Post-holiday Burn-out

On Tuesday, I sat at my desk for the first time in eleven whole days. I had returned from a great road trip, exploring new places with my family. Was it fun? Yes. Did I feel rested? Not. Even. Close. How can I be so behind from the time off and at the same time feel like I need a vacation? And, something tells me I’m not alone.

In some ways, the winter holidays are a great time to take time off or travel. A lot of people are out of the office, so there may be fewer people making demands on your time while you’re gone, and some days offices are just closed. But, there many things that cause extra stress at that time: “year-end” requirements for some businesses and “new year” start-up activities for others, schools are closed causing extra juggling for families, holidays create additional social demands, and some people will have additional cooking, decorating, and shopping demands. If you add in travel, with or without jet-lag, you can see how people might feel burnt-out. Here are some ways to restore and start off the new year on the right foot.

Take a breather: If you are feeling tired or drained mentally or emotionally, you won’t be doing your best work. You may not be able to just lie down, but you can give yourself an easier “to do” list for your first days back, and save some of the mental “heavy lifting” until you are more rested. Take some time to plan this out. Even taking the time to plan your path may make things seem less daunting.

Reflection and goal-setting: The new year is a great time to assess what you’ve been doing in the last year and set goals for personal and professional development. But if you are exhausted, it’s not the best time. You can set goals for your “new year” when you’ve recovered from the passing of the old one. Set a time to do it, so you don’t let the opportunity slip past, but it can be next week.

Remember the calendar is arbitrary: Is it important to start your new year’s resolution exercise plan your first week back? Why not start in week 2 or week 3 when you’ve caught up a bit and you’re not exhausted? Is it a crime to leave the holiday decorations up until Groundhog Day? Just like a “fiscal year,” you can make your new year begin any time you want.

Be realistic: If you’re already exhausted, packing your schedule with an unrealistic number of things may cause more frustration than progress. With an achievable schedule, you can realize some success and build momentum. You’ll be much more likely catch up while people are still saying “happy new year.”

Don’t get bogged down in details: if you have a lot of tasks on your list, it’s no time for perfectionism. Schedule them one at a time until you can knock them out. Unless it’s an especially important project, don’t worry about being perfect. Once you finish, let them go.

Enlist help: Is there any reason all of the items on your list have to be done by you? If you are not the only able-bodied adult in your home, there is no reason all of the post-holiday or travel tasks have to fall on you. Is there anyone at work with whom you can divide and conquer? Even if they cannot help you directly, colleagues may support a “no meetings” day or some “quiet hours” during the day to let people catch up.

Of course, none of this is a substitute for getting enough sleep, but these steps might help you ease into 2020. You may not start with a bang, but you can avoid the fizzle.

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