?Unsolicited advice?: Sleighing stress this holiday season ????♀?

Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey are in full defrost mode for the festivities. The office party season is upon us. Stress levels are rising as you’re trying to tick everything of the list that needs doing before the end of the year - but do you need to though?

If you’re after some validation on why you should ease off the accelerator as you head towards the holidays, well look no further. The world of work has indoctrinated us into thinking that we must be busy and stressed all the time to be valued. Not only am I going to help you coast into you holidays, but I’m also going to share some ideas on things to do to focus on you, and get excited for next year.?

????♀? Why is it important to chill out ????♀?

Studies have shown that the best ideas and solutions come to you when you’re most relaxed - that’s why the best ideas come to you in the shower . Stress triggers the chemical reaction of fight or flight - which was designed to keep us alive in the wilderness not panicking over a power point presentation deadline. Prolonged state of stress, means that chemicals like cortisol amongst other things stay longer in your body and have been known to contribute to weight gain, lack of sleep, irritability and other nasty side effects. This is the state that you’re putting yourself in when you’re stressing about finishing everything before the holiday season. Which is not great when it’s time to unwind and spend time with your family and friends… Think about it, do the people you love want to spend time with a cranky and tired version of you??

?????? Perspective when doing less this holiday season ??????

Everyone is praying that nothing arrives in their inbox this time of year, trust me. The OOO automatic replies may not be activated yet but I guarantee that everyone has mentally checked out or atleast dreaming about rotting infront of the TV on boxing day feasting on leftovers.

So why are you feeling the pressure as the year is ending? Maybe you have a year-end to process, lives to save and taxes to report. Okay, that’s fine, those things definitely need to be done, be honest with yourself though - are you being strict with yourself on what absolutely needs doing and what can wait until next year (or perhaps taken off your to-do list entirely). Also, fyi, when you stress about getting “everything done”, it stresses other people out too. I like using Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle to help me visualise and get strict with myself on what’s really “urgent” and “important” - creating a “must do” instead of a “to do”.

Once you’ve reflected on this, keeping in mind that as we approach the holidays, it’s probably not the best time to start, or rush anything, hopefully your must-do list is now a bit lighter. Thus reducing your stress levels by a little (hopefully).?

If everyone around you keeps telling you that they’re “sooo busy” all the time, up until the holidays, you’ll have to be the bravest one to normalise mentally checking out and explain realistically that certain things will just not get done until next year. A tip, when you hear someone telling you how busy they are at work, don’t praise them (we’ve all been guilty of this!), ask them - “if you had to pick one thing to get done otherwise the consequences are grave (a tad dramatic ahaha, but something similar), what that would be?”. Most of the time, the replies I’ve had is along the lines of “well, nothing is really that urgent” - from this they’ll really go back and think about if they should be “busy” all the time. Or they’d reply that it’s just really the one thing. Either way you’ve done your bit to shine a light on the fact that sometimes we just put unnecessary pressure on ourselves.

?? Looking forward ??

So much of our lives is centred and focused around work, so this is the time for you - people might argue you should do it in your own time not on company time, but I say why do that when you have the capacity and time to do so now? Remember, we’re trying to deinfluence being busy at work for the sake of being busy. Also the biggest benefiter of a great version of you, is the place you work at!?

Now let’s imagine you’ve reduced your task list and have given yourself more headspace and time, what now? Fear not, here are a list of things you can be focusing on to help you feel ready and excited for next year - they won’t take that long either:

• “People with written goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than people without written goals”. Treat yourself to a nice diary or journal to write down your goals, visions and plans for next year. Go big on your dreams - this doesn’t have to be work related! It can be buying that designer handbag, to starting that business. Writing them down is the first step to making it real, and once it’s on paper it’ll be there to keep you accountable. My favourite one at the moment is “goal digger planner” by “MiGoals” but a plain notebook will do!?
• Finding events and communities to join that you might be interested in, now this might seem a bit daunting, but being around people will open you up to more ideas. A lot of events are probably planned far in advance, so getting them lined up now will give you things to look forward to - especially through these grey and cold months. Again, it doesn’t have to be work or professional development related, it can be finally going to that life drawing class you’ve been talking about. There are probably more free and low cost events near you than you may think! My preferred “old school” technique of finding these events, is to start paying attention to notice boards in cafes, libraries and community shops.?
• Make a list of things that bring you joy e.g. playing sports, knitting, seeing your friends and family - whatever it is, start penciling them in now. This doesn’t have to cost you anything by the way, it’s just about being intentional and focusing on the things that make you happy, outside of work.?
• This is a little a bit about work, but time to assess your career. Reflect on your overall life goals and see if the career you have aligns to them. If not, perhaps it’s about planning your next steps! This might not always be as dramatic as leaving your job, it might simply mean that the next step is to ask for support or exposure to new experiences and opportunities.?

These are just some suggestions that will hopefully help you feel optimistic and excited for next year, rather than being stressed and bogged down with work during a period of time that’s supposed to be all about joy, and focusing on what really matters.?

Do you have anymore suggestions on how to de-influence being busy and/or what we can do to help us look forward to the next year? Please leave your comments, thoughts and ideas below ?? My DMs are always open ??

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Hi! I’m Napa and I’m future forward in my approach to HR ? Motivated by creating a workplace that will allow people to flourish and thrive ??.

6+ years of international HR experience across various industries of different sizes (20 - 3000+ colleagues); from fintech start-ups, financial services to education. I've led on people centric strategies and delivered on HR operational projects. I also use my insights in the business world to coach others and help navigate their career paths.

I'm also an avid writer, I share my articles on the world of work and empower people on their career journeys.