Self-care routines for the holidays (Video)

In previous videos, we’ve seen how self-care shouldn’t be considered as an indulgence, it’s an important part of good health and wellness. Of course, if you’re busy between work and family, it’s common that you take better care of others than yourself but, whenever you take time off for yourself, your body and your brain have the opportunity to rest and recharge, and this allows you to you improve your productivity and performance in life and at work.

Also, if you ever feel exhausted, you tend to get angry or lose patience easily, or even get sick often, these may be signs that you have to take some time off. And if you’re not healthy, you can’t help other people, you can’t take care of them. So, it might sound as a selfish thing to do, but prioritizing your self-care is actually selfless because it gives you the opportunity to be more present for yourself and for those you love or care about.

The holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can cause much more stress than pleasure during these days. You’re working on your year-end work reports, you’re invited to events and parties, you’re wrapping presents, you’re organizing family gatherings, your healthy diets are tossed aside, and you may find yourself sleeping even less than usual because you’re trying to fit everything into your busy schedule. This sounds like a recipe for burnout. The solution is to prioritize yourself to better enjoy the holidays, and routines can come to the rescue.

It’s going to be a very hectic time so it’s imperative that you carve out some time for yourself, possibly every day. However, it doesn’t have to take hours: even a 10-minute routine in the morning or in the night can be very beneficial to minimize the pressure and lower your stress levels.

In the video above, our coach expert Sabrina Cadini shared some ideas that you can incorporate into your self-care routines for the holiday season. Keep in mind that these are some of the many things that you can add to your routines (such as reading, a spa day, family time, and so on), so just pick the activities that you enjoy doing to pamper your body, your mind, and your soul.

Move regularly

Exercise is an essential component of wellness, and the lack of activity has been linked to various physical and mental health problems. It also improves your metabolism, energy levels, and mood.

Here is where a lot of people get stuck because they think they need to belong to a gym or to a sports league in order to satisfy their fitness needs. But this is not the case: you don’t need to be an athlete or have a membership at your gym to exercise regularly.

Walking is an excellent way to stay in shape, whether you do chores around the house when you get up in the morning (like Sabrina does) or while you take breaks keeps you moving, and you can also easily work out from the comfort of your home with a fitness app.

One quick recommendation: if you decide to go with an intense workout session, try to make it part of your morning routine since strenuous exercise can affect your sleep if done later in the afternoon.

Keep a gratitude journal

This can be done first thing in the morning or as a last thing at night, and you can just write down a few things you’re grateful for. This activity is excellent because, when you’re feeling grateful, you reduce your anxiety or stress levels as your mind can’t focus on positive and negative emotions at the same time.

The holiday version of gratitude journaling can be writing gratitude letters to friends or family who have a very special place in your life or have made your life better.

Keep watching the video to discover more ideas for your routines, and how to start a routine and maintain it for long-lasting results.

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Mana can be very helpful to create (and apply) routines to your day, and you can start adding the ideas we discussed in the video as a starting point.

Want to know more about Mana? Download the app today and schedule a call with one of our coaches to learn how to spend your time better!