Your Self-Care Checklist for the Holiday Season

Schlepping around six different stores to find your hard-to-impress mother-in-law something she won’t immediately return? Painful. But sitting on your sofa, a glass of wine in hand and relying on the internet is infinitely better. Here are some gift ideas to get you started—just remember to order in time so that you can take advantage of free shipping.

The post office during the holidays is a headache just waiting to happen. Instead, rely on clever companies like Postable to do the hard work for you. Pick a card from the beautiful options, type a message and let the company stamp and mail it for you. Simple.

Having friends and family come to visit is wonderful, but it’s also…exhausting. Enter this genius rule by which you let guests stay with you for only three days—no more. The key is to make this policy very well known to your nearest and dearest with plenty of advance warning so that there are no hurt feelings or surprises.

It’s scientifically proven to calm you down and also gives you some much-needed alone time when everyone and their cousin wants to meet up. Not sure how to get started with meditation? Here are some tips for beginners.

We get it—hanging out by the bar is pretty much the only way you’re able to deal with your aunt Susan’s political rants. And while there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself over the holidays, overdoing it will only lead to bloating and exhaustion. Try to be mindful of what you put on your plate and in your glass and you’ll thank yourself later. Here’s a trick: If your mouth doesn’t water at the thought of that sweet potato casserole or rum punch, then skip it and move on to something that does.

Another research-backed way to ease stress and boost those feel-good hormones? Getting your heart rate up. No, we’re not suggesting you run a marathon this weekend, but even something as simple as a 30-minute daily walk can have a serious mood-enhancing effect.

We can’t stress this enough—getting enough shut-eye every night is a must. If that means saying no to a holiday party or finishing wrapping up gifts tomorrow, so be it—clocking seven to nine hours of sleep is non-negotiable.

Now is the time to reflect on the past year and what you’re grateful for. According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, participants who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives than those in the study who did not. Not only that, but they also exercised more and had fewer visits to the doctor. Here’s an idea to get you started: Be thankful that the holidays come but only once a year.