Holiday Challenge - Holiday Gift for You
The 2024 Holiday Challenge - Holiday Gift for You - is underway! If you haven't joined yet, it's not too late - do it now. The Contest is four weeks long and runs from November 18 - December 13, 2024.
The Holiday Challenge this year encourages personal well-being by motivating you to indulge in healthy self-care. There is motivation as you go along and prizes at the end too!
The challenge is open to all members of the State Plan.
To Join the Contest
- Login to your Sonic Boom account.
- Go to the Holiday Gift for You Contest and click "Go to contest,"
- Then click the “Join contest” button, and BOOM — you’re ready to go!
Contest FAQs
Contest details
During the holiday season, don’t forget the most important person on your gift list — you! This is the good kind of selfishness — it’s a gift to yourself and those who depend on you to be healthy. For four weeks, you’ll choose from various self-care activities to help you stay connected, practice gratitude, sleep better, and find time for activity. With each day, you’ll be more energized and productive.
- The contest is open to all State Plan members.
- You are only responsible for tracking your own activities as an individual; but are encouraged to ask others on the State Plan to join the challenge as well.
- Each of the four weeks you will focus on a self-care technique (see below under “Self-Care Techniques”), logging one activity a day by clicking the "thumbs up" button under ‘Did you practice self-care today?’
- Use the Contest Chat to share ideas, get ideas, and encourage yourself and others.
- All participants will be entered for prizes!
Important dates:
- Signups: November 11
- Contest Starts: November 18
- Contest Ends: December 13
- Last Day to Log Activity: December 16
- Results Announced: December 18
Self-Care Techniques (you can also choose your own)
Social Connections (Week 1)
Connect with a friend, family member, or loved one in some meaningful manner once each day this week. Ideas for how to do this are below.
- Use a virtual hangout platform! Check out Zoom, Google Hangouts, or FaceTime to catch up with friends/family
- Activity with a Boomin’ Buddy — walks/bike rides/general fresh air activities
- Teach each other a new skill (cooking, crafting, gardening, etc.)
- Start a virtual book club
- Make time for play — give yourself permission to have some much-deserved FUN (house jam session, board games, group cooking, dance party)
Gratitude (Week 2)
Find ways to be grateful for the blessings in your life. Ideas for how to do this are below.
- Appreciate yourself – use that journal tucked away, write a daily compliment to yourself on a post-it, learn to play that dusty guitar in the corner, practice meditation. You might want to check out Calm, Headspace, Breathe2Relax, or Happify for free guided meditation or other relaxation techniques.
- Get thankful with your community — find someone on your social media feed to give a heartfelt thanks to, write a thank you note or sign to, thank an essential employee in the community, or slip a note into a loved one’s bag.
- Before bed, write down 10 things you’re grateful for.
- Have a local business you appreciate? The next time you visit, mention how grateful you are for them and what they do.
- Inspire others to be thankful — donate to a local volunteer group, farm, or food bank
Sleep (Week 3)
Focus on improving your sleep this week. Ideas for how to do this are below.
- Be consistent! 7-9 hours of sleep are recommended, and going to sleep/waking up around the same time allows your body to know what to expect
- Create a relaxing sleep routine — take a bath, read a book, meditate (no electronics!) to help your mind and body wind down
- Keep it cool, dark, and quiet — your bedroom should be cave-like for the best sleep (no TV, music, light)
- Expose yourself to sunlight before 11 am (or if you are an alternate schedule, within the first 4 hours of waking) for 15 minutes or so.
- Consider your mattress and/or pillow. Is it time to replace them?
- Avoid caffeine, energy drinks, tobacco and alcohol within 4 hours of your bedtime.
Physical Activity (Week 4)
This week, find ways to add a little activity to each day. Ideas for how to do this are below.
- Go on walks with your dog or kids after dinner or during your lunch break with a colleague
- Start a new fitness routine
- Follow online exercise classes and work out from home.
- Grab a friend and head to the gym.
- Walk up the stairs
- Park further away in the parking lot.
Dance while you make dinner
Have other ideas? Post it in the Contest Chat for everyone to use.
Prizes
The best prize is better health, but all active participants will be automatically entered to win other super cool prizes as well. Winners will choose from a variety of prize choices including: kindle fire, yeti cups, coolers, wireless ear buds, and much more.
Winners will be selected from a random drawing from all participants who reported they had indulged in some self-care consistently during the contest. Prize winners will be announced within two weeks of the end of the Challenge.
Still have questions?
Contact HCBD at