Caring for Yourself and the Planet During the Holidays
…because, yes, you really can do both!
The holidays are meant to be a time for community, celebration, and joy, but instead they often come with stress, financial burden, and a lot of waste. Here are some ways that you can take care of both yourself and the Earth this holiday season, broken down by different areas on the Wheel of Wellness.
Financial:
One of the biggest stressors of the holiday season is often finances. Although gift-giving and traveling are great, sometimes this season can quickly turn into a time filled with overconsumption, purchases without intention, and expensive travel that we feel obligated to do and that harms both our wallet and the environment.
If you’re feeling financially stressed this holiday season, consider whether you are gifting out of intention or obligation.
I know this one might be hard to sit with at first. But buying extravagant gifts (or even any gifts at all) isn’t a necessity for a beautiful holiday season.
Maybe this is different than how you’re used to doing things over the holidays, but if gift-giving is becoming more of a burden and less of a joy-filled experience, it could be worth considering whether or not this is actually a tradition that is enhancing your holidays or not.
A gentle reminder that we don’t have to keep doing things just because “that’s how they’ve always been done.”
If finances are tight but you still want to give gifts while also being mindful about sustainability, the good news is that there are other ways to do so that are less stressful, cheaper, and more sustainable! Consider these alternative gifting options:
crafting a gift instead of buying one (knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, drawing… the options are really endless!)
making a meal or baked treats
gifting quality time, experiences, or lending a hand with things like shoveling snow, doing housework, or caring for children/pets while someone goes on a trip
gifting beloved recipes
thrifting instead of going to big-box stores (try thrifting an outfit for your bestie! or finding home decor for your neighbor who just moved in!)
gifting items you already own and haven’t used that you know someone else will love
offering your professional services for free (maybe you’re a yoga teacher, or an energy worker, or a hairdresser and can afford to gift your skills to someone. small disclaimer: this option is likely not for everyone, and it’s okay if offering your work for free doesn’t feel like it’s honoring your needs, there’s lots of other options!)
donating to a cause your loved one really cares about on their behalf
shopping small and supporting local businesses
re-using packaging that items come in instead of buying new boxes and wrapping paper (or wrapping in cloth or fabric)
There are so many ways to practice sustainability when it comes to our financial health and the health of our planet around the holidays. And creativity tends to foster community, so it’s a win win!
Social:
Speaking of community, we all know that there’s a huge emphasis put on community, family, and social events around this time of year. For a lot of us, socializing is what the holidays are all about! However, just like with anything else, it’s important to approach socializing with intention instead of obligation.
If you’re someone who feels like they can’t catch a break during the holidays and it’s starting to negatively impact your ability to take care of yourself, maybe consider taking a step back. “No” isn’t a bad word. When you show up for yourself fully, then you can show up for others fully.
On the flip side, if you’re someone who tends to say “no” to social events a little too often (looking at us, fellow introverts), maybe consider stepping outside of your comfort zone and saying “yes” to that holiday party. When we’re talking about intention vs. obligation, this might sound counterintuitive at first. However, caring for ourself intentionally also includes intentional quality time with people we love.
Some of us love the holidays, but for others this can be one of the toughest times of year. The temperatures are getting colder, it can be tougher to get out of the house, and seasonal depression can start to creep in. One way to check in on our social wellness is by checking in on the people around us.
Leaning into community is one of the most important ways to practice sustainable living.
Mutual aid is important year-round, but sometimes even more so during this time of year. Mutual aid can look like a lot of things, there isn’t one right way to go about this. Ask your neighbor if they need a hand, cook a meal for someone in need, or volunteer your time at a local food pantry. Caring for each other is also caring for our planet.
Physical:
Physical health involves things like nutrition, exercise, and self-care. Caring for ourself and the planet during the holidays when it comes to our physical health might look like:
Nutrition:
eating locally sourced food
swapping some of your meals for plant-based alternatives
using herbs and veggies grown from the community garden (or starting a seasonal community garden and sharing the harvest with your neighbors)
buying only what you think you’ll need and actually using it
using fruit and veggie byproducts in your meals to reduce waste and increase your nutritional intake (i.e. strawberry tops and apple cores)
eating produce that is in-season
eating (and sharing!) your leftovers
Exercise:
layering up and going outside for a walk (try bringing a small garbage bag and picking up trash or debris you come across!)
staying indoors and following along with a YouTube yoga video (one of my favorites is Yoga With Adriene)
making sure to stand up and walk around for at least a couple of minutes each hour
stretching
going for a winter hike (and practicing the Leave No Trace principles)
Self-Care:
opening a window for 10 minutes to introduce fresh air into your space
practicing breathing exercises (like Square Breathing)
making sure to get at least a few minutes of sunlight each day
watching calming nature videos on YouTube
listening to our body’s rhythms and prioritizing rest (rest is a basic human need, and also you can’t fight the climate crisis if you’re sleep deprived)
Caring for yourself is caring for the planet. You are a part of nature, you don’t exist separately from it.
