The holidays can be a very stressful time of year as the New Year approaches. In addition to planning for Christmas, which has a litany of various obligations (i.e. Christmas gifts wrapping & searching, cookie baking, family visits) that have to be attended to, thinking about what goals you want to achieve in the resetting of the calendar year can present its own set of challenges. Trying to challenge yourself while you are being stretched thin, being overlooked as an important person (possibly in your life, professional career, or business), and many other factors can all be present in influencing you to not take time for yourself, putting yourself into overdrive for “holiday burnout”, which is a phenomenon that only gets worse as you age (and have increased responsibilities.)
As a child, I remember these times of the year spending many hours in bed because of being terribly sick. Suffering from croup off-and-on as a child (a respiratory infection of the upper airway, making it hard to breathe and is often mistaken as a cold), I remember the cold, moisture-filled air being the savior in one episode that sent me to the ER room around Christmas. Doctors were applauding my mom’s quick thinking of whisking me away to the outside as she knew that getting healthy, farm-fresh air (since my parent’s owned a goat farm), along with knowing that the dense fog that we had would be refreshing for me and would help to circulate this in my lungs. With this, combined with getting the flu in some instances that was so severe that vomiting would be occurring, it was never a pleasant visit from Santa for several years until I was in my mid teenage years.
Despite being sick, one of the techniques that I have appreciated using in this season is how we master our own time. As a child, I could have been severely disappointed (along with Santa Claus and his elves) of the unfortunate luck that I would have, multiple Christmas seasons in a row, of feeling sick. However, I took the time to appreciate what the reason for this season was, and enjoyed the time off to catch up on reading (which I was obsessive about as I was younger), playing video games (having that Super Nintendo system was a literal game changer!), along with seeing the beauty of snowflakes, wonderful holiday food, but spending time with the family whom I cherished.
Even if times are (and will be) extremely difficult for you regardless of what time of year it is, consider why this celebration (among others) is important not just for family & friends, colleagues & business partners, but more importantly…you! The season is about refocusing on the focus, clarity, and direction of what it means to live your life to the fullest. Giving yourself those small moments. Reflect on what is bigger than what may be the mundane. Rewarding yourself through this process, you can generate a deeper appreciation to shift your mindset and tackle new challenges that you would have otherwise not completed by seeking the higher purpose of your aims.
Expression of our dreams & desires start with our willingness to see what we are able to ultimately achieve. By seeing through the forest of trees, you can claim your stake in this holiday season as an opportunity to become a better version of yourself by re-engaging in new traditions with your family, appreciating differences with your colleagues & boss, and refocusing on your connections with business partners and associates.
Happy Holidays, and to each family and individual a prosperous New Year!
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