How to Creatively Survive the Holidays
The holidays are here.
Yay!
Did you just jump for joy or cringe a little inside?
Regardless of which holidays you celebrate, November and December can become a veritable minefield of candy canes, parties, shopping malls, and fights with the ones you love most.
The holidays come with moments of joy you’ll treasure forever, but they also bring anxiety, stress, and burnout.
The best creatives among us often fall victim to going overboard, running ourselves ragged.
So how do we fend off the possible burnout and enjoy the festivities?
As creatives, we have the upper hand. We use our creativity to make the season a little less stressful for ourselves.
Here are some suggestions that have worked for me.
1. Don’t say “Yes” to everything.
I know. I know. You love your friends and family. So, naturally, you want to do whatever you can to help make their experience magical this season. But that doesn’t mean you need to go to every party, get together, and shindig if it’s going to drive you bonkers.
It’s okay to say “No” to some things that you feel they may stretch you too thin. You don’t need to go to the fifth family party in two weeks just to make sure everyone knows you’re still around. Staying in control of what you say “Yes” to and what you say “No” to will help the chaos of the season float right by you as you wave to it joyfully.
2. Make things for people
You’re a creative person. Whether it’s writing, or drawing, or building, or cooking, I bet there’s something you could do to make someone’s day brighter.
When possible, I’ve found that the people in my life appreciate a thoughtfully made gift more than the random knick-knack I picked up last minute off a Walmart shelf. (Also, I never do that 😉)
3. Share knowledge
If you’d instead choose not to make gifts yourself, I’ve found the next best gift to share is the gift of a good book. Of course, the book has to fit the person, but it’s one of the simplest ways to say either “I get you” or “I think you might like this.”
Often, I’ll read a bunch of books throughout the year and then buy the best one for each person in my life. The majority of books I consume relate to personal development. So I try to match something that might help the recipient with a problem in their life. Again, it’s about helping the ones you love thrive. Other times, I’ll gift a fun book that expands their ideas on a favorite hobby.
4. Relax
If you don’t over-extend yourself with event and gift obligations, you can give yourself the space to truly relax. Every year for the past six or seven, I’ve taken off at least two weeks at the end of the year to do whatever. People ask me, “Hey, Mike, going on vacation? Somewhere warm?” I reply, “Nope. Just having a nice stay-cation.”
Most years for my stay-cation—I catch up on reading and video games, spending time with my wife, and just living life without added stress. I don’t always need immediate time off, but I find that the two-week period gives me a chance to reset. A kind of baseline version of myself reemerges. I begin to reflect on my past year and the future to come.
That leads me to the last item on my list.
5. Plan next year
If you have some downtime to yourself—hanging out on an off day watching TV after the gifts have been unwrapped and everyone is at peace—take a few minutes and jot down what went well this year, what didn’t go so well, and what you’d like to do over the next 12 months.
Start simple and consider the major categories of your life. Many people believe the following to be amongst the most important in theirs, but feel free to adjust what works best for you:
Health
Work
Creativity/Play
Family/Friends
Finances
Spirituality
If you keep the list to say five things in each category of your life, you’ll likely discover some exciting takeaways to help you shape your decisions into the new year.
The end of the year can be extra stressful for creatives.
We’ve all been there. But take a moment to think about how you can be more deliberate with your time, what you say Yes/No to, and give yourself space to relax. This could be one of the best holiday seasons of your life.
You don’t need to break yourself for the expectations of others. Instead, do your best to be your best for you, and the people in your life will thrive alongside you.
Good luck and Happy Holidays to you and yours.
P.S. // Don’t worry, I’ll bring the pie. 🥧
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