Holidays can be rough during normal times. As the pandemic continues, feelings of isolation and loneliness can really get intensified during the holiday season as more and more lockdowns are happening again around the world.

It’s so easy to get into a funk but with a little help, it’s easy to start seeing there is a light at the end of this tunnel. So, as my gift to you, I wanted to give you some hope, some inspiration, and some motivation so you can enjoy the holidays in a different way by celebrating you!

Celebration #1 – Pamper Yourself by Giving and Doing for You!

Online stores like Amazon or Michael’s Craft Stores can be a girl’s best friend during these times, helping you pamper yourself with fun things for you to enjoy and do. You can do something as simple as order a book you’ve wanted to read or buy some of your favorite bubble bath gels so you can enjoy a relaxing luxurious bath.

I’ve really gotten into my creativity over the last two years and have made amazing afghans that feel so good to curl up under to watch TV or take a nap.

I also discovered diamond painting. It’s kind of like the old paint by numbers activity we did as kids but with beads instead of paint. I just grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and put on my favorite music when I diamond paint. I find it to be so relaxing and it just clears my mind.

If you’re able to be out and about, consider pampering yourself with a massage, or a manicure and pedicure. Either way, give yourself the gift of doing something special for you every day over the next couple of weeks. You deserve it!

Celebration #2 – Connect with Friends and Family in Person or Virtually

Remember that song by Sam Cooke that starts like this… “Another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody”?

Saturday nights and the holiday season don’t have to be that way. As a single woman, you need people in your life to share the stories of your daily life with. You can feel really alone when celebrations and tough times are done on your own every day.

To overcome this dilemma, write a list of people you’d like to connect or reconnect with. (They’ll probably be thrilled to connect with you too!)Then schedule a date to either meet at a fun restaurant or pub or connect via Zoom, Face Time, Google Duo or the What’s App for a Happy Hour to catch up.

If you feel comfortable, get all your single girlfriends together and do a Virtual or in person New Years’ Eve dinner.How fun would that be and you for sure won’t feel so alone!

Celebration #3 – Create a Vision Board

If you have some magazines or a printer and access to Pinterest, you can create a vision board. If you’ve never done a vision board before, they are so much fun to do. When I do them, I start by setting up a time span of 5 years for my Vision Board. I put a date at the top like… 1/1/2022 – 12/31/2026. You can also do 1-year or 3-year vision boards as well.

Next, start looking through magazines and cut out pictures that resonate with you. No magazines lying around? No worries. Take some time to browse Pinterest and print pictures or words that feel good to you.

I’m always amazed how many things on my Vision Board come true. I remember tucking one Vision Board way back in my closet. (Today, I have them in my office where I can see them) I’d totally forgotten it was there until one day I was hunting for a sweater I’d been wanting to wear. I looked at that Vision Board and a pink sweater was on it.

Then I noticed I’d put pictures of the Eiffel Tower and a high-speed train on the same Vision Board. Two years prior to finding this board, my daughter had done a college semester in London. When we visited her, we had gone to the Eiffel Tower and had taken the Chunnel Train from London to Paris.

Oh, and one picture I’d cut out was of a man that looked so similar to the man I was dating when I’d found the vision board.

It was really fun to see how the pictures I’d cut out for my 5-year board had come true. This is a really good time for you to start dreaming again and a vision board is the PERFECT way to do it.

Believing in you!

Are you spending the holidays by yourself? Whom would you like to connect/reconnect with? What activity sounds interesting to immerse in? Have you tried diamond painting? How many of the things you’ve placed on your vision boards have come true?