Holiday Self-Care IS Possible
A Gentle Guide for Burnt-Out Helpers, Healers, & Sensitive Humans
Skeptical? I get it. It can often feel like balancing work, family, social life, housework, other adulting tasks, AND self-care is impossible, then add on the holiday expectations and it can really seem like you need to be superhuman in order to get it all done. But here’s the thing, mindset makes a BIG difference.
Don’t roll your eyes just yet!
Hear me out. If I go through my day-to-day telling myself that taking care of myself isn’t possible, I’m gonna believe it, like, really believe it.
Then if I believe it’s impossible I’m not even going to try, or at least not very hard.
And then every time I attempt to engage in self-care and it doesn’t happen or doesn’t work out the way I had hoped, there’s more evidence strengthening my belief the self-care is impossible.
Am I saying that all you have to do is believe self-care is possible and then it will solve all of your problems?
No.
I am saying that if you believe self-care is possible (or even just sorta believe it) then it will be a whole lot easier to make it not just happen, but be replenishing and worthwhile.
Here’s how this might look…
You’re taking stock of things you need to get done before the next holiday rolls around in a matter of days or weeks. You start to feel some overwhelm creeping in and even some familiar stories about how self-care takes too much time or isn’t something you can do right now, maybe after the holidays you can get to it.
Right here you have an opportunity to flip the script. You can go with that belief that’s been there for a long time. Or! You can notice this thought pattern and try something new, maybe just consider how you might be able to make self-care happen during this busy time of year. Recognize that self-care doesn’t need to be “perfect” it just needs to actually be.
You could schedule in activities for your own care right along with the responsibilities.
Try your best to make it to that exercise class, prioritize some alone time, say no to one or two things on the list of obligations, take a moment outside just to soothe your soul with fresh air and nature, mindfully connect with a pet, consensually cuddle a human, make the recipe YOU want to bring to the party, etc., etc.
I’m guessing you might be thinking, “but Jen, how will I get it all done AND add more tasks in?!”
Here’s the honest to goodness truth sweet one, you will not get it all done. You won’t. And that is Okay. That is OKAY!
You AREN’T a superhuman. But you are a human, a human with a big heart and a tired soul. Putting off your own care doesn’t get the job done, it misses a crucial step; the one where you tend to yourself WHILE you do the things. You can’t put yourself to the side and expect things to go along smoothly. Sooner or later your needs will catch up to you and when that happens they take a larger toll than they would have if you just tended to them in the first place.
Now please don’t think I’m over here preaching self-care without struggling with it. Seriously, I’m writing this after being sick with a cold for 10 days and now nursing a sinus infection mostly because I’ve been pushing too hard for the past 6 weeks. But truly, self-care is a constant goal of mine, it looks different over time but it remains a constant goal and will for the rest of my life because I know it is what feeds my life, my soul, and my will. Without it I eventually become a husk of a person needing to pause my entire life for as long as it takes to get back to baseline (so. many. illnesses.).
So as you are wading through the holidays up to your ears in to do lists, I implore you to make sure there are at least a few items on there that prioritize YOU. You are the only one that can do that and it’s quite possibly the most important job there is to have.
If you are looking for opportunities to practice some self-care in community with helpers and healers in a LGBTQIA+ and Neuro affirming creative space, you can check out our last two offerings of 2025 below, I’d love to hold some space for you to prioritize yourself and get creative!
Burnout Care & Creativity Virtual Mini Retreat Saturday 11/29/25
Monthly Burnout Care & Creativity Virtual Gathering Monday 12/15 - Holiday Cards You’ll Never Send
Please take good care of yourself, it’s the only “self” you’ve got!
💜 Jen
