Taking care of yourself over the festive season... 🎄

Hey MAD Fam, 

Tis the season to be jolly, but we wanted to remind you that being jolly doesn’t have to equal burnout, stress & anxiety. 

I think as humans we try to cram so much in over the holidays, ‘we have to catch up before Christmas’, ‘I’d love to see you for Christmas’, ‘Let’s have a BBQ for Christmas’...

And whilst it is such a festive and social time and you can feel the pressure to ‘just squeeze it in…’ 

It’s important to remember, you can say ‘no.’ We also wanted to remind you that now is an important time to take care of YOU! 

So today, we wanted to hit you with our best tips to help you sail smoothly through the holiday period so you can enter the new year refreshed, rejuvenated & replenished. 

#1 Give yourself time to just relax 

We will be the first to admit that time off often doesn’t feel like time off because your social calendar has no break, and sometimes guilt follows when you say ‘no’ even though your calendar hasn’t got anything in for that day. But it is so important to remember that you can say ‘no’.  Because you have a date with YOU, because you want to sit on the couch and do nothing, because you want to inject some self care into your life. You don’t need a reason to say no, so make sure you give yourself that time you so desperately have been waiting all year for. 

Which leads us to our next point… 

#2 You don’t have to give a reason when saying no… 

I know sometimes it feels like you have to say, ‘I’d love to but…’ or ‘no, because.’ But you can just say ‘not this time.’ You don’t have to validate why you don’t feel up to it. This is an overwhelming time for a lot of people & saying ‘no’ is more than okay.  

#3 Inject self-care into your life when you can 

Self-care was important yesterday, it’s important today and it will be important over the festive season. Remember to take care of you. Whether that looks like a bath, a workout, some journaling, some netflix, your favourite meal or simply just laying on the couch. Remember to inject self-care into your day and take care of YOU. 

#4 Don’t put pressure on yourself around working out & food!

This seems like a bit of a left-field tip, but often it can be one of the main drivers behind stress around the festive season. 

We are all eating more, moving less & reaching for the dessert more often. But that’s okay, life is here to be lived! You do not need to attach any guilt to that. Let yourself do whatever feels right for you! 

If that means a workout with the family then that’s fine, if that means laying on the couch all day, then that’s fine too! This is your sign to remove the pressure off yourself during this busy period and enjoy life. There are 11 other months in the year to smash your fitness goals, so give yourself this time to unwind. 

And above all else, have fun! This is such an exciting, joyful and happy time, so make sure you squeeze every moment out of it! 

We also just wanted to shed light and say, this is a really tough time for a lot of people, whether it’s the financial pressure, family situations or grieving a loved one, Christmas doesn’t mean pain goes away, and quite often special occasions amplify it. So make sure you check in with your friends, your neighbours & your family. 

Lastly, we wanted to say, we are always here, whether you DM us or email us, we will always be an ear to listen. We love you all! 

Love always 

Mads & Jayme xx

PS. If you like this kind of content, Mads & I do 'Thursday Thoughts' over on our Instagram every Thursday, make sure you are following us so you don't miss out. Click here to follow.