It’s kind of hard to believe December is half over already, and the holidays are upon us. While this time of year can be wonderful and magical, it can also be stressful. Between buying gifts for everyone, baking and cooking endlessly, cleaning your home for guests and entertaining those guests, it can be a lot! Not to mention the long, dark days and cold can bring with it some seasonal depression as well.

It’s always important to practice self care but especially during the holidays, you deserve to be able to enjoy yourself and not just go, go, go. So, I’ve got a couple of self-care tips to help keep you sane this hoilday season.

The first tip I’ve got, I’m sure you already knew was coming: exercise. I really can’t say it enough. Exercise is one of the best stress-relievers there is, and there are so many different ways to do it. You don’t even need to go to a gym if you don’t want to. Go for a run down your street. Do some yoga in your living room. There’s a whole bunch of body weight exercises you can do right from your living room as well and you don’t need any kind of equipment. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just get your body moving. I promise it’ll help keep your stress in check, and like I’ve said before – it’s much better than punching people! 😉

Next, take some time to read a book or even sit down and watch a movie. Even if it’s just for a little while, it’ll help you take your mind off of your stresses. It won’t help you get your cleaning, shopping or baking done, but there are times where you do just need to step back from it all too. I really enjoy reading because it helps me escape to a new world for a little while. And the book I’m currently reading is about a serial killer, so the main character’s problems are definitely bigger than my own at the moment haha. Make it a point to sit down for a little bit every night to read or watch a movie to help yourself undwind.

Do you have a pet!? Get those puppy snuggles in! My pup, Dobby, is a lifesaver when I’m stressed. He’s the best cuddler and he’s so stinkin cute, my worries just melt away. When I still worked at Lake Area Tech, we used to have a Pet Away Stress (PAWS) event before finals every semester. I would get a bunch of volunteers to bring their pets in and allow the students to pet them and snuggle with them for a while to help relieve some stress. It was always my favorite event, and I think the students really enjoyed it too. It’s a proven theory! And if you need a pup, Dobby is always willing to lend his services.

Listen to music or a podcast. This is something you can do even when you’re cooking and cleaning. I always listen to my “Office Ladies” podcast when I’m cooking as I find it a lot more enjoyable. I don’t really hate cooking to begin with, but especially if I have a lot of it to do, listening to my podcast gives me something else to focus on at the same time, and I almost look forward to it that way. You can listen to music while you shower, while you drive wherever you need to go, or really at any given time. If it helps you relax, then have at it.

Really, at the end of the day, you just need to MAKE time for YOU. Do something you enjoy, no matter what it is. The holidays don’t need to be a stressful time. You have control and there are plenty of ways to deal with whatever life throws at you. Take some of these tips and take the holidays on!

Happy Holidays!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger