With winter comes the holiday season and everything that entails – festivals, families, presents, decorations, rituals and celebrations. With the increase in personal obligations, it becomes more difficult than usual to juggle it all. Between school, work and home life, how do you find the balance? It’s all about discovering what works for you.
Why do you need proper work-life balance?
Stress and anxiety will not only impact your grades and your job, but your family life as well. This can lead to poor health and illness that will then add more stress, creating a vicious cycle. Figuring out the proper balance can help you find happiness. During the holidays, it will allow you to truly enjoy the time you spend celebrating with family and friends.
How can you find balance during the holidays?
- Focus most on the aspects you love. What about the holidays do you love the most? Is it gift giving, visiting friends and family, shopping, the food, the music? Whatever it is, focus on it and prioritize it. If you don’t have time to do everything, do the things that will make you most happy.
- Schedule yourself some cheer. The best way to prioritize what you love is to put it in your schedule. Your calendar is probably already filled with meetings and deadlines, papers to write and family gatherings to attend, so it’s important to also put the activities you enjoy in writing. You must make time for yourself, and your calendar can make that happen.
- Tackle your tasks right away. Waiting to complete a job that you dread doing just adds to the stress, so make a list of what stresses you out during the holiday season and do it early. If shopping for gifts is a huge pain, why not start now? Alternatively, think about working with friends or family to trade holiday task lists. You may love cooking while Aunt Sarah loves to shop, so see if you can help each other out. You may be surprised at how often this works if you just ask.
Remember to take care of yourself first during the holidays. Schedule time for yourself, prioritize your favorite parts of the holidays and tackle as many obligations as you can early. With just a little pre-planning, you should be able to handle the holidays, alongside work and school, with ease.
With fully online programs that are designed around your busy schedule, American College of Education helps you reach your goals no matter how hectic your life is. Explore our online programs to find the one that fits your needs.
