🎄 Wellbeing During the Winter Whirlwind
Imagine the scene...
You turn into the parking lot of your favorite shopping center - and instantly it feels like a holiday obstacle course. Cars crawling in every direction, brake lights blinking, excessive honking, parents hustling their littles across the parking lot dodging cars with drivers that fail to look in all directions. You slow-roll the parking aisles, circling just one more time in hopes that you will get miracle parking space.
It’s festive.
It’s chaotic.
It’s the kind of moment that makes you clutch the steering wheel tightly and think: There has to be a better way to move through this season.
And there is.
With all the rush and the noise, the holidays do offer us a gentle reminder: our health and wellbeing matter, and so does the emotional wellbeing of our children. In fact, these busy, bustling moments are exactly when we need grounding the most.
Here are a few simple ways to care for yourself (and model wellbeing for the little ones watching you):
✨Prioritize Rest✨
Adequate sleep supports emotional regulation, patience, and overall health for all ages!
✨Moments of Calm✨
A deep breath before stepping out of the house and getting in to the car, a slow morning, a cozy coffee/tea/hot cocoa break… these little resets help keep everyone grounded.
✨Steady Routines✨
With events and errands filling every corner of the calendar, predictable routines with mealtimes, downtimes and bedtimes, provide stability and comfort.
✨The Power of Saying “No”✨
Not every invitation needs a yes. Protect your energy and teach your children to keep a healthy balance.
✨ Care for Your Body✨
Think balance, not perfection. Keep hydrated, eat a balance of foods and delicious treats.
✨ Check-In on Feelings✨
Check-in with yourself, your family, friends and co-workers: Holidays bring big emotions for kids and adults alike. Naming them creates connection and builds resilience.
✨ Embrace Imperfection✨
Something will spill. Something will burn. Someone will melt down (possibly you). Grace and humor go a long way.
Final Thoughts...
The holidays can bring on a complex mix of emotions, sometimes all in the very same day. From the joy of traditions, the excitement of gatherings, and the sparkle of the season. There can also be grief, stress, nostalgia, overwhelm, loneliness, anxiety, and the pressure to make it all perfect.
For kids, the emotional range can be just as wide: big anticipation, sudden disappointment, overstimulation, worry about changes in routine, or sadness from missing someone or something familiar.
It’s completely normal for the holidays to feel big - in beautiful ways and in difficult ways. Noticing this full spectrum, instead of pushing it away, helps us care for ourselves and support our children with more empathy, patience, and connection.
I am wishing you and yours a wonderful winter season. Use these simple ways to nurture yourself, model them for your children, and let that care ripple out to the people in our world.
✨Happy Holidays!✨
xo, Marcelle
