Three ways to reduce end-of-year stress or burnout
Hi! A huge welcome to you from wherever you're watching in the world.
I'm Bec Sands. I help you pivot to a successful career or business that you love.
Today I am discussing three ways to reduce end-of-year stress or burnout – whichever feels most true to you. At this time of year, things can get so hectic and busy and it may have been a while since your last break.
Not only that, but there’s often all this pressure to wrap up projects and tick off to-do lists before the end of the year so that you can switch off work during Christmas knowing that you completed what you needed to.
Combined with seasonal client lunches, year-end parties, and the canapes, heavy food and excess alcohol that generally comes with all of these, we can all be left feeling exhausted, stressed, burnt out and over it in December.
Here’s some tips to help reduce this end-of-year stress and stay sane in the lead-up to Christmas.
1. Prioritise and reschedule
It’s totally okay to say no. However, unless you’ve considered your own priorities and scheduled these in, it is difficult to decide where to allocate your time.
Take out a pen and paper, and write down a list of three things that you want to achieve between now and Christmas. For example, mine are:
a) Pre-record three episodes of the Career Pivot Podcast prior to Jan launch
b) 2020 strategic planning for my coaching and freelance PR consulting business
c) Finalise content and workbooks for my goal-setting workshop on Jan 11.
These are the major priorities for my business this year (but still stretch goals) and I know it’s possible to achieve them around my client work and all of the other things that I need to get done this year – as long as I get organised!
Do you have your three things? Great! Now take out your calendar and schedule in blocks of time to get them done between now and Christmas. This may mean you need to say no to some invitations, or watch less TV.
The good news is that it’s the final sprint of the year so you can reward yourself at the end with some time off, or by backing off a little bit on your goal-chasing. If you can’t take time off at Christmas, schedule in some time for next year (even if it’s a staycation!).
2. Ramp up the self-care
Often at this time of year, with all the parties and often a significant workload, we kind of give up and say to ourselves that we'll start again in the new year. I know I’ve certainly done this in the past!
Even if there’s an increase in temptation for eating out, heavy foods and drinking, which is the case for many of us in the lead-up to the festive season, we’re much better off balancing this out by ramping up the self-care at the same time rather than waiting until January to get started (and having a much bigger job to do when we get there!).
I recommend actually increasing your self -care in December and making a conscious decision to do additional exercise (including restorative exercise like stretching and yoga), meditating daily (you can start with just five minutes a day) and scheduling in time to do things you love that relax you, like getting a massage, swimming or walking outdoors.
3. Focus on what you’ve achieved
What have you achieved this year? Take out your pen and paper again and write a list of at least 50 things that you’ve completed in 2019 that you’re proud of. So often we forget everything that we’ve achieved and focus on what’s left un-done.
These 50 things could be work-related or personal. Examples on my list for this year are actually quite big things and include stepping into my business full-time; getting married to my amazing husband Andres; and running a 10km mini marathon.
What are you most proud of this year? It could even be letting go of something that doesn’t serve you anymore, or starting a consistent meditation practice. Don’t stop until you hit at least 50 items! You’ll be amazed at how good this list makes you feel and it can help you to put things into a bit more perspective. This will also help you with clarity on what you’d like to achieve in 2020.
So, there you have it – three ways to reduce end-of-year stress or burnout.
That’s it from me today! Make sure you’ve subscribed to my free weekly emails for more tips on how to pivot your career, find clarity and make a great income doing what you love, as well as get updates on the Career Pivot Podcast which is launching on Jan 1.
For those of you in Sydney, I’m also hosting a goal-setting workshop in person on Saturday, 11 January to set you up for an incredible 2020. To find out more and get tix, visit becsands.com/events.
Thanks for watching, and have a great day!
