Daily reminder- just because you might have some Christmas leave coming up, doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself of regular moments of pause and time devoted to self care and rest now and in the build up. When I work with teams and leaders in the lead up to Christmas, what I continually notice is how completely shattered people are. It’s a regular pattern but this year it seems worse than ever……To the point it’s actually difficult to get creative energy and enthusiasm going. Motivation and energy is low, apathy and fatigue is high. This is never the best foundation for good work yet expectations remain right up there. There is a mindset of “we / I just need to keep going for a few more weeks” and such a sense of time scarcity – a need to sprint to get through ‘all of the things’. Just that felt sense of time scarcity has been proven to have a detrimental impact on well-being. Holidays are great but if you are too wasted to enjoy them they aren’t really a holiday. They are a ‘hit the wall’ recovery which then goes back into a sprint again on the other side, with the added feeling of playing ‘catch up’. Don’t forget to prioritise rest, pause, reflection and/ or what ever self care looks like for you and your teams, into your schedule the whole year through. It’s not something you ‘earn’ or strive to ‘deserve’. That way motivation, presence, creativity, inspiration and indeed general well-being doesn’t fall off a cliff – it can keep humming the whole year through. So next time you notice yourself saying or thinking “I just need to get through the next few days/ weeks”- maybe use that as a sign to down tools for a few moments and take a small break or do something nourishing or restorative for you.
