Self-care during the holidays and throughout the year is essential. It helps you reduce stress and increase wellness. Use the wisdom of the elements of this acronym S.E.L.F.C.A.R.E. to help you remember this simple way to de-stress over the holiday season.
Self-Appreciation:
Self-appreciation does not imply vanity or narcissism. Those two traits arise when you flaunt yourself and expect praise and accolades in return.
Instead, self-appreciation healthily embraces our positive qualities.
Start by acknowledging that all people have strengths and weaknesses. When we enjoy what’s good about ourselves, we embrace and celebrate our goodness without evoking feelings of arrogance or pretentiousness. We treat ourselves with mindfulness, kindness, and a sense of common humanity when considering our perceived flaws.
Choose to set an intention each day to do your very best—whatever that means for you. When you follow that intention, you have achieved your day’s goal. Give yourself a hug of self-appreciation, and start over the next day. Continued practice will help you move into a space of perpetual self-appreciation.
Expression:
Express gratitude. Express joy. Express positive emotions many times daily. Believe in the generosity of love, for what is given away will return.
So, share a smile, a kind word, a patient and attentive ear, a positive and motivational message, and a thank you.
Express your love to the world in all that you do. It will help you tap into abundance and be kinder to yourself and will let you give genuinely and authentically.
Laughter:
Laughter connects us with others and often seems contagious. Bringing laughter into your life helps you help others laugh more. As you elevate the mood of those around you, you’re helping you, and them reduce stress and improve your interaction quality.
Consider laughing when you’re faced with a frustrating situation rather than complaining.
Approaching life with joy and a smile reduces stress. When a stressful event occurs, you can see the stress as a threat or a challenge. Sometimes a simple mind shift—moving into a space of lightheartedness—can help you perceive stressful events as mere challenges and something more easily overcome.
Also, laughter is an excellent abdominal exercise. Prolonged belly laughter exercises the diaphragm, abs, shoulders, and neck. After the laughter, these muscles are more relaxed afterward. Laughter is also excellent for circulation and provides a good workout for the heart.
Forgiveness:
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, including you. Do your best not to take other people’s mistakes personally. Allow others to apologize or take it back. If they choose not to, open your heart and try to forgive them.
Holding grudges hurts only you.
Hanging on to anger at someone else punishes you, not them. Forgive those who do you wrong and set yourself free emotionally.
Choose not to play the victim, and choose not to be self-righteous. Your responsibility is to be at peace with yourself, which starts with forgiveness. Forgiveness of self leads to forgiveness for others.
Connect:
Every morning when you wake, take three long deep full breaths. Then spend a moment reflecting on your day’s purpose, your connection with your higher power, and your why.
Do your best not to overthink; remain relaxed.
For some, this first moment of connection is a prayer. For others, it is a mantra, and for others, it is an affirmation. It may be a simple thought of gratitude for being alive or being loved.
Awareness:
Throughout the day, take a few moments to stop what you’re doing, and focus your attention on your breath. Again, take three long deep full breaths and think back to your moment of connection that occurred during your first waking moments.
Imagine this moment of present-moment awareness as a brain break.
As you deepen your awareness and breathe, notice your emotional state. If you’re stressed or anxious, take this time to relax back into gratitude and relaxation. Intentionally redirect your mind and emotions to a place of calm and ease. These momentary instances of redirection help you begin to retrain your mind away from rumination and worry.
Respect:
Respect your thoughts and your feelings. When you experience a strong emotion, rather than resist it lean into it. This may sound counterintuitive, especially after the previous point.
Respect yourself enough to feel the emotion rather than suppress or deny it. Then lean into it, breathe into it, and let it go.
Begin to practice detachment. Again this doesn’t mean ignoring the feelings; it means respecting them, experiencing them, then letting them go. Do your best not to get stuck in strong emotions. Free yourself from judgment. You can choose to manage your thoughts and feelings.
Respect for yourself leads to respect for others. The more you respect yourself, the more you will find peace.
Embrace You:
Always find the friend in you; it will always be loyal. Take a moment to relax your body and breathe deeply. Visualize the center of your chest and that warm and beating heart within. Inside your heart is your internal friend who will always be loyal. Sometimes our self-critical voice pipes up and is louder than the voice of that always-loyal friend.
But, for today, visualize this friend, knowing he or she is always with you.
Now, inside your head, hear the friend in you say I am here for you. I will always be your friend, and I will always be loyal. You don’t ever need to be lonely. Whenever you’re sad, you can find me here in your heart, and I will hug you and hold you until you find peace.
Feel that as this friend inside your heart is hugging you, you know that you will never be alone again. You know that no matter the chaos of the world around you or no matter how harsh your internal voice can be, you always have this friend.
Self-care truly is essential. I hope some of these ideas will help you live a life filled with peace, joy, and care for yourself and others. Explore this website for further information, or please contact me with any questions. I’d love to have you join me for an upcoming spiritual tour.
