Celebrate yourself

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

I recently celebrated a pretty big personal milestone and had a spectacular day celebrating ME.

I’m not great about self-care and have a hard time celebrating myself. So I was intentional about doing fun and healthy things for myself that day.

My biggest indulgence was going to a fancy grocery store in town, believe it or not. When the kids were little, it was a treat to go there by ALL BY MYSELF (parents, you know what I’m talkin’ about).  I lingered as long as I wanted to, admiring the gorgeous produce displays and the many aisles of gourmet goodness. This was back when so many things at that store were novelties in our area: 40 different varies of apples! Bulk granola! Olive bar! Coffee and bread samples! $12 strawberry jelly!

The minute I stepped in the store last week, those memories came back as feelings of calm, regeneration, freedom, and leisure. Ahhhhh!

Other simple, healthy celebrations that day:

·      Morning walk

·      Finding joy in buying Christmas treats for my family (shhhh)

·      Singing along with Sam Cooke in the fancy grocery store

·      Buying a fancy lip balm

·      Feasting on an EPIC decadent snacky lunch board with my favorite treats all for me

·      Belting out classic Christmas carols

·      Savoring the entertainment section of the newspaper

·      More coffee but not too much

Self-care doesn’t need to mean fancy spas or far-away vacations (but I’ll take those too). It can also mean slowing down, savoring simple pleasures, making healthy choices, and celebrating yourself.

One way to be healthy during this busy season is to keep your stress levels in check. Joy is abundant, but so are challenges, particularly if you’re navigating this time of year with a transgender child.

Join me and therapist Kristen Berglund, MA, LPC (she/her) of Houston Psychotherapists, Inc. for our free online workshop “Navigating the Holidays with Trans Kids” on Wednesday, December 21, at 7 PM CST/8 PM ET.  

In this lively and interactive session, we’ll discuss how families of transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse kids can navigate the holiday season with less stress and more joy. We’ll touch on topics specific to our trans kids, and you’ll walk away with strategies and best practices to increase our mental health during the holiday season. My friend Kristen and I both have trans kids, so we’ll be sharing info from both personal and professional perspectives. I really hope to see you there.

So celebrate yourself along with celebrating the holidays.

Here’s to you!