The holiday hustle and bustle can leave even the most seasoned mom frazzled.
As soon as December hits, our schedules fill up exponentially. From cookie swaps to carpools, shopping excursions to school concerts, our calendars have no blank spaces left.
For the 2023 holiday season I am diving back into my FlyLady lessons and the habit of the month for December is “pampering”. You can read more about that here. For me, pampering has a lot to do with self-care, so that is what I’m going to be focusing on.
While caring for others this season, don't forget to prioritize some pampering for yourself too, mamas! You beautifully hold so much together - you deserve to recharge.
Let me inspire you to indulge in some rest, relaxation, and “me time” before the new year arrives:
Cozy up to a crackling fire with a cup of hot cocoa just for you.
No marshmallows to share or spills to clean!
I’m still adjusting to the whole “single parent” situation, but being a widow, there are no his and hers weekends for the kids. Sometimes I just have to give myself a mommy time-out and take a few minutes for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love the time I have with my kids, but even taking a few minutes to cuddle up with a book, some hot cocoa and my fake-fireplace, it can feel like a mini vacation!
Soak in an Epsom salt tub surrounded by candlelight and soft music.
Let the magnesium work its magic on your sore muscles and mind. Those To Do lists can wait!
This one isn’t really for me, but if you find soaking in a bath relaxing, then cheers! In the past, any time I have tried to let Calgon take me away, all I end up doing is stressing myself out about all of the things I could be doing instead! So if a relaxing bath is anything but, mix it up with something you do find enjoyable! I love doing my nails, not that I enjoy waiting for paint to dry. You may not think it’s relaxing, but I even enjoy doing my nails while I record video for my YouTube channel! You can check out my latest nail video here. Sometimes my self-care includes multi-tasking.
Let someone else wrap the mountain of gifts accumulating in the guest room.
Hire a neighborhood teen or drop them at the gift wrapping station in the mall (thank you to whoever invented this!!). Then put your feet up with a holiday movie just for mom.
My oldest daughter has suffered with holiday anxiety for years. Last year, I let her help me wrap gifts for her sister as well as for other family members. Not only did it help me get the gifts wrapped, it helped her anxiety by giving her some control over the holidays! If you can’t afford to pay someone to wrap up the gifts, or don’t have someone old enough to help, cut yourself a little slack! Gift bags with tissue paper are totally acceptable. I even met another small business mama that doesn’t even wrap their gifts! With five children, a working spouse and a growing home business, this family made a tradition in which each member gets a large tub/container/bin that is covered. All the gifts go into each family member’s container by Christmas Eve and they spend Christmas Day enjoying their gifts with little to no extra clean up!
Building daily habits is totally self-care.
If you haven’t had a chance to read the FlyLady Monthly Habit for December, I encourage you to pop on over and give it a quick read. There’s no affiliate link, I get zero kick-backs, it’s just something that I am challenging myself with this holiday season. I’m the person that gets up and throws on whatever clothes I put my hands on. My hair is more often in a messy ponytail or bun than it is brushed and styled. Even simple things like exercising, taking showers and brushing my teeth have become chores when they should be things that build me up and make me feel better each day!
You hold so much together for so many, wonder woman. But the best gift you can give your loved ones is caring for YOU this December. Rest, recharge, and pamper yourself, mama! Protect that inner light before pouring yourself into 2024.
I’d love to hear your favorite self-care rituals, mamas! Leave a comment below.
