that’s so, so important. For some ideas on different forms of exercise plus a bonus exercise workout and my ‘Complete Fridge & Pantry Food List’ including a sample one-day meal plan, you might like to download my eBook Falling In Love Again.
5. Prioritise time for your spiritual practice. This could include meditation, yoga, prayer and introspective work such as journalling and goal setting. This is really important for rolling into the new year feeling fresh, inspired and motivated. If you’re a keen goal setter / new year’s resolution kind of gal, I highly recommend checking out Leonie Dawson’s Shining Biz & Life Workbooks. She hasn’t released her 2017 ones just yet, but they’ll be on their way! For an inspiring holistic dairy with beautiful design, I just purchased Bliss Inventive’s The Daily Dream Creator which I love!
For more ideas on getting through the silly season, you might like to check out what I wrote last year.
I’d love to hear from you. Have you got any self-care tips you like to incorporate this time of year?
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