After the holidays, things can get tricky for your body and mind. There’s full-body tension present, which you might not even know exists until it starts to dissipate. But if you take a few minutes each day to relax at home, you won’t feel like you lost out on the full experience of the holiday. Take care of yourself and remember that relaxation is important too. You don’t have to spend money to get an authentic full-body massage each day after the holidays. Here are some tips for how you can relax at home:
1. Unwrap something new every day
Plan to unwrap one thing per day for 30 days following Christmas or Hanukkah. This could be a full-body massage chair, a scented candle, or even a new book. This can help you feel rejuvenated and full of hope for the upcoming year.
2. Write down and complete your holiday to-do list
You may think you don’t need this. But trust me, you do. No matter how much we deny it, we all love to check off those things on our list of what we ‘have’ to accomplish over the holidays. Get it out of the way now and get rid of that stress before it can even begin.
3. Meditate with a full-body massage chair
Sit in front of your full-body massage chair, close your eyes and breathe deeply for ten minutes at night before bedtime each day after Christmas or Hanukkah. This will help release any tension and restore more peace and calm than you ever thought possible. If you keep up with this ritual, you’ll notice that over time, instead of just ten minutes at night, you will meditate for more than 30 minutes.
4. Get back to your routine
It’s crucial that after the holidays are over, we get our lives back on track and into a normal routine with work or school. That might mean taking care of children, cleaning the home. Make sure to take part in some kind of ‘reset’ ritual each day after Christmas or Hanukkah so that your body doesn’t go into shock once January rolls around.
5. Go for a walk after dinner
Make this part of your evening routine. Right as the sun is setting, take a walk outside and enjoy nature as you shift your mindset from what you have to do next in life to what’s been accomplished so far. It’s amazing how exercise can help clear those holiday cobwebs from your mind.
6. Read more (or less) than usual
If you’re like most people, you probably read a novel or two over the holidays. But it might not be enough—especially if they’re shorter novels—to keep up with all the relaxation that takes place during this time of year. Challenge yourself by reading one book per week until January 1. You’ll be amazed at how much extra mental clarity you get from this.
7. Listen to relaxing music while you sleep
If you’re looking for ways to ease yourself into sleep mode, consider listening to soft and calming music at bedtime. There are dozens of albums that play peaceful instrumental songs specifically created to help calm your mind and muscle tension after Christmas or Hanukkah.
8. Try yoga
Even if you’ve never done yoga before, now’s the perfect time to start. This ancient tradition is no longer just for those with ‘inappropriate’ workout attire. Hundreds of videos online show how easy it is to do this physical activity. And there are lots of books that teach yoga poses for beginners.
9. Cook something new every day
If you’re looking for ways to take it easy, why not try cooking at home each night? That’s right—feed yourself. Find a recipe online and try it out if you don’t know where to start. The best part is, you can cook pretty much all year round, so there’s no reason this should be just reserved for the holidays or Hanukkah. You deserve tasty, healthy meals every night of the week regardless of what time of year it is.
10. Do something nice for someone else
Spend some time doing something good for someone else—even if that person isn’t—whether that means donating to charity, doing something for someone without expecting anything in return, or letting one of your family members take the day off from cooking dinner. If you want to know how rewarding it can be to look outside yourself and make someone else’s life easier, try it out.
11. Have a board game night
If you’re like most families, you probably played some type of game over the holidays. Why not recreate that fun every night this week? It’s good for bonding with loved ones, and if everyone wants to play another round each time, no one will even care about who wins at the end.
If you plan on relaxing at home after the holidays, it’s important to take steps to ensure that you don’t feel disoriented when things get back to normal. This article has given you eleven different ways to get back into your routine, so pick one or two and try them out. You’ll be surprised at how quickly all of these tips can help transition your body and mind back into relaxation mode.
