In the lead up to Christmas many people seem to impose a sense of panic on themselves, with the desire to complete key projects they’ve been thinking about or ‘meaning to do’ all year. On top of this mindset, there are also more social events to contend with, including end of school year catch ups and Christmas parties.
Life just seems busier!
This is also the time of the year when business owners start to think about their plans for the following year and those working for someone else start to think about changing roles within or outside of their current organisation.
In this new era of outsourcing, technology and redundancy research shows that the average person will have between 6 and 10 careers in their lifetime. Roles have become more demanding and working long hours has been normalised.
The Role of Resilience to Help You Cope
I could give you a technical term for resilience, or simply tell you that it’s about how well you cope or bounce back from difficult situations. Everyone’s threshold for coping with stress or being busy is very different, so there really are no rules about what is tough for you, versus someone else. This is your journey.
When the Going Gets Tough . . .
What’s important is what you do when things get tough and you are having to cope with having more on your plate. Some of us choose to channel energy that comes from frustration for good, instead of curling up in a ball and complaining about life. In our modern, busy world, life gets busy and we may face tough decisions daily. Rejections and health challenges are dealt with.
The key question is how do you deal with these sorts of challenges? Do you let them define you? Or do you dust yourself off, pick yourself up and get on with things? Some say resilience is a learned skill, although some people are naturally better at it. They are somehow genetically mentally tougher and optimistic.
How to Hold Steady During Busy Times
With the constant count down to Christmas all around me and everyone’s last minute desire to get LinkedIn off their to do list (hey – I’m not complaining!) I’ve personally felt minor heart palpitations, and a little frazzled.
Can you relate?
The key habits I try to adopt when I am feeling this way are:
- Maintain a positive attitude and self belief.
- Take a moment to learn from difficult situations. View them as a gift.
- Be accepting of change. Life doesn’t stand still.
- Lean on my support network (and outsource!).
- Develop my coping skills.
Can you recognise when you are feeling stressed?
Some ideas to try are meditation, exercise, or keep a journal. I like to go to my ‘happy place’ which is to spend time on my own, have a massage or have a relaxing bath and early night.
I hope my own experience and tips help you hold steady during the busy season ahead of you from now until Christmas.
What tips do you have for dealing with stresses that come your way?
