10 Simple Self Care Activities to Keep You Less Stressed this Busy Season
Each Christmas, many of us get stressed. But isn’t it meant to be the ‘Most wonderful time of the year’? Starting now, use these 10 simple self care activities to help you feel less chaos and more christmas, this holiday season.
It’s amazing how stressful the ‘holiday season’ can be, especially if you’re a mum with a million tabs open. But self care activities shouldn’t go on the back burner just because we have more to do - in fact, neglecting them may contribute to the giant feeling of exhaustion we feel after we push ourselves so hard for a couple of months. (Because, the big sales start in late October, early November now, right?)
For some self care activities to create more peace on a simple level, read on!
Self Care Ideas for Mums in the Busy Season - Stop being overwhelmed at Christmas. Mum Ideas for Christmas peace. How to be calm at Christmas through these 10 tips and self care activities to build your emotional wellbeing and organise your home at Christmas.
1: Give yourself 5 minutes daily, to do nothing.
Every day, taking time to actually do nothing (and remember how to do this) means you can learn to be more present with yourself and how you are feeling at that moment. Working on your ability to actually slow down (it can take awhile) means you give your body more time to catch up - and also your mind. It’s super important for your health and your ability to actually engage with the world in a meaningful, intentional way.
2: Each morning, write down 2 things you are grateful for
Gratitude is amongst one of the most effective ways to start refreshing and reframing your own mental health. If we also add ‘self-gratitude’ here, our results from following this simple directive will be even more profound. In other words, practicing gratitude, whether you use a gratitude journal or just a piece of paper, is capable of changing your brain’s wiring - to be more positive. (It’s all to do with neuroplasticity!) So - grab yourself one of these gorgeous T2 teas (because they are amazing!) and get ready to jot down 2 things!
It’s just the second of these self care activities which will help you in this busy time of year.
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3: Prepare yourself for the craziest moments!
Many of us manage to cope on those ‘big occasions’ at least some of the time'; but it’s often those crazy moments in the lead-up to something big (like family Christmas) that make the icing slide off the cake, so to speak. So, instead of melting down on December 22nd because you realised you hadn’t given any thought to what you were going to do for the kids’ Christmas stocking, or missed the timeline to buy that springfree trampoline; use preparation as one of your ideas for self care, by planning what will be your biggest stressful moments (ie Christmases, breakups, kids’ Christmas shows) and getting them as sorted as possible, beforehand!
4: Make the special things, special. (Organise your mum’s present first!)
Make the special things special. This is similar to #3 in that it requires preparation. Sometimes, we end up giving a present we haven’t really thought about to someone who we actually really wanted to spend time shopping for - all because we left it until late, or had unexpected things crop up when we hadn’t expected them.
In other words, get your mum’s present first. Get your hubby’s present first - anyone like camping gear? - so you can rest easy, with less in your busy brain every night when you’re trying to go to sleep.
5: Don’t neglect your own present!
As someone with a birthday close to Christmas, I struggle with this every year. It’s trying to think of something appropriate that we want - and also something that we know will tie into the KK budget for the family - that can be just so stressful! In order to get around this, we started creating a present list on our phones. A wish list that means we can pop whatever we want on it, and share the most fitting present idea with the right person.
A little side note: If you tell Mum that you want one of those gorgeous candles from Dusk, write ‘mum’ next to it on your list - then you know not to recommend that to others. This saves the I’ve-been-given-5-candles situation, too. I know you’ve been there!
6: Let your kids watch a christmas movie early.
I can hear you saying ‘but where do I fit in all this preparation?’ Well, here’s my tip… create a Christmas movie night (or any other movie night) before Christmas. Like, a month before. Give the kids the popcorn, pop Netflix on and get yourself organised by making a list, doing the online shopping alone (squeal!) or getting into the wrapping if you’re a ready-before-December sort of mum. (Don’t forget, though - if you’re doing online shopping you need to save yourself money by using Cashrewards - such great savings! It’s crazy to not be using this - and the Chrome extension makes things WAY easier, too.)
I know we have to be careful about screen time - but it’s a simple, occasional way to give yourself a little moment to just get this sorted - so you don’t have to give up #1 or #2 on this list.
