It is that time of year again. This is the time of year when we celebrate lots of holidays and get ready to bring in a new year.
For some, this is truly the most wonderful time of the year.
But for others, the holidays can be filled with grief, sadness, and loneliness. If this is you, I know how tough the holidays can be so I am sending love and prayers your way.
Wherever you find yourself this holiday season, it is important for you to take care of yourself. During a time of year when it is often about other people, I want to share 4 simple self care tips for the holidays.
#1) Set and Respect Your Limits
The holiday season can often be filled with lots of expectations, obligations, parties, events, and errands. While some of these things can be fine and life-giving, it is important to know your limits.
Here’s the things: we all have a limited amount of energy.
And to be honest, while many events may be fun, too many of them can become draining. This can lead to you overextending yourself, saying “yes” when you should have said, “no.”
To help overcome this, I like to set limits and boundaries on how many holiday parties I will attend, how many people I am getting gifts for (besides my kids and husband), and what I will feel obligated to do…even it if involves family.
Listen, you must respect your boundaries because if you don’t no one else will.
#2 Find Ways To Giveback to Yourself and Others
Giving back is always something great to do.
Anytime that you can help someone is great, but it is especially great during the holidays.
Giving back is one of the ways that you can make a positive contribution to the world and people around you.
There are many ways to give back during the holidays. For example, you can give to a local food bank, provide resources to people experiencing homelessness or volunteer your time to a range of organizations.
While the holidays are an excellent opportunity to give back to others, it is also a great time to give back to yourself.
I know some people might see this as selfish, but sis, trust me, it is not. If you won’t take care of yourself, who will? I love the famous quote from Audre Lorde, “caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warefare.”
During the holidays, it is a good time to give yourself something that will promote and help your physical health, mental health, relationship to yourself.
You might also consider writing and mailing yourself a card that describes all of the things that you love about yourself, or even the things that you’re proud of (of yourself).
Another great thing you can do is think of three aspirational words that you have for yourself, write them down, and say them about yourself three times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and right before you go to bed.
For example, you might say, “I am beautiful,” “I am wonderful,” and “I am strong.”
#3 Get Sleep and Drink Water
You need sleep, healthy foods, and water.
They are two of the most important aspects of your health. It is easy to underestimate how much water that you need every day, but it is very important. Being hydrated is helpful for your hair but also the rest of your body.
Did you know that if you are dehydrated, then you can experience dizziness, tiredness, and headaches?
Just like water is important, so is sleep. Getting at least between 7-8 hours of sleep per night can be very beneficial to your mental and physical health.
Getting enough sleep is important because it can improve your mood, heart rate, mental function and immune system.
#4 Give Your Hair a Little Extra Attention
The holidays are a great time to indulge your hair.
Try adding an important step to your hair care routine.
For example, you might give yourself a hot oil treatment.
Or give yourself a relaxing wash where you shampoo and conditioner your hair with products that work.
Whatever you do this holiday season, we at VoiceOfHair hope that you take great care of yourself and do simple things that bring you joy.
We invite you to check out VoiceOfHair store.
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Brandelyn Green is the Founder of VoiceOfHair, a platform to help women of color find the best hair care products, regimens and hairstyles! Since starting VoiceOfHair in 2014 she has grown the social media platform to over 1MM+ on Instagram and Facebook. As a natural who is also a salon goer, she wanted to create a platform where people could find the best products, hairstylists, advice and trends.
