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The holiday season is a time of fun, joy, and good times with friends and family. However, this time also comes with many tasks, responsibilities, and events to attend. Managing long to-do lists and busy schedules during this time of the year can be quite stressful, which is usually compounded by the end of the year crunch at work or school. For this reason, many people feel more stressed out than usual during this time of the year. While this time is busy, it doesn’t have to be stressful. This blog post outlines some tips to help you manage your stress and feel in control during the holiday season.
During the holiday season, there’s a lot to do and a lot to remember. You probably have a long list of people who need to remember to get gifts for. You probably also have a to-do list for work or school, trying to get a big pile of work done before the break. Chances are, you have a personal to-do list as well to prepare for the holiday season. The best way to manage all of the different things you have to do and remember is to write it all down. In an ideal case, you’re keeping track of everything in a centralized location like a notebook, planner, digital calendar, or notes app. That way, any new information you need to remember can be added to the same place. Additionally, centralizing the location reduces your cognitive load and allows you to visit one place for everything you need to know and remember. The best way to stay organized and start to feel in control is to make sure you’re writing everything down that you need to know.
Writing things down has an additional benefit beyond simply tracking your tasks or items. When you have a lot to do, writing down your tasks allows them to live on paper rather than your brain, reducing the thoughts swimming around in your brain and therefore reducing stress. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, getting all of your tasks down on paper and being able to look at them is the best way to feel in control. In most cases, being able to see all of your tasks at once will give you a feeling that you don’t have quite as much to do and manage as you thought. For this reason, writing things down won’t just help you keep track of them, but will also allow you to feel more in control and reduce any feelings of stress or overwhelm.
When you’re dealing with a lot of tasks to complete, it’s important to prioritize these tasks and decide which ones are most important. Once you’ve written down your tasks, place them in order of most to least urgent, or highlight/star the most important tasks. This visual cue will help you process which tasks need to be completed first, and will give you an additional sense of accomplishment when an important or urgent task is checked off. As you go through the days of the holiday season, revisit this prioritized list and change it if necessary. Be open to the idea that a task might become more or less urgent as the days go on. Revisiting your prioritization to ensure that you’re always tackling the most important tasks first will help you feel in control and increase your sense of accomplishment each time you complete a task.
This season is busy! We all have a million things to do, from visiting friends and family, completing work or school obligations, attending holiday parties, going to winter events at school, and other various commitments and tasks. It’s easy to feel like you never stop moving, which can lead to feelings of stress and overwhelm. The best way to avoid these feelings is to take breaks. Because this season is so busy, the best way to make sure that you take a break is to schedule it in ahead of time. While taking a break might seem counterproductive, it will allow your body to rest and recharge, reducing stress, improving your mental clarity, preventing burnout, and ultimately making you both more productive and calm. Scheduling in these breaks might look like a few ten minute breaks throughout the day, or ensuring that you have some specific evenings free from obligations just to relax. Whatever a break looks like for you, be sure to schedule it ahead of time to make sure that your body gets the rest that it needs.
During the holiday season, everyone’s busy and the weather is cold, making going outside fairly unappealing. However, fresh air and sunlight are extremely rejuvenating, and provide immediate calming effects as well as improved focus and mental clarity. For this reason, it’s essential to get outside every day during daylight hours to see the sun and feel the fresh air. If it’s cold outside, you don’t have to spend endless amounts of time outside. In fact, just a few minutes standing outside is enough to feel the effects. Make it a priority to get outside during this time of year to help your body stay grounded and to destress.
It’s easy to get caught up in the obligations and responsibilities during this busy season, but an important part of managing stress is to remind yourself which things really matter. While making the most elaborate cookie recipe might seem essential, if it comes at the cost of sleep, rest, or your sense of calm, it’s probably not as important as it feels. Similarly, while you might want to purchase a gift for everyone you know, don’t stretch yourself financially to get all of these gifts. Remind yourself that what is important is letting these people know you’re thinking about them during this season, which can be done with a card or some kind, thoughtful words. It’s easy to get caught up in perfectionism during the holiday season, but just remind yourself that what’s truly important is being well and spending time with the people you love.
Related to the above idea, it’s important to keep your expectations of yourself realistic during this time of the year. Each of us has a limited bandwidth and a limited amount of time, and we can only do our best with what we have. Don’t beat yourself up if you forget a few tasks, limit your decorations, skip a holiday party, or give a gift unwrapped. When you’re managing a hundred things, it’s okay to just do what you can and allow a few things to slip through the cracks. In fact, most people expect a few things to slip through at this time of the year. Give yourself grace and celebrate your wins and remember that doing your best is the most important thing.
This time of the year is full of opportunities for fun adventures and joy. It’s easy to get so caught up in obligations and work that we don’t take advantage of the unique opportunities at this time of the year. Be sure to take time out of your schedule to truly have fun and enjoy this time of the year. Choose some activities or events ahead of time that you know you’d like to make time for. Consider scheduling them in specific days or time windows to ensure you get to them. At the same time, don’t beat yourself up if you end up skipping a fun task. However, don’t let the whole holiday season slip by without having any fun.
One of the main causes of stress in folks with ADHD is feelings of overwhelm, which usually stem from feeling out of control. YA Success Coach offers personalized coaching in developing systems that are supportive of your unique needs, focused on helping you take control of your life to achieve your goals. Our approach emphasizes understanding each client as a unique individual and discovering what is motivating, calming, and helpful to them. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you feel more in control of your life and develop the systems needed for success.
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