The holiday season is a joyous and festive time of the year—“Joy to the World”, as they say. However, the holiday season can be a particularly taxing time as well. As businesses roll out their year-end sales and respond to the inevitable holiday rush, many employees will no doubt feel the squeeze. Whether you’re on the front lines of retail or working on annual financial statements, the holidays can take their toll on us, especially if we’re not prepared for them. Today, we will cover 8 ways to keep your spirits up as we head into the holidays.
Make a To-Do List and Check it Twice
The holiday season has a way of getting pretty crazy pretty quickly. Before you let all your projects and commitments overwhelm you, write up a to-do list for the end of the year. Order your list by the items that are most important and have the nearest deadlines. Or, if it helps to visualize it, plot the rest of your year out on a calendar so you can easily determine the amount of time you have for your to-dos.
The holidays can easily throw a wrench in the works, whether it’s a freak snowstorm or a sudden spike in demand for a certain product. However, by creating a thorough to-do list, you can set yourself for success and reduced stress.
Don’t Over-Commit
Speaking of stress, multitasking and over-committing around the holidays is a great way to burn out quickly. It can be tempting to say yes to a lot of things at this time of year: work projects, holiday parties, gift exchanges, pageants and concerts, and so on. However, too many yesses can quickly stack up against you and leave you feeling like you’re drowning.
Remember: you’re only a human being with 24 hours in your day. If you start to feel inundated at work, talk to your boss and ask which tasks should be prioritized so you can tackle them one at a time. If you’re getting swarmed with requests for parties and get-togethers, don’t be afraid to say no to the invitations you can’t commit to. Your time has value and some of that time should be spent recharging from work and social events.
Keep Work at Work and Home at Home
Like the Ghostbusters would tell you: don’t cross your streams. You may be inclined to squeeze in some holiday shopping during your lunches at work, or to chip away at an important project while you decorate your home. However, maintaining a clear and healthy work-life balance is essential to your mental health, especially around the holidays.
You need set your boundaries. Ask your friends and family to avoid contacting you during work hours so you can better concentrate on your job. On the flipside, physically and mentally disconnect from your work when you clock out for the day. Avoid your spreadsheets and email in your personal, away-from-work time unless absolutely necessary. You need to be able to switch your brain into work mode for the time you spend on the clock, but you also need to be able to switch work mode off when the workday is done.
Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health
Seasonal depression is no joke. As the skies turn overcast, the evenings come sooner, and the weather gets colder, many of us can get a nasty case of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or seasonal depression. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association estimates that 5% of adults in the United States, or nearly 13 million U.S. adults, suffer from SAD and will experience SAD-related symptoms for over four months of the year. Now, more than ever, is the time to prioritize your physical and mental health.
Exercise is an obvious, but nonetheless excellent way to take care of yourself. Even 30 minutes of dedicated and continuous physical activity can boost your metabolism, improve your mood, and can lead to better sleep. Going for a walk or shoveling your driveway are also great ways to get your body to move around.
At the same time, your mental health needs attention as well. Are you giving yourself the self-love you need? Maybe you need to keep a journal for your thoughts, or you just need to look at yourself in the mirror and list out a few things you love about yourself. Don’t confuse this with narcissism—this is you taking the time to acknowledge that you’re a person with value and worthy of love. If you can learn to love yourself, you can better love the world and people around you.
Avoid Distractions
In today’s digital world, it has never been easier for workers to get distracted. With unbridled access to the Internet on both their work computers and their phones, workers can easily waste hours of their time scrolling the web endlessly. Of course the holidays, with their limited-time sales, bright lights, and carols 24/7 on streaming, aren’t helping things. Therefore, you need to know how to rid yourself of these jolly distractions at work.
First, eliminate sources of distraction. Keep your phone in your desk drawer while you work. If you use a radio or speaker for music, keep the volume respectfully low and turn it off when you need to concentrate. A cluttered desk can offer several sources of distraction, so take the time to quickly clear your desk so you can clear your mind.
Second, set limits for yourself. For instance, you can promise yourself to avoid looking at your fantasy football scores while at your desk, or you can set a schedule to work hard for 30 to 40 minutes straight, then take a quick 5 to 10 minute break to catch your breath. Which, speaking of…
Take Breaks and Reward Yourself
You need to work when you’re at work—it’s why you’re at work. But you’re hindering yourself if you don’t take breaks and reward yourself for the effort you’ve made. Not only are breaks and rewards great for your mental health, but they also improve your productivity. After putting in a solid 30 to 60 minutes of work, give yourself 5 to 10 minutes to take it easy. Get up from your desk and go for a lap around the office, or maybe have a quick chat with your co-workers. You shouldn’t abuse the amount and length of breaks you take, but your brain needs a breather every so often to recharge.
And don’t forget the power of self-rewards. If you’re allowed, keep some of your favorite snacks in your desk drawers and gift yourself a little snack whenever you accomplish a goal or task. If you’ve just finished an important project, celebrate yourself by taking yourself out for a nice lunch, or buy yourself that special something you’ve had your eye on (just as long as someone didn’t already get it for you already as a holiday gift). The holidays are a time of celebration, so it stands to reason that you should celebrate yourself for your accomplishments, both large and small.
Take Time to Self-Evaluate
The end of the year is a sentimental time for many as they reflect on the past 12 months and look forward to the future. The holiday is filled with plenty of hustle and bustle, but if you find yourself with a moment of quiet and peace, take that moment to evaluate how far you’ve come and how far you want to go.
Who were you 12 months ago, and who are you now? How have you grown physically, mentally, and spiritually? What new things have you learned? What new music, movies, hobbies, or passions have you discovered? How are your relationships with your friends, family, co-workers, the world, and yourself?
Where do you want to be 12 months from now? Where do you need to grow in your life? What have you been putting off that needs to be addressed? What can you do today to be a better person tomorrow and next week, next month, year, and so on?
And don’t forget to keep the seasonal depression monster at bay. This is not a time to stew in self-loathing and troubling thoughts—instead, this is a moment to access yourself as you are, pros and cons, good and bad, warts and all. Self-reflection and self-awareness are important for having an honest and open dialogue with yourself so you can be a better person going forward.
Get Into the Spirit
While the holiday season can be hectic and headache-inducing, don’t forget that this is supposed to be a jolly and joyful time. Go ahead and belt out your favorite holiday songs on your drive to work. Bake some holiday treats and put on your favorite, overly-sentimental movie. Go sledding, or watch the Nutcracker, or decorate your home until it sparkles. Your enjoyment of the holidays is what you make of them, so have a blast!
While you’re at it, take time to visit with the special people in your life. Stop by your parents’ house for a spell, plan a get-together with your friends, or find a way to connect with the people that support you and give you a feeling of being home. The holidays are a time for coming together and acknowledging the care and love we have for each other. Let the special people in your life how much they mean to you.
Happy Healthy Holidays
The holiday season is not an easy time for those of us in the workforce. It’s a time of high demand and limited supply. It’s a time when the pace of work can ramp up quickly and without warning. The stress of the holidays is nearly impossible to avoid, but that doesn’t mean it’s game over when it all hits.
Before the holiday rush kicks off, list out your responsibilities for the rest of the year and keep yourself from taking on too many commitments. Keep your work-life balance in check and work on your physical and mental health. Know when to focus on your work and when to take a quick break. And don’t forget to enjoy the moment while you’re living in it! Being prepared for the holidays will lower your stress, keep you organized, and let you bask in this warm and cheerful time of the year.
Happy Holidays from PackagingSuppliesByMail!
