The inevitable eating at Christmas parties, glowing lights at parties and friends gathering to farewell the year that has been…The end of the year is intended to be a festive season of celebration, however, it also brings on a lot of reflection and anxiety for some.
Whether you feel anxious about things you did or didn’t do the year previous, about the endless dinner parties, rushed gift-buying and money spending, or it’s the feeling of loneliness due to not being able to be with your family – it’s completely valid to feel overwhelmed as soon as you start hearing mention of this time of year dooming closer.
Let’s go over some tactics to re-frame your approach to this time of year:
1. Set yourself mini-goals to achieve by the end of the year
Try and set a few small and achievable goals for yourself, to feel motivated rather than burnt out and feeling the notion that ‘it’s almost the end of the year’.
This could be as simple as taking 30 minutes to yourself each week or treating yourself to healthy meals.
This could be anything from personal health goals to professional goals that help you feel motivated, but not pressured.
2. Don’t over-think what needs to be done
Over-thinking the number of things that need to be done before the year ends, is a catalyst for an anxiety-ridden festive season. Try not to overthink what needs to be done, and try to relish the moments. It’s a great time of year where you get to wind down and spend time with family.
3. Journal your gratitudes
Try to use this time to journal how you are feeling and what you are grateful for in the year that has passed. In the current climate of the C-word, (aka COVID-19) it can be easy to get angry and frustrated at what has been thrown at you. Try to look through a lens of gratitude, and find moments in the year that truly made you feel happy.
4. Ditch resolutions
The surmountable pressure of bold and unreachable goals can also be a major cause of anxiety at this time of year. Although ambition and goal setting is a positive thing, we tend to set resolutions as a means for constant self-improvement and it can turn into a negative cycle if you feel like year after year you don’t get to them.
Instead, try to set a goal for how you would like to feel in the year to come. Do you want to feel confident, calm, motivated, inspired, loved or perhaps bold? Dig deep on this one. The details that will get you to feeling this way will reveal themselves as the year unfolds.
5. Be realistic
Let’s be honest, can we all be that perfect host or guest to a Christmas Dinner? All while still being a good parent, partner, sibling, child, person…Let go of the expectations and try to be realistic. At the end of the day, spending quality time with family and friends and feeling loved and happy is what the end of year celebrations are really about.
6. Set aside differences
This is a great time of year to set aside differences for the sake of acting with love. If you have a difference with a family member, friend or colleague – maybe now is a great time to resolve it to go into the new year feeling at ease. Built-up tension can add a lot of anxiety and pressure, which could just be resolved with a simple conversion.
If you would like to learn more ways to deal with this pressure and specifically the pressure of festivities, come along to our 3-hour workshop on the 23rd of October, from 9:30 am-12:30 pm.
