5 simple self care ideas to prevent burnout this festive season

Posted on By EveMenezesCunningham
Anxiety, confidence, mindfulness, post traumatic growth, purpose, meaning and joy, Relax, resilience, sleep, Stress

Considering how often I’ve presented on burnout and that my work is ALL about self and Self care, it’s something that still comes up a lot.

illuminated carousel in amusement park in evening
Photo by Elina Fairytale on Pexels.com

If you’re similarly overly ambitious / delusional about wanting to do All The Things, I hope these tips will help you.

  1. Remember that it’s not (all) your fault ~ YES. Awareness will help you minimise your risk but reminding yourself that the world we live in is geared towards almost constant sympathetic arousal (the excitement and stress response branch of the autonomic nervous system), cut yourself some slack
  2. Ease into relaxation ~ going from 100 to 0 is stressful! If you’ve been working hard (at work or at home or anywhere else), know that it’s as hard to suddenly feel all chilled and rested as it is to sleep well when you haven’t had a break or rest all day. What is a stepping stone, or a FEW stepping stones, to help you?
  3. Avoid beating yourself up about being human ~ just as telling yourself exactly how tired you’ll be when you’re struggling to sleep makes entering parasympathetic activation of the autonomic nervous system (the rest/digest response) so ALLOWING sleep almost impossible, attempting to do All The Things while also feeling all Zen and relaxed is extra pressure you don’t need
  4. Imagine letting yourself BREAK some of those plates ~ Which commitments and obligations do you already dread? Give yourself permission to cancel
  5. Build IN recovery time ~ we live in this 24/7 world and while SOME things stop over the festive period, others amp UP! Don’t delude yourself that it’s just YOU struggling. Instead, as you scan your calendar, notice the times you have the most on and build in some spaces around those times and days. Even the odd hour or 30 minutes to just BE, to do whatever you feel like (maybe meditation, maybe a nap, maybe mindless telly or scrolling or whatever you want)

You can read more of my reflections as well as accessing a reflective / embodied journal prompt HERE

And yesterday’s post will help you work with your body to get better attuned to what burnout and recovery feel like for YOU. Read the whole post HERE

with love,

Evei signature