it’s that time of year! you know, the time of year where you feel like you’re drowning and can’t bring your head above water to take a big breath? i’m in the thick of it, and i feel like so many of my friends are too. if we are, then there’s a BIG chance you are feeling this way as well. i thought i’d pop on today to tell you a few things:
you’re doing the best that you can, the overwhelming amount of things you need to get done will pass and you’re going to get through this.
if no one has told you those things before, then you gotta be sure to tell yourself them. reminding myself of those things truly help me get through it on my busiest or most challenging days. here are some tips i have that work well for me when getting through this busy time of year.
say no to things you really don’t want to spend time on
when i’m swamped at work and have tons of commitments, sometimes i need to say no OR even cancel plans to make time to regenerate. i have a really hard time saying no (to people, events, etc.), but i’ve realized over the years that i know myself better than anyone and i know what i need to do to prioritize my time. if that means saying no to a blogging event so i can head to the gym, then so be it. maybe it means saying no to a sunday brunch, so i can have one day to sleep in. whatever the things are that you say yes to, but don’t always feel good when you go to, then try saying no thank you! the simple practice of saying no to one or two things a week can actually free up so much of your time and allow you to recharge.
workout (or at least move your body)
i know this one sounds cliché, but it’s real! when you’re stressed your body’s cortisol levels go up and you are more likely to be anxious, moody, have headaches, etc.. when you take time out of your day to move your body or workout you reduce the body’s resting levels of cortisol and adrenaline (which stress you the F out) and increase production of endorphins. like the wise elle woods once said in legally blonde. "exercise gives you endorphins. endorphins make you happy. happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."
i totally know that making time to move/workout when you’re already busy seems so so tough, but i promise you it will pay off and you’ll feel better when you do. my mood 100% shifts once i get a workout in and i know that i need to prioritize it ESPECIALLY when i’m stressed.
fix what you can, worry about what you can’t later
if you’re in the thick of it, then there’s probably a million of things that you want to complain about (or is that just me?). start focusing on what things you can immediately change. maybe that’s offloading a work project that isn’t a huge priority, asking someone if you can have an extra day or two to get in a project that you have a deadline to hit, or maybe pushing back on a co-worker and when they send you a sloppy mess of work and kindly ask them to edit it and re-send to you (so you don’t have to spend the extra 10 minutes editing their messy work).
with that, there will surely be things coming your way that you can’t fix right now and you should push off to worry about another time (you have enough going on right now). maybe it’s something you need to have a sit-down with your manager over or maybe it’s some sort of overhaul or revamp that needs to take place. make a list of it, and get to it later when you have more time and are in a clear headspace.
assume good intent
if everyone is as stressed as all my friends are, then maybe whoever is pissing you off is also stressed about something you may know nothing about. try to assume good intent and maybe this person isn’t just an assh@!e. maybe this person would appreciate your patience and understanding. NOW please don’t take this one as me saying to not hold people accountable for their sloppy work or shitty actions, but i’m just saying to think about what they may be going through before you reply.
plan out your time in advance
if you feel yourself getting way too overwhelmed. mark your calendar with everything you need to. if i didn’t plan my workouts on my calendar in advance, they likely wouldn’t happen. i may sound crazy, but sometimes i put a calendar block on my calendar saying “ME TIME: DON’T MAKE PLANS” just so i don’t book myself with plans every single night of the week. when you set boundaries for yourself, then you are likely to better set them with others.
in conclusion, once again, we’re all trying our best. we’re all just trying to get through each day. let’s work on being more kind and forgiving to ourselves and more compassionate to others. soon enough the business will slow down and we will get some time to reset over the holidays.
