Burnout around Christmas is far too common. The end of December should be a time of rest and relaxation rather than time spent trying to combat physical and emotional exhaustion. As the Christmas break approaches, it’s crucial to take steps to ensure a stress-free and restful time off.
If you’re balancing a full-time job with other responsibilities, like your membership associations duties, it’s easy to fall into the trap of an “always-on” mentality. However, this time is meant to be spent with your loved ones – learning how to disconnect is key.
Here are our top five tips to help you prepare for a smooth and restful Christmas shutdown.
Communicate
Come to terms with the fact that you can only accomplish so much before the shutdown. Review your task list and calendar to ensure that your workload is realistic. Don’t overload yourself with tasks and make sure you work in order of priority.
Talk with your peers to discuss their current work capacity – it may be that they’re available to help you. On the other hand, if you’re too busy, it’s okay for you to say no to taking on any more work.
Set Boundaries
Flexibility is important year-round, but setting rules and sticking to them is vital when Christmas is just around the corner.
If you’re working from home, it can be tempting to blur the lines between personal and professional time. This is definitely a practice that should be avoided at all costs – set strict boundaries, such as a set screen-off times to avoid working beyond your usual office hours.
Recognise Stress
Learn to recognise signs of stress before it becomes overwhelming. Sometimes, even after work hours, stress can linger in the back of your mind, affecting your ability to relax and enjoy your time at home.
Stress can manifest in many different forms, such as irritability, fatigue, or brain-fog. Take steps to manage these feelings before they grow into bigger issues. Practises such as mindfulness, deep breathing, or taking regular short breaks can help you to stay centred.
Automate
Keep on top of your workload by streamlining and automating processes that don’t require constant attention. Repetitive tasks such as membership renewals, inbox management, and sending automatic replies can easily be handled by software.
Look into how you can do this online – there are a plethora of productivity apps, many of which incorporated into Microsoft Office, which will help you stay organised and lower stress levels. Automating routine tasks ensures that you can step outside the office with piece of mind.
Relax!
The Christmas break is an opportunity for you to recharge, refuel and relax! Reflect on what you’ve accomplished this year and take time for yourself.
Spend time with your loved ones, do things for yourself, and indulge over the break! Cosy up with a book, stuff yourself with Christmas treats and treat yourself to a lie in. Give yourself permission to truly switch off.
By taking these steps, you can ensure a peaceful and fulfilling holiday season that leaves you recharged and ready for 2025! What’s on your agenda this week – let us know what you’ll be up to this week and enjoying time off?
