There’s a frenzy about the holidays. Some of that frolicking is fun, though in all honesty, most of it saps the joy from the spirit of the season. The mall is positively the worst place to be this time of year. Ditto for weekends at the grocery store. People are snaggled toothed messes this time of year. Teacher gifts. Mailman tips. Shipping and shopping. Beautifying. Cooking. Baking. Eating. Weight gaining. Card writing. Gift wrapping. Elf hiding. Decorating. Tree trimming. Egads! Just writing this list is exhausting…and I’m reminded of all I have yet to tackle!
The one thing I don’t indulge in this time of year is self care. Let’s be honest, as a mom, I hardly ever indulge in self care. But this time of year I need it more than ever. This is when I must remind myself to slow down and not sweat store bought versus homemade. I can’t do it all under the best of circumstances so why pressure myself now? What does “doing it all” mean anyway? I need to start feeling comfortable with doing enough. And being enough.
While I’m knee deep in holiday shenanigans right now, I’ve vowed to myself that self care will top my 2015 resolutions. I don’t need a week away at a blue sea Caribbean resort to accomplish this, though it wouldn’t hurt! I can take itty bitty steps that will cumulatively make a whopping difference.
Swipe on mascara. Even though I work from home, I’d like to see a bright eyed woman looking back at me when I glimpse into a mirror.
Hydrate. The water dispenser is just steps from my office, yet I sit glued to my desk and stare at my empty Tervis tumbler.
Moisturize. I’m 46. My skin needs some TLC these days. Night time moisturizer is not optional.
Read. I bought myself a chenille blanket that’s tucked away just for me. I’m not relinquishing this one to the dog and kids. I’m going to carve out time to wrap myself up and read every weekend.
Book babysitters. We so rarely have a sitter. That’s gotta change.
I’m trying to stay present and mindful this holiday season. We are not overdoing it on gifts. Stockings will be stuffed with useful stuff. We’re giving more than we’re getting. Our 16th annual holiday party will be a festive fete, and store bought munchies and screw top wine will be just fine. Cards won’t likely make it out before the new year. I’m OK with that. Christmas will be just the four of us this year. We’ll indulge in cookies. We’ll eat too much meat and not enough vegetables. I’ll don more fleece than sparkles. And you know what…all that feels pretty good.
So call me selfish, but my word for 2015 is ME.
You too can join me in the year of ME…well, by ME I mean YOU. You get what I mean, right? Get started now and check out the savings on the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® website! You can save up to $35 on some of your favorite products by visiting HealthyEssentials.com to download coupons in December. I’m partial to the Neutrogena mascara and Aveeno face wash and moisturizer.
Required disclosure notice for blog post: This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own.