How to self-care so that you don’t run down your battery this holiday season
While the holiday season can be one of the most joyous times of the year, it can also come with mixed feelings and added stress, especially in the middle of a global pandemic. With so much uncertainty, self-care is more important than ever — particularly during the holidays. After all, being festive doesn’t mean running yourself ragged and being a stressed-out mess. When celebrating the holidays, it’s important to take care of yourself so that you can show up as your best self, and to not lose sight of the real meaning of the season. When most people think of self-care, they conjure up images of massages and bubble baths; but self-care is also about doing hard things, like saying no to things you don’t want to do, or planning ahead to reduce stress.
Setting boundaries
When it comes to protecting your mental health and enjoying this holiday season, boundaries are essential. Knowing how to navigate those boundary-setting conversations with confidence can feel tricky, however, especially if you doubt yourself and what you need. But here’s the thing about boundaries: they don’t make you selfish. It’s not selfish to prioritize your needs.
There are so many things that are out of our control at this point in time, it’s important to find comfort where we can and to not cause unnecessary stress. With demands coming in left and right, it’s more imperative than ever before to have clear boundaries. But finding those guardrails can take practice. Here, I break down the essential components of setting clear boundaries.
Cultivating self-awareness
In order to assert boundaries with others, you first must spend time reflecting on your thoughts, feelings, desires and needs. It’s important to ask the following questions:
What meaning does this holiday season hold for me and how do I want to spend it?
What brings me joy? What doesn’t?
Who do I enjoy spending time with the most? Do I need to find virtual ways to spend time with them? Who don’t I enjoy spending time with and why?
What invitations have I received that I don’t really want to accept? Why do I feel compelled to accept even when I want to say no?
What is bringing me the most stress right now and what adjustments can I make so that it’s less stressful?
Accepting your needs
Once you’ve cultivated more self-awareness, it’s important to honor and accept your needs. For many, the holiday season can feel bittersweet — or even painful — because it’s a reminder of loved ones who have passed or relationships that have grown distant. This year, in particular, so many people have been affected by the pandemic and, even for those who are healthy, staying in touch is more difficult. If this resonates, allow yourself the space and time to feel those feelings and honor your needs, whether it is to be around others or take more time to be alone.
For others, the holidays are spent feeling overcommitted and burned out. If you feel like there’s too much going on, it’s important to look for ways to simplify things. Oftentimes, the less activities we commit to, the more likely we are to enjoy and appreciate them. Whatever feelings and needs come up for you this holiday season, they are valid and worth advocating for.
There’s nothing wrong with saying “no”
Once you’ve honed in on your needs and plans and are ready to share with your loved one, it’s important to be aware of your delivery. We often avoid saying no because we don’t want to disappoint others. But here’s the thing, saying no is an act of self love and self-care. And this year, more than any other, we may need to take additional considerations into account, such as the health and safety of ourselves and those we love.
When we honor our needs and say no to things we really don’t want to do, we are saying yes to opportunities that bring us joy. Sure, others may feel disappointed by our boundaries but we aren’t responsible for others’ feelings. Their feelings about our decisions don’t negate our own needs and desires.
When setting boundaries, it’s important to remember, “No.” The word makes up a complete sentence. Avoid overexplaining yourself and apologizing for your needs, feelings and desires. A simple, “Thank you for the invitation but I won’t be able to make it”, “No thank you,” or, “No,” are perfect responses to invitations you don’t want to attend or for things you don’t want to do.
Communicate your boundaries ASAP
If you’ve identified that you will need to make adjustments to plans in order to honor your needs, it’s best to give the other person a heads up as soon as is feasible. This could impact in-person arrangements, or plans for a virtual hangout. While it’s tempting to wait until the last minute to discuss your plans, it’s best to have these conversations sooner rather than later so that the other person has time to adjust to your boundary and plan accordingly.
Make time alone
With an increase in demands and commitments, it’s imperative to schedule in downtime to recharge. Identify the things that recharge your batteries and make a plan to make those a priority this season. Try as best as you can to maintain your exercising and eating patterns, and make time to decompress, whether that’s snuggling inside and reading a good book or taking a walk outside to enjoy the holiday decorations. It may help to sit down once a week and make a self-care plan for the upcoming week. Ask yourself, “What is one small thing I can do this week to recharge my batteries?” And then make a plan to fit it into your schedule. These are even practices that you can take into the new year.
As we take on this holiday season during a pandemic, remember that preserving our mental health means staying true to our feelings and priorities. Your time and needs are valid and important. While our world may encourage exhaustion and overcommitting, these are the things that drain us and leave us feeling more resentful than joyful. However, when we tend to our own emotional and social needs, we often find that we have more to give to our loved ones.
This holiday season, to be your best self and to stay at peak performance, it’s important to practice self-care. But if you want the best performance from your alkaline batteries, you can count on RAYOVAC®. Bringing you the performance you want at the price you need, they’re just as good, only better.*
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