5 Ways for Getting Out of a RUT During the Holidays

Are you in a rut? For some reason I have struggled to get into the holiday spirit and mood. For starter’s, it seems that the holidays have come so fast this year, and I wasn’t prepared. I also think that I was focusing on things that were causing me to get overwhelmed, such as the long list of the things I needed to do. I realized I needed a reset in order to get in the right frame of mind and enjoy the holidays for what they truly are. The holidays are not about how expensive of a gift you buy or if your house is perfectly decorated; for me the holidays are about spending time with family and loved ones. Here are some things I did to reset myself:

1. Remind Yourself What Really Matters

   The first thing I did was remind myself of what matters to me the most during the holidays, and that is spending time with family and loved ones. Because the holidays snuck up on me, I was focusing too much on all of the things I needed to do, and not on the things that really mattered. Once I re-framed my thought process, I started to feel better.

2. Plan Fun Holiday Activities with Loved Ones

   I’m much more of an experience person then I am a gift person, so it means a lot to me to schedule time with loved ones doing a fun activity. My daughter is getting to the age now where she can watch some of the classic holiday movies (Elf, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone) and really appreciate them. So, we’ve been watching holiday movies together, and it’s been a blast!

3. Let Go of Unrealistic Expectations

   We all have unrealistic expectations of ourselves or others at some point. The holidays is a great time to reflect on your expectations of yourself and others and make sure they are reasonable. Everyone feels more stress around the holidays, so going into the holidays with reasonable expectations will make things happier for everyone.

4. Plan Time to do Things You Enjoy

   We all have certain things we love to do around the holidays. For some it’s holiday shopping, for other’s it’s baking or decorating. For me, I love to sit by the fire drinking hot chocolate and reading a good book.

5. Keep Up Your Self-Care Routine

   Because the holidays can be stressful, it’s so important to keep up your self-care/rest/exercise routine. Feeling like we don’t have time to take care of ourselves can leave us feeling resentful at others or the season, however choosing to not keep up your routine is on you. You are responsible for making sure you keep up your self-care, which sometimes involves saying “No” and setting boundaries with others.

I hope this post is helpful in how to get out of Rut over the holidays. Stay healthy and well and reach out anytime!