Holiday Season Self-Care Ideas

The holiday season is about comfort, celebration and joy... but it can also be a stressful time of year. Take a moment to step back, and recharge with these holiday season self-care ideas!

Enjoy a hot drink and some quiet time

Find some quiet time at home and make yourself a warm cup of tea, cocoa or spiced cider. ☕️ In the midst of several holiday gatherings, gift shopping, while still balancing work, family and play, you are vulnerable to overload burnout.

So give your tastebuds a treat, take your time and kick it for a bit.

Tis the season to eat nutritious food!

Holiday gatherings are notorious for being the enemy of healthy eating habits, but fear not! Let's change the lens for a minute...

Instead of waiting until New Years to pick up better eating habits, you can start today. During this time of year, put extra focus on eating nutritious daily meals full of protein, and colorful fruits and veggies. It doesn’t mean you have to fend off the cravings during your holiday gatherings, treat yourself! But your body will thank you for nourishing it before and after those hefty food-filled parties. 😋

Create a calm, yet festive space to decompress

Take the initiative to intentionally create a welcoming festive space in your home. Make it cozy with candles, cable knit blankets, warm neutral color palettes and twinkle lights. ✨ Top it off with your favorite holiday playlist. 

Creating this calm and welcoming space is essential for festive at-home comfort, for you and your loved ones to enjoy together. Share the space by playing games, wine night or watching movie marathon.

Take a hot yoga class

Feeling chilly? Warm yourself up and sweat it out with a hot yoga class at a local studio. Yoga in a heated room increases your pulse and metabolism, making it a great way to burn those extra calories around those hefty holiday meals. 

Reconnect with your loved ones

Take this opportunity to catch up with old friends or family that you haven't seen in awhile. Whether this means reaching out to them with a call or text, catching up at a party, or simply sending out holiday cards...show your appreciation for your loved ones, no matter how distant they may be nowadays. 💕

End of the year journal reflection

Last but definitely not least, bring those 2017 journaling sessions full circle. Beginning from January, go through each month and reflect on all your memories, milestones and accomplishments. By taking time for a little self-love nostalgia, you will gain a holistic view on how your year went and prepare mentally for a strong new year resolution. 📝

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cable knit blankets, puppies and an empowering read

What are some ways you practice self-care during the holiday season? Let me know below! :)

Why You Should Be Forest Bathing

Some of you know I've been an Executive Assistant with the National Park Service for several years now. In a week, I'll be taking a career leap outside of the parks and tourism industry. It's bittersweet. This has been a meaningful chapter in my life and the foundation of my career. At the same time, I'm filled with excitement for new beginnings. It feels surreal to take on a new adventure as a Project Coordinator in the tech industry with a renewed sense of passion and readiness to learn. 

Even as an employee working for the National Parks, this past year, my time spent in nature has dwindled close to none ...with the exception of blog shoots, short walks and occasional brunches on restaurant patios.

I crave it often. All of it; the sense of adventure, the fresh air, the laughs, those rewarding peak views and the relief of walking back down the hike.

Here's my promise. I'll keep nature close and hope these few words of encouragements inspire you to do the same.

Shower yourself in greenery.

Forest Bathing (also known as Shinrin-Yoku) is essentially the practice to visit the forest to slow down for preventive health benefits. 

“The idea is simple: if a person simply visits a natural area and walks in a relaxed way there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved. ”

— shinrin-yoku.org

• Scientifically proven benefits of forest bathing include reduced blood pressure and stress, increased energy levels and improved mood and sleep.

• Those who practice forest bathing consistently are said to be happier people, nurture deeper friendships and better sense of clarity and intuition.

Nature has renewed my perspective and refreshed my soul when it needed it the most. 

As I left the office on the day of this shoot, I felt frantic and frazzled, just trying to get from point A to point B. When I arrived to the succulent gardens to meet Nicole, I had some time to sit down and look up. It's been awhile since I unplugged, and though it was only for a few short minutes it was exactly the medicine I needed.

Nothing but the sounds of garden... the rustling leaves and a startling surprise of a tiny hummingbird zipping by my back.

I needed those few minutes more than I realized. Just, to be there, in that very moment.

Those few minutes in the gardens brought me back to what mattered most: a calm state of mind. Those few minutes brought all my focus towards creativity and getting to know Nicole.

Such a pleasant surprise for an unexpected life lesson... a reminder on how important it is to give yourself time to catch up with yourself, which many of us forget from time to time.

As humans in this time, we easily get distracted by loud noise and information overload.

Our minds are being trained to run just as fast as our smartphones. The expectation to react and respond to emails, texts, social media only ups the ante. It becomes harder and harder for us all to disconnect from work. A lot of the times we may be somewhere, but our minds are obviously wandering elsewhere distracted in thought.

Though we can't control this demand, we can empower ourselves through self-care and prevent normalizing this busy state of mind.

Forest Bathing may be what you never knew you needed.

Find a quiet garden or park. Take a stroll. Close your eyes. Open your senses and breathe...

Photography by: Nicole Ho

Nicole Ho on Instagram

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Learn more about Forest Bathing

http://www.shinrin-yoku.org/shinrin-yoku.html

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/forest-bathing_us_5979204ce4b0da64e87663bd

Yoga, Chai and Live Cello

What used to be a laundry mat owned by a family many years ago, is now one of San Francisco modern day creative escapes. The Laundry, is a local hub for creativity, community and connection and has been only open for about a year or so. It's a pop-up coffee shop, an art gallery and a venue, all in one. 

I had the opportunity to discover this sanctuary as a Hype Influencer at one of their several monthly experiences, a yoga class with live cello. Before getting settled, Abbie and I walked downstairs to a dimly lit, yet colorful and calm room. We laid out our mats, and sipped on some chai tea before the rest of class settled in.

Between our instructor Maayan's soothing voice, and Josh McClain's cell vibrations, the environment nurtured a calming sound bath to bring focus to our practice. Something about the vibrations and accoustics of the cello really elevated the whole experience. After a long day in the office as an Executive Assistant, there's nothing I enjoy more than a calming class to slow my pace before bedtime. 

Thank you Hype for hosting a wonderful experience!

If it wasn't for this app, I wouldn't have been able to discover such unique activities in this crazy city. Using Hype has given me the insider scoop to places I've never known about, and new stories that bring happiness and health to my life.

EVENT HOST: Hype
VENUE: The Laundry 
YOGA INSTRUCTOR: Maayan 
CELLIST: Josh McClain