Self-Care Obsessions

Thanksgiving is a time for lots of overstimulation: extra visitors, monstrous food portions, Black Friday sales — a week of exhaustion, if you ask me. Knowing fully well that this holiday season would be taxing, I put together a list of goals: making travel plans, buying Christmas presents, spending time with my family and friends. 

Most of all, I'm trying to stay accountable to self-care. There's a fine line between selfishness and self-care, so I wrote out all the habits I'd like to pursue this week to help me stay balanced. 

Whether I'm looking for some cozy alone time or I've refreshed Twitter until my thumbs fell off, reading helps me escape from the real world. Added plus: bring it up at your Thanksgiving table as a smug reminder that you’re smarter than everyone else. You can check out my book recommendations here. Don’t have time for a whole book? Subscribe to Girls Night In Club newsletter to get quick, smart reads delivered to your inbox every Friday morning.

The best part of Thanksgiving break is that I’m not confined to my desk, and I intend to take full advantage of it. Whether you want alone time with nature, or quality time with a family member, taking a walk is the perfect way to enjoy the weather while it’s still bearable. Being outdoors can help you reset, or work off some steam while getting some much needed vitamin D in these cold months. 

This is probably the only healthy habit I’ve picked up since November 8, 2016, but I no longer check my social media, emails or the news when I wake up in the morning. It’s helped me start my day more positively, as the first thing I see isn’t a screen, nor an update from TADCCFKAWH (the adult day care center formerly known as the White House). Repeated exposure to LED screens strains your eyes, and can contribute to headaches and poorer quality sleep. If you can’t quit your screen habit, protective reading glasses are supposedly real — you can a full review of their legitimacy on Bustle.

Log off???? But where will I scream into the abyss? No one can deny you employment for the rage you fuel into your private journal, so you might as well start channeling it there instead of Twitter. As a full-time writer, I often feel too tired at the end of the day to do any personal writing (hence, the last month without updating my blog). Having a change of pace like a week at home makes it easy to check in with my journal (and Black Friday is a reason to buy a new one). Don’t know what to write? Set some goals for the end of 2017. Document your family’s Thanksgiving saga. Send some thank-you notes to people who make a difference in your life. Or to future you, for practicing self-care.

XO,

Hal

P.S. I linked a few treats that can jump start your routine, and they're all under $35!