We need to give to ourselves first, to be able to give the very best of ourselves to those we love.
Christmas is indeed a wonderful time of year: a time when we connect with family and friends over lovely meals, share gifts, have some laughs and enjoy all the colourful, glittering décor and lights.
At the same time, the season can mean a lot of rushing and bustling about, making it easy to take less care of ourselves, and with the potential to cause stress and exhaustion.
If Christmas is a time for giving, we need to remember what’s important: we need to give to ourselves first, to be able to give the very best of ourselves to those we love. As the saying goes ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’.
Thankfully, being satisfied within ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically, can be achieved if we have a good approach in taking care of our own needs and wants during this time.
If you need a little help figuring out how to refill your cup, we want to share with you some ideas that you can practice in your self-care journey towards good health and happiness, for you and for those you love.
Plan and Organise
Think about how you want to feel and even don’t want to feel during this time; think about your health, energy levels and moods. We all want to feel healthy and happy, especially during this magical time.
The question is how are we going to ensure that we achieve this? The answer is proper, timely planning and organisation. Know your aims and think about what it will take to get there.
If you need help with this, we have some pocket diaries available which you can use to jot down all those thoughts, plans and survival tactics.
Nourish Your Body
Nourishing our bodies with healthier, wholesome, nutritious, balanced meals is reported to be key in maintaining good mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, meaning that we can be in better positions to fully and truly enjoy the celebrations, whilst coping better with any stressful encounters.
Across the media, Nutritionists continue to promote a list of foods and drinks that promote good health, and you’ll be happy to hear that here at GOPI Supermarket, we have some of these very items which we think are not only good for us, but thankfully also don’t compromise on taste!
At-Home Wellness Retreat & Activities
Being such a hectic time, it’s more important than ever to take some time for yourself, to just relax and engage in leisurely activities that you love and which nourish and replenish your mind, body and soul.
This doesn’t need to be expensive or require you to take a whole week off; even just a few hours during the week or a day / weekend if you can, and have an at-home wellness retreat.
Take a long, hot bath, have a ‘spa day’ at home, make yourself a healthy meal, watch a movie in bed, read a book, have afternoon tea and cake, eat your favourite treats, have a solo picnic date in your garden – the list is endless and we have some perfect additions to make your retreat even better.
Get Creative in the Kitchen
It may sound like we are suggesting that you slave away in the kitchen to ‘relax’ but as long as you are having fun preparing food that is not too strenuous to make, using your imagination in the kitchen has been reported to be therapeutic and reduce stress by being a creative outlet.
And at the end of it, you’ll even have the bonus of having a Christmas treat for yourself or to gift to someone. If you’re still not convinced, how about outsourcing pre-packed foods that require less cooking time? Now, what can we tempt you with to let those creative thoughts start flowing?