How to Combat In-Office Stress Over the Holiday Season
While the holiday season brings warm greetings, delicious treats, and extra time with your loved ones, stress is also a major component of this special time of year. Even when you’re in the office, holiday stress can still creep up on you and make your workdays more aggravating, tense, and challenging than normal. Use these six tips to combat in-office stress over the holiday season.
Prioritize
As the end of the year approaches, many businesses have extra work that needs to be completed before 2016 begins. Minimize holiday stress by making a schedule for yourself that outlines a daily to-do list. Touch base with your manager to ensure you’ve prioritized your workload correctly. Once you’ve drafted your work schedule, you’ll start each day with a clear idea of what needs to get accomplished.
Play Nice
While the holiday season is regularly a joyful time of year, many people might associate Christmas with old memories of lost loved ones or negative connotations from their pasts. A particular co-worker of yours might be acting like a real Scrooge during the holiday season, but it’s important to not take anything personally and to treat everyone as kindly as possible. Remember, the holidays are a time of giving so give your fellow office mates peace of mind by playing nice to reduce stress for everyone.
In-Office Relaxation
Whether it’s yoga poses or breathing exercises, find a way to take a break from your work while you’re in the office. Depending on when where you live, the weather might be amenable to 5-10 minute walks around your workplace as a healthy way to take a break. Whatever it is you do to briefly unwind from work, be sure to incorporate these habits into your daily routine so you don’t skip these necessary break times.
Appreciate and Enjoy
There’s work to be done but this time of year also invites revelry and good cheer. Take the time out of your day to enjoy one of the Christmas cookies someone from accounting baked from scratch and brought into the office. Or appreciate all the laughter and fun of your office’s holiday party. Your peers will notice your holiday merriment and be inspired to act similarly.
Recognize Everyone
As 2015 winds to a close, take the time to recognize the hard work, dedication, and time your co-workers and employees put into your company this year. Something as simple as a certificate recognizing their efforts goes along way to minimize holiday stress for everyone, while making your team feel valued and appreciated.
Leave It at the Door
Crazy in-laws turning your home into a holiday hell? The PTA at your kids’ school hounding you about participating in the annual Christmas pageant? Holiday stress can come from a lot of places but bringing personal drama into the office is a surefire way to increase tension for everyone. When you walk into the office every day, leave all the tension caused by outside sources at the door. An office is a shared workspace and bringing negative energy into that will make the holiday season more stressful for everyone.