đThe Christmas pressure is already starting to buildâŠâŠ
đ©Are you feeling overwhelmed sitting looking at your to-do list and not knowing where to start?
đ©It can be an exhausting time of year right now because there seem to be so many things you have to think about.
The list can seem endless….
đŽhow to clear your desk before Christmas
đŽmaybe organize the staff party
đŽas well as doing the Christmas shopping
đŽsorting out the tree
đŽtaking the children to see Father Christmas
đŽwrapping the presents
đŽgetting the house clean
đŽdoing the food shopping
đŽgoing to the school carol concert or nativity play
đŽwriting and sending the cards
đŽâŠand lots more I haven’t mentioned!
And there never seems to be enough time to do it all.
âThe problem is that the more overwhelmed you get, the more ineffective you are at dealing with it. It becomes a vicious circle.
It can be an exhausting time of year right now because there seem to be so many things you have to think aboutâŠâŠ
You can end up feeling exhausted before you even start.
And the problem is that the more overwhelmed you get, the more ineffective you are at dealing with it. It becomes a vicious circle.
(If youâre not sure whether or not youâre heading for overwhelm you can check out The 6 Danger Signs here.)
Now much as I would like to, I canât do the Christmas shopping for you, or wrap the presents or cook your dinnerâŠ.
but what I can do instead is help you to reduce the stress because the earlier you start to do this the more stress free your Christmas will be.
Here are 7 steps to help you start to get out of overwhelm and reduce your stress
1. Stop and recognize itâs OK
Just stop what you are doing and recognize itâs OK to be overwhelmed. Its perfectly normal to be overwhelmed and stressed when you have all this stuff going on.Give yourself a break! Accept youâre not at your best and recognize itâs fine that youâre not.
2. Change your state
Stand up, go for a walk outside, have a cappuccino in a local cafe, listen to a piece of music that makes you feel good, do deep breathing for 5 mins, do a mindfulness exercise, do F.L.O.W. (if you know that process). It doesnât matter what it is as long as you change your state.
3. Write it all out
Take a piece of paper and write it all out- everything that you have to do, everything that is competing for your attention in as much detail as you can.
4. Delete and Delegate
Look at each item on your list and ask yourself âWhatâs the worst thing that would happen if it didnât get done?â
and if itâs not serious then delete it from your list. This doesnât mean it will never get done, itâs just not a priority right now.
For those items that remain ask your self âWho else could do it instead of me?â and then delegate the ones that someone else could do.
This will leave the items that only you, and nobody else on the entire planet, can do.
5. Prioritize
Refocus on why you are doing all this anyway and then prioritize the order in which you will do the things that only you can do.
6. Replenish
Take time out to replenish your energy. This can be as simple as repeating step 2 or of you do this at home, go and have a nice relaxing bath, put your feet up with a cup of tea- whatever it is that will make you feel more energized.
7. Take action
You will have heard the old adage â how do you eat an elephant? â one bite at a time.
So take action on that first bite. Reward yourself for having accomplished it.
Then rinse and repeat!
Hereâs to a stress free Christmas!
Cath
P.S. I am offering 5, no obligation, Christmas Overwhelm Rescue Sessionsin the next couple of weeks. I promise 100% that I won’t try to sell you anything!
It will be me coaching you to get out of the overwhelm because I like to give something back especially at this time of year.
So if you want help to make overwhelm a thing of the past, to stop having to keep the plates spinning (or balls in the air) and want a way of making your life easier and stress free in 2025 then click here to book one of the sessions.
It might just be the best early Christmas present you could give yourself âŠâŠ.
