Various Mocktails for Holidays, 30 Acts of Kindness to Embrace and Avoid Regretful Decluttering
In the midst of the bustling holiday season, author Courtney Carver offers a refreshing perspective on living well - one that emphasises rest, self-care, and mindfulness. Here's how you can adopt a gentler lifestyle, as suggested in her Weekend Wisdom:
Start with tiny, intentional steps. Begin your day by reading just one page of a good book upon waking, gradually increasing as it feels natural and enjoyable. Create intentional space between tasks, allowing brief pauses to rest and reset. These moments serve as gentle transitions that honour your energy and promote calmness.
Ask yourself what brings you ease on challenging days. Pause to consider one small action you can take right now to nurture yourself and add more rest or comfort to your life. Let curiosity and self-compassion guide you. Wonder what feels restful and healing to you personally, and take gentle steps toward incorporating more of that into your everyday life.
Practice the "Rules of Rest". While the exact rules are not detailed, the emphasis is on mindful rest, ease, and simplicity - creating a lifestyle that balances activity with nurturing self-care and space.
For more guidance and tips, Courtney Carver’s resources at Be More With Less offer supportive tools to simplify life and embed gentle, mindful self-care practices into your routine.
Courtney encourages readers to have a soft, restorative, gentle weekend with lots of space in between. She has been engaging in various activities such as working on a new book, practicing pilates, taking walks, and listening to Taylor Swift.
She also provides a list of 22 non-alcoholic mocktails and Thanksgiving drinks, offers advice on how to prevent declutter regret, suggests 30 ways to be kind during the holidays, and lists 10 pre-holiday things to declutter right now.
The author recommends a Thanksgiving Prep Guide, advises against constantly getting organized, and suggests cleaning the 9 dirtiest places in one's kitchen. She also recommends two books for those starting their simplicity journey.
Courtney's current Instagram favourite is from @thelifeonpurposemovement. For a thoughtful gift idea that doesn't require wrapping, she provides a link to salvage one's day (NYT Gift Link).
In addition, she shares a winter vibes playlist, offers holiday book, movie, and food recommendations, and highlights 6 unexpected health benefits of taking a walk. The key is to consciously add rest and ease into your daily routine through small, manageable steps. This approach helps sustain your energy, reduce stress, and build resilience over time by valuing rest as an integral part of living well. It is about shifting away from constant busyness toward a rhythm that honours your needs for recovery and presence between tasks.
- Embrace a gentler lifestyle by starting your day with a page from a good book, fostering an environment of rest and mindfulness.
- Cultivate self-care by identifying actions that bring you ease during challenging days, and practice self-compassion as you incorporate these actions into your life.
- Adhere to the "Rules of Rest", focusing on mindful rest, ease, and simplicity, to strike a balance between activity and self-care.
- Explore resources from author Courtney Carver at Be More With Less for tips on simplifying life and integrating gentle self-care practices into your routine.
- Engage in self-growth during your weekend, following Courtney's example of working on a new book, practicing pilates, taking walks, and listening to Taylor Swift.
- Consider unconventional gift ideas from Courtney such as the New York Times Gift Link, which offers inspiration for salvaging one's day without wrapping.
- Value rest as an essential component of living well by consciously adding rest and ease to your daily routine through small, manageable steps, aiming for a lifestyle that honours your needs for recovery and presence between tasks.
