Treat Yo’ Self! The Ultimate Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide “Selfie” Edition
With only a few days left for shopping, we are all thinking of the perfect last minute gifts for the ones we love. We have prioritized all of those around us. I bet you have a list of all of the important people in your life, and you are checking them off one by one. But what about YOU? Are YOU one of the of the important people on your holiday gift list? I believe that if this year has taught us anything, it is the value that exists in taking care of ourselves and prioritizing our own wellness. We will not allow ourselves to end the year with us putting us on the back burner! We can’t let 2020 go out like that! So add yourself to that list and ask yourself, what do you want or need this holiday season? What gifts can you give yourself that might make your 2021 a little bit better than your 2020? These are important questions, and the good thing is, it not too late to answer them! Even if you haven’t thought about treating yourself this holiday season, I have thought about it for you. With that in mind, I have compiled a list of gift ideas that you can treat yourself with that might add a little punch to your new year.
Create an Easy Beauty Ritual - Beauty rituals are important, not because they make us “prettier”, but because generally speaking, they require that we slow down and take our time to perform them. Additionally, many beauty rituals are soothing and relaxing all at once. Creating a routine that soothes and relaxes will help you start your new year in a more centered place. Consider regularly scheduled DIY facials, relaxing baths with salts, aromatherapy, or something of the sort. The activity is secondary to creating the routine; regularly practicing a relaxing beauty treatment is a gift that will keep on giving. Her are a few ideas to get you thinking.
2. Plan a Staycation - Everybody needs a get away! Consider planning a quick one day get away for yourself. Websites like dayuse.com let you book a hotel room in your favorite part of town for up to 9 hours. Check yourself in, visit the spa, order room service, take a nap, and just veg out in the fabulousness of your favorite hotel for a quick reboot at a decent price.
3. Download Your Peace of Mind - There are a boatload of apps that support your well-being. Consider downloading apps like Headspace, Breathe, or Calm to build some intentional mindfulness through out your day. You can also consider apps that support your health and fitness goals as well. Being intentional about managing the way we feel in 2021 will yield innumerable rewards for us. We might even find ourselves more present, more engaged and more happy with who we are; who doesn’t want to reward themselves with some of that?
4. Get a Little House Help - This suggestion is what I call a “worthy splurge”. I know that in these moments where so many of us are so financially strapped, it feels silly to even consider paying someone to clean your house, but hear me out. This worthy splurge is a suggested gift to yourself; it isn’t intended to be a weekly or even monthly thing, and I am certainly not suggesting it if it strains the budget. However, we have so many stressors placed on us in our daily lives and managing a clean space sometimes feels like the straw that is trying to break the camel’s back! Knowing that at least one time in the new year you home will feel clean and uncluttered and you don’t have to sweat and slave to get it there is such a gift. And even if you can’t afford it right away, project and plan for it. Just knowing that you are working towards something like this might give you the boost you need to get through it while you have to. Clear space supports clear perspective and clear mindset. Giving yourself that little bump at some point in 2021 might be just what the new year ordered.
5. Commit to Taking That First Step - All of us have ideas about who we could be and what we could do with the talents we have been blessed with. And guess what? We are all right; all of these ideas are possible! But they are only attainable through us intentionally committing to making these dreams real. We have to commit ourselves to a tangible, achievable strategy; we have to try. Trying is scary, because it feels like it connects us a little bit more closely to the sense that we failed if our efforts don’t work out. But I think that what really happens when we don’t try, is we loose a little bit of ourselves. Our talents and our strengths feel a little bit less practical, a little less necessary. We start to feel one dimensional. So that bright idea you’ve been sitting on, that business plan that you haven’t shown anyone, that website that you have built but not published? This Christmas, give yourself the gift of taking the first step towards evolving that thing. It is yours. It is within reach. It is the gift the universe has been waiting for you to reward yourself with. Pursue it, starting this holiday season. You will thank yourself for it the whole year long.
So that is my ultimate last minute gift guide for the most important person in your life - you. As we hustle about trying to show our love to everyone in our lives, I think it is so important to remember to show ourselves some love as well. Please know that none of my suggestions are paid partnerships; they are just products that I have either used or am interested in trying out. This holiday season I certainly am intending on gifting myself with these suggestions; I am going to sprinkle them throughout 2021! And whether you take any of my suggestions or come up with some of your own, I hope that at the end of the day, you give yourself the gift of priority this holiday season. 2020 has been rough; you have made it this far and you are so deserving. I hope the new year is full of blessings for you and everyone you love. I will see you in 2021!
XO,
Iman 💋