12 Days Self-care – Revitalizing Christmas Self-care Ideas

Don’t compromise your self-care routine for busy holiday schedules. Here is a list of Christmas self-care ideas to pamper yourself.

*This post may contain affiliate links. (disclosure)

If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out during Christmas, you are not alone. 

While the holiday season can be the best time of the year for most of us, for so many reasons, the stress can go sky-high. While creating a very merry Christmas can be financially and socially challenging, self-care is the key to keep our minds intact.

Thanks to the extra free time of the holidays, it’s the best chance to practice self-care and give yourself a mental reboot before the new year arrives.

So here’s a list of self-care ideas for this Christmas. Feel free to mix and match or switch things up to make the 12 days of self-care work for you.

Now, onto the ideas!

Read also: 7 Tips To Beat Holiday Stress And Turn Hassle Into Joy

12 Days Of Self-love – Christmas self-care ideas

Christmas Self-care Idea #1: A power nap

Who doesn’t love a good nap? With less than 30 minutes, you will have your energy recharged for the rest of the day. 

It can also be a magical mood-booster which doesn’t cost you anything. So allow yourself to pause and take a nap when you experience low-energy in the day. 

Explore the nature

Fresh air and sun are two magic pills for elevating energy level and a better mood. Go out for a jog or a nice walk and enjoy mother nature. 

There’s no need to set a specific target for your workout. No counting miles or time. Just enjoy some me-time and the endorphins released in the brain. A little bit of exercise will change how you feel for the entire day. 

If you don’t have a lot of places to explore in your city, you can also get active at home. Check out this no-equipment HIIT Christmas home workouts that will make you sweat and feel energized.

Keep yourself hydrated

Self-care doesn’t always involve manicure. A self-care activity can be as simple as drinking enough water.

Not having enough water can cause headaches, dry skin, fatigue, and dizziness. These symptoms can make you feel exhausted during the busy holiday season.

But it’s not easy to remember how much water we’ve had and actually stay on track. So use your phone or paper to mark down the amount of water you’ve drunk today.

Make sure that you get at least 8 glasses of water and observe how your mood and energy changes.

Meditation is a great way to clear your mind and help you relax. 

I used to be addicted to multitasking. But I’ve found that the harder I tried, the longer it actually took me to get things done. That’s why a 5-minute session of meditation has become part of my morning self-care routine now.

Meditation is the most effective way to train our “mental muscles” to do things we set our mind to. Researchers have proven that meditation helps to improve the brain’s ability to process information.

And you don’t a lot to start practicing meditation. All you need is a quiet place and 5 minutes a day. Give it a try, it may be the self-care idea you need for surviving the holiday.

Make A Self-care Kit

A self-care survival kit is a personalized box of items to pamper yourself. It’s a go-to self care package for surviving the holidays or a bad day.

Making a self-care survival kit is a great chance to reflect what makes us happy. Plus, how refreshing it is to put together a box of things you love.

Treat yourself

Self-appreciation and self-love is the foundation of any self-care activity. Start your day by writing down 3 of the achievements that worth celebrating.

It doesn’t have to be something as huge as sending a rocket out in the space. Anything that you’ve made progress on, mark it down. Maybe you have been sleeping better. Or you’ve arranged more time for your family. Small steps will make a huge difference.

Reward yourself with a muffin, a new outfit or a full-body massage. Your body will reward you with greater satisfaction, a better mood and a higher energy level.

Start journaling

Start a self-care journal by writing about your day and how you have been feeling. Journaling can be the perfect chance to reflect and discover what has been making you feel good.

If you don’t know what exactly to write about, here are a list of self-discovery journal prompts to start with.

Shopping for self-care items

Shopping is a staple for holidays. But while you are getting a gift for Aunt Marie, don’t forget to get yourself good-quality self-care items.

Make yourself a priority and turn the haul into a Christmas self-care activity.

You don’t always need to buy the most expensive beauty products or those that are more of a hype.

Buy high-quality shampoo, conditioners, and body soap for your showers.  Upgrade your body and face lotions.

Get hands soaps that leave your hands nice and soft. Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive, but it has to be all about you.

Christmas Self-care Idea #9: Make your own facial mask

This is one of my favorite self-care ideas that combines skincare and DIY.

Search your cabinets and you’ll likely find plenty of ingredients to make into a face mask. Coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, honey, banana, oatmeal, and cucumbers are all great items to use. 

If you don’t have that much stuff at hand, just add some olive oil to brown sugar and use that as a face and lip scrub. You may need some trial-and-error to find the best recipe. But the process itself is great fun.

Play games

Dig out that old board games like the Monopoly and play with your family.

Or invite some friends over to play Cards Against Humanity or download a free game on your phone like Heads Up.

Make your Christmas self-care activity a fun time to share with your people!

A soothing bath

Put a few drops of essential oil of your choice in the bathtub. In the shower, take the time to breathe in the scent and use this shower to just relax. 

If you wish, make yourself a cup of herbal tea before the bath and enjoy with a good read to your liking. Slip into your warm and cozy pajamas once you’re done.

Adopt a bedtime ritual for better sleep

Getting enough and high-quality sleep is one of the most needed yet often neglected self-care activities.

Avoid eating 3 hours before sleep. An hour before going to bed, put away your phone and other electronics. Read a book on your list and calm your mind down from the holiday chaos.

These nighttime routines will help you to fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep throughout the night. And you’ll be more energetic and refreshed the next day!

Which of these Christmas self-care ideas have you tried?

So here you go. We hope that this list of Christmas self-care ideas helps to survive the holidays. Let me know what are you planning to do for self-care during Christmas in the comments or tag @_OurMindfulLife on Instagram to share.