The Simple Trick for Finding Joy Amid Holiday Chaos: Create a ‘well-being wall’ and your sanity – and loved ones – will benefit

by | Apr 10, 2016 | Holiday Stress, Well-being Wall | 0 comments

This content was originally posted on the US News & World Report’s blog.

If there’s one thing I need to be my best self, it’s a good night’s sleep. For my husband, it’s a biking session before work. For my friend Beth, it’s 15 minutes of yoga. For Serena, it’s a quiet bath. We all have at least one baseline self-care need that allows us to function at our most energetic, our most joyful, our best.
But during the holiday chaos, why should we even try to make time for ourselves when we have so much to do for everyone else?

Well-being wall

The answer is simple: When we make sure to meet our own basic self-care needs, we fuel ourselves to take care of the daily tasks that make up our busy days – and still have time to care for our loved ones and friends.

Of course, practicing self-care can be easier said than done. But my simple trick – what I call a “well-being wall” – can help. The wall is a dedicated space where you’ll put a sticky note every day about the small act of self-care you plan to do or you want to celebrate having done. This wall will blossom with these small acts, helping you document your efforts to cultivate well-being – even amidst the chaos of the holidays. With the wall, you don’t have to wait until after the holidays to relax and experience well-being. Here’s how to get started right now:

1. Scout out space.
Find a space in your house that you see every day where you can post sticky notes. It can be a blank wall in your family room, a door to your office, by your bedside table, your bathroom mirror or on your refrigerator. If need be, ask family members to help identify the right spot, and invite them to participate too!
2. Identify feel-good activities.
Think of one, two or three small things you can do for yourself that bring you a feeling of well-being or joy. Sleep 15 minutes longer one morning. Take a 10-minute walk any time during the day. Read a book for five minutes. Call a friend. Watch one funny YouTube video. Play with your dog. The list goes on.
3. Grant yourself permission.
Allow yourself to practice at least one small act of self-care every day through December 31, starting today. It can be something as small as one minute of reflection about a great vacation or a loved one.
4. Share.
Get a buddy to create a well-being wall with you for mutual support. Tell your family and friends what you’re doing and ask them to support you by watching the kids while you snag your 5-minute meditation session, asking you what you did each day or checking in with you about how you feel, or helping with holiday-related tasks. You can also get virtual support by posting about this self-care project on Facebook.
5. Think ahead.
Every evening, decide what one small thing you want to do the next day and when you’ll fit it in. Put that on a sticky note and post it to your well-being wall. If spontaneity is your friend, decide what you’ll do when you wake up in the morning.
6. Notice.
Every time you do something to tend to your self-care in any way, be sure to take a moment to notice how you feel as you are doing it, and afterward. (If you want, add what you noticed to the sticky note.)
7. Repeat every day.
You can find new nice things to do, or recycle ones you really loved. Your life is yours to enjoy!
8. Celebrate.
Notice how your well-being wall is growing, and revel in the positivity and proactive self-care it reflects in your life. Enjoy it in private, or take a photo of your wall and share it with others. Celebrate the idea that when you take care of yourself even in the smallest way, you feel better – and the people in your life benefit too.

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