Be kind to yourself!

I ordered my stationery advent calendar from Martha Brooks (online stationery shop in the UK) back in June, which probably tells you everything you need to know about my love for Christmas and advent calendars in particular. As of this week, I have already three waiting for the 1 December! It arrived the other day and tucked inside the package

The card divided its suggestions by the time they take. Five minutes to make a hot drink, 15 minutes for a quick walk outside, 30 minutes to meet a friend for a cuppa and an hour to try a new café. Nothing complicated, expensive or requiring a booking weeks in advance. Just small things that make you feel a little better.

And funnily enough, a lot of the suggestions are already in my ‘treat myself’ habits. There is something wonderfully comforting about a quiet cup of tea. I always use a proper cup and saucer with a matching milk jug (we have standards after all). I refuse to apologise for this. Life is too short to drink a cup of tea from a mug simply because it is the nearest thing to hand. Sometimes, a little ceremony is exactly what you need to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Then there are evenings when a plate of cheese and crackers and a nice glass of wine is all that is required to restore my faith in the world.

In winter, I find myself reaching for red wine rather than white or rosé. It seems more suited to the season, a little like changing your summer dress for a cosy woolly jumper.

Living in the countryside has its advantages, although the darkness can feel ‘more’ dark when there are no streetlights to soften it. One of my favourite ways to spend an evening is in our little outdoor nook next the outdoor stove, wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. I add an utterly unreasonable amount of mini marshmallows and listen to John Creedon on RTÉ Radio 1. It is hardly an adventurous night out, but it makes me ridiculously happy.

Being kind to ourselves does not always mean sitting still. Sometimes it means pulling on a coat and going for a walk, even when the sofa is calling. Other days, it means meeting a friend for coffee, trying somewhere new or simply giving ourselves permission to do absolutely nothing productive for an hour.

We spend so much time looking after other people, keeping up with work and worrying about the things we haven't managed to do as our to-to-list grows longer and longer.

It is easy to treat our own happiness as something that can wait until everything else is finished.

As evenings are getting darker and longer, maybe we should all make a little more room for the things that bring us comfort. A good book, a familiar voice on the radio, a delicious piece of cheese or a hot drink enjoyed without rushing.