Somehow it’s December again? I don’t know what happened.

I also feel like it’s already been winter forever (since I live in Minnesota and it actually did snow on October 14 this year). So, you know what that means:

Time to up our self-care!

(And we probably need more than we normally give ourselves, anyway!)

Here’s a round-up of useful blog posts and podcasts that I hope will help you stay more grounded and present this holiday season:

• Self-Care for Musicians Caught in the Holiday Hustle

This is one of my most popular posts ever, and it has plenty of applicable stuff for creatives of all types, not just musicians.

• Self-Care Strategies for the Holidays

Tracy Benjamin from Shutterbean has some great quick tips, and I love the visual style of her blog, especially her handwriting!

• Lower Your Holiday Stress With This 2 Step Exercise

Angela Beeching, a career consultant for musicians, highlights gratitude as a way to not only de-stress, but ultimately to help your career. I love how she focuses on mindset.

• Post Holiday Self-Care Wish List

We always talk about what to do during the busy lead-up to the holidays, but Lauren Cummins of StarHaus Psychotherapy, who created the Self Care Solitaire decks that I really like, wisely focuses on how to take care of yourself afterwards, as well. She also has some good ideas about how to embrace winter here.

PODCAST EPISODES

• Daily Reminders for a Joyful Holiday Season (Needy with Mara Glatzel)

If you’ve been following along with my posts for any length of time, you probably know how much I love Mara Glatzel’s work and podcast. In my opinion, the most important factor in taking care of ourselves is knowing what we need and giving ourselves permission to go after it.

• Cultivate a Meaningful Holiday Season (Belonging with Becca Piastrelli)

I loved this episode because it focused not just on being over doing, but also talked about rituals as a way of connecting to the winter season (I’m all for trying to make friends with winter!)

• Make Space for Self Care (Don’t Keep Your Day Job with Cathy Heller)

This episode with physician Beth Ricanati focuses on baking as a ritual for self-care (since that’s what her book is about), but encourages us to give ourselves permission (there’s that word again, why is it so hard sometimes?) to take time for self-care.

EDIT: I also did a Facebook live about holiday self-care, which you can watch here!

I hope that these resources are helpful for you - they certainly have been for me, and I revisit them every holiday season (because self-care is a practice, and wellness is always a moving target).

If you need extra support to keep yourself feeling like a full and healthy human during this season, check out my creative coaching offerings here.

I also have some free resources available here, as well as my Creative Wellness Letters which are chock-full of supportive real talk about staying well while doing creative work - sign up below!

What do you do to take care of yourself during the winter and/or holiday season? Let me know in the comments!