Wellness Wednesday - Taking Care of Yourself During the Holidays

The Holidays are almost here! And its such a wonderful time of year! There is so much great food, and lots of time to spend with family and friends. Curling up by a cozy fire with a mug of organic hot chocolate in your hand can leave you with that warm and tingly feeling inside!

However the Holidays are not always warm and cozy all the time and definitely not for everyone. There is a lot of stress involved during this time of year so making yourself a priority and practicing some self-care can help you to get through this amazing but “stressful” time of year!

Following a few or all of the tips below can help you out this Holiday season or anytime during the year.

1. Carve out a little time for yourself everyday. Whether that be 30 mins to have a relaxing bubble bath, reading a good book before bed, having a nice soothing cup of tea, taking time to meditate or anything else that you enjoy is very important, especially during this time of year!

2. Live within your budget. Its so easy to go over budget during the holidays so if you have a clear picture of what you want to spend on gifts or for holiday events, plan it out and then stick to it! We all have many people on our gift giving list, so if it becomes too much why not do a secret Santa instead or initiate a 10-20 dollar budget for each gift!

3. Don’t over schedule yourself. If you feel you have too many holiday commitments or are jumping from house to house to get all your visits in its okay to opt out of some of these events! Or why not host your own open house during the holidays where your friends and family can visit you on a day and time that you set up!

4. Sleep – Remember to rest and rejuvenate yourself every night. If you don't get the proper sleep you will just increase your stress levels. Have a nap if you need to. A nice 15-30 min power nap can actually improve your productivity and energy levels for the rest of the day.

5. Eat right – Make sure to get in your recommended servings of leafy greens, berries etc everyday. Just because there is a lot more festive food around doesn’t excuse you from getting all your other macronutrients in as well!

6. Exercise – Come January 1 you are going to be so happy you kept up with your fitness regime. It will give you more pep in your step and ease the holiday food guilt we often have this time of year! Get up and active everyday... even if its a 10 minute walk outside. The brisk fresh air will invigorate you and help you clear your mind.

7. Go outside – Some people are affected by SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. If this is you its important to get outside and get some sunshine… which has been proven to help with mood and this condition. You can also invest in a Light Therapy lamp which acts like the sun and provides the same mood boosting effects.

7. Be grateful – There are so many things we can be grateful for in our lives even if we are going through a rough patch. Be happy every time you wake up and every time you go to sleep because that is a blessing in itself.

8. Donate to charity – Its doesn’t have to be much but helping someone less fortunate then us or even dedicating an hour of your time to a worthy cause can help boost your mood!

9. Forgive yourself or someone else. The holiday gives us a chance to reconnect with people. If you haven’t spoken to a friend or family member because of something long past… let it go and move on. The same goes for yourself. If you haven’t been able to forgive yourself for something in your life… give yourself permission to let it go.

10. Laugh. Its very easy to take this time of year “too seriously” Make sure you laugh and surround yourself with people that make you laugh every day.

11. Treat yourself. You’re so busy focusing on others during this time of year… why not treat yourself and buy something special you have had your eye on!

Its very important to take care of yourself, even more so during the holidays. But if you notice your mood is continuing to decline then it might be time to speak to your healthcare provider about it….

Take care this Holiday Season!!

SIMPLY TRULY JENNY…