I know what you’re thinking – how the hell am I going to take care of myself between gift buying, pie making and ugly-sweater-party-attending??!

Not to fret, my darling. Self care doesn’t have to be some crazy extravagant event. And if you think it does, I would challenge you a bit on those wild and crazy excuses we can come up with that stand in our way of truly taking care of yourself.

Truth be told, you can fit in self care damn-near anytime, any place.

All you need is yourself and, well, that’s it. Here are 3 ways to make sure you are taking the absolute best care of yourself between all the chaos.

Starting to feel frustrated/pissed off/overwhelmed/annoyed/bitchy? Use these feelings as a messenger, as a little tap on your shoulder from your highest self trying to get your attention.

Just like the physical body will try to get our attention by the achy knee, the mild headache that never seems to go away, or, yep, digestive upset, our feelings and emotions are the same. Let those emotions guide you back to yourself, get curious, and let them become a perfect opportunity to take care of yourself.

Take a 1-5 minute timeout. Sit in the bathroom and lock the door if you must! But take a moment to yourself to check in and breathe mindfully. Use the breath as a tool to guide you back into peace and calm. Breathe in joy, peace, calm, and breathe out frustration, overwhelm and upset.

Self care, check!

Communicate and create healthy boundaries

Although self care is care that is done by you, for you, sometimes we must also communicate with the people in our lives on how to get our self care met.

Would it be helpful to have a conversation with your partner leaving you alone for 30 minutes so you can soak in the bath, do pilates or plan the next day? Where in your life can you set a healthy boundary so you can also get what you need? Maybe you let the in-laws stay with you for 2 nights this Christmas and put them up in a hotel on the 3rd? Maybe you offer to make the sweet potatoes this year and not the whole feast?

Remember, your self care is your responsibility, so if you aren’t taking care of yourself you only have yourself to blame. This isn’t an invitation to beat yourself up if you aren’t taking care of yourself – know that you can change that at any moment! Truly!

Put it on the calendar

I know for many of us it’s not easy to take care of ourselves, and that’s ok. Self care is an ongoing, beautiful practice and my hope for you is that it is consistent. Some days it may be nonexistent, others you’ll be fully indulgent! Either way, keep going… Every single expert, spiritual teacher, self care guru out there says that self care is absolutely a non-negotiable. It really is THAT important. So, put it on the calendar.

Take a moment to think about the one thing that you absolutely LOVE doing – road trips, hiking, painting, personal development, computer programming, enjoying a fancy dinner out, sailing, learning something new, making jewelry – whatever it is, take out your calendar right now, pick a day/time and put it on there. I don’t care if you have to schedule it 3 months from now, do it. 

Remember, it really is THAT important. 

Here are a couple more ideas to fit in self care this holiday season:

• Set an alarm on your phone with a reminder that says “What’s the most loving thing I can do for myself in this moment?” or “You’re a motha fuckin’ rockstar!” or “You are imperfect and enough” – you get the point 
• Limit your social media exposure – trust me, you will not miss out on anything but rather gain your sanity back
• Have an open, honest conversation with someone about how you feel
• Put one hand on your heart and say a positive affirmation to yourself
• Give yourself a compliment, regardless of how poopy you may be feeling about yourself
• Acknowledge something that you are grateful for
• Put on your favorite tune and rock out!

Have an idea what your next step is going to be with your self care? Tell me in the comments below! AND, if you really want to manifest endless, nourishing self care in the New Year, check out my workshop Manifest Your Best Life: A Vision Board Workshop For Dreamers, Doers + Creatives. See you there!