Solo Holidays can Be Fun!

Are you dreading spending the holidays alone? Perhaps you’re going through a divorce, you recently moved to a new city, or your loved ones live too far away to travel.

With the COVID pandemic taking another spike, you may wish to avoid people altogether.

Regardless of your situation, holidays alone don’t mean having a miserable time.

In this post, I will share 5 tips to help you stay sane—and actually have a great time–if you’re spending the holidays alone.

1. Plan ahead

Don’t let the holidays sneak up on you unprepared. Instead of moping and feeling sorry for yourself, use the ideas below to inspire you to take action and make these holidays rock!

Line up your ducks. Make sure you have at hand all the materials, ingredients, and equipment you’ll need to carry out your desires and pick them up before the stores close or run out of stock.

If you wish for company, make plans with others before their dance card is full.

2. Connect with others

Just because you’re alone for the holidays doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. The loved ones you can’t see in person may be as close as a phone call, text, or video call.

And remember that you’re not the only person spending the holidays alone. Reach out for company and have a blast!

Below are just a few options to inspire you to create fun of your own!

Attend or host a holiday party

Get out there and meet new people. Attend a holiday party at a nearby church or community organization.

No parties near you? Throw your own pot-luck bash and invite other people who are spending the holidays alone. Ask everyone to bring their favorite holiday dish or something traditional to their family or culture.

Volunteer

Being of service is the best way to beat loneliness and self-pity.  Seek opportunities to volunteer, whether it’s at a soup kitchen, a toy drive, wrapping or delivering presents, or visiting the elderly. Caring for the less fortunate will make you realize how blessed you are and will fill your heart with gratitude.

Join a local holiday event

Towns large and small host a variety of holiday-themed events, from tree-lighting ceremonies to movies, holiday markets, and library events. Check out your local newspaper, Meet-Ups, and Evite for events near you. You may make new friends and feel more connected to your community.

3. Pamper yourself and enjoy life’s simple pleasures

The hustle and bustle of the holidays can leave you feeling stressed and frazzled. Take advantage of your “me time”  to relax and recharge!

Do what brings you joy and engage in nurturing activities that you are usually too busy to do. Or do nothing at all and savor the moment.

These are just a few options:

Indulge in self-care

Take a fragrant bath surrounded by candlelight, curl up with a good book, or just take a nap. Enjoy a solo movie night. Catch up on your shows and binge on new releases and traditional holiday movies and series.

Feast on holiday treats

Stock your pantry with your favorite holiday foods. Try out new recipes or travel in time and cook your family’s traditional meals. Take out your nice dishes for added pizzaz and post your masterpieces on social media.

Brave the great outdoors

Go out for a walk. Visit a park or nature trail. The exercise will boost your energy and spirit. If the weather’s too cold, go for a night drive. Delight in the light displays in fancy neighborhoods with childlike wonder.

4. Get a head start on the new year

Make your holidays productive. Your alone time gives you the perfect opportunity to clear your head, reflect on the events and accomplishments of the year, and plot your goals for the year ahead. Grab your journal, make a list and take action.

Get cranking on your new year’s resolutions

Use this bonus time to work on those goals, whether it’s getting in shape, starting a new project, or learning something new.

• Get organized. Embrace your inner Marie Kondo. Clean out your closets, declutter your home and donate gently used items to charity. Take a tax deduction on your next tax return.
• Tackle the tasks you avoided all year.
• Start or finish those projects you’ve been avoiding and plan new ones for the year to come.

Take on new hobbies

Do an inventory of your dreams. Is there a hobby you’ve always wanted to try but were too busy or too chicken to pursue it?

Whether it’s skydiving or knitting, start investigating courses and equipment you’ll need to begin your journey when the holidays are over.

5. Get help if you have a bad case of the blues

If the stress of solo holidays is more than you can handle, get help.

Talk to a mental health professional or investigate options available online, from hotlines to virtual visits. You don’t have to go through this alone.

What are your holiday plans? Share them and post your ideas for alone holiday fun in the comments below!

Happy Holidays!

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The post 5 Tips to Enjoy Spending the Holidays Alone appeared first on Sonia Frontera.

There’s a silver lining to every cloud and, to live fully, we need to train ourselves to find them and to learn to dance in the rain.

The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. 

Maybe this ordeal feels like a black cloud over your head. Or it has rained on your parade, canceling an important event like a wedding or a vacation you looked forward to.

Even though this pandemic is scary and dangerous, you can make the best of it.

Besides the obvious measures health authorities recommend, such as washing your hands, social distancing and not touching your face, there are other things you can do to weather the COVID-19 pandemic with grace and, as a bonus, create new habits to improve your life after it’s over.

While this pandemic has caused death, illness and disruption to our daily lives, the situation also presents ample opportunities to grow, so we can emerge from it stronger and more united than before.

Don’t surrender to fear or glue yourself to your TV for constant negative news or numbing programming. 

Instead, try these fool-proof strategies and unleash the hidden blessings of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Your day just got longer–enjoy every minute!

We all wish there were more hours in the day.

Well, you just received bonus time to embrace healthy habits that will boost your immunity and lower your stress.

Time spent commuting or getting ready in the morning, picking an outfit, doing your hair and makeup, can now be diverted to improving your health and enjoying fulfilling activities.

