December Self Care

Self care seems to have been a bit of a "buzz" phrase from 2018- but what does it even mean? It will in fact most likely be very different for us all, but the overall premise is of taking actions or creating #healthy habits (even just very small & simple ones) that help us to maintain or work towards a #happier and #healthier us.

"The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health."

"The practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress."

"Expressing oneself is an essential form of self-care."

(Oxford Dictionary)

December can be a time when the busyness of the #festive season often sees self care take a back seat, or be rushed through with no real thought or #intention. Invitations to parties and events, often feeling pressured to not let family or friends down, buying gifts, temptations of lots of food and drinks that we probably wouldn't usually have- you know the score!

Maybe you already have some healthy #selfcare habits for nourishing #mind, #body, and #soul that you intend to focus on keeping up into the New Year, or maybe the suggestions below will help!

Yoga!

Predictable given what I do for a living I know BUT #Yoga really can be your saving grace this time of year, and actually incorporates so many self care and healthy habits in itself. Breathing, #mindfulness, taking time out, #relaxation, #meditation, being present- plus of course the actual physical side of moving the body!

The studio might be closed or you might not be around, but you could dedicate even 10-15 mins per day over the holidays wherever you are to your practice, and to your own self care.

Say No!

Invitations to parties, dinners, drinks come flooding in and it can all feel a bit overwhelming. Personally I find it really hard to say the simple word "NO" for fear that I might upset people or let them down. Its definitely something that is a work in progress for me!

But its actually really important to say no at times if we simply don't feel the event is for us, don't feel that the person/people at the event are necessarily ones that will or do have a positive impact on us emotionally, or we quite simply have too many plans and need some time out. It isn't selfish, its absolutely necessary to say no sometimes, and a healthy self care #habit.

Just like at any other time of the year we can't please everyone, and though it can be tough for some of us, we need to work on accepting this.

Schedule You Time!

Just like you are marking those days off in your diary for the work #party, dinner with your partners #family, drinks with your University #friends- schedule time for you in the same way! Note it down as a "date with yourself" and most importantly- KEEP THAT DATE!

You don't have to justify taking time to yourself to anyone, including yourself. Just like other self care and healthy habits it is absolutely necessary, and should be a none negotiable.

Keep it Simple!

For some of us (myself included) self care or "me time" can be limited due to a busy schedule, but even dedicating one evening a week for a few hours to have a bath, moisturise, read 10 pages of a book, eat something healthy & nutritious, and get to bed early can be so beneficial.

The key for me is taking time to do something I may not usually- like reading or taking a bath, and when I say taking time I mean #mindfully and slowly doing these things, rather than rushing through from one thing to the next which can often happen in #life, and particularly at this time of the year.

I also find its key for me to not over complicate and make the self care and healthy habits counter- productive by making it into some kind of task list (work in progress) that I need to "get through by X time", or have so much that I want to try and get done that it actually it becomes impossible and stressful as opposed to #relaxing!

Stay Hydrated!

Simple one, yet really beneficial. Christmas is definitely a time when we will likely indulge a little more in some yummy mulled wine, #cocktails, or whatever our Christmas tipple of choice may be. It might even be that we are so busy doing the everyday stuff plus trying to keep up with extra social events, and prepare for Christmas that we just simply forget to stop and take a drink of water or tea.

Likewise we may feel that #coffee is helping us stay awake, but lots of caffeine isn't necessarily good for us. So whilst I'm not saying give up the coffee (as that would be blasphemy lol), I am saying try to be aware of staying hydrated. For me that means carrying my reusable water bottle with me, and the great news these days is that lots of places will fill it up for you for free.