The holidays are a time of joy, reconnection, and caring, but all the excitement from traveling and visiting family and friends can lead to mental and physical burnout. According to a 2015 Healthline study, 90 percent of respondents said they felt stress during the holidays. Traveling, hosting, and taking care of others may leave you exhausted and run down if you don’t take time to care for yourself. 

Creating a holiday self-care routine is a great way to ensure you’re fully present for the things that matter during this time of year. Discover several strategies you can use this holiday season to ensure you move towards the new year with renewed energy and health. 

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness refers to a wide range of practices to calm your mind and keep your thoughts in the present moment. Use mindfulness techniques to help reduce stress levels during the holidays. Popular mindfulness-based practices include:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Journaling
• Walking
• Breathing exercises

Meditation may help reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels. Breathing exercises, like slow abdominal breathing, calm your nervous system and help reduce stress. Working a few of these activities into your holiday routine will help regulate your emotions and alleviate elevated stress levels. 

Pamper Yourself

The holiday season should be a time of rest and relaxation. Rejuvenate your body and mind with a few pampering self-care essentials.

Aromatherapy has been shown to have a significant impact on mood. Lavender and chamomile essential oils decrease depression, anxiety, and stress, which are ideal for managing your mood during the busy holiday season. Try spritzing your room with BluZen Lavender + Vanilla Aromatherapy Spray or burn Cinnamon Apple Votive Candles to get in the holiday spirit. 

Melt away stress with the Homedics Vibration Foot Massager with Heat. The heated foot massage provides multiple-point massage rollers with vibration to ease tension in tired feet, and the compact dimension makes it easy to take with you when you travel. 

Prepare for Your Travels

One significant stressor over the holidays is traveling. Traveling is particularly stressful if you don’t feel prepared or forget to bring an important item to your destination. To reduce travel stress, take some time before you leave to fully prepare and ensure you have everything you need for your trip. 

Rite Aid offers several travel-size personal care items perfect for holiday trips. You can grab a dental pack with a toothbrush, mouthwash, and toothpaste. Or a practical 7-pack of travel bottles where you can put a small amount of your full-size toiletries. 

We also carry multiple travel bags for cosmetics, phones, and wallet items so you can relax knowing that all your items are securely stored for the duration of your trip.

Eat as Healthy as Possible

How you eat during the holidays affects your mood. While the holidays are the perfect time to indulge in sweet treats and baked goods, balancing holiday foods with healthy eating and portion control is crucial. Overeating leads to bloating and sluggishness, leaving you feeling worse. 

Eating high-quality protein and fresh fruits and vegetables can help you boost your mood, and getting enough fiber can help keep you regular and reduce bloating and abdominal discomfort. If you overindulge, take an antacid with gas relief like Tums Chewy Bites. 

Get Enough Sleep

With all the traveling and holiday excitement, it can be challenging to get enough sleep. Sleep and mood are deeply connected; a lack of sleep often increases stress, anxiety, anger, or sadness. 

Try sleep supplements like melatonin gummies or melatonin tablets to help you achieve quality sleep when visiting friends and family during the holidays. Taking melatonin can help improve sleep quality and synchronize your circadian rhythm, so you get quality rest no matter where you travel these holidays. 

If you struggle to sleep well when traveling, consider taking a few sleep aids with you when visiting friends and family these holidays. The Apex Comfort Sleep Mask is ideal for making the room extra dark and features a padded design with a soft satin backing for optimal comfort. To block out rowdy or snoring relatives, switch on a white noise machine like the Homedics SoundSpa Portable Compact Travel Sound Machine. It features six nature sounds and three timer options and can be used for sleep, relaxation, and mediation*.

*The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Always consult your healthcare provider before starting a new OTC Drug, supplement, diet, or exercise program or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.