How to Hibernate During a Busy Season

If your neighborhood is anything like mine, the Christmas lights seem to come out right about when Daylight Savings ends. It’s clear we collectively dislike the dark!

Some can’t wait to get the holiday season started while others roll their eyes. Either way, the ever-expanding season has many of us feeling the urge to hibernate (an understandable response to more darkness) at the same time shopping, social events, and family traditions are exerting their considerable demands on our energy.

For obvious reasons, I’m a big proponent of listening to your body and resting when the need strikes. But how can you do that when you also have to meet end of the year deadlines at work, get your kids to 3 different Christmas parties each, and finish your shopping in less than a month?

I have some thoughts:

1.     Accept that you can’t add endlessly to your calendar without taking away.

Every year, we engage in a collective self-deception that we will somehow have time for loads of additional activities, alongside everything else we were already doing. That’s a setup for exhaustion. Think about what you can temporarily cut back on to make other things possible without losing your sanity. If you’d like some help with this, download a free article and worksheet here.

2.     Rethink end of year deadlines

Some end of year deadlines may be real, justified, or not within your control. But sometimes we impose an end of year deadline where we don’t really have to because we like the idea of starting the new year with a clean slate. Consider that this may be creating unnecessary stress during an already busy season. What deadlines can you renegotiate? (For example, I will appreciate your holiday family photo card no less if I receive it Jan 5th as opposed to Dec 20th.)

3.     Reconsider the timing of traditions

Not every tradition has to happen every year. Some might be better every other year, or even less frequently. Decide with your people what feels important this year and what can wait. There’s a neighborhood close to ours that puts on epic light displays, and it’s fun to drive through and take a look. But it’s also a lot of traffic to navigate. We did it last year, and this year, all that traffic is sounding like a hassle, so we decided to do something else. Next year, we’ll re-evaluate.

4.     Indulge in mini-hibernation

Our culture is fairly obsessed with routine, and this can mean we think one deviation, one “unproductive” choice, means something about who we are or what we’re going to choose in the future. There is no reason this has to be true. One choice can be one choice, not your new normal. Look for out of the ordinary ways to rest during this hectic season. Can you take a couple of hours off work one day to go home early and watch an episode of something you like before dinner? Take a nap one Saturday afternoon instead of pressuring yourself to get things done?

Want to tell me about your favorite strategy? Get in touch and let me know what works for you.

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