Festive art therapy, seasonal self-care workshops and a dose of The Grinch: What's on in December
How we're supporting you to support your Self this month
Hello everybody,
‘Tis the season for hectic schedules, I know.
But, as we are learning from our BOTM, all seasons come with their own set of challenges - and delights - and the trick to enjoying this time of year (and/or any that you find challenging) is in being prepared.
We’ve been here before. The silly season happens every year, and - if we’re honest - we probably face many of the same stressors every year.
Which is, in fact, excellent news, because once we can anticipate our biggest mental, physical and emotional challenges, we can resource ourselves accordingly, so they become easier to manage.
Take a moment now to jot down the things you find stressful about Christmas. Stop if/when you get to 5. Now how many of these were you also stressed about last year? And the year before that? My guess is most of them. Which = a pattern. Which might seem kinda sad, but which is actually an excellent opportunity to put all of this year’s self-help training to the test! :)
For December’s #mondayclub events I have scheduled a collection of workshops with a few festive touches that I hope can support you - and the rest of your schedule - without overwhelm.
This month I’m also handing over our expert sessions to a couple of our (very talented) members, including a self-care workshop from our Washington DMV host, Sara, TONIGHT (members will find joining info and materials at the end of this email) and an art therapy workshop with London-based Shelfie, Eva Lai, who will be guiding us to create our own intention baubles for 2025 (Mon 16th Dec, all levels welcome).
NB All of our live events are for paid members of The Shelf Help Clubhouse but all are always welcome to join, and our Monday emails will contain all the info you need to join/subscribe each week. All of these Zoom events will be recorded for members to watch back (but I do recommend that you try and make the live events where possible for maximum benefit).
And in between these weekly events I also invite you to stay in touch with me - and each other - via our community Chat (we have new Threads each week, including Weekend Reading posts and Winter Well-being posts to support our Read-along, so please pop in and share your progress as you can).
‘Tis the season for hectic schedules.
But ‘tis also the season to celebrate what has been and get excited about what’s to come… if we choose it to be.
I hope I get to see you soon.
Toni 💛
AT A GLANCE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: DECEMBER 2024
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Monday 2nd: From Self-Sabotage to Self-Care Workshop with Sara Lewis.
Retreat leader (and Shelfie) Sara teaches emotional regulation tools to stop self-sabotage and support making peace with life. And as part of our December ‘Members Spotlight’ events series she’ll be sharing some of her favourites with us.
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Monday 9th: Past Year Review.
A chance to get reflective on 2024 and ready for 2025, using prompts from our BOTM.
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Monday 16th: Intention Baubles Art Therapy Workshop with Eva Lai.
A fun festive workshop (suitable for all levels) using the creative process of drawing & writing to help us reflect on where we may need more balance in life, and set some intentions for the coming year.
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Monday 23rd: Watch (and Chat) Party - How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Movie to be accessed by you from home - available to rent on Prime, Apple & Google - and watched/ discussed together in the SHC Chat Box. Dress code: festive cosy.
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Monday 30th: December Book Club.
No Zoom for this one due to xmas timings, instead we’ll be meeting in the SHC Chat Box to share our insights & aha moments and sign off on 2024 together (BYO snacks).
All events are 7pm UK time. Your world time convertor is here.
Some other dates/fun stuff to highlight:
New episodes from our chart-topping new podcast, The Bibliotherapists, drop every Friday morning at 7am (UK time). Coming up for December we have book chat with:
(Fri 6th), (Fri 13th), (Fri 20th) and (Fri 27th).💫
The Shelf Help Club Winter Well-being Advent Calendar is underway, with daily seasonal self-care tips from authors and experts shared here (on Notes) and Instagram each morning.
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An Instagram live interview on my sober journey (so far!) this Weds 5th Dec (8pm) with the brilliant bookish Sarah Gwonyoma (@whatsarahreadnext)
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A bonus Marie Kondo interview to inspire some new year de-cluttering (of home and mind).
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This week (Thurs 5 Dec) I’m hosting a winter self-care workshop in my home town of Norwich (tickets available HERE).
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1st Jan - our new BOTM is announced to the world (members, you’ll find out a little earlier) and our prices go up! Monthly membership for new members will be increasing from £4.99 to £7.99/month and Bookworm membership will increase from £149 to £249/year (you can join/upgrade to Bookworm now at the button below to lock in 2024 prices for life). NB reminder that you can gift SHC membership to someone you love (and/or add this link to your own Christmas list if you’re not yet a member).
