What Do You Want This Holiday Season? Three Tips for the Overwhelmed
It’s that time of year—holiday season. What do you think of? Goodwill to your fellow people? Presents for children and family?
How about presents for you? It’s time to be selfish for you, in the best possible way.
As you run around preparing for everyone else, consider what you need for yourself.
Tip 1: Make sure to take time for yourself.
When I talk with my coaching clients this time of year, the one thing they have in common is that they are each frantic. “I have too much shopping.” “I have too much cooking.” “I have too much work to do along with the personal stuff.” The list goes on and on.
You cannot do everything for everyone all the time. You have a family. You have work. You have external commitments. Do not forget yourself. I am talking to women and men, here. I coach both women and men (more men than women, right now), and they suffer equally.
Especially when you are stressed—and the holidays seem to bring out the stress in everyone—take time for yourself. Make sure you exercise and sleep. When you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anything or anyone else.
Tip 2: Make sure you maintain your self-esteem.
This is the time of year when Murphy’s law sits on your projects and makes problems. People will blame you, your team, and your organization. It’s easy for you to internalize this. Don’t do it.
Sure, someone may have made a mistake. That someone might even be you. It’s time to learn from the mistake and proceed.
Do retrospectives. Plan for the future. Create action plans. All of those things will help build your self-esteem because they will show you how you are resilient. You can change and adapt.
Tip 3: Make sure you reassess whether you need to do everything.
If you dread one more holiday party, don’t go. If you dread one more meeting and it doesn’t have an agenda, decline. Give yourself a break. You cannot do everything—not all at the same time. Whatever you do, do not make yourself crazy.
If you think you need to do “more,” break your tasks into very small chunks. Now, you can finish small chunks without having work in progress. You will find that you accomplish more.
I’m a big fan of being selfish for me so that I can accomplish more for my family and my clients. You might try that, too.
Happy holidays!