Environmental:
All of the things we’ve already talked about can be incorporated into caring for the environment during the holidays, but this still deserves its own section. So often, the environmental impacts of the holiday season are overlooked or, frankly, just ignored.
When you’re holiday shopping do you….
Stop to consider the end of the life cycle for the product you’re buying?
Find out whether it’s compostable or if it will end up in a landfill?
Consider if it’s something your friend will use one time and then throw away, instead of something they’ll cherish and pass down to the next generation?
Ask who made the product and if they were treated ethically? Were they paid a fair wage? Did they have humane working conditions?
Decide if this is something that is actually worth spending your money on, or if it’s just a passing trend?
All of these questions are important when we’re approaching the holidays through a lens of mindful consumption. Overconsumption and waste is rampant all year, but gets particularly bad during seasons like this. The goal doesn’t have to be no consumption at all, but the question of intention vs. obligation is one we could bring to mind again here. Am I consuming this product with intention or am I buying a needless gift that I felt obligated to purchase out of guilt or for the sake of tradition?
This same mindset can also be applied when we’re thinking about decorating our spaces for the holidays. There’s lots of debate around whether a real or a fake Christmas tree is more sustainable, but at the end of the day, we can each do our small part to make the holidays a time to celebrate the natural beauty of the season instead of filled with plastic waste.
Consider these alternatives to holiday decorating:
use found objects such as pine needles that have fallen to the ground, twigs, and pinecones instead of purchasing fake ones
create garland out of twine and dried fruit like oranges and cranberries
decorate your own holiday wrapping paper by re-using gift/product packaging
create simmer pots using natural ingredients and byproducts from fruit instead of burning candles
re-use last year’s decorations (for many years to come!) instead of buying new ones every year
don’t feel pressured to follow trends or change “themes” every year
thrift holiday decor or check your local “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook (create one if you can’t find one!)
Honoring the spirit of the season also means honoring the environment.
Winter often gets a bad rep, but it can be one of the most beautiful times of year to reconnect with nature and with your own relationship to the world around you.
Spiritual:
Just the word “spirituality” can bring up a lot of uncomfortable things for people. But before you exit out of this page, can I encourage you to consider that each and every one of us, whether we are religious, or atheist, or something else entirely, are spiritual in some way?
There is no one way to be spiritual. There is no right way to be spiritual. There is no wrong way to be spiritual.
The holidays can be a time of year layered with an undercurrent of religiosity and may resurface various traumas or painful emotions associated with that. However, spirituality is something you can reclaim. Spirituality is an important part of the human experience. Each of us has some sort of belief or value system that we use to navigate the world. This can be considered our spiritual self. Spirituality has to do with our relationship to meaning, purpose, identity, and connection.
Taking care of our spiritual self during the holidays can mean many different things, and it may or may not have anything to do with going to church.
One way to tend to our spiritual health this holiday season while also tending to the planet is by reflecting on our relationship to nature.
You might ask yourself:
How do I best connect with nature?
What does nature inspire within me?
When is the last time I laid in the grass? Played in the snow? Literally hugged a tree?
In what ways have I been caring for the Earth recently?
How am I fostering an environment that stewards both my own health and the health of other living beings?
In what ways am I involved with environmental advocacy?
What does connection with nature mean to me?
What do I want my relationship with nature to look like? To feel like?
If I were living in harmony with nature, how would I know?
In what ways can I begin to prioritize my relationship with nature in my daily life?
Although these reflections are not unique to the holiday season, the answers we find may differ depending on what time of year it is, or what season of life we find ourselves in.
How might your holiday season look different if you prioritized your connection with nature?
Mental & Emotional:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… right?
Joy, cheer, merry.
Seasonal depression, isolation, loneliness.
Connection, community, celebration.
Grief, heaviness, dread.
All of these emotions can and do coexist around the holidays. Nurturing your mental and emotional health is necessary no matter the season, but if you know that the holidays are likely to be a rollercoaster of emotions for you, here are some ways you might consider caring for yourself while also caring for the planet:
cozy up with your favorite hobbies (reading, puzzling, coloring, baking, etc.)
stay consistent with, or start going to, therapy (winter can be a time when it feels less motivating to do much of anything, especially going to therapy. prioritizing this can be a huge support while you’re navigating the holiday season)
get involved in causes that are important to you like climate initiatives, LGBTQIA+ programs, community food drives, or political advocacy
acknowledge the uncomfortable emotions that the holidays might bring up including climate anxiety, seasonal depression, grief, or anger
find joy in everyday things such as spending time with your pets, FaceTiming a friend, or making a really good soup
Caring for yourself and your community is caring for the planet.
If you’re looking for some extra support this holiday season, Nurtured Nature Counseling can help. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.
