Self Care for the Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it? For some of us it is Thanksgiving day and for others it’s just another Thursday. It seems that almost the world over, we’ve adopted the trend of Black Friday. I recently saw posts for this on a European site. Maybe you’ve seen others? The influence and spread of consumerism, is kind of ironic after a day of Thanksgiving. I think I’m saying there seems to be a lot of pressure at this time of year! For sure some of it is self imposed. But a lot of it comes from outside influences. Not to worry, there are ways to de-stress and practice self care during the holidays.

Practice Gratitude

I’m a big believer in practicing gratitude and not just at Thanksgiving. I’d like to challenge you to practice 21 days of gratitude. It’s really easy to do and can make a big impact on your life. Simply every day be mindful and take opportunities to notice at least three things you are grateful for every day and the three things should be different each day. By doing this you are setting a mindset that will help you take a pause during stressful situations. Write them in a journal or your phone. Take a moment to reflect on them. You’ll be surprised that after 21 days, you’ve set yourself up for a lovely habit of practicing gratitude and I think with some mindfulness, you can continue this custom each and every day. Why not join us on our Facebook Group Page? We can just write three things we are grateful for every day starting December 1st until the 21st December. No explanation needed, just simply be a part of the gratitude conversation.

Try Meditation

Next on my list of self care is practicing meditation. This is a life changer! There are a lot of phone apps, if you don’t have time to join a class. The phone apps are an easy way to begin. Perhaps in January you can join a weekly meditation class. In the meantime, check out a meditation phone app. There are many. Insight is a free app. Headspace and Calm offer a ton of meditation practices and usually offer an introductory free trial. There are many…you may have to try a few to see which works best for you, but once you find the right app for you and begin meditating daily, you’ll be so glad you made this effort. It doesn’t require a lot of time to feel a difference in your life. To begin, try 10 minutes daily. I think morning is best before your hectic day begins. Otherwise, it is very easy to say…later, I’ll do it later and later never happens. You are worth 10 minutes of your day, just for you.

Treat Yourself to a Sex Toy

And because hey, we are a sexshop, afterall…I do recommend a vibrator for fun just for you. Sex toys come in a variety of options, too many for this article to mention, but a few recommendations. Keep it simple, keep it affordable (especially if this is your first toy), use lubricant and body safe materials. This is a chance to quite simply have an orgasm! Oh my, an orgasm is a great reliever of stress! Sex toys are for everyone. Once you’ve tried one, you’ll wonder, what was I waiting for…take a deep breath and take the plunge. Treat yourself to a sex toy today!

There are tons of ways to practice self care for the holidays and beyond. Let us know your best practices, we’d love to hear your ideas. To join in the discussion, please follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Check in weekly for a new blog post.  If you are interested in more information or have more questions you can always Ask Pam. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for instructional videos.