7: Get a massage in early December.
This needs no explanation. If you can get yourself a massage in early December (book it in November), then do it!! Get yourself pampered and ready to go, so you can wind down the year in a more relaxed fashion. If you need nails done, or want to treat yourself to a shopping trip for you - do it when you have a little more time.
8: Choose your Christmas outfit and accessories so you know you’ll feel glamorous on the day!
It’s not ‘necessary’, but it’s one of those little self care activities you can use to make you feel good, especially on Christmas Day. In fact, using the same outfit for different Christmas functions isn’t bad - you can save money by getting one good outfit and wearing it around different people! Some ideas to purchase to make you day just that little bit more glam might be:
-some earrings like the beautiful ones on Gifts Australia
-A stunning summer Christmas dress
-A beautiful, sunsmart-but-glam hat for our typical Aussie Christmas!
In other words, get a little glammed up, but before you need to find an outfit that you haven’t worn half the year already. Hang it in your wardrobe ready to go! It will keep your stress levels on a peacef
9: Take a step back from the ‘trappings’.
On a serious note, while some of these ideas for self care might seem a little frivolous to some, they are all geared towards helping you feel less stressed. So, on that note, if you feel like you are stressing out about things that probably don’t need to be a priority #1 - like if the kids have covered the Christmas tree in handmade, weird-looking tinsel; or if Grandma’s Christmas pudding is a little sideways this year - then it’s time to drop those expectations on yourself and give yourself a little break.
The trappings aren’t all of it - and if the people around you just want the ‘perfect Christmas’, then maybe this is about setting some boundaries and giving them a reminder that it’s not about the things that make Christmas so much as the people we spend it with.
If you are feeling a tonne of mum guilt because you can’t afford those big Christmas presents this year (because the economy hasn’t recovered much, right?) then try being honest and dropping that guilt - because it doesn’t serve anyone, anyway. If you want to find out more about how you can do this, check out my handy ebook STOP MUM GUILT for a quick, easy, before-holiday read!
10: Make sure you and your partner are on the same page!
A hugely important (and often left out) part of self care activities involves cultivating peaceful, harmonious and playful relationships with our partners. While the busy season means we can’t necessarily have as much time as usual to spend together watching Netflix (I see you), it does mean that if there are misunderstandings between you and your partner around Christmas expectations, present-giving or function times, it can get heated fast. In other words, stress, even the stress of managing kids’ dance breakups, school finishing, our own work breakups and Christmas parties - including our family functions - means there is often a more pronounced ‘hum’ of anxiety in the background, which can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications easily.
Use this as a surprising self care practice - have a little 5 minute overview of the week/day/few days with your partner regularly, even if you’re both tired. Then when either of you need clarification, you already have the basic details. Yes, this can mean popping it onto the calendar too!
It’s not enough to just drop all the self care activities during the busy season.
In fact, all these things are self care, because they help you feel refreshed and care for yourself and your family in a more holistic way. What are your go-to secrets in the Christmas season?
Other posts you might find interesting:
5 Vision Board Ideas You Can Use To Reach Your Real-Life Goals & Increase Motivation
How Mum Guilt & Social Media Can Stop You Living Your Best Life - And What To Do About It
3 Mum Hacks To Help You Save Money At Christmas (or any time)
Also, Listen To The Mum Wellbeing Podcast Right Here - 15 Minute Episodes To Help You Move Through Your Mum Life!
Want to feel less overwhelm - and more peace?
Miranda is a teacher-turned stress management and emotional wellbeing coach, for mums who are finding life overwhelming and stressful. She also authors wellbeing books such as Stopping the Mum Guilt Trap and fantasy novels, as well as creates physical journals and products for women.
If you feel overwhelmed, or are sick and tired of feeling that horrible guilt you carry around in your chest for ‘not doing everything well enough’, you are definitely not alone.
Don’t forget to listen to Miranda’s 10-15 minute episodes on The Mum Wellbeing Podcast!
Self Care Ideas for Mums in the Busy Season - Stop being overwhelmed at Christmas. Mum Ideas for Christmas peace. How to be calm at Christmas through these 10 tips and self care activities to build your emotional wellbeing and organise your home at Christmas.
