5 min read

The holidays can be a busy and hectic time of year. It can also cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Thinking about whether you’ll hit your sales targets, whether all deliveries will go smoothly, keeping customers happy and engaged, and the list goes on.

If we don’t take care of ourselves and prioritize our well-being, we can work non-stop and neglect our personal lives and loved ones. Remember that this time of year is also to be enjoyed.

So let’s get right to the point, and take into account these tips to have a wonderful season for you and your business.

Organize your time efficiently

It is very important to know how to manage and prioritise your time, especially during the busiest months. Knowing how to manage time is a skill that will help you avoid burnout, remember that it is better to work fewer hours but highly productively than to work 12 hours unproductively.

Embrace a mental health support system

Running a business can be lonely. We often keep our thoughts and emotions to ourselves without dealing with them. We want to appear strong and handle any challenge on our own, but sometimes we become overwhelmed and in over our heads.

It’s okay to reach out for support. You can turn to your family, friends or other business owners. Having a good support system will help you deal with all the variables and situations that come with running a business. If you have a team, you can delegate the work, as it will lighten the load, you don’t have to carry it all by yourself, as a team everyone can do their part.

Also, you can talk to your family and friends, as it will help you clear your mind and unload all the stress you may be carrying. Finally, you can always consider working with a mental health professional, who can guide you and help you create a toolbox to help you cope with various situations and life in general.

Devote time to self-care

Business owners should openly adopt self-care practices. Do any activity that helps you relax and unwind. Make sure you make time for those activities in your agenda, you can schedule them as if it was any other task. Is important to take those moments for yourself, as it will help you deal with stress, anxiety, and your overall well-being.

What you can’t control, learn to let go.

As in life, there are many things that can go wrong in your business, that are out of your control. We try to make everything go as smoothly as possible, and when it doesn’t, we take it to heart.

Like everyone else, we want our business to thrive, with as few problems as possible, trying to make our product and our customers experience the best it can be, and having that as a goal is great, but we must accept that not everything is under our control. Having difficulties is part of the process, we can focus better on problem solving and doing the best we can and letting go of the things we have no control over. If we accept that problems are going to arise, we will be better prepared to deal with them.

Set up clear boundaries

To maintain a balance between personal and professional life, it is important to set boundaries. Lack of self-care, not getting enough sleep or neglecting important things in your life can have a negative impact on your business.

There are simple things you can implement to set healthy boundaries that can have a dramatically positive impact on your work and life.

Some ideas:

• Establish work schedules
• Delegate tasks
• If there are any tasks you can automate, do it
• Know when it’s time to take a break
• Take time to spend with your loved ones

Support the mental health of your employees

Just as it is important to prioritize your mental health, it is also key to encourage and support your employees to do so. Healthy well-being among your employees can improve the quality and productivity of their work, enhance their personal lives and create a positive work environment.

By creating an environment where employee wellness is a top priority, you can improve your company’s success.

You can offer them benefits and access to support their mental health such as:

• Meditation apps
• Normalize work breaks
• Encourage exercise, you can subsidize gym memberships.

It is important to be aware of the signs of poor mental health in your employees, and educate them to identify them. The earlier these signs are detected, the better you can prevent them from worsening.

Some of the signs may include:

• Increased susceptibility
• Disengagement from social interactions
• Work absenteeism
• Changes in sleep and eating habits
• Decreased productivity

If you notice changes, it is critical to offer support or refer them to a mental health professional.

Conslusion

Know that you are not alone in this wild ride that is owning a business. There will be problems, there will be struggles, and no, nothing is perfect, so don’t be hard on yourself, try to be and do the best you can and know that you are doing more than enough.

Prioritize your mental health, as it will positively influence your business. Remember that taking care of yourself is taking care of your business. And as these times recall, lean on your loved ones, it’s time to love and share, enjoy the journey and have a wonderful holiday season!