Personally, I look forward to the holiday season every year. Growing up, I rarely saw a perfect Christmas, but watching New Orleans change as the seasons change has always been one of my favorite things.i will live forever for nana GumboIt’s most fun when the air is chilly, but it’s also one of the few times of year when Louisiana feels like it’s actually in season. Maybe it’s the weather, or maybe it’s the corny TV movies, but there’s something about this time of year that captivates me.
As children of parents who work in retail, our holidays hardly ever look the same. Some years, I would wake up in the middle of the night and worry about wanting to see what would be in the morning, but I could hear my mother still cooking and wrapping and I could see what time she was. But I knew I was going to wake my mom up. finished. Unfortunately, there were some holidays when I couldn’t find the presents in the morning. After going to school, some holidays were spent alone, while others were spent with invited friends, whose family was run by the tradition of inviting cousins and other relatives.
It’s safe to say that my journey to understanding how to keep myself moving towards self-love and spiritual purpose meant observing how we approach the holiday season. What were the pitfalls that caused anxiety in your interactions with your family? What actions have I taken that have increased my stress levels and those around me? Basically, how can I manage all that extra money and still be successful during the holiday season?
These 5 vacation self-care tips are the best thing I’ve learned.
Top 5 self-care tips for the holidays
1. Budget
Nothing fuels my anxiety more than waking up from the holiday hype and realizing I’ve spent too much money.and waste “Gift-giving” is one of my love languages, so it might be a no-brainer for me. It’s like a puzzle. I think about the people I love, what they want, and what they don’t particularly need, but what they are communicating. My goal is to find a gift that balances the two of them and makes their lives a little easier at the same time while climbing to the top of the gift-giving game (trust me there is a game of gift-giving). But it’s easy to give in to this. What started as a list of 3-4 people to receive gifts somehow snowballed into a list of 8-10 people. Then, since those co-workers gave me a gift, I should give them something too, right?And my (sort of) boss just had two of the best adorable twins. And at that time, he was the friend who took me to the airport. So, while I don’t have a limit on my giving season, my checking account does.
Don’t jump into the gift-giving waters without first understanding what your financial situation is and whether it will change due to the holiday season. Do you get paid a month early because the office is closed and you can’t start budgeting until mid-January? Your bank offers a benefit that allows you to skip your credit card payments this month. First, understand how much you generally have to spend on gifts.So how much of that money? should Do you spend money on gifts? The answer for me is always less than your budget so you can live your best life in the new year with what’s left. Finally, resist the urge to shop until you get bored in the name of a gift. Instead, identify people who would like to receive a meaningful gift and who would be just as happy to receive a thoughtful card in the mail. This way, gift-giving will be fun and you won’t wake up in a cold sweat wondering if the leftovers in the fridge will last you until your paycheck.
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2. Maintain the same energy
One of the things I look forward to during the holiday season is spending time with friends and family. I’m excited to decorate, drink, eat, and sing unapologetically. quiet night Temptations (on key) — I look forward to this moment all year long. At the same time, we can’t allow ourselves to get so excited that we forget who we are. In my natural state, I’m an introvert who enjoys being at home or at the gym.People are hooked listening to Michelle Obama read aloud. Become I’m starting to wonder if I’m “listening wildly”. Importantly, vacations include more excursions, family gatherings, friendsgiving, and more festive than usual. Without realizing it, you’re trying to figure out why you feel “off” or like your brain won’t shut down. At that time, I remembered this.
Vacations are all about managing your energy.
Perhaps more than any other season, it’s important to remember to take time for yourself. There is no shortage of invitations to events, dinners, and kickbacks, but I have to resist the feeling of having to go to them all. I don’t. My friends and family know me and love me for who I am. They know that I’m so energetic that I sometimes seem to be doing things, and they know that I tend to spend most of my time alone recharging. Either way, I know I need to maintain boundaries that show that I prioritize my care. This means I also need to recharge by myself at home or at the gym when I need to, so I can stay in control of my energy and be present at any gatherings I attend.
3. Recharge your energy
At some point during the holidays, my work shuts down and my week, which is usually governed by a realistic schedule, becomes somewhat up in the air. So far, I’ve been able to manage my energy well and know when I have social energy and when I don’t, but what should I do while I’m here? Are you looking for? Read a book? Yes, yes. A while back, I discovered the importance of finding things that satisfy my spirit and started watching some TV shows and audiobooks to make my time at home recharging my spirit as well. Carefully selected.
