The holiday season is among us. Hickory Dickory dock, around the clock, decorate the treetop and all that jazz. It’s easy to get wrapped up other people’s gifts (wrapped up, see what I did there), and forget about yourself. But, this holiday season, make sure you give yourself the gift of self-love. Unlike the socks your parents gave you that you’ll lose within six months to a year (maybe sooner), self-love will last a lifetime and get stronger the more we practice it! 

By the way, where do socks go? I recently lost a compression sock and I was pretty irritated by that because they’re a favorite pair of mine. There’s probably a black hole out there somewhere, maybe near Andromeda, filled with mismatched pairs of socks that fun aliens can pick from and have a neverending supply of socks. 

Anyway, I want all of us to give ourselves the gift of self-love this holiday season. Self-love will be the gift that keeps on giving. So, how can we achieve this during the holidays? Welp, read below! 

TAKE A BREATHER

Don’t forget to take a breather despite all your holiday plans. It’s okay if you need to temporarily forget about the shopping, decorating, events, or whatever else you find yourself involved in this year. Make sure to set aside time to focus on yourself, whether that looks like ten minutes of exercise, quiet time by yourself, getting a good night’s sleep, or blissfully zenning out to some tunes.

STAY STRONG

The holidays can be sad for people who’ve lost loved ones, aren’t celebrating with family, are suffering from a recent heartbreak, or a host of other traumatic circumstances. Not everyone is feeling merry. Try to keep this in mind by always practicing kindness and lending out a helping hand if the opportunity arises. 

If you’re sad right now, I hope you still find it in you to smile, to laugh, and to keep on keepin’ on. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Please try and remember that! If you need to speak to someone, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. And please don’t ever forget your worth. Despite any feelings of loneliness or despair, don’t ever stop recognizing your worth!

You are worthy of love.

You are enough.

You are a miraculous child of the universe.

May you find infinite blessings and may your despair transform into joy. 

Tough times don’t last; tough people do.

PSL

Staying strong also applies to holiday visits with monster in-laws or other family members that grind your gears. Perhaps a certain virus will curb that this year and you’ll be able to get away with saying a quick hello via Zoom! Let’s look at the bright side! If Zoom isn’t an option, hit up a local liquor store near you or use some “CBD products.” 

***PSL doesn’t encourage the use of substances, all writing is done for the purposes of displaying self-love in a fun and/or helpful atmosphere***

DON’T NEGLECT SELF-LOVE

It’s too easy to neglect self-love when we have a lot on our plate, whether that’s bills, cookies, or work.

What does self-love look like for you and how do you intend on practicing some? 

Self-love looks different for everyone. If you’re not sure how to start, read my article, 5 Ways to Begin Loving Yourself for further insight.

However, something we can all do is appreciate all that we are in this very moment and learn to trust our journeys rather than only looking forward to the destinations. 

Furthermore, let’s not fail to remember all of our accomplishments up until now. I don’t know about you, but it’s commonplace for me to forget about all the progress I’ve made and to give myself a hard time because I haven’t reached a particular goal just yet. What kind of bull$hit anti-self-love garbage is that!? I’m not sure. I just know I do it all the time. So perhaps you do as well. Soooo…LET’S STOP.

Give yourself a pat on the back, or maybe a friendly and slightly strange self-love hug. It’s all good. 

Give yourself the gift of self-love this holiday season by nurturing your self-love practices rather than letting them fall down the chimney, never to be seen again, lost amongst all our socks.

The tricky thing with self-love is that it needs constant nurturing to really flourish inside of us. It may take a bit of exploration to gauge what self-love looks like for you, but it’s entirely within reach, and you, my Milky Way holiday delight, are more than worth it! 

Happy holidays everyone! Let’s all give ourselves the gift of SELF-LOVE!

XoXo,

Mandy