Holiday self care is often neglected. There is so much more to do so we sacrifice the very things that help us feel good. We often compromise our sleep and other things that make us feel well in the name of hustling and bustling.
When we put holiday self care on the back burner, anxiety and exhaustion set in. This article is an invitation to prioritize holiday self care. Self care during the holidays will help you feel better and more relaxed through a more challenging time and perhaps inspire new habits and interest in putting yourself first in the new year and onward.
27 Holiday Self Care Ideas: simple ways to take care of you
Incorporate a few of these holiday self care ideas into the next few months. If they make you feel more rested and present or calm and steady, use them in the new year to start things more gently.
1. Stress less about gift giving.
Give this gift to yourself and everyone you love, no wrapping required. 31 Days of Gifts is a daily email program (like an Advent Calendar for your inbox) that will help you engage in the best parts of this magical time of year. These very affordable and meaningful gifts are perfect for friends, family, co-workers, book club members and other people in your life.
2. Fill your space with light.
During the shorter days, fill your space with light to prioritize holiday self care. From candlelight to twinkle lights, you can add a little joy with more light. Putting up these lights are a new favorite holiday tradition.
3. Start a morning routine to kick off your holiday self care.
Your morning routine might only be five minutes long to start, but even that will help. Use the time to sit quietly with a cup of tea, meditate, journal, walk, or include other activities that feed your body, mind, heart, and soul.
4. Take a holiday self care walk
Go outside and take a walk. Bundle up if it’s cold and head out with the intention of noticing the magic. Don’t worry about burning calories or tracking steps, just enjoy yourself. Walk for ten minutes or an hour. Moving your body within your ability and within your time and energy availability is an amazing way to listen to your body and take care.
5. Respect your budget.
Once you figure out what you can or want to spend on extras like holiday gifts, events, and other holiday things, honor that. If you splurge now, you pay even more later. Instead of overspending, focus on simple pleasures that don’t cost much. Do the loud budgeting thing to encourage friends and family to respect their budgets too.
6. Opt-out of future contact.
When/if you are buying gifts, decline to leave your email address with a merchant. If shopping online, check out as a guest and don’t accidentally subscribe to email lists. They make it really easy for you to opt-in, but you’ll save the stress of future sales and shopping promos arriving daily in your inbox by opting out.
7. Mind the holiday clutter.
Stay clutter-free, or at the very least, avoid adding to your clutter by sticking with a one in, one out rule. For each thing that comes in, another goes out. Apply this rule to gifts, clothing, events and decorations. For more holiday decluttering, check out this essential guide.
8. Be unconventional when it comes to holiday self care.
Bubble baths and massages are nice but that’s not the only way to do self-care. Real self care means trusting yourself to know what’s best you. Try things like drinking mocktails instead of cocktails to protect your sleep or one or more of these 12 unconventional ways to take better care of yourself.
9. Say no even when you aren’t busy.
We all need this holiday self care reminder. You are allowed to say no even when you aren’t busy. This reminder and permission slip is seriously life changing. Leave guilt behind when you take much needed time for yourself (without a big explanation). You are the only one who can protect your time and energy. Give yourself permission to do so.
10. Only decorate with your favorite things.
If you’ve been accumulating holiday decor for years, or decades, chances are your most meaningful, favorite things don’t get a chance to stand out. Start by only decorating with your favorite things instead of all the things. If that resonates with you, box up the rest or donate it if you love the simpler holiday wonderland you create. It’s often the simplest decorating that feels the most peaceful.
11. Under-schedule yourself in all areas.
Be selective about your holiday activities and the regular day-to-day things. You can’t continue to add and add and add without some fallout. What can you cut out so you can enjoy the holidays the way you actually want to enjoy the holidays? Cancel some of your planned activities and make room for holiday magic to unfold.
12. Prioritize rest as part of your holiday self care.
Give your body and brain a chance to recharge on those go-go-go holiday marathon days. Even twenty minutes will make a big difference. Nap or simply turn off your phone for a few minutes and come back to yourself. As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Refill your cup with rest.
13. Read or listen to a lovely book.
If scrolling social media feels overwhelming for you too (is it just me?), pick up a good book. It will feel good to focus on one thing instead of jumping from thing to thing.
