How to Avoid Feeling BURNT OUT Around the Holidays
How does self-care get challenged and what can you do to make sure you keep up your routines with a lot going on?
Let’s get real. For high achieving, ambitious people, the holidays can bring as much stress as they do joy. From the expectations, people pleasing, and overcommitting to the time off work feeling like you will fall behind to the changes in food with parties, and the social activities…. Yikes.
The holidays can be a time of absolute joy and celebration; on the flip side, it can also be a time of tremendous strain on routines if you are someone who likes a schedule and routine.
Additionally, for those who tend to overwork and overextend themselves, the holidays can also challenge your boundaries. Therefore, it is more important than ever to make sure you keep grounded and centered in your foundation and values around the holidays. With heightened plans and heightened activities, you are likely to be challenged a bit during the holidays with Self-Care.
So, what can you do to remain in balance and feel grounded during the holidays? What can you do to avoid burning out BECAUSE of the holidays?
Here are some quick tips of things I wanted to share with all of you that have helped me ENJOY my holidays and not feel burnt out by them.
Keep Your Morning Routine:
Commit yourself to your morning routine even if everything else in your schedule shifts. You might be traveling to your family, hosting people, or doing a lot more prep for the holidays than you usually do. Your schedule may be a bit different right now – you may be getting up earlier or going to bed later. Whatever the case may be, the best way to remain grounded is to have your morning routine anchor you. If you can show yourself consistency and stability in just one aspect of your routine, the rest of the day won’t feel so hectic.
Take Time Away From Work:
Truly take time away from work. If you take time off from the holidays, as you should, create a phone boundary with your phone. Create a laptop boundary with your laptop. Do not double work. I know it can be tempting to still be available – but now is the BEST TIME TO BE MIA. Everyone else is. Truly get away for once. It will give you the space you need to actually soak in all the other activities you are doing rather than feeling caught in limbo between work and fun.
Check in With Yourself:
Check-in with your People Pleaser and Expectations AND Boundaries. Holidays create the triple threat to those empaths out there who want to do the best for everyone and have the MOST FUN. For high achievers, we can sometimes overachieve in our expectations as well. Give yourself a couple of internal intentions such as – I will only socialize 2-3x this week or I will ensure that I leave the events no later than 8PM to give me time to sleep. That way, you are grounded in what you want with a lot going on. The holidays challenge those who want to please others and want to say YES.
Make a goal to say yes to only a # of things so that you don’t burn out. Also, remember that you don’t HAVE to do anything, even on the holidays. That means if you don’t want to drink eggnog, don’t. Drink the chai latte instead. Do you. Again, the holidays bring a lot of pressure as much as they do joy – stick to what YOU want to do.
Last on this one – if someone does not get you a gift and you get them a gift – check in on your disappointment. Make your choices about what YOU want to do not a tit for tat or an expectations game. Practice making choices that come from you – which is all what self-care helps you do.
Set New Traditions:
Finally, Use the time with family to set new traditions or patterns. Since you are spending more time with family, you could use the time to practice gratitude with your family and create a self-care ritual with them. You can use the time to flex your giving muscles and donate or help others. Self-care is not just meditating or journaling – it is also creating a way of life that is about abundance, positivity, and thanks.
The holidays are the PERFECT time to get into a gratitude mindset and begin practicing it. Rather than your family tradition of fighting over the cinnamon buns, maybe you introduce new traditions like a family-donation or family-gratitude circle. It may sound corny, but a lot of people are interested in trying new things around the new year. It is the perfect time to get people on board to the new YOU.
Okay and with that – that is all I have for you on the holidays. I hope this helped. ENJOY THEM.
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Love you all!
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