Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. There is so much that the family and I enjoy doing together. Decorations, parties, fall events, pumpkins, and carving, costumes and candy! So much to do… to clean up after… to stay on top of. And it’s not like life takes a back seat just because it’s October.

As much as I love holidays, they can also be overwhelming. I personally try to cram in as much Halloween fun as I can because I won’t have another chance until next year! By the end of it I’m exhausted. Last year, right after the Christmas holiday (also my favorite). I found myself sick unable to get better despite any of the medical interventions we were trying. Ultimately, I wasn’t getting better, because I wasn’t doing self-care.

We can’t effectively care for others, unless we first care for ourselves. It’s like the saying “you can’t drink from an empty cup”.

Because Holidays are “fun” we forget the need for self-care even during the holidays. They are fun, but especially for parents they’re fun in a different way. It’s fun to carve pumpkins with the kids, although it’s an all-day ordeal. It’s fun to go trick or treating, even though you probably just came home from work before you go. It is fun, and it’s tiring. You need to carve out some time for self-care. Here are a few tips:

Let’s divide self-care up into categories. You can then evaluate what you need to increase to create balance.

Options for self-care are endless. Create your own diagram and put in activities that you would do, focusing on mind, emotions, and body as well think of all the areas they overlap. Once you’ve identified your activities, begin to carve out some time for your self-care this Halloween and in the approaching holiday season.

Joe Gorton