This time of year is funny isn’t it? Not haha funny. More like ‘hmm, interesting’ funny.

As I saw in an instagram reel this week…
“I’m just a mum wanting to give her kids the world, but not spoil them, but also make it magical, but also teach them what to actually value during the holidays, but also let them have their childhood, but also not go too crazy, but also make memories, but also do seasonal activities, but also not go overboard, but also prioritise family, but also not feel pressure to do everything, all while being fun and chill and not stressed.”

As exciting as it is, this time of year can be a lot. For lots of different reasons.
It can also be a really hard time of year to look after ourselves. We often eat and drink in a way we don’t normally, any exercise routine we had goes out the window, we struggle to get time to ourselves and and our sleep schedule is often all over the place.

It’s temping to just hold your breath, jump in, and come up for air sometime in mid-January. 

But that doesn’t work for me (you know how I feel about breath holding!)
Instead, I like to get clear on my ‘bare minimum’ at times like this.

What is the minimum I can manage right now when it comes to looking after myself?

  • Get some protein into my breakfast
  • Drink lots of water
  • Move my body for 10mins a day (and yep, walking and stretching counts)
  • Aim for a regular bedtime most nights

And if it’s all just getting a bit much, I will give myself permission to:

  •  To sit down and do a puzzle. 
  • To slip out the back door and go for a walk. 
  • To lock myself in the bathroom and have a cup of tea. 
  • To put my noise-cancelling headphones in and zone out for a bit.

What is your bare minimum for the holiday season?