| 7 holiday self care tips |

When you choose joy, you feel good & when you feel good, you do good & when you do good, it reminds others of what joy feels like & it might just inspire them to do the same.

Happy Monday dolls!! I hope you spent a great weekend? Here it rained a lot, so I was stuck inside, ha. But, we we're able to get lots of cleaning done and watch fun movies together too. This month is flying by, it's crazy. My girls are finally on the last week of school for the holidays and I couldn't be happier for it, the various school runs take a lot of the day away, so it'll be nice to sleep in and have fun together. I thought I would share some holiday self care tips with you today because it can be a little draining. I hope they can help & you have a great start to the week.

Loves & Loves

xoxox

7 self care tips at the holidays

1. Plan Ahead: There are activities and traditions we may want to squeeze in at the holiday time but, might fall by the wayside if our calendar fills quickly. Avoid this by marking those activities down first before committing yourself to outside invitations. That way you know when you'll be free and where you're going & be able to plan around your important dates.

2. Eat well: If the holidays were ever a time to stuff yourself silly, I don't know when else is ;) But, try and keep yourself from over stuffing yourself, so you'll be able to enjoy the various dinners and activities you may attend. You don't want to end up unwell, try and keep the moments of eating in between events light and healthy. Too much indulgent foods can cause fatigue and affect our energy levels and moods.

3. Set aside downtime: With all the shopping, wrapping, cleaning, cooking and organizing, it can be incredibly draining. Make sure to get enough sleep, take time out to watch a favourite Christmas movie, read or listen to music. Even a walk outside (weather permitting) can do a world of good. Don't get bogged down by so many things that you barely take a breath to actually enjoy the time.

4. Helping hands: Don't be afraid to ask for help, may it be with the cleaning, cooking or any other task that may need getting done. Friends and family are great to ask & if you need to go even further and hire cleaners or event planners pending on your gathering, do it if the option is there. No need to burn yourself out, no one will think less of you if you have help or special order any food and so on. It's about enjoying the time together, don't be hard on yourself.

5. Have a great morning routine: getting up and starting the day right will help you accomplish far more than just winging it. Get a good night's sleep, get up at a good time, stretch/exercise, have a great and healthy breakfast to fuel you on. Even have things like your clothes out and ready the night before, so you can be quick in getting dressed and out. Have your lists to do and materials needed out where you can find them, so you aren't rushing around the house in a panic.

6. Stop scrolling: I've said this before but, the internet can be the black hole of time. One minute suddenly turns into a few and so on and before you know it, you've wasted precious time that could have been used getting tasks done. So, if you can, avoid scrolling through your phone until you upmost have to. You'll be thankful that you did when you've accomplished what you set out to do during the day when it's all done.

7. Spend your time intentionally, not out of obligation: You really don't have to attend every event you're invited to. Sometimes we can feel obligated to attend various events because it's the holidays or because of family and friends but, I feel that attending too many can really wear one thin and do more harm than good to ourselves and relationships. Sometimes there is just someone that drains your energy away, limiting the amount of time you spend out or at parties and gatherings is the best way to take care of your well being. Take proper time to really connect with people at gatherings and spend quality time talking about quality things, small talk can be pointless. 

At the end of it all, the holidays should be a fun time of year! Many of us are without certain family or friends, so it's important to take the time to be happy and do the things that benefit your well being, that way you can end the year on a high. I hope some of these tips will be helpful to you, have a fantastic start to the week! P.S. 2 more tips - get your Christmas cards done at the start of the month if you can & don't leave your present wrapping to the end...this is from experience, ha! 

With love from The Dainty Dolls House <3