It’s never too late to Give to yourself.
This time of year is all about giving to others. We spend time, money, and energy on gifts for the people we love, and we rearrange our schedules for holiday traditions with family and friends. Right after all of the “giving,” we quickly move to assessing ourselves for needed improvement. Where’s the part where we give to and honor ourselves?
We’re proposing a third holiday: a holiday for YOU:
In this Cup of Joy episode, Dr. Joy discusses the importance of taking time for self-reflection and self-celebration. “I love the idea of the “National Day of Self” between December 25 and January 1. A lot of people look forward to this time of year because it’s nostalgic, it’s joyous, and people are just excited. But then they’re also stressed.”
Amidst the excitement of taking time off work, we get caught up on giving and spending time with others. “For a lot of people that time off ends up being time to cook for others, to make sure your house is clean for others, to give to others, to buy others stuff… And then you’re exhausted from all of that. And you’re like, ‘thank God that’s over.’ And next thing you know it’s New Year’s, and even if you’re not into resolutions, a lot of people at least do reflect.”
Many of us tend to reflect on our year with an eye toward self-criticism and self-improvement. We ask ourselves: what can I do better next year? What did I NOT do last year? We quickly move toward action steps and plans to meet our goals.
As Dr. Joy states, “This time of year, there isn’t a spot where we just honor ourselves. And even if you do, because I know there are people who celebrate their wins and review their wins for the year, it’s often paired immediately with what am I going to do and fix?
The gift most of us missed this year is the gift of celebrating who we are, what we’ve accomplished, and where we are in our lives. In this fast-paced world, many of us don’t feel like we have the time or space for true self-reflection. We often feel guilty when do take the time to celebrate ourselves without also pairing it with self-improvement plans. This year, we invite you to gift yourself with a moment of self-celebration.
Self-Celebration & Reflection Prompts:
- What was your biggest personal accomplishment this year?
- What are you most proud of?
- What have you achieved this year that suprised you?
- What steps have you taken toward larger goals that you have not yet acknowledged or celebrated?
- What “small” (not so obvious) accomplishments from this year would you like to celebrate?