By Lena Robin
         The holiday season is here and for many, that means adding many more tasks to an already packed schedule. Gifts to buy, parties and celebrations to attend, extra traveling and family to see, all these activities and more can be overwhelming and stressful. Absolutely the best gift you can give yourself, your family, your friends, and even your co-workers is to take care of yourself this season and all year long. Taking care of yourself will keep you happier, healthier, and more capable in everything you do.
 
        Sometimes taking care of yourself or “self-care” can be associated with selfishness but it is not an indulgence. Those around you will benefit as you take better care of yourself. Your work life will improve through self-care by preventing burnout, reducing the negative effects of stress, helping you re-focus your mind and improving your energy levels. At home and with your friends your relationships will strengthen, you’ll have more patience, and your life will appear to be a kinder and more abundant experience in general.
 
        Taking care of yourself is only difficult at first. Once the habits are developed, it becomes a part of your life and something you won’t need to think about often (unless you start to slip, forget your lovely self-care habits and you need to re-calibrate those habits). You can do it all, you just can’t do it all at once: Much of the habit of self-care can be found in scheduling. Schedule into your days what you need to do take care of yourself or it may not happen.

• Learn to value your time and what is important to you: Look at your life, figure out what really matters, makes you happy, and helps you meet your goals, then discard everything else.
• Eat properly and healthfully: Eating properly not only helps your waistline, it helps your body resist disease and gives you more energy.
• Exercise regularly: If you are not a natural exerciser this step will cause quite a few groans and eye rolls. Exercise does not have to mean going to the gym or training for a marathon (although both of those activities are amazing for your body). Exercise can mean a walk or bike ride after dinner, yoga, a dance class, anything that gets you moving and keeps your body healthy.
• Make sure to get enough sleep: For some, sleeping enough may seem nearly impossible but the importance of sleep cannot be emphasized enough. It helps you be at your best and without enough sleep your mind and body can suffer seriously.
• Mentally escape: Indulge in activities that help your mind relax. Meditate, write in a journal, paint a picture, practice a hobby, take a class, or read a book. Participate in any activity that helps you turn your mind off for a while and when you turn it back on, it can be recharged and you can have more focus.
• Make time to socialize: Spend time with people you enjoy being around. You can also combine socializing with exercising and mentally escaping. Take a class, go for a walk, or share a hobby with your friends.
• Go outside: Spending time outdoors, in nature (it can be a park if you live in a city), helps your body produce vitamin D which is good for your bones. Outdoor time can also boost your creativity and cognitive function.
• Laugh: This last step is an important one. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. It decreases stress hormones and boosts the immune system. 

        Looking back at this list, you may feel like self-care is adding a lot to do to your week but the benefits of taking care of yourself can change your life and your perspective on everything around you. That gift of self-care will be a gift to not only to yourself, but also to everyone around you as you make your way, happily, through this holiday season and the rest of the year.

      I am currently struggling with an important question while working on my newest novel. How many Point of View (POV) characters are appropriate in the sequel to Hour of Trial? The sequel (sorry no name yet) has more points of view than Hour of Trial. It needs to have more POV characters because while Hour of trial occurred in a couple main spots, however, in its sequel, the story expands. Non-POV characters were introduced in Hour of Trial and now their importance is growing but should the reader get to hear the story from their point of view? Are they that important?  If you have read the Hour of Trial or if you have an opinion, please tell me whom you want to hear from.