“Extreme self-care is serious business—so much more than taking warm baths, getting a massage, saying no, or setting new priorities. It’s about building self-esteem, becoming emotionally strong and empowered, and developing the kind of character that makes you decisive, clear, and honest about who you are and what you want.”- Cheryl Richardson
Christmas is intense. A complete bubble of never-ending social and geographical movements. A crash course through most of the people you know and love. Then new year comes. A time of joy, renewal and reflection. The part of the year when you concoct all kinds of grand plans about how you are going to do better, what projects you are going to take on, and which parts of the world you are going to conquer.
But after these highs, come the crashing lows of reality kicking back in. That isn’t to say that the usual pattern of life is dull, it simply isn’t the same as living in the glittering bubble of late December, where you can forget your troubles and get happy.
Even though I try not to get over-ambitious at the start of the year (it always ends in a handful of supposed failures), I still manage to get carried away with my wishes for the year ahead. So, in order to stifle my disappointment, and in the spirit of new year self-care, I am trying a few things to make sure I don’t set myself up for a rocky 2025!
1. Don’t Go Too Hard to Soon
My new year goes like this, typically. I act as well as write. So, I will come off my Christmas acting job around a week into January, feel behind, leap straight back into writing, project planning and stressing about what has been neglected over Christmas, fall into my old habits and inevitably burn out by the beginning of February. I don’t take a moment to think. No planning time. No low pressure, ‘ease into the year’ period. So, I have given myself a week and a very short to-do list. I am taking a week in January to look properly at my habits, work planning and personal needs before trying to work those things out at the same time as juggling one hundred other things.
2. Rest
‘I’ve just had a break and a rest. It was Christmas,’ you might think. The thing is, for most of us, Christmas is not restful. Arguably, it is even less restful than normal life. It is wonderful, sure, but it also drains social energy. It requires your brain and emotions to work overtime. Your body takes on many more calories than usual and might leave you feeling sluggish… like you need to nap for a week. So, what I’m saying is… maybe nap for a week. Or at least a day or two. Don’t pack those weekends out in January… maybe take the odd Saturday to do nothing.
3. Reset the Space
It’s a bit sad to remove the Christmassyness from your space. All the colour and light of the festive season has to be packed back into those boxes that will live in the loft until December comes around again. But the home underneath needn’t be sad. The removal of decorations is a chance to reset your space for a new purpose. The purpose of calm, mindfulness, and renewal. As you are taking down your decorations, take the chance to throw a few things out, clean all the surfaces, set your bits and pieces straight, hey, and maybe even move a few things around to make the space feel fresh and new. Embrace the transition.
4. Eat Mindfully… Eventually
Indulgence over December always leads to underindulgence immediately after, for some people. It’s insane to go from chocolate, cheese and wine for every meal to carrots only seven days a week. It’s not fun. It’s not sustainable. And it will almost certainly make you sad. Transition your eating. Don’t go cold turkey (a fitting expression). Sure, make sure you are back planning meals, eating in a more balanced way and maybe not bloating yourself three times a day. But don’t try and pull the Christmas eating habits out from under your feet… life is too short for this kind of penance! Sometimes, self-care looks like cake.
By Chris Thomson
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