Learn eight simple self care ideas for the holiday season to avoid the typical feelings of exhaustion and burnt out during this busy time of year!
This post was made in partnership with iHerb.
Self Care Ideas For the Holidays
Can you believe we are just 6 weeks away from Christmas? This year will be a bit different for us as we are still living at my parents as our home renovation continues, but that doesn’t mean it won’t still be a busy season for us. The holiday season always seems to be full of hustle and bustle and if we aren’t careful, many of us often feel burnt out when it’s all over or even during Christmas! Today I’ve teamed up with iHerb to share 8 Simple Self-Care Ideas For the Holiday Season to keep you feeling calm, collected, and less stressed.
Practice Hygge:
Be sure to set aside some time each week leading up to Christmas to practice “hygge”. Hygge is a Danish word for a mood of coziness and comfort with feelings of wellness and joy. There are many ways to experience or practice hygge simply at home such as cuddling up with a blanket and a good book, turning on the fireplace and some relaxing holiday tunes while you bake some festive cookies, or pouring a lovely bubble bath. iHerb carries a great line called Mild By Nature with luscious soaps including Relaxing Oatmeal & Honey, Moisturizing Shea Butter & Sweet Almond, and lovely Moisturizing Shea Butter to lather up with after. How you practice hygge is really up to you but it’s a great way to give yourself some self-care throughout the holiday season!
Get Outside:
During the winter we can often get cabin fever because it feels too cold to go outside but getting fresh air and taking a “nature bath” during the busy holiday season can be incredible self-care. The crisp cool air, greenery, and powdery snow under your feet can give you a fresh perspective if you’re feeling over-run with to-do’s and even the sunshine can brighten your mood, so bundle up and get outside for a walk or even try cross-country skiing, skating, or snow-shoeing.
Start the Day With A Multi:
With all the cookies, baking, and other holiday delights, our nutrition can sometimes take a toll during the Christmas season. We also might be so busy that we forget to eat regular healthy meals and snacks so adding in a daily multi-vitamin can give us that little extra insurance we are getting the nutrients we need. iHerb carries a great line of multivitamins for Women, Men, and 50+ that not only contain an array of vitamins and minerals, but also enzymes, mushrooms, greens, and berries. Check out the Ultamins Women’s and Ultamins Men’s.
Delegate the To-Do List:
Between buying gifts, wrapping, decorating, hosting, cooking, baking, cleaning, travelling, and everything else that comes along with the holiday season, the to-do list can become overwhelming. It’s so important to take a step back and assess what really needs to stay and what can go. Do you really need to decorate every room of the house or can you go with a more minimal vibe this year to cut down on set-up and clean-up time? It’s also a great idea to see which tasks you can delegate to other family members or friends. Can someone else pop by the grocery store to pick up those extra baking supplies, or could you hire a cleaning company to do a final house clean before all the guests arrive? Delegating to others is a great way to practice self-care and make sure you don’t become overburdened with to-do’s!
Enjoy A Warm Latte or Hot Cocoa:
During a busy and hectic day taking just a few minutes to whip up and enjoy a warm, comforting drink like a Hana Beverages Beet Latte or Turmeric & Ginger Latte can calm you and bring up your mood. I also love blending up my healthy hot chocolate made with iHerb’s California Gold Nutrition Organic Cocao Powder.
Check out the recipe below for this simple and healthy hot chocolate alternative!
Healthy Hot Chocolate (dairy free)
This delicious healthy hot chocolate is dairy free, gluten free, vegan, and made with extra superfoods!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 3 tablespoons raw cocoa powder
- ¼ cup pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons collagen peptide powder (optional)
- 2½ tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- Add water, almond or coconut milk, almond butter, cocoa powder, dates, maple syrup, collagen, and chia seeds to a pot.
- Over high heat bring pot contents to a low boil, stirring continuously.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and transfer everything to a high speed blender.
- Blend on low, then increase to the highest speed and blend until completely smooth.
- Divide hot chocolate between two mugs and top with dairy free whipped cream, or marshmallows (lightly toasted vegan marshmallows are delicious!), or dark chocolate shavings.
- Enjoy while still hot.
Do An Act Of Kindness:
During the holiday season there are a lot of people who experience sadness due to loneliness, loss, or tense family dynamics so simply doing an act of kindness can be a huge uplifter for someone else but also double as self-care. Being kind or generous to others always makes us feel better too! We can get so caught up in the busyness of the season we might miss someone right by us who is struggling. Aim to slow down and pay attention to those around you and if you get a little incling that someone might need some help, even just a simple compliment or helping carry bags to a car, reach out with kindness…the benefits are always two-fold!
Try An At-Home Facial:
During the holiday season it might be too busy to get yourself to the spa or maybe finances are an issue but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the pleasures of a spa-day right at home. At the end of a busy day simply lock yourself in your bathroom and try one of iHerb’s facial products like the Andalou Naturals Argan Oil & Blue Clay Face Mask. These affordable and fun face masks can help make a fun self-care holiday girls night filled with wine, baking, and of course, face masks!
Enjoy A Festive Green Smoothie:
Treat your body with some nourishment in the form of a festive green smoothie during the holiday season at least once or twice! I love making my Mint Chocolate Green Protein Smoothie (use peppermint!) for a great dose of healthy greens and festive flavour. For protein you can use my favorite Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides from iHerb or any chocolate or unflavoured protein powder of your choice!
I hope you feel inspired by these 8 simple self-care ideas for the busy holiday season. Be sure to try at least two of these during the next several weeks as you gear up for Christmas and New Years!
More on iHerb!
If you are a regular NITK reader you’ve probably seen that I team up with iHerb often, and there’s a good reason for that…they are amazing! iHerb carries over 30,000 brand name natural products and offers a triple guarantee: value, quality, and delivery. When I order products I choose the affordable shipping option (they ship to over 150 countries!) that includes duties which means there won’t be any surprises with duties or customs at the door, not to mention the shipping is very fast!
iHerb also offers 24/7 customer service in over 10 languages if any issues arise and here in Canada there are lots of brand names I just can’t get at local stores or even online Canadian retailers so having iHerb as a go-to option is great because there’s so much more available at my fingertips. If you haven’t checked out iHerb yet I highly recommend you do. Go peruse their products and check out their amazing shipping rates and new customers get a 10% discount on your order by clicking this link. You won’t be disappointed, I promise!
Here’s to a wonderful, calm, and relaxing holiday season ahead! Do you have any specific self-care ideas you use for the holiday season? I’d love to read about it in the comments below! Also, be sure to pin the photo below to save this post for later!
