Staying with the theme of love. Last week was all about how we can show love to others, all year round. As an objective person, I believe life should be fair and balanced.
Therefore, it’s equally important that we consciously practice self-care. As the blog mentions, practicing self-care like giving should also be a year-round experience and not something that happens occasionally. This is especially true during the busy and sometimes stressful holiday season.
The American Psychological Association surveyed several participants from a study about holiday blues, many reported that during the holiday season, even though they felt feelings of happiness, they also felt fatigued, stressed, irritable, and sad. In this same study, 38% of participants said their stress levels increased during the holidays.
To combat and manage the holiday blues, here are some tips on how you can practice self-care more seamlessly. Below are four practical ways you can incorporate self-care into your schedule:
- Rest– as adults some of us need 8-9 hours of sleep. Ensure that you are giving your body what it needs to refuel.
- Healthy eating and exercising– the holidays are jammed packed with treats, sweets, and lots of drinks. Enjoy yourself, however, balance out the fatty foods, and alcohol with exercising 2-3 times a week, and making sure you are drinking plenty of water.
- Self-love– schedule time for you, get in the routine of treating yourself to those things that you enjoy and make you happier. You can do things like take a long hot bath with an aromatherapy candle burning, and soft music playing. Or is you’re the nature type, take a walk outdoors and just wonder, and you can always cuddle up with a great book.
- Gratitude– try beginning and ending your day by jotting down in your journal or notebook 1-3 things you are grateful for. Like in the blog two weeks ago, research indicates that practicing gratitude regularly increases our happiness and decreases stress.
In the spirit of practicing gratitude. Two weeks ago, I presented you with the T/Ask of writing a letter of gratitude to someone who has made a difference in your life. I then asked that you share your letters with MEE as I wanted to highlight a few.
Wow… that is all I can say! Your letters were heart-warming, genuine, and selfless.
The post above from Shavonne Ward is one of the many letters of gratitude received. And to celebrate HER for all that she does and gives, please check out business Revealed4Beauty, especially if you still have some shopping to do for a loved one.
Self-care = Self-love. Make you a priority by scheduling time in your week just for you. Remember, this time can be spent at the spa, at home with a great book, out with friends brunching, or taking a slow drive. The activity doesn’t matter, but what does matters is that you LOVE on yourself.
In love and libHERation,
~TLM
