12 Ways to Destress during the Holidays -

I love the holiday season as much as the next girl. However, there is no denying that it can be a stressful time. Gifts to buy, homes to clean for guests or travel to prepare for. Food to cook, presents to wrap, decorating to do, outfits to plan. The list goes on & on. All the while, we are trying to remember the reason for the season. This year, like all of 2020, the holidays will likely only be more stressful. How do we safely celebrate? How do we ensure family members aren’t lonely? How do we help so many who are in need? As we ramp up for the holiday season, I thought it would be a great time to touch on some ways to cope! Today, I’m sharing 12 ways to destress during the holidays. I’m also sharing some specific things that help me + a discount code & great holiday sale for some of my favorite products.

12 Ways to Destress during the Holidays

As you may or may not recall, I spent about a decade working in the mental health field as a School Psychologist. Leading into the holidays was often a really challenging time for so many of the children I worked with. We get out of our routine & our healthy habits so easily this time of year, but are trying to enjoy the change of pace & indulging. Mental health is something I am very passionate about. Not only because I spent so long studying it & working in the field, but because it’s essential to our well being. Our mental health affects EVERYTHING we do whether we are conscious of it or not. I previously shared a blog post on positive ways to deal with anxiety that I reshare often, which has a lot of great ideas for coping with anxiousness. However, I wanted to write an updated, holiday specific post you could reference (or share) during times of stress this season!

Try to keep a routine. It’s so easy to get out of our routine over the holidays. While that is sort of the point, to sit back & relax, it can also further stress us out or just make us feel ‘off.’ I like to keep my morning routine the same at least. I wake up, go through my AM skincare routine, take my CBD & my vitamins, & get my body moving. This may be a quick yoga flow or a walk outside. Either on my walk or after I like to listen to or read The Daily Stoic for some reflection time before the day starts.
Move. I touched on this above, but make sure you move your body. You may not be able to do your workouts as usual, but doing any sort of movement will get the stale energy in your body flowing + your blood pumping. It’s a great way to put on music or a podcast & get in some Vitamin D, too.
Take some time to yourself. Holidays can be filled with family & taking a few minutes to yourself whether that is on a walk, meditate, or just have a few minutes do decompress is so important. Time for yourself allows you to show up as your best self when you are around others!
Enjoy leisure activities. I am someone who often feels like I need to be productive. There is always something I could prep, clean, or do. However, taking time around the holidays to do leisure activities can really help you destress. Do a puzzle, play a game, or read a book. Everything that needs to will get done & you’ll be more effective in crossing off the to do list if you take some time to chill.
Delegate. To cross everything off the list, you’ll need to delegate & not be afraid to ask for help. I definitely tend to be someone who thinks I can do everything on my own (& that I’ll do it best), but I’ve been working on the mindset of ‘done is better than perfect.’ Don’t be afraid to ask someone to cook one of the dishes, run an errand, or help with the dishes. I always remember my family fighting over who would do the dishes & thinking if everyone would just pitch in it would be done faster, with no arguing!
Schedule a phone date. Holidays can be busy, but try to schedule a phone date with a friend. It can be so nice to have this time carved out to decompress with someone outside of who you are spending your holidays with. Get it on the calendar so you can both make the time work around your family plans! Talking to friends is so good for us to destress.
Focus on the reason for the season. We get so caught up in gifts & food & all the other things that go into the holidays. However, that is not the reason for the season. Keep your focus on what all of this is about & realize that all the other material things that often come along with it don’t matter.
Stay flexible. If there was one motto for 2020, it would be this. Things happen, plans change. Stay flexible throughout the holidays & be ready to pivot if needed. This will help you not stress when things come up or don’t go as planned. Everything will work out!
Take a bath. There are few better cures for stress than a bath with some amazing bath salts (especially CBD bath salts) & a glass of wine. Throw on your favorite playlist, light a candle, & enjoy the alone time to recenter & refresh.
Give back. Giving back is proven to boost your mood & lower your stress. It helps you remember how fortunate you may be & is obviously helping others. Take some time to give back this holiday season & get those feel good endorphins flowing. I share a good cause to consider supporting each week in my The Weekly Lo Down blog post & newsletter (subscribe here if you haven’t already).
Rest. Don’t stay up all night prepping food for the next day or wrapping gifts. Rest is essential. A good night’s sleep will help you show up as your best self the next day. I used to struggle with falling asleep & would just lay in bed thinking of everything I needed to do. I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling panicked & struggle to fall back asleep. I’m touching on it more below, but adding in CBD soft gels as night has helped me fall & stay asleep. Also, remember it’s okay to not set an alarm & just let your body wake you when it’s ready. This is so good for us!
Remember that quality time is king. At the end of the day, people remember the quality time you spend together. Everything else is great & can be fun, but that is what is most important.

