Putting Yourself on the Gift List This Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us again, with all its positive and negative connotations. It’s a time of family togetherness, gratitude, and joy—but it can also be a time of stress and exhaustion. Balancing the demands of family, work, and the holiday season can strain anyone’s mental health, but women tend to feel holiday stress the most.

In 2006, the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America study highlighted for the first time the divide between women and men when it comes to holiday stress. The APA found then that 44 percent of adult women were likely to report stress during the holiday season, compared to only 31 percent of men. Issues such as lack of time, money concerns, and the pressure to give or receive gifts cause significant stress, the APA reported at the time. Fifteen years later, in 2021, an APA holiday stress survey confirmed that these and other end-of-year concerns still affect women more than men.

The good news is that women can take their stress levels down this holiday season by embracing self-care. Prioritizing self-care over holiday demands doesn’t mean you have to skip holiday parties or pare back your holiday plans. Instead, embracing self-care allows you to be present in the moment and actually enjoy the “most wonderful time of the year.” Here’s how to step away from stress and put yourself on the gift list this holiday season.

Self-Care: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Women routinely take on the roles of mother, wife or partner, employee or business owner, family caregiver, chef, and more. We all know self-care is important, but with such a full agenda, it’s easy to let it slip. You may think of self-care as a luxury that other women get to practice. But there may be more constructive ways to look at it.

Self-care is necessary for a healthy and balanced life. It seems easy to push taking care of yourself to the bottom of the list, but the results can be devastating if you do. Neglecting self-care just leads to more stress, eventual burnout, and a potentially dangerous decline in health.

The holidays, with their extra demands, may not seem like the right time to make more time for yourself. However, meeting those demands requires you to be at your best. It seems many of us know this instinctively as statistics show an increase in healthcare product sales during the holiday season, with the category representing as much as eight percent of all holiday sales.

Fortunately, most self-care practices are available for little or no cost. Instead of trying to buy a quick fix for what ails you, go for the gift that keeps on giving. Here are some ways to start taking care of yourself in ways that pay dividends all year long.

Lifestyle Changes for Self-Care

These self-treatment options help you take better care of yourself with just a few small lifestyle changes. They’re particularly relevant for women going into the holiday season, as they free up your time and reduce your stress load. Try making these changes:

• Learn to say no. Recognizing your limits can be difficult when you feel the pull of expectations. But politely declining any additional responsibilities and invitations during the holiday can free up significant amounts of time.
• Start delegating. You can’t take on everything by yourself. While that sounds obvious, too many women try to do it all during the holidays. Delegating tasks to family and helpful friends when possible is a great way to relieve holiday pressure.
• Make time for yourself. We all have calendar apps on our phones, tablets, and desktop computers. If you don’t already schedule your time with one, start now, then block off daily time for yourself. Even a few minutes of meditation, reading, or a bubble bath can help you decompress.

Small Self-Care Investments

Some helpful self-care tools require a small financial investment, but they offer returns well beyond their upfront cost. Try these out to help integrate self-care into your daily life:

• Meditation apps: Meditation reduces stress, improves your focus, and generally leaves you feeling relaxed and renewed. The app store on your device will offer several meditation apps that can guide you through the process and help keep you feeling invigorated.
• Mindfulness courses. Search for mindfulness courses available in your area. Once you master mindfulness, you’ll feel more present in the moment, which helps reduce anxiety and stress levels. In the absence of courses in your area, you can even find mindfulness apps for your phone or computer.
• Incorporate exercise. Have a gym membership or workout equipment in your basement? Start blocking off regular time on your calendar to ensure you’re getting the most out of these self-care investments. Blocking out just 30 minutes for a walk can have a tremendously positive impact on mental and physical health.

Empower Others to Set Their Own Boundaries

Making self-care a priority can seem like a significant change to those around you. One of the best ways to explain why and how you’re taking care of yourself is to encourage others to follow your lead. Setting boundaries may be a delicate topic, especially during the holidays. But as those closest to you start to see the value in self-care, you all will experience happier holidays.

Reaping the Benefits of Self-Care Year-Round

Giving yourself the gift of self-care not only helps you have a more enjoyable, less stressful holiday season. It will help you better meet the demands of life all year long. The many roles that women play for family, friends, and coworkers rarely leave you much free time. But when you prioritize self-care, you help ensure that you will be present, happy, and healthy for those around you. Take the time today to start on your own self-gift for mental and physical wellness.