Tips for Staying Present During the Holidays
Sometimes I blink and the date goes from November 25 to January 1.
Like some people, I get caught up in the busyness of the holiday season. Between shopping, wrapping gifts, and baking, it’s hard for me to stay present. I’m usually too wrapped up into gifts and parties to slow down. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting into the holiday spirit!
But I don’t want to feel like I’m missing anything or not savoring the moment.
This year, I am challenging myself to slow down and focus on social self-care.
What is Social Self-Care?
We don’t talk about social self-care much here! I take blame for that — social self-care is not my strong suit. If I’m not careful nor in tune with how I’m feeling, social situations often overwhelm me (yet another reason to challenge myself to practice social self-care this holiday season).
Anyway, my planner friend Tone and I define social self-care as:
“The actions we take to nurture and develop our relationships. We are naturally social beings, so it’s important to have fun and make memories with the ones we love. These interactions keep us grounded and can also challenge the ways we handle any conflict. ”
Simply put, social self-care is all about healthy social interactions that motivate us and fill our cups.
Instead of allowing myself to get agitated from too much stimulation or overwhelmed around new people, I’m challenging myself to stay present to practice more self-care this holiday season. Of course I’m challenging you to join me as well!
Here are some tips for staying present these next few weeks:
Stay off the phone
When I’m done taking photos to capture memories, I’ll be putting the phone away. Social media can wait but these memories cannot!
If you’re an Apple user, try setting app limits throughout December to help you limit your time spent scrolling TikTok or Instagram.
Another helpful tip is to leave the phone in a separate room or on the charger and walk away. (Don’t forget to take off or mute your Apple Watch too.) The key here is to have some physical separation between myself and the phone if you are not strong enough to avoid “forgetting” the app limit you set on your phone.
Memory Planning
If you’re new to the planner world, you may not have heard of memory planning.
Memory planning is exactly what it sounds like! You take a planner and write down events, journal, or some other form of expression to recall what happened that day. Memory planning is a beautiful way to allow yourself to stay present in the moment but write, draw, or journal about the day’s events later that night to remember the experience.
I’ve never tried memory planning before (I’m a journaling fan), but memory planning might be a great option for you if journaling bores you and you want to tap into your creative side.
Take Social Breaks When You Need Them
Sounds counterintuitive, right?
Taking breaks from socializing during the holidays is important too.
Growing up, my family would host Christmas breakfast every year. My uncles, aunts, and cousins would gather in a house for breakfast food, games, pajama contests, and a gift exchange.
For an anti-social, sensitive person like me, I would get overwhelmed by all of the action pretty quickly.
In the later years, I began to take more socializing breaks. I would physically separate myself from everyone to have a few moments of quiet to regroup and reenergize. This time alone helped me to feel more relaxed and be present with my family when I rejoin them.
Remember the Goal
At the end of the day, the key to staying present is doing your best to savor the moment.
What are some of your tips for staying present during the holiday season? Comment below!