More on my CBD routine & products

I mentioned above a few CBD products I use to destress. You all may recall that I shared the 411 on CBD awhile back. I thought this would be a perfect time to touch on it again! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Equilibria, which is the CBD brand I’ve been taking for a year now. Truly, it has changed my life & has helped me get to such a better place. I am less anxious, more rested, & less stressed! I shared more in this post about why I chose this brand out of all the CBD companies out there. You can read more there, but at the end of the day, I trust them. I respect their story, the way they source ingredients, & the way they focus on the individual needs of each customer.

In the past year I have gone from working two full time jobs, to quitting my job to blog full time, to my grandmother being in the hospital & barely making it out, to my dad getting COVID-19 & being in the ICU & hospital for a month & then back at home on oxygen, to allllll the other things we have all gone through together in 2020. It’s been a wild ride of a year. I’m so thankful for the perspective of it all, but there have definitely been challenging times. When I was struggling to cope, Equilibria worked with me to adjust my dosages as necessary for both my morning dropper & my nighttime soft gel. There were honestly days that I feel like I only avoided a panic attack or insomnia because of their products. When I tell you they have changed my life, I mean it.

I use the Equilibria drops each morning & the soft gels at night. I have the relief cream for sore muscles or cramps & Charles uses this, too as needed. I’ve tried their bath salts & love how relaxing they are! I also have the rollers on hand & in my bags for moments I could use a little extra help with keeping calm. You can buy products individually or separately & either purchase one at a time or sign up for a subscription.

If you or someone you know struggle with anxiety & have been thinking about trying CBD, I definitely recommend checking out Equilibria. They have so many amazing products & gift bundles on their site. You can get a discount as a first time customer with code: ALOPROFILE. I can think of no better gift for yourself or someone in your life than the gift of calm, good rest, or any of the other amazing benefits quality CBD can bring. When it comes to this please remember that consistency is key for lasting, noticeable results!

They are having a ton of great sales for the holidays if you’re interested in trying! I’m outlining them more below:

11/24- 11/26: Buy a holiday gift set & get one 50% off!
11/27-11/30: 20% off site wide (no exclusions!) Orders of $150+ will receive their new full size Daily Treatment Oil as gift with purchase – a $68 value!
12/01: On Giving Tuesday, Equilibria will give 10% of holiday gift set sales to partner, Black Girl Ventures to support Black & Brown female entrepreneurs. All customers will also receive 10% off!

*These sales are stackable with my discount code: ALOPROFILE for first time customers.

I hope you all enjoyed my 12 ways to destress during the holidays & learning more about the CBD products that have helped me so much throughout this entire year. Feel free to reach out with any way I can help or any questions! If I don’t know the answer, I will try to find out or point you in the right direction. XO

As always, be sure you consult with your doctor about any specific concerns or changes to your routine. This is not meant to be medical or psychological advice, but rather me sharing my story for anyone who it may resonate with & could possibly help.

Thank you so much to Equilibria for partnering on this post. Sponsored posts like these help make A Lo Profile possible. As always, all opinions are my own.