January is the perfect balance between winter’s stillness and the new year’s potential. Unknown

Clarity comes when you slow down. The Peace Journal

Post-holiday season, the hustle and bustle aside, after a whirlwind of gluttony, family and friend commitments, many find themselves exhausted from ensuring a great holiday for others. For many, this has meant prioritizing others’ needs and wishes, and putting our own on the back burner.

And now, with January’s reality of new year’s resolutions settling in, it is a great time for taking stock and prioritizing self-care.

Call it time for hibernation, call it time for restoration, call it time for me, or simply much-needed self-care.

But what does self-care mean? Rather than look to the ‘experts’ to define it or guide us, we merely need to look inwards to define it and guide ourselves. It is about our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or social well-being. Whatever we deem to be important for ourselves.

Self-care may be about doing less of, rather than more of something – removing unhealthy things (or people), and adding in those that are good or at least make us feel good. Be it putting quality sleep at the forefront of our agenda, having a ‘dry’ January, spending more alone time, or making time for the important people in our lives, booking in a massage or other forms of therapy, or journaling, doing more yoga or less taxing fitness, or swapping mindless internet use for practicing intentional mindfulness a few minutes a day. Maybe it is broadening or sharpening your mind by reading or listening to something unfamiliar, or delving deep into learning more about a topic. It may be about watching the news or programs about current affairs to stay informed – this may seem counterintuitive for self-care but this one can help also as a distraction from looking inward and focusing on our own problems and help us to gain a perspective on our lives – however we interpret self-care. And it may be about just taking a break or saying no so you can put yourself first.

Amid sometimes hard to maintain new year’s resolutions, the small setbacks are okay, and these need not to lead to giving up. This is a good time to reflect on what is working, what hasn’t been working, what makes us feel good (or at least better) and do away with what doesn’t feel good, and to reassess.

Up for a challenge? Try this fun 30-day winter self-care challenge

28 Winter Self-Care Ideas | Self-Love Rainbow

20 New Year Goal Ideas & Action Plan for Success | Tony Robbins