Last year I posted on Facebook asking people the greatest challenges they have over the holidays. I received multiple responses and over the next few weeks I’ll share some ideas I hope will help you in leading yourself during the holidays.
I originally talked about some of this in my Friday video last year, but a lot has changed in our world since I made that video. During the holidays in a non-pandemic year someone asked how to take time for themselves during the holidays. Allow me to suggest a few ideas on leading ourselves in three different areas during this time.
Physical Self-Leadership
In a normal holiday season, we get worn down but this compounds with the added stressors of staying at home and potentially virtual school. If we can’t lead ourselves well during the holidays, we’re not going to be able to give generously to those around us at work, at home, and in other areas. Leadership is influence and we can’t give what we do not have so we must take care of ourselves during the holiday.
What can we do to overcome this physical fatigue? Many of us get caught caring for others so much we forget to care for ourselves. One way is taking care of our physical well-being. During the lockdown period this year people took walks to exercise. This same idea can apply during the holidays. If you are like me, you have more treats during the holidays so taking ten minutes each day to do something active can help us with our physical well-being. This could be a walk, push-ups, yoga, stretching or some level of physical activity.
Mental Self-Leadership
The physical activity not only helps our physical well-being, but can also help our mental well-being. Combine the pressures of our present circumstances with the normal work, home, and holiday pressures and you can reach the point of exploding!
So what could we do? One idea is a breath prayer or thought. Take a moment to let the stress go either through a physical response such as a breath out or a phrase like “let it go” or “it will all work out” or if you’re a person of faith you’d say “somebody bigger than me is in control.” I don’t know what phrase works for you but determine a way to release that stress in a positive way to help your mental wellness.
Social Self-Leadership
When I first talked about this the context was a little different than today. Right now any time spent in direct interaction with others can be very welcome. During this time of year we may be reminded of a loss in our life. At times we are stressed because of interactions with those in our life we prefer not to be around. In our present reality there are some topics we avoid discussing because it can increase tension. With this social tension combined with extra tension from the realities of this past year, how do we lead ourselves in this area?
Community. Who are the safe community of people you can interact and be honest with during these times? They may be from a group you are involved in or activity you participate in or a close, trusted neighbor. Whoever it is connect with them or maybe you need time to escape alone to hide in a closet or bathroom just to recharge. Depending on your personal style find a way to stay fresh socially so you can connect with others in a meaningful way.
There it is. Three areas to grow our self-leadership during these unique holiday times. If you want to see the series of videos I made on this topic last year go here for this video and you will be able to find the others as well. Make this a great week and lead well.
©2020 Wheeler Coaching Systems, All Rights Reserved
