The holidays can be BRUTAL. The shopping, wrapping, baking, making, visiting, decorating, and all the rest of it, can be truly overwhelming. That’s why it’s even more important at this time of year to do things that will support your physical, emotional, and mental health.
We want to start the new year feeling GREAT, not wanting to crawl into a hole and hibernate for a month to recharge!
Here are six things I try to do every holiday season to stay happy through the holidays:
6. Make your list(s) – and check it more than twice!
I’m a bit of a list addict. If I don’t keep a list of things to do, gifts to get, what’s been wrapped, etc., I get lost, because there’s already too much going on in my brain. I love lists on paper, but you can also download an app for your phone or keep a list on your computer. Whatever kind of list works for you, use it!
I recommend having a dedicated Christmas binder to look back on who (and what) you’ve bought in previous years, so you don’t forget anyone. I have a running list, and a ‘good’ list, the one that goes in the binder, that I write as I wrap.
Having the list has helped SO many times for those ‘hidden’ gifts that get stashed away and promptly forgotten. If you write it down as you wrap it, you can check to make sure all the boxes are accounted for on the day of! No more finding gifts in March.
It also helps to keep a continual list of what still needs doing, for gifts, cards, grocery shopping, and the big dinner. If it’s not written down, it’s forgotten, like the poor cranberry sauce that for years didn’t make it to the table… 5. Get wrapping!
There were far too many years that I left the bulk of my wrapping until the wee hours of December 24th. FAR TOO MANY. Then, I got sick of feeling – and looking – horrible on Christmas Day with too little sleep.
Trying to enjoy the unwrapping, make an enormous dinner, and stay ‘festive’ was a *huge* effort that I had very little patience for. Now, I wrap as I get gifts. I set up in front of a Christmas movie, do a few at a time, and enjoy the whole process. I’m not freaked out about running out of time, out of paper, or out of patience!
Pre-wrapping also makes you feel accomplished. It’s a lot less pressure, you know it’s not a mountain of wrapping ahead of you, and you’re more likely to stop after a reasonable time. If you set a timer for the time you have, or you dedicate a show or movie for your wrap time, you have no stress about leaving the rest ‘for next time’.
It's even nicer when you add a festive snack or beverage to your wrapping time!
When you wrap gifts, write the recipient’s name on a seam of the paper. If you keep it small, no one else will even notice, but you will ALWAYS know who the gift belongs to. It works! There’s always one gift that the tag falls off (or that you forgot to put a tag on, in the first place)!
Another thing I’ve started in the past few years is transitioning to using less wrapping paper. I’ve gotten fabric gift bags for my family’s gifts that can be reused year after year, and that makes the wrapping process even faster. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, it wouldn’t take much to whip up a few and incorporate them into this season’s gifting! 4. Keep Moving!
Of course, I’m going to mention this! I completely understand that fitting in exercise this time of year is challenging. Getting outside can be very uncomfortable. Even finding some space to work out around the Christmas tree can be interesting!
The rest of the year is hard enough finding time for yourself to move; the holidays bring extra activities and ‘jobs’ to get done. Truly, though, the best thing you can do for yourself is find some time to move! A 15-minute walk or workout. A few minutes on your mat for the Hundred or some Roll Ups. It doesn’t need to be a lot - it just needs to happen! You know what makes this easier? Getting some sleep. If you're not sleeping, I can guarantee you're struggling to move.
Not only will your body feel better, but your brain will, too. You won’t feel like you’ve given up on yourself (again). You’ll have more patience, clarity, and a better mood. You’ll start the new year without feeling like you’re starting from scratch (and without that resolution to lose the weight you gained over Christmas)!
Next time your head tells you, “Ugh, I don’t feel like moving”, get going. No matter how much you think you don’t want to, you’ll appreciate it when you do. 3. SLEEP.
I mentioned this earlier, but it’s SO important it needs to have its own section.
Sleep helps everything. EVERYTHING.
I'm naturally a night owl, so I know this is tough. If I don't make time for sleep, I don't find time to do my personal Pilates practice, I can't focus on the tasks I need to do, and I don't have the patience with my family that I want.
Getting to sleep at a reasonable hour makes you feel SO much better throughout the day, and you’re not a bundle of tension. Your pictures don’t look like your family adopted a zombie. You don’t fuel yourself with coffee and wine and snacks to keep going!
Living on a lack of sleep keeps your cortisol levels high, which can lead to weight gain (especially if you’re into the cookies a lot to keep going). At a time where you’re demanding so much of yourself, the least you can do is get some sleep.
Instead of considering sleep as an afterthought, try making it a priority this season. If no other tip here helps, use this one.
Give *yourself* a gift. Get some sleep! 2. Fuel up
It’s EASY around the holidays to get into a merry-go-round of crappy eating, too much alcohol, and too much food, period.
I know it’s highly unrealistic to expect you to be fabulous with your food intake during the holidays, so I’ll suggest what I always do with your Pilates practice: a little bit goes a long way. Something is better than nothing at all.
So, for your food intake, try these tips:
Add fruits & veggies wherever you can. Having eggs for breakfast? Add some baby spinach, peppers, or tomatoes – or even easier, serve them with some salsa! Having some oats? Toss in some blueberries or raspberries!
Have a salad for lunch (with some roasted lentils, or chicken, or other protein). Not only are there a ton of nutrients, but the roughage will help your body process more of the less nutritious foods you're putting in it!
Plan dinner every night. It’s the worst when you have no plan and are stuck wondering what to eat at the 11th hour. It takes the stress off and it's one less thing to worry about. Make sure you have a vegetable in there, even if it's from a can (remember, something is better than nothing! The bar does not have to be high).
Eat something before you go out. Something real, that’s fuel, not just something you stick in your mouth (preferably with a vegetable). Think a small salad or smoothie. It doesn’t have to be big; you just help yourself by not showing up somewhere starving (when it’s really hard to say no to everything on the dessert table).
When you’re out, balance something you know isn’t very nutritious with something that is, just like you balance your alcohol with water. You DO balance your alcohol with water, right?!?
It might not seem like it’ll help, but every one of these suggestions add up to more energy and less weight gain. Give your body a little support!
1. Be present.
It sounds cheesy, but being present is truly a gift to yourself.
It’s hard, worrying about what needs doing, who needs to be where, and when you’re going to get it all in.
When you start stressing, take a breath, look around, and realize, *this* is all that matters. The kids or grandkids, excited about their lists. Visitors and time together. Time off work or school. Making treats. Being together. Sharing in the beauty and magic of the season.
Taking a few moments to re-centre yourself helps it not be so overwhelming.
It’ll all happen, regardless of how prepared you feel, so remind yourself that you’d actually like to enjoy all the time and effort you’ve put in!
I hope you use some of these suggestions to enjoy the holidays more and get time to spend with the people you love.
Hitting January feeling rested, relaxed, and recharged IS possible if you take care of yourself throughout December.
Got any tips of your own you’d like to share to help keep happy through the holidays?
I’d love to read (and share) them, so please comment below. Merry Christmas if you celebrate!
Xo, Kimberly
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