I thought about my career and where I wanted to go. I thought about my life and the milestones I wanted to achieve. Were you working toward marriage or just working? Are children really something I’ve always wanted, or are they actually non-negotiable? I spent a lot of time figuring out what kind of person I wanted to be, but also what kind of person I wanted to be. get married and build a life together. I created a vision board with a friend. It’s still in sight in my living room (and slowly unfolding into reality). Holidays are a time surrounded by the concepts of love, gratitude, peace, and joy, the perfect universal energy for me to grow.
4. Exists
My mother worked in retail, so I spent a good deal of my childhood in shopping malls, watching 15-foot Christmas trees and crowds swarming for presents, the soundtrack to the entire experience. The holiday classic was set in the background. Every store seemed to have the perfect advertisement to attract a crowd, appealing to idealists. Images of children laughing on sleds in the snow are offset by the phrase “Her 10% Off Clearance on Select Items.” Or a family sitting in front of a fireplace wearing matching buy-one-get-one-free costumes. There was no shortage of dreams sold to me, and I came here for them all.
From there I started developing the concept of what a vacation is. Assumption to look like. The family gathers in her single, beautifully decorated home, gathers around a dinner table in front of strategically placed Martha Stewart dinnerware, and vows fellowship. Kids in the kitchen could playfully participate in baking cookies for Santa using her top-of-the-line 5-in-1 stand mixer. This was the goal, but despite my best efforts, it never materialized for me.
Even as I grew older and more independent, I still had an ideal of what a holiday should be like. It’s about doing your best to create experiences with friends and family that establish meaningful memories, or even traditions. I would decide how much time I would spend at each person’s house, considering 1) whether I could trust their cooking, 2) whether I could handle the conversation, and 3) how the new family drama would affect relationships. Create a formula to calculate how much time you should spend. dynamics. I was putting my energy into building the perfect day or series of days. I’m trying to figure out in my head how I can move my friends and family into my version of in-store advertising locations. After all, this energy is better spent elsewhere.
Some of the best vacations I’ve ever had were those where I had no expectations or plans. My Christmas attire mostly consists of hiding in the nearest blanket I can find to sleep on gumbo, potato salad, and two slices of pie. The best holidays I’ve ever had are the ones where I was allowed to just be there, completely unfazed and oblivious to things. did it or should yeah, I’m doing it. I think Brene Brown talks about the value of letting go of what should be and accepting what is. This applies not only to his relationship with himself, but also to those around him.
5. Gratitude
A good holiday movie always ends with some kind of revelation. At the beginning, the main character loses sight of the true meaning of Christmas and causes suffering to himself and others. Then some kind of dilemma arises, and now our vacation is threatened by unforeseen circumstances. But just towards the end of the movie, something unites us and reminds us that all we need to celebrate the holidays is each other and the love in our hearts. So, while this concept has been recklessly applied to screenwriting for decades, there’s some truth to it.
One of the most important ways to be successful during the holiday season is to work with a deep sense of gratitude for how my past experiences have brought me to this point. It wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be, and it wasn’t exactly where I had been. . Instead of wishing I could change past Christmas mornings, I have a chance to improve another child’s Christmas morning.
Instead of worrying about creating the perfect holiday season, focus on putting yourself in a variety of loving environments where you can be accepted or not, and receive enough authentic love. Masu. I accept the best in people and their intentions and do my best to keep a happy heart. Instead of taking things personally, you work harder to understand the causes of someone’s behavior, which may have nothing to do with you. Consider keeping a gratitude journal (even for just one week). Write down one or two things each day that bring you joy or make you feel good.
In the end, there are many reasons why I love this time of year, but the most important one seems to be that the world is becoming more and more chaotic and divided…
The holiday season (for now) is still a season that calls us to slow down, to stay grounded in the love and experience of those around us, and to believe in the simple and joyful.
It’s like an active meditation once a year that reminds you of the happy moments that your busy life and goals keep you from.
This holiday season, take time to take care of yourself, participate fully and actively in that joy and love, and enter the year refreshed and ready for all the glory that 2020 will bring. Let’s get started.
