I love the holidays, but they can be overwhelming. We’re busy enough on a regular day, but when we add the joy and pressure of the holidays, many of us leap straight to overwhelmed! And I say “We”, because I’m there sometimes, too!
Sure, this time of year, even the mundane and day-to-day business of life can be elevated to something more meaningful if we put some thought into it. On the other hand, completing big and impressive holiday prep tasks feels great, but not when we neglect ourselves and our lives to complete them. “Hey kids, I finished your Christmas shopping on-line today, but I was so busy doing that, we have nothing to eat for dinner.”
So when we are feeling overwhelmed, at the holidays and any other time of year, we can benefit from taking a deep breath and returning to the basics.
Take Care of Yourself
Maintaining routines and taking care of our health is important any time of year. But it becomes both more vital and more difficult around the holidays. It’s more vital because more is asked of us, and who wants to get sick for Christmas? It’s more difficult because there are so many conflicting demands on our time and efforts.
We traveled for Thanksgiving, and had a lovely time with family out-of-state. And even though I know better than to neglect my routines, I….. over-ate, under-slept, didn’t exercise, and forgot to take my vitamins. Not surprisingly, I hit the proverbial wall some time Saturday night, feeling blah but overwhelmed.
Today was a return to routines, with regular bedtimes, mealtimes and schedules, and I feel better already. I also spent some time in the kitchen, making healthy meals and snacks for the next couple of days.
Make time for the daily habits that will maintain your health and wellness.
Take Care of Each Other. We can get so caught up in the stress of the holidays that we lash out at the people who we are celebrating for, like our friends and family. Remember Why we celebrate this time of year.
Take Care of your Home:
Even in the face of the busy holidays, we still have to do things like get dressed and go to work and take care of our families. Just because I spent 2 hours on-line purchasing Christmas gifts last night instead of doing laundry doesn’t make the laundry any less important. It just means I have more folding to do this morning, to make sure we have clothes for the week, uniforms for the high-schoolers, work clothes for me, etc. We still need to wash dishes, take out the garbage, sweep the floors, etc. These few simple maintenance steps become even more important during this hectic time of year.
Take Care of your Business:
A radio commercial this morning called December a “wasted month”, professionally speaking. Yikes! Most of us can’t “phone it in” for an entire month, so remember to maintain your professional efforts this month, even though it’s so tempting to cut back and goof off, when all the world is a distraction. My 11 years owning my own business have taught me is that my marketing efforts this month directly influence my success next month. Stay the course this month, finish this year strong and start 2015 ahead of the game!