I love building little micro strategies into my busy day, and I’d love to share some of those with you now. Here are 5 ways that you can build self-care into your busy holiday chaos!
Number 1: Magic minutes.
What I mean by magic minutes is taking just a few minutes for yourself, preferably first thing in the morning when you can carve out some time to get centered and just kind of think through your day and think about how you’re going to prioritize yourself as you go throughout that day.
I really love doing just a simple two-minute meditation. I really like the Insight Timer for that. Getting a little movement in- maybe a short walk. Grab the family, go for a walk, sit down and do a little journaling. I like just starting with, “I need” as a journal prompt. And then just stopping, breathing, listening to your body, and asking yourself, what do I need right now?
Also, each day when you’re sitting down doing your journaling, think of three self-care priorities for each day, and these can be simple things that don’t take any extra time. Like today, I’m going to really focus on making sure I’m drinking enough water or I’m stopping to stretch, or I’m making sure I breathe.
Number 2: Regulate your nervous system.
My favorite way to do that is to simply start by feeling your feet. Whatever you’re doing, you could be in the middle of holiday, chaos, cooking 10 different things, answering the door, or running around. You can always stop. Feel your feet. Notice where your feet are. Take a nice slow breath and be wherever your feet are and be where your body is. Also, remember in general to just slow down, move a little slower, breathe a little slower, and take some nice low breaths. Especially focus on that nice, slow exhale.
Number 3: Do one thing at a time.
Multitasking is a myth. We know, and research shows us that we’re not really multitasking. We’re switching our attention very quickly from one thing to the next, and this can be really stressful. So whatever you’re doing this week, and as you go into the holidays, just do that. Practice doing one thing at a time and really being present with what you’re doing, it can make a big difference.
Number 4: Find some margin in your schedule.
Do you have any time between commitments? Did you allow any space at all, any blank space? Or are you just going from one thing to the next to the next? Make sure that when you look at your schedule for this week and the upcoming weeks, look for where you could use a little more margin and where can you maybe build some in. And does it really make sense for you to be able to do all the things in one day?
Number 5: Look for joy.
Look for things that give you a little spark of joy. It could be even just a bright color or a cute dog, or some beautiful flowers. Or hearing a song that makes you happy. Listen for those things that give you that little spark of joy or happiness. Happiness is related to circumstances, but joy is a way of being and a way of moving throughout the world.
So keep joy in mind as you go throughout these busy upcoming weeks.
If we haven’t met, I’m Michelle. I believe that caring for yourself first, shining your light, and helping others is the antidote to burnout. And I also believe it’s the opposite of selfish.
I’ve just taken you through five ways to build self-care into the busy holiday chaos. Please leave me a comment, and let me know if you relate to any of this and if you plan to use any of these strategies. And also, let me know if you have any future topics that you’d like me to cover! I love talking about self-care and burnout prevention, alternate income streams, and helping others in diverse, interesting, and exciting ways.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Michelle
Michelle Risser 