What are you going to do with it? Here are some ideas:

Sleep In

Sleep is the sacred time when the body restores itself and is key to good health. Yet, research shows that approximately one in three Americans are sleep deprived. The American Psychology Association states that sleeping 60 to 90 minutes more per night can make you happier and healthier.

If you are not getting enough rest, now is the time to get some extra ZZZs. 

Exercise

You have received extra time to break a sweat and receive its many benefits. No excuses! There are ample workouts you can do at home while you’re quarantined available online, so you don’t need to hit the gym or purchase expensive equipment.

Meditate

If you don’t already, incorporate a period of meditation to your daily routine. It helps boost your immunity and reduce the anxiety and stress associated with the current events. You can start with just 10 minutes.

Take advantage of the meditation apps available to get you started in a pinch.

Pick up forgotten hobbies or explore something new

Any activity will do: read more, take an online course, pick up a craft or hobby you had given up on for lack of time–the possibilities are endless! 

Create your dream future while you wash your hands

To prevent the spread infection, you should wash your hands and lather with soap for 20 seconds, the time it takes to sing “happy birthday” twice.

Instead of singing happy birthday, repeat positive affirmations to attain your fondest desires. 

Find affirmations that you like and put together combinations that take 20 seconds to repeat. 

Here’s my favorite 20-second combination from Florence Scovel Shinn:

“The future holds promises of mysterious good. Anything can happen overnight.” 

“The unexpected happens, my seemingly impossible good now comes to pass.”

“All doors now open for happy surprises and the Divine Plan of my life is speeded up under grace.”

Need affirmation ideas? Visit my website and download your FREE printable affirmation cards.

Spend quality time with loved ones

We are normally so busy that our time together isn’t always well spent. Play games with your kids or improvise an indoor crafts camp. 

Enjoy more intimacy with your partner.

Cuddle with your pet! It reduces stress levels and improves your health.

Reach out to old friends and relatives. Pick up the phone or start a video-conference with someone you have lost touch with. They will be thrilled to hear from you.

Declutter your world

This is the perfect time to organize your home and rid yourself of unnecessary clutter. Clear your pantries and closets. 

Go through your possessions and set aside the things you no longer use or need. Donate the items to charity–lots of people will be strapped for cash as a result of the virus. If you’re one of them, identify articles you can sell for extra income.

Take on some DIY projects.

Practice Kindness

As frustrated as you may feel, others may be worse off than you. 

Allow this pandemic to release the best in you!

Check in with your elderly relatives, friends and neighbors. Help out by picking up groceries and meds, bringing home cooked meals or walking their dogs.

Spend time in reflection and self-observation

If you live alone, self-quarantine offers you a magical opportunity to connect with your higher self. Dust off your journal and start writing. Explore the lessons encoded in this pandemic and how you will apply them when life returns to normal.

Become more efficient

Uncertainties in the supply chain make you more frugal in the use of staples. Identify wasteful practices you engage in as you have to stretch your supplies to last for an unknown period of time. And stick to them. They will save you money over time.

This, too, shall pass

We are in this together. We can get through this.

The dangers of this pandemic have forced us to examine our behaviors and take actions to keep us healthy. 

Paired with a positive attitude, they will save your sanity during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

Sonia Frontera is a family attorney, empowerment trainer and full-time doggie mom. She is the proud survivor of an unhappy marriage, a liberating divorce and is living proof that there’s life after separation.  Sonia is the author of the #1 bestseller “Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist?”

She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at her internet home.

Sign up for more blog posts and freebies here! And join our Sisterhood on Facebook.

The post The Hidden Blessings of COVID-19: 10 Strategies to Improve Your Life During and After the Pandemic appeared first on Sonia Frontera.

No man? No problem! Celebrate the love already in your life and have a memorable Valentine’s Day. I show you how in this guest post published in Divorce Magazine.

Read on!

Sonia Frontera is a family attorney, empowerment trainer and full-time doggie mom. She is the proud survivor of an unhappy marriage, a liberating divorce and is living proof that there’s life after separation.  Sonia is the author of the #1 bestseller “Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist?”

She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at her internet home.

Sign up for more blog posts and freebies here! And join our Sisterhood on Facebook.

The post Do Not Waste Valentine’s Day Mourning Lost Love: Celebrate the Love in Your Life Now appeared first on Sonia Frontera.

Don’t get bogged down by new year’s resolutions! Create a life you love every day of the year with my 4-step plan!

Learn how in this guest post I wrote for Divorce Magazine, the #1 divorce blog!

Read on!

Sonia Frontera is a family attorney, empowerment trainer and full-time doggie mom. She is the proud survivor of an unhappy marriage, a liberating divorce and is living proof that there’s life after separation.  Sonia is the author of the #1 bestseller “Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist?”

She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at her internet home.

Sign up for more blog posts and freebies here! And join our Sisterhood on Facebook.

The post Kiss New Year’s Resolutions Goodbye! appeared first on Sonia Frontera.

Success is a lot more than being famous and accumulating material goods. Success is an inside job anyone can master by being true to their life purpose. Check out this article by Sonia Frontera published on Thrive Global.

Read on!

Sonia Frontera is a family attorney, empowerment trainer and full-time doggie mom. She is the proud survivor of an unhappy marriage, a liberating divorce and is living proof that there’s life after separation.  Sonia is the author of the #1 bestseller “Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist?”

She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at her internet home.

Sign up for more blog posts and freebies here! And join our Sisterhood on Facebook.

The post Redefining Success by Sonia Frontera appeared first on Sonia Frontera.