It’s easy for your well-being to take a back seat on a normal week and even more likely during busy holiday seasons – making frequent wellness check-ins crucial to maintaining your mental and physical well-being. 

During busy holiday weeks, our well-being often suffers. Busy schedules, extra stress, disrupted routines, and the influx of rich foods and drinks can cause our well-being to get out of balance. 

Here are a few simple ways to check in with your well-being during this Christmas week or any busy time of the year. 

1. Drink an extra glass of water to stay hydrated. Add a lemon slice for digestion aid. Most of us need to be drinking more water than we think! So add an extra glass here and there whenever you can to stay healthy and hydrated. Staying hydrated is not only essential for your body’s basic survival functions, but hydration can also improve mood, cognitive function, and quality of sleep. 
2. Eat healthy snacks and foods with fiber. Set reminders to take your vitamins and supplements, even when your schedule gets crazy. 
3. Take water and healthy snacks with you when you’re out shopping or running errands so that you can refuel and hydrate when you are out and about. 
4. Take plenty of breaks to walk and stretch! 
5. Journal. Try a gratitude journal or set a timer for anywhere between 1 to 5 minutes to get down your thoughts. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Even if you don’t write it down, taking a few minutes to think about something you’re grateful for can help bring feelings of positivity and promote mental well-being. 
6. Do a breathing exercise. Intentional breathing can help relieve stress and help you feel more grounded. There are many free videos online for breathing exercises. Or you can keep it simple with this technique: breathe in through your nose as you count to five and then breathe out through your nose to the count of five.