The holidays can be filled with joy and giving. They can also be filled with busy schedules and lots of stress. It can be easy to get overbooked and overwhelmed, causing your physical and mental health to take a back seat. If you would rather have more joy and save your health and sanity over the holidays keep reading for simple ways to do just that.
A Plan To Save Your Health and Sanity
You know the saying, If you fail to plan then you plan to fail, right? It’s so true! No matter what it is you’re trying to accomplish, it’s always easier when you have a plan. With a busier schedule it’s even more important. I know planning can take some time and effort that you don’t feel like you have to give, but it can also save you extra time, effort, and stress in the long run.
Start with a weekly plan and list the highest prioritity things first. It helps to get a visual of the week ahead so you can see which days are more scheduled and when you have more flexibility. Make sure you’re not putting things like exercise and self care at the bottom of the priority list. They are absolutely important when you want to save your health and sanity!
Movement to Save Your Health and Sanity
As I said above, make sure exercise is still one of your top priorities. Maybe your normal routine doesn’t work. You might have to get a little creative, but it’s worth fitting it in. That hour long cardio or strength routine you’re used to might have to be replaced by a 4-12 minute HIIT workout on the busier days. Fitting in some exercise time is better than none. It’s good to change things up once in a while anyways.
Continuing to make exercise a consistent part of your life will give you more energy, less stress, better sleep, and help keep you from gaining unwanted holiday weight. Exercise, especially weight training, has even been shown to boost the immune system. And who wants to be sick this time of year, right?
Don’t Sacrifice Health For Productivity
Sometimes it seems like there’s just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. We obviously can’t create time, so many of us sacrifice sleep to have more productive hours each day. But, the truth is, less sleep is not helping us be more productive and might even lead to the opposite.
Not getting enough sleep makes us have less energy and less able to focus and think straight. Those are not conducive to greater productivity. If you don’t get enough rest, it will just take more effort and time to get things done than if you just spend a little extra time getting the rest you need.
Lack of sleep also leads to more stress, irritability and hunger. Your immune system doesn’t function as well without proper sleep either. Sacrificing sleep will not help you with getting in the holiday spirit. Instead, it will make you grumpy, hungry, more prone to illness and more likely to put on weight even if you’re not over doing it on the holidays treats.
Self Care Isn’t Selfish, Even During Holidays
We all need a break sometimes! This might be even more true during the holidays. They can be stressful for sure. Stress can take a toll on our health no matter what time of year it is. That mental stress you feel when things get overwhelming can lead to physical health problems as well. It’s no secret that stress is related to heart disease and high blood pressure.
Selfcare might look different during busier times, but doesn’t have to be eliminated completely. Instead of taking a night or afternoon out, which can take time you just don’t have, schedule shorter periods of down time. That might mean half an hour or so of journaling, reading, taking a walk outside, or just sitting in a quiet place and taking some deep breathes. Whatever makes you happy and helps you relieve some stress will work. Actually write it into your schedule if you think you might forget to take time for yourself.
Don’t say “yes” to everything that you get invited to, or asked to do either, if it’s not really important to you or your family. It’s easy to get overscheduled with so many things going on. If you say yes to everything, especially things you don’t want to, it just adds to the stress. Don’t feel guilty for not doing everything. Your health should be your first priority. It really is ok to say no. The people in your life that care about you will understand.
Nutrition to Save Your Health and Sanity
It’s that time of year when there might be holiday treats everywhere you go and more parties than you can possibly even go to. Of course you should be able to enjoy some of the foods that go along with the holidays if you want to. Just don’t live on those types of foods for the next month.
Again, planning ahead can make healthy eating much easier. If you know that you’re going somewhere that will only have foods that lack much nutritional value, make sure you also get food that has the nutrients you need to keep your body functioning well. That might mean eating a small healthy meal ahead of time or offering to bring some healthier food to share. It’s not too hard to make a festive looking fruit or veggie platter. There are lots of green and red plant foods.
When we get busy, we’re also more likely to forget to drink water throughout the day. Not staying hydrated can cause headaches, low energy, and make us think we’re hungrier than we really are. I don’t think anyone wants to deal with those things, especially when they can be avoided by a simple thing like drinking water. Start each day with a big glass of water and make sure you continue to drink throughout the day. Tracking your intake or setting a timer to remind you might be helpful if you tend to forget.
Continuing to get proper nutrition and staying hydrated will help you feel better and help you avoid trying to get back on track after the holidays. It’s much easier to avoid it in the first place than it is to reverse what’s already been done.
Save Your Health and Sanity For Happier Holidays
Nobody likes feeling sick and run down especially during times of celebration. You deserve to be happy and enjoy the holidays with your friends and family. If you continue to take care of yourself and your needs throughout the busier and more stressful times you can feel a lot more joy and a lot less overwhelmed. Who doesn’t want that?
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