Nurture Yourself This Season
Written by: by Holly Wood, Therapist, LISW-S
Here we go again! The leaves and temperatures have fallen, the stores are ablaze with sparkles, the radio is playing holiday tunes, and the crazy stressors are doing their best to creep in.
Wait, STOP! Isn’t this when we’re supposed to sit by the crackling fire with our sweet family and friends, munch on homemade cookies and drink hot chocolate…with no concern over partially hydrogenated oils, calories, or relational drama?
Thanksgiving has come and gone for 2022. Whether you were alone during the holiday, experienced fabulous fun or family drama, love the holidays or dread them, it’s a great time to determine priorities and take purposeful action so you don’t drift through this season without some self-care and merriment.
Have you considered making a PLAN to be pro-active for your time, priorities, and self nourishment? This annual time is meant for peace, warmth, and joy, as we count our blessings and celebrate the lives of our loved ones. It is of utmost importance for each of us to determine, to the best of our realistic abilities, how we want that to look versus being swept away by the hoopla of media and cultural norms of extravaganza.
Do you know how to nurture yourself in order to combat stress and encourage inner peace and delight? Doing things you enjoy encourages growth and a sense of control, and helps squash the expectation of others meeting your needs.
So what’s to be done to advocate for sanity and peace, during the month of December? We all know writing things down or making lists makes life more manageable. It moves us from the emotional and ambiguous to the logical. Perhaps you could start with your list of priorities for the next month, whether it’s gift buying, planning Christmas dinner, volunteering at the shelter, calling a homebound neighbor, making cookies, etc.
Let’s also consider YOU! Is your relaxation and pleasure important amidst potential chaos? Consider making a list of things you like to do or want to do….. then make a date with yourself or others, be it for 15 minutes per day or 2 hours per week, for the rest of the month of December and the month of January. It doesn’t take much to refresh our souls, and the payoff is huge!
Here are some ideas:
take a bath
drink a cup of specialty coffee
take a walk
have lunch with a friend
watch an uplifting movie
organize a pile of papers
fit in some exercise
read an interesting book
clean out a box sitting in the closet
have a piece (or two!) of dark chocolate
make a phone date with someone you enjoy
do some sewing, arts/crafts, or painting
hold a game night with neighbors/friends
pray/go to church/read the Bible
volunteer
write an encouraging card to someone
bake or cook something for a friend or neighbor in need
listen to music
watch fish or a wholesome animal show
Healthy things to do for Yourself:
eat 1 more piece of fruit everyday for 4 days
eat 1 more vegetable everyday for 4 days than you usually do
stretch your body for just a few minutes each day
have one less drink of alcohol per week
go to bed at a reasonable hour
say “thanks” for your blessings
take a break from social media or the news
Is there anything you want to change to make the month of December better for you and easier on you?
A Personal Example:
I do not like to shop so you can imagine the state of my gut this time of year >> emotional ANGST! That's the way it was…until I changed my priorities and made a plan.
I used to give gifts just to be able to say “Whew, that’s over!” The fear of others’ disappointment in my gifts made me lose the true Spirit of Christmas, which is Love and Joy and Hope! I want Jesus at the center of Christmas, not gifts.
Here’s what I changed: I simply (and happily) stopped buying for people I felt “obligated” to buy for. You heard that right. I just stopped! And you know what? Not one of them got mad at me.
I still fill my grown children’s (and mates’) stockings with little things: winter socks, chapstick, ponytail bands, lint roller, etc, but I now ask them to give me a link for something they really want as a gift and won’t buy for themselves. One year, I took us all to events: an Escape Room, a play, and a concert during Christmas week, instead of giving tangible gifts. Eliminating the pressure of buying the perfect gifts has been a big self-nurturing move for me!
I encourage each of you to take a few minutes to evaluate the meaning of this coming Holiday and how you want it to fit into your life versus allowing the mayhem run over you. May you engage in some self-nourishment this holiday season!
Written by: by Holly Wood, Therapist