14. Find ways to laugh and connect.
Call or spend time with the person who makes you laugh harder than anyone else. I always laugh until I cry with my sister. My daughter makes me laugh too. You can hear it on our podcast. You could also watch a funny movie together to get the laughter going.
15. Write down your heart.
Emotions can run high during the holidays, but some of what goes through our minds is better left unsaid. Instead, write it down. Write down how you are feeling, and what makes you happy, sad, angry, or frustrated. Putting it on paper gives you a chance to clear your mind and move through your day with less bottled up stress.
16. Make an old gift new.
Finding the perfect gift is often stressful and expensive. Instead, find a meaningful gift. Regift something you already own. This gives you the added bonus of a little decluttering. Give a friend your favorite book and write something to them on the inside cover. Give someone a beautiful vase you never use full of flowers, or look for other things you can pass on with love.
17. Go internet-lite.
If you aren’t sure how hyper-connectivity is affecting your life, try to remember the last conversation you had that wasn’t interrupted by a ding or a ring. Or, look around any restaurant, grocery store, or waiting room and see what percentage of people are looking into a screen. If you want to scale back, create phone free zones. Identify times during the day and spaces in your home when you’ll remain phone free. This book will help you unplug for 24 hours a week.
18. Plan a Gentle January.
In my new book, Gentle, Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life You Actually Want, I recommend a Gentle January. Instead of rushing into the new year, setting impossible resolutions and worrying about the pressure to be a “new year, new you,” slow down, be soft and gentle and ease into the new year. There’s no rush.
19. Practice daily gratitude for holiday self care.
Directing more of our attention towards gratitude for the things that make our lives wonderful is scientifically proven to make us healthier, more energetic, less stressed and anxious, and to help us get better sleep. Jot down a few things you are grateful for every day, or show gratitude for the ordinary things in your life with a silent, “thank you” when you notice the things that make your life better.
20. Give your gifts.
The holidays inspire us to be more giving and we all know that giving always gives back. There are so many opportunities to give and so many people and organizations in need. Pick something close to your heart and give the way you want to give instead of how you think you are supposed to give.
21. Make something just for the sake of making it.
Be creative. Write a poem, start a book, get out the finger paints and a big piece of paper and express yourself. Make a cake. Create something out of nothing. Enjoy the process with no expectations and no pressure to “create a side hustle” or share on social media. Make it just for you, just for your holiday self care.
22. Give yourself a bedtime.
I don’t know about you, but for me there is a big difference in how I feel when I sleep for five or six hours vs. when I sleep for eight hours. I am a different person. Five-hour sleep me is tired, moody, confused and bothered by everything. Eight-hour sleep me is energized, clear-headed, optimistic and grateful. Start to prioritize your sleep by giving yourself a bedtime and then going to bed on time. Sleep well. This is a gift you’ll always appreciate.
23. Just breathe.
Frustrated? Breathe in. Breathe out. Worried? Breathe in. Breathe out. Overwhelmed? Breathe in. Breathe out. Confused? Breathe in. Breathe out. Exhausted? Breathe in. Breathe out. Start there and you can often avoid over-thinking and overreacting. Consider these other gentle ideas to calm anxiety and feel better.
24. Loosen your grip.
There are benefits to moving through life, work, and relationships with a softer step, a gentler look, and a lighter heart. If you want to be light, you have to let go. Loosen your grip on the things you desperately try to control. Hold on to what matters and let go of the rest.
25. Give yourself permission to be gentle.
This holiday self care idea will make such a difference in your life. We need to give ourselves permission to be gentle, slow and soft, to rest when we want, turn down the noise and find the ground beneath our feet. We need it not only when we are overwhelmed but always.
26. Remember that your boundaries exist.
Just because it’s holiday season doesn’t mean your boundaries don’t exist or are on hold. Big holiday gatherings are often emotionally charged. Take care of yourself when you attend and know when you shouldn’t attend.
27. Make a more/less list.
Consider what you’d like more of and less of over the holiday season or in the new year. Keep a little list to remind yourself about how you want to spend your time and energy. Ask yourself if it aligns with your more/less list.
