Two Steps to Thrive During the Holidays (Not Just Survive)
/Who wants a less stressful holiday season?
This time of year is hectic. And the month of December is usually such a blur. Running around shopping for our loved ones, decorating, baking, attending gatherings.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the most stressful. Do you agree?
During this time of year, I think it’s extra important to be doing self care practices that are purely for our own restoration and pleasure.
And in my experience restoring and taking time for pleasure are different and necessary in their own right.
When I talk about restorative self care I am talking about taking the time to recharge your own batteries, in whatever way that looks like for you. Restoring activities give you that boost of energy that helps you feel like your best version of yourself.
Some restorative self care might look like:
drinking plenty of water
getting ample sleep
taking a nap
eating healthy food
going for a walk
meditating
taking a few deep breaths
watching a silly youtube video of puppies playing
These actions are the metaphorical version of putting your oxygen mask on first before taking care of others. If you have no juice in your own battery, you are going to get into that Grinchy place really fast.
If restoring is all about bringing yourself back to a full charge, pleasure is all about bringing life back into your body.
You may think that you are already full on pleasure during the holidays because there is so much delicious food to be had. But pleasure extends beyond just food that tastes good -- pleasure is about experiencing life with all of your five senses - feel, taste, hear, sight and smell.
Human beings, and especially women, are pleasure starved. We don’t know how to simply enjoy our life. We know how to binge - grab a bottle of wine and drink the whole thing while catching up on the latest series release on Netflix. Then we wake up the next day feeling bloated, crampy, nauseous, and stiff.
Pleasure is all about fully experiencing the senses and being fully present in the moment. It’s not about over-indulging or turning into an oversexed glutton. Pleasure releases oxytocin in your body, which is the feel-good hormone. Scientifically, it helps lower your blood pressure and feel less stressed. Take away the science, and it helps you live a full, joyful life where you feel like you are truly alive. No one explains the benefits to science better than my coach Susan Hyatt.
Pleasure is all about the senses and slowing down to a pace where you can actually take it all in. Even small experiences can be pleasurable if you take a moment to breathe and notice your senses.
When increasing the pleasure in your life, consider creating a playlist of music that you love listening to or helps you relax (the Relax & Unwind playlist on Spotify is also a great pick). Pick up a candle or incense that smells really good. Take a hot shower with a shower bomb so it releases a lovely scent (and often they look pretty too!). When you are enjoying food that you really love, slow down and savor each bite. Involve as many of your senses as possible. Look at the beautiful colors or the presentation. Notice how the smells hit your nose and help you to anticipate the taste. How does it feel on your tongue? And what wonderful tastes are happening?
Pleasure does not have to mean an entire day spent at the spa. It can be simply slowing down to enjoy what you have by using your senses or appreciating the time spent with people you love.
This holiday season, I encourage you to take these two steps.
Create a daily ritual to restore your energy. Maybe that means giving yourself a few minutes to sit and breathe when you wake up in the morning. Or going to bed a little earlier. Create a habit of taking care of yourself. You’re worth it.
Add pleasure to your day by slowing down and involving the senses. Aim to have one pleasure driven activity per week - maybe you make time for a hot bath or you schedule a friend date and have a bonfire while you catch up.
I want you to thrive through this holiday season. Set yourself up for the win, and let me know how it goes. Try these two steps for yourself right now.
Next week, I will send you a full guide for self care so that you have plenty of ideas for your own restorative and pleasure practices!
And I am wishing you health, happiness and love!
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Do you want more help with your self care? Want me to make it really easy for you?
You’re in luck because I am giving away 40 ideas for your self care. This is an easy to use guide to take the guess work out of the process and give you plenty of ideas to focus on restorative actions and pleasurable actions. Grab yours here.