With the Holiday season afoot, the stress of shopping, gathering, hosting, and general business at this time of year, can take a toll. While preparing for everything on your to-do list is important, taking a moment or even a day for yourself can be absolutely essential to keep the stress at bay.
Taking care of yourself does not have to include spending money or adding more appointments to your calendar. Some of the best stress relief can be simply done yourself at home. Be it a relaxing self-care bath with a podcast, or movie, or a full day of intentional resting and self-pampering, taking time to de-stress can actually be productive no matter how busy you are.
Self-care can take different forms. If energy levels and motivation are at an all-time low, a full day of resting on the couch or bed can be a rest button for some. For others, a nice bath and skin-care routine is a good boost to get those stress levels back down. There is no right or wrong way to care for yourself. Whatever calms your body and mind while also energizing you is some sort of self-care.
For me personally, some days turning on a comedy special and cleaning the house after a yoga workout relaxes and encourages me to be more productive, and that can be self-care. Other days, taking a day off to pamper myself at home and intentionally rest on the couch equally eases my mental and physical stress, while giving me energy and motivation to continue checking off the checklist the next day. Both are acceptable and valid forms of caring for my mental and physical well-being, depending on what I need at each moment.
Whatever resets your mind a body in stressful times, make it a priority before, or even during this holiday season. You deserve some self-care.