Five Easy Health Hacks to Avoid Holiday Burnout

It’s heeere. Holiday burnout is real, and it can suck the life out of you during the most wonderful time of the year. Around this time, already stretched-too-thin women, get stretched just a little bit further and mental and physical health takes a beating. With that in mind, now is a good time to implement a few healthy hacks to avoid holiday burnout and keep your body and soul at its best during the holiday season.

Holiday Burnout – Get Through Christmas with These Tips

Never Touch Your Face With Your Hands

If you’ve got an itch grab a facial tissue first to cover your finger or better yet, use your arm. Even the most dedicated germaphobes can’t keep their hands virus free 100% of the time. Your face is your body’s biggest gateway for allowing viruses to get in through your eyes, nose and mouth. Get in the habit of NEVER touching your face unless you’re washing it or putting moisturizer on and you’ll instantaneously eliminate a lot of illnesses from your life.

Nothing can derail your holiday enjoyment quicker than a virus, not to mention activate holiday burnout.

Practice Mindfulness

When you’re burning the candle at both ends, your mind can shift into overdrive quickly. I’ve spent the last year embracing the power of meditation and doing my best to live in the moment. Along the way I’ve found a few tricks worth sharing. The first is carving out time for meditation everyday. I meditate first thing every morning using the Calm app. At first meditation feels like you’ll never get the hang of it. You’ll ask yourself why can’t focus, be calm, be still, but trust me, it does come. Be gentle with yourself, don’t beat yourself up when your mind wanders and just gently remind yourself to come back to the your breath.

During the day, I do my best to avoid time travel. Every time I find myself thinking about a past or future event that raises my stress level, I simply say to myself, “time travelling”, and I pull myself back to the moment. It’s carrying the practice of meditation and mindful awareness with me all day. The effect of this has been powerful as I’ve moved my resting heart rate from 70 to 55 over the past year. Try it yourself, and remember, there is zero judgement in meditation, most importantly from yourself. Meditation can keep holiday burnout at bay when you feel the tasks and to-do lists becoming overwhelming.

Drink Lemon Water Every Morning

Before you reach for your cup of Joe, squeeze half a lemon into a tall glass of warm water and chug it down. Lemon juice aids with digestion, keeps your skin looking fresh and gives your body needed Vitamin C. You can see a full list of the benefits of drinking lemon water every morning here. It’s a routine I follow every morning of the year, not just during the holidays.

Ask Yourself If It Passes Your Merry Test?

Let’s face it, the holidays are filled with a lot of things that suck the merry out of the holidays. Ask yourself before accepting any invitation, starting any DIY project, or writing a single Christmas card—does this bring me joy? If the answer is a resounding no, then don’t do it. It’s that easy. I gave up Christmas cards years ago, and it’s one of the best holiday decisions I ever made.

On the other hand, I decorate the interior of my house to the max by mid-November. I’m not pushing Christmas on anyone outside my home, and it brings me great joy. Do what makes you happy this holiday season and you’ll never go wrong.

Get Outside

I know it’s really easy to be a hermit in the winter months, especially because the days are so short and the weather is so cold. That’s why it’s more important than ever to step outside for at least 15 minutes a day to get some fresh air. The positive correlation between mental health and time spent outdoors is strong, so invest in proper outdoor wear and get outside!

Better yet, find a winter sport to embrace. I used to hate winter, but since I’ve embraced it, I find the season flies by. In a powerful mental shift, I now get excited to see the snow, instead of annoyed. Instead of experiencing holiday burnout before Christmas even arrives this year, try implementing some of these coping tips into you life and see how it can make a difference.