Be Kind To Yourself This Holiday Season

Whether we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or nothing at all, December can be a crazy time in our lives and if you are a parent, the usual crazy seems to multiply tenfold. Work parties, friend parties, family parties, winter concerts, winter parades, holiday shopping, gift exchanges, and the list goes on and on. It’s amazing what we can cram into about four weeks’ time. Here are some pointers that I am using myself to help get through the holidays hopefully with my sanity and my health intact.

 

Get Some Sleep!!!

Designate Monday night as your ‘going to bed early no matter what’ night. Tuck yourself in right after you tuck the kids in. What’s the worst that could happen? Yes, the wrapping, baking, dirty dishes, laundry, will all be there in the morning but you will feel so much more capable of tackling it with a solid night’s sleep under your belt. I’m not talking 7 or 8 hours either. Go for 9 or even (gasp!) 10. Remember what it feels like to wake up refreshed.

 

Don’t Over Commit

It’s okay to say ‘no’ if you’re up to your eyeballs in holiday party invites. Or, maybe divide and conquer with your significant other. Are there events that one of you can attend without the other? Take turns giving each other a break. If the kids have been invited to an ice skating party and a birthday party this month (yes, the dreaded December birthday), flip a coin. A good rule of thumb for us is that if we’re dreading going and it’s going to sap our time and energy, we beg off. Of course, family parties are usually excluded from this rule and we just have to suck it up and go.

 

Remember, You Are Not Martha Stewart

Do you find yourself baking, decorating, making your own Christmas wrapping paper and a full Santa village from gingerbread? If you don’t have the time, just don’t do it. Sometimes I think that all of those special ‘holiday edition’ magazines are just printed to set us up for failure. Some of us love to bake and make edible treats as hostess gifts or presents. I am one of those people, but I only do it if I can make the time (which usually means not dusting, mopping, or cleaning the tub). There have been lots of times when I will go and pick up a hostess gift instead of making one. A lovely flavoured olive oil or some rubs and spices for the hostess who loves to cook are always something that is appreciated because it can be used long after the holidays. If you’re not a baker, don’t bake. If you feel like you just had to sign up for the office cookie exchange, then go to a bakery and buy some really lovely cookies or biscotti. It’s not a crime and it may just save your sanity. Pick up gift bags from the dollar store. You can get amazingly attractive ones these days and they’re practical and reusable. Buy the gingerbread house kit from the Bulk Barn, some dollar store icing tubes and let the kids go to it. All they really care about is the decorative candy anyway. And whatever you do, never ever compare yourself to Martha Stewart.

 

Eat As Healthy As You Can

Ah, holiday treats: Egg nog, cookies, pastries and rich, meaty appetizers, sauces, cheeses, wine, cider, cocktails. Shall I go on? There is nothing like the smell and taste of certain foods around the holiday to evoke memories of our childhood and it’s natural to want to indulge. When we were kids, it was one more gingerbread cookie or latke. Now, it’s another bite of baked brie or glass of wine. I am certainly never going to be one to preach abstinence around the holiday season, but I will tell you to listen to your body’s signals now, more than ever. Maybe that tired, dragged out feeling has less to do with lack of sleep and more to do with your increased intake of refined sugars, alcohol, and lack of leafy greens during the festivities. Green beans don’t really count if they’re baked in a casserole with mushroom soup and a crunchy topping. Try to maintain a little balance in your diet through these busy times. Have veggie soup and a salad for lunch if you’re going to an after work cocktail party. Bake yourself some salmon for dinner if you’ve been to a Meet Santa breakfast full of pancakes and bacon. Whatever you do, never go to a party or any other holiday event hungry, not just because you will be tempted to do a face plant into the pate, but because you will be able to resist grabbing whichever decadent offering comes your way, and save your taste buds for you those treats you truly long for. 

 

Get Some Exercise

Yes, it’s cold out and snowy or rainy, but if you find that you don’t have time to hit the gym, try some other strategies to get some exercise into your day. Take the kids skating or just go for a walk around the neighbourhood to look at the decorations. Dash out on your lunch break and do some window shopping or park farther away from the mall entrance. Most importantly though, don’t kick yourself if you feel you just can’t get in a good workout. End your day with some soothing yoga and consider the time you spent scrubbing the house before the descent of the in-laws your workout for the day. Just because you’re not using weight machines and an elliptical machine doesn’t mean you didn’t get any exercise for the week. Trimming the tree, cleaning the house, shoveling the snow (or raking leaves), and hiking around the mall are all tiring for a reason! Keep stretching whenever you can and you should be ready to resume your ‘normal’ life come January.

 

Ultimately, you can’t enjoy doing good deeds, being with your family, sharing and giving if you are run-down, and stressed out. I remind myself on an almost daily basis to just be kind to myself and those around me. Isn’t that what the holidays are all about?