‘Tis the season for family, giving, eating & celebrating, but ’tis also the season for shopping, traveling, avoiding political conversations with that one uncle, mailing gifts across the country, getting caught up on work before the holiday break, yet still keeping up with laundry & errands & hopefully some sort of social life. *Takes deep breath.* Yes the holidays are the best time of the year, but they can also lead to stress and be overwhelming for a lot of people. I’m personally facing that myself this year, so here are some of my (and your!) tips for beating holiday burnout.
My tips for beating holiday burnout
1. Make + follow through on a daily agreement with yourself
For me this has meant spending at least 20 minutes every morning getting some movement in. I’m not usually much of a morning exerciser…or even a daily exerciser, for that matter. But in this season for me it’s not about burning calories or even working up a sweat, but rather making an agreement with myself on something I’m going to stay consistent with. It helps me to feel grounded, like I run my day (rather than it running me), and is an element of “me” time where I can get my head in a place of calmness and productivity before entering into my tasks for the day. For you that might mean exercise or meditating, journaling, cooking a meal for yourself, etc.
2. Tighten up your daily plan/to-do list
I have a to-do list every single day, but I’m usually pretty lax with when & how I go about completing everything. But with so much more on my plate right now, thinking about when I’m going to do what can become even more overwhelming than the tasks themselves. So by making a detailed plan – down to the order + time I’m going to do everything – it takes the the guesswork out and eases my mind. It also prevents me from multitasking and instead focusing on one thing at a time.
(Side note: this one was greatly inspired by this podcast episode on the topic of overwhelm. I love how she addresses training the brain to manage options & make decisions rather than living in a place of confusion)
3. When you’re off, be *completely* off
Even if you’re swamped with work more than usual or have more responsibilities than you normally do – that’s ok – but when you decide to wrap up and be done with it, allow yourself to fully turn off. This might mean disabling emails from your phone, leaving your phone/devices in a different room entirely, setting up an OOO email reply, etc. What good is getting all that “busy stuff” done if you can’t sit down and enjoy the reason you were trying to get caught up anyway? Even if it’s just a few hours a day, give yourself the time to chill…and maybe pop on that cheesy Christmas movie you wouldn’t dare admit to anyone you’ve been dying to see;)
And some of your tips!
Beating holiday burnout from some the gals in my HB Tribe private Facebook group + Instagram babes!
Usually I just need to get away from routine …. like a weekend trip, or day trip… just away… but also lately nature really helps me clear my head. – Chantal
Shopping online as much as possible, asking for help (cleaning crew), planning ahead so everything isn’t so last minute, scheduling in self care, less screen time, deep breaths. – Kristen
Making sure to get a lot of rest! – Emily
Vent to me so I can talk you off a cliff. – Sydney (lol)
Remember it’s ok to give yourself the gift of saying no to emotionally draining events/people. – Liz
Committing to time limits on events. – Basil
It’s ok to say no and to take a day off just relaxing at home alone. Don’t be afraid to say no! – Amber
Schedule enough “quiet time” to balance the business. – Mich
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I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling less overwhelmed already 😉 Here’s to an amazing holiday season! xoxo GG
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You might also like:
How to start a vision journal
Practicing Food Freedom during the holidays
10 simple daily healthy habits
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