Holiday Balance

It could be a time when you are remembering people that are not with you anymore. Like, I often this time of year think about my mom and you know, this time last year thereabouts, we lost my uncle. And so it could be a quiet, reflective time and that can make people feel really uncomfortable. But, you know, whatever feelings you have this month, right, it's all about managing your energy and ending on a way that is a little bit more reflective and balanced, right? So the holidays should be fun. They should not be stressful or a bummer, right? And we shouldn't expect ourselves to, you know, selflessly kill ourselves trying to be something that we're not, right? So it's okay to focus on small group gatherings if that's your style. Or it's okay to go to 100, you know, super big holiday parties if that's your style, right? And at the end of the day, if we don't manage our match our energy style to the things that we're going to do this month, that's when you hit exhaustion, burnout, overwhelm, you know, could be depression. There's so many different things that can happen when you don't get this right. Start your week. Great. Start your week with a coach. I'm your host, Certified High Performance Coach Sean Butner, and we're going to talk about something that will help you advance in your life this week. So let's go. Hey everyone. Welcome to Start yout Week. Great. Start your week with a coach. I am your host, Certified High Performance Coach Sean Butner. And this week we're talking about the balancing act that is December, right, because of the holidays. Now, whether you're more introverted like I am or you're more extroverted, maybe like my wife, this can be a really stressful time of year because we have all these social obligations. You got to see all the family and big gatherings. For an introvert like be, it could be a time when you are remembering people that are not with you anymore. Like, I often this time of year think about my mom and you know, this time last year thereabouts, we lost my uncle. And so it could be a quiet, reflective time. And that can make people feel really uncomfortable. But you know, whatever feelings you have this month, right, it's all about managing your energy and ending in a way that is a little bit more reflective and and balanced, right? So the holidays should be fun. They should not be stressful or a bummer, right? And we shouldn't expect ourselves to, you know, selflessly kill ourselves trying to be Something that we're not. Right? So it's okay to focus on small group gatherings if that's your style. Or it's okay to go to 100, you know, super big holiday parties if that's your style. Right? And at the end of the day, if we don't manage or match our energy style to the things that we're going to do this month, that's when you hit exhaustion, burnout, overwhelm, you know, could be depression. You know, there's so many different things that can happen when you don't get this, right? So, you know, for me, that really means, like, being very aware of, especially, like, since my wife is a little bit opposite style. Like, how do we both make sure we're not completely draining the battery, Right? Because for so long, for me, when I worked in corporate America, the only time to take vacation would be around the holidays. And that would mean traveling back to Chicago, Chicagoland to see family and friends, which is great, and I love, absolutely love doing that. But it was also, I never felt like I had time to recharge, right. So I would leave with the traveling and seeing people and feel completely wiped and then have to start the year on negative energy. We don't want that for you. So what are some things that we can do to make sure that we can maintain our energy going forward? I got five ideas for you. First idea right now is to make sure you schedule things that match your energy style, right? So like I said before, if you're more introverted, make sure you have reading time or music time or, you know, some solo walks planned or what you need to do to make sure you're creating an energy balance that you can then go to those parties and not feel like you're just giving, giving, giving, giving, if you know what I'm talking about. Right? So like I said, like, for me, it's making sure that I have time to journal every morning. And this is a month where I particularly focus on journaling and reflecting on the year because, you know, one, it charges me up, and two, like, it helps you get clear for next year. But that's a whole other video and a whole other thing. All right, so make sure you're scheduling something for your energy style every day. Second thing is to make sure you up your exercise right up the time that you're spending outdoors if you can. You know, if you're, like, from my frigid homeland in the summer, it'd be really cold in Chicago land. You know, living in the Bay Area, it's A little bit nicer. So getting some sun, getting out, you know, in the world is really good. Making sure that you're keeping up with your exercise is really, really super important too. Because if you have stresses from all the holiday gatherings, hosting all the foods and all that stuff, this can be a way to let some of motion out. And it seems like a common sense no brainer. But often common sense is a common practice, as one of my mentors says a lot. So keep that in mind to keep your or to up your exercise and maintain it. Okay, so we have schedule something to match your energy style every day. We have up your exercise number three, left handed. It turned out really weird, you know, three. So third thing to do is to just be okay taking care of yourself. If you have that work party and everyone's expecting you to be there and you're like, I'm just tapped out. I need some time alone, I need some time with my family, or, hey, I have to go to all six parties on Friday evening, like, but I can't spend a lot of time at each one. Whatever it is for you, you have permission to say, you know what, I need to make sure that this is fun and happy and energizing for me this month. So be okay in communicating that. And people know that might not want to hear it and do what you got to do to take care of yourself. Because I think too, if you're like me, you can get into taking care of other people, especially at this time of year, because of the dynamics. And like I said, like, there's people that I wish were here that aren't. And I know like my dad and my brother are kind of in the same way. And so how I deal with it is to just not deal with it and help them. So maybe not the best coping strategy, but it is a coping strategy. So just be okay taking care of yourself. Fourth thing to do, right, Is to maintain holiday rituals, right? I know this seems kind of strange, but for me, like, travel and the stress of travel was something I never really looked forward to, but I always looked forward to hanging out with my family and friends back home. So basically, except for Covid, every year since I left for college, during, you know, between, like right before Christmas and right after New Year's, I would always be home. It was kind of just the thing that I did. I didn't think about it. That helped me not stress about it as much. So what are your holiday rituals? And you know, how can you be a little bit more intentional with that? Whether that's traveling home for the holidays. Whether that's hosting a big dinner for your crew or your family, your good friends. It could be whatever it is for you also. Okay, so we have schedule something to match your energy. We have up your exercise this month. We have be okay taking care of yourself. We have holiday rituals and however that manifests new that's a really big category. Like I said, some of mine were travel around traveling and how I engage it in parties. Right. The fifth is, you know, keep gatherings at the right size. And this is probably a little bit more for the introverts out there if you're like me but you know, if I can interact with a small group, I that's where I shine. I can be energized in social situations with a few correct. Not correct the few right proper people that you know, I feel close to. But if you put me into a big social gathering night after night after night, I am going to be super unhappy. So it goes back to that first point of scheduling to things that match your energy style. If I can keep, you know, do the rounds and have small groups where we can have a deep discussion and with you know, one on one or with two or three other folks, I'm happy. So these are the five ideas and beliefs that help keep me sane during December. I'm curious though, like what do you do to keep sane during this time of year during the holidays? So if you had five things that you had to teach someone else on how to survive, balanced properly and thrive in December, I'd love to hear with it or hear about it. So post it below this video or on my Facebook page and I'll shout out to you and we can all learn together and try to build a little bit more community. So I hope you guys do that. And so that's the show today, guys. I'll see you next week. And before you go, I want to let you guys know that I have a December 1st, 2nd and 3rd, a end of your strong three day webinar training series where we'll talk about proper mindsets. We'll talk about questions to reflect on for the year so that you can set up next year and some habits to handle the holiday stress. Some of my favorite habits on doing that. So if you're interested, they said it's free. It's at 1pm Pacific Standard Time starting December 1st going through the 3rd. There's also a link below where you're watching this video or on my you are the newsletter or we can sign up right now and So I hope you join me. There's going to be some prizes if you're live and you ask questions. And I'm trying to do this just because it helps me get my head wrapped around. Like I said, December is when I love to do a lot of journaling. And so I thought that why not bring the community around? So if that's something you're interested in, check the link below. Okay. All right. That side, too. Please do the social media thing and share for this to anyone you would like. And you can subscribe to my YouTube channel here and watch some videos over here. Like, get that right. 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