Holiday Self-Care: 9 Self-Care Ideas for December

Holidays can be stressful.

I know for some people, holidays can be hard. This can be due to trauma, financial worries, travel, family issues, or other things.

But even for people who ENJOY the holidays, they can still be a source of stress.

I’m someone who LOVES Christmas time! But with so much to plan, so much money to spend, and so much stress to seem happy and joyful – it can get stressful, right?

Self-care is always important, but it’s especially important during this time of year.

So, I wanted to share some self-care tips today. These ideas will keep you feeling happier, healthier, and more energetic during this chaotic time.

Here are 9 holiday self-care ideas for December!

1- Schedule time for your mind.

As I said in the intro, the holiday season can be stressful chaos. So it’s important to make time for your mind, for your sanity.

This can mean something different for different people. Some examples could be meditating, keeping up with therapy appointments, napping, or making time to do calming activities like taking baths or reading.

2- Set a budget.

Financial worries are a big part of holiday stress for many people. There are so many gifts to buy, travel expenses, events to pay for, food to purchase, etc.

Don’t put too much stress on yourself to splurge on more than you need to. Try to budget for each of these items and plan as much as you can. Also, don’t spend more just for the sake of appearances or expectations of others.

3- Take a break from social media.

We all know how big of a disconnect there is between social media and reality. So many posts are perfectly curated and staged and aren’t a realistic view of people’s lives, blah blah blah. We all know this and yet we still fall into the comparison trap so easily and in an unhealthy way.

There are so many expectations placed on us during the holidays to have a perfect season and social media exacerbates this problem. Comparing your stress to someone else’s picture-perfect holiday posts can make us feel like we’re doing something wrong when we’re not. If you need to, take a break from social media for a while and focus on yourself instead.

4- Say “no” or ask for help if you need to.

It’s easy to stretch ourselves too thin over the holidays by saying yes to all the things and biting off more than we can chew. But there’s no shame in saying “no” when we need to.

If you feel like your plate is already too full, politely decline requests that just seem like too much. If you feel like you need help with something, there’s no shame in asking for help either. The holidays are supposed to be a positive time and adding extra stress is just unnecessary!

5- Create the Christmas spirit.

I don’t know if it’s just me but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve felt the “Christmas spirit” less and less. So, I like to create the Christmas spirit sometimes!

This can mean different things to everyone but there are things I can always count on to put me in the Christmas spirit. Things like watching nostalgic Christmas movies from my childhood, reading cheesy Christmas chick-lit novels, and wrapping presents are always mood-boosters for me. Ooh and driving around at night listening to Christmas music and looking at all the pretty Christmas lights! Whatever gives you all the cozy Christmas vibes!

6- Acknowledge your feelings.

There’s so much stress during the holidays to appear festive and cheerful. But over half of adults experience some degree of the holiday blues each year and if that’s you, it’s important to acknowledge these feelings.

Repressing negative feelings doesn’t usually help them go away and in some cases, it can cause them to build up and make things worse. So take time to sit with your emotions, dig into your feelings, or even journal about them.

7- Get creative.

Holiday baking, holiday crafts, holiday art projects. All of these are such fun activities and I will never stop talking about how important being creative is for our mental health. It’s literally the single biggest thing that helped pull me out of deep mental health struggles!

Some ideas: bake some Christmas cookies for a neighbor, create some fun DIY decorations for an upcoming party, make a cute Christmas gift for a family member, or make your own DIY Christmas decor. Whatever you choose, just have fun with it!

8- Connect with a loved one.

Loved ones should be one of our top priorities during this season. So reach out to a loved one and really connect with them. Maybe a family member from out of town or a friend you haven’t seen in a while.

Let them know you’ve been thinking about them, tell them how much you care, vent about your negative emotions, or ask to meet up if you can. Whatever connection you need, make it happen.

9- Give back.

I know that this may seem counterintuitive since this is a list of self-care tips and you may be wondering why you would just add more to your plate, but hear me out! Giving is good for our minds and our souls.

There are so many organizations and people in need. It can really put into perspective how grateful we should be for who and what we have. Think of a cause or a group close to your heart and find a way to help them this holiday season. Give what you want and what you can. Even a small random act of kindness for a stranger will bring you joy. I promise you won’t regret it! <3