Healthy ideas for your inbox
Finally, a moment to breathe after days (or weeks) of holiday travel, parties, time with family and cooking meals. Maybe it’s time for the kids to go back to school, or maybe you finally have your apartment to yourself again after multiple days of hosting. Either way, it’s time to check in with your body and your mental health and hit that reset button.
4 ways to decompress after the holidays
Because the holiday season can be stress-filled — even if it’s good stress — it leaves little space for you to recover between events. Thankfully, getting some much-needed R&R doesn’t require an expensive, all-inclusive spa day (although it can). Here are some easy, low-effort ways to ground yourself and prepare for the year ahead.
Take some alone time
If you’ve been going nonstop during the holiday season, make sure to schedule some alone time. Even for extroverts, taking a day (or two) out of the week to check in with yourself is a great way to recharge after a stressful season.
Having alone time doesn’t mean you have to sit in a dark room and meditate for hours (though you can, if that’s your vibe). A hot bath or a mindful walk are quick ways to spend a moment alone, but remember — you can be alone around others, too. Reading at a coffee shop, people watching at your favorite restaurant or journaling at your local library are all ways to focus on yourself without the pressure of social interaction.
Make some time for yourself
The holidays are over, and the end of the Big Dark is still well out of sight. But even if you feel like you could go weeks without leaving your house, it’s important not to cut yourself off from the outside world.
Try making at least one plan a week. If you don’t feel like grabbing dinner with a friend or a low-key movie night, try having a quiet reading date at a coffee shop, having a quick video call check-in with your long-distance bestie or volunteering with a local organization.
Eat your favorite meals
What better way to practice self-care than to indulge in your favorite meals?
Bonus points if you are up for making it yourself after all the holiday cooking. In the Pacific Northwest, lots of tasty vegetables are in season during the winter.
You can turn it into a mindfulness practice: Take some intentional alone time to pick up ingredients and make your favorite recipe (or something really easy and low-effort, like a yummy salad.)
Set small goals
Don’t let the idea of setting goals in the new year cause stress after a busy season. Instead of thinking about resolutions as a fresh start, try coming up with more manageable goals as another way to hit the reset button.
Throughout the start of the year, try setting a small self-care goal each day. Maybe this is the time to declutter or take a social media break. Or maybe it’s time to schedule your annual screenings or a therapy appointment. You don’t have to pledge to change your whole life — start somewhere realistic.
It’s OK to prioritize yourself
Decompressing after a busy time can bring up a lot of big feelings. Add on the fact that it’s still dark before 5 p.m. and, well, this time of year can be tough on your mental health.
After a season of giving, remember the importance of giving back to yourself, too.
