Is your life in pure insanity mode right now? Do you feel like you haven’t had a moment to yourself in weeks? SAME. The holidays have this crazy ability to make every aspect of your life feel hectic.  For me, home is crazy (when it rains, it pours) and work is even crazier (hello, finals) but that does not mean that my self-care rituals go out the window.

The first thing that needs to change is your mindset.  No more saying, “there’s no way I have time for THAT right now.”  There is always time to take care of yourself. Here are some of my favorite quick “me time” practices:

1. Write down 3 things that I am thankful for in my journal
2. Do a 5-10 minute guided meditation on Insight Timer
3. Get in a couple of Sun Salutations to reset
4. Listen to my favorite podcasts on my way to work (try Truth + Dare or Rich Roll!)
5. Sit outside and get some Vitamin D

Every morning, I wake up an hour and a half (sometimes two hours) before I need to leave the house for the sole purpose of taking care of myself.  I drink my celery juice, do a yoga flow to set my intention for the day, and then sit in the quiet to drink my ACV/ginger/turmeric/warm lemon water. Do I love waking up at 5 AM Monday through Friday? No. But do a feel a difference when I decide to sleep in instead? Absolutely. I feel rushed and frazzled on days that I don’t take the time to do these simple rituals for myself.  Not to mention, these have helped me get through the craziness of the holidays by slowing down and having some me time.

Also, don’t be afraid to say no to things! If you know in your heart that you do not have enough spoons to go to the holiday party, or to go out shopping, or to make the pie you promised, that is okay. Say no to the party, shop online, buy the pie at the store. Do what you need to do in order to stay well. Why push yourself beyond your limits to then spend days in bed feeling like total crap afterwards? I vote no thanks on that one.

Instead of saving all your presents to wrap all in one day, spread it out! As I get gifts, I wrap them within the same weekend.  That way, by the time Christmas rolls around, I am ready to go.  Make your life even easier by selecting the gift wrap option if you are ordering online (I only do this if it’s free, ‘cuz I’m cheap).  I also love to get cute gift bags, since wrapping presents tends to be a total pain in the butt if you’re going the wrapping paper route.  Gift bags are fun and easy, and don’t make me spend half as many spoons as wrapping paper.  I also tend to opt for gift cards if it is just too much to shop for individualized gifts. You gotta do what’s best for you! Are you sensing a theme here?

Traveling? Me too. You better bet I already plan on batching out my celery, turmeric, and ginger juices so that I have them in California.  I’ll also be bringing lemons, ACV, echinacea tea, and some adaptogens. Luckily, we are driving, so I have the luxury of doing this.  I know some of you will be flying, and it is not always possible to bring everything with you. I was there in October when I went back to Philly for a few days, I get it! I got one of these nifty film bags at the recommendation of my friend over at Lemons ‘n Lyme, and my mushrooms and other sensitive supplements went right in there!  I also made sure to plan out where I could get healthy meals close to where I was staying.  By no means did I not indulge, but I was smart about what I was putting into my body knowing that I only had 72 hours in my hometown and had to get right back to work, so I had little room to feel crappy.  Write out a list of non-negotiable items before you start packing.  What do you absolutely need? What do you know you can go a few days without?  I find that when I make myself a list, I am such an efficient packer (but I don’t do it nearly as often as I should…why?!)

End rant.

Happy Holidays to each and every one of you! I hope you enjoy this time, truly. You enjoy to be happy and spend time with your loved ones!

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