Don't be a cotton-headed ninny muggins!
According to the shelves at the store, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, which apparently now stretches from the second week of October through at least the first week in January. And the longer the revelry seems to stretch, the more obligations we get caught up in. How can you keep all the activities of the holiday season from sending you spiraling? Let’s find out!
Don’t Let the Yule Log Burn You Out
There’s a weird duality to the holiday season. On the one hand it’s all about spending time with your loved ones, celebrating the goodness in life. And yet all those holiday plans and activities can leave us feeling run down. Let's dig into a few of the expectations commonly placed on us this time of year and talk about how to keep them from being overwhelming.
Last-Minute Work
It’s the end of the year, which means reports, planning, setting strategies and evaluating how this year went - all while trying to handle your regular workload and somehow also take some time off. It’s a lot to deal with, along with whatever is happening in your personal life.
The best way I've found to deal with this is to prioritize and plan in advance. You know you have certain tasks that will need to be done by the end of the year, so get started on as many of them as you can, as soon as it’s possible. And if you’re waiting for insights, just be ready to plug them in when you get them.
The other work-related pressure is holiday parties. This is where the company leadership needs to keep it as simple as possible. Whether you're getting together in person or online, why not find a company or a venue that will handle all the details for you? Or heck, keep it simple with some Zoom holiday karaoke or a party in the office. And make it optional, nobody likes forced fun. Especially if your team is feeling the stress of wrapping things up as well.
Time with Family and Friends
Take a deep breath, because this is a tough one. We all have multiple circles of loved ones, which then doubles if we’ve got a partner. And each of those circles generally plans something around the holidays. It creates a lot of pressure, which becomes even more if we’re also planning a get-together. There’s also often travel involved, which adds more time, expense, and stress. And having kids home from school for a couple of weeks can add an additional level of difficulty.
Only you know your social circles, but if we assume that most of us have at least a few reasonable people in our lives (possibly a stretch), some of them will surely be okay if we say we can’t make it this year. Or we can alternate our own parties with others. Or combine some? The point is if it’s too much for your well-being, give yourself some space to say no when it gets to be too much. People who really care about you will understand, and I bet a lot of them are thinking the same thing.
Mental Health
That leads us to our final topic. Let’s remember how difficult this time of year is for a lot of folks, even those who appear outwardly to be well-adjusted and seem to really have their shit together. The change in the weather and the work slowing down gives us more time to think about life both the good and bad parts. Personally, I struggle with the loss of my dad each holiday season.
We all need to do whatever we can to help the people in our life feel loved without subjecting them to our own expectations, whether it be gift-giving, holiday party attendance, or other plans. You need to show you care in whatever way works best for others and for yourself. Don’t contribute to the burnout of others even as you complain about your own. Try to find the balance that will work for the most people.
We’re supposed to enjoy the holidays, which can be something different for each of us. Do what you can to take care of others, and make the best choices for yourself.