Balance Your Wellbeing This Silly Season

With Christmas fast approaching, it’s a good time to think about why this period is referred to as the ‘silly season’. While it’s a time for joy, celebration, and indulgence, it can also challenge our health and wellbeing. After-work drinks turn into late night snacks, then snoozing your alarm results in a $10 no-show fee after missing your 7am Pilates class. Juggling professional and personal responsibilities with holiday festivities, means our health tends to take a back seat.  Here are some tips that ensure a balanced and strategic approach, this silly season.

Set a Goal
Before it begins, take some time to reflect on the mood and emotions you felt towards your health and wellbeing last year. Was December a mad rush? Did summer holidays leave you feeling unfit? Consider creating an emotion-driven goal. These goals, often referred to as intrinsic goals, are guided by emotions and personal fulfilment, rather than external pleasures. Research has shown that goals incorporating emotional wellbeing and health, tend to improve our persistence and performance, ultimately helping us achieve our goals.

Stay Active
As your usual exercise routine starts to slip, find new ways to incorporate physical activity aligning with your festive schedule. Consider shorter workouts at a higher intensity, such as heavier full body lifts called compound lifts, or fast paced Yoga and Pilates. You could also challenge your family to a friendly game of footy or invite your colleague to take a walking meeting.

Prioritise Self-care and Stress Management
Taking time for yourself can include relaxation and activities that fill your cup. Remember, it’s okay to say no to additional commitments that might jeopardise your health and wellbeing or cause unnecessary stress. A great way to ensure you stick to this is to outline your priorities for the week or even setting clear expectations for your work hours. Self-care does not have to be a lavish and expensive priority; it can be as simple as turning your phone on silent to read the book that’s been collecting dust on your bed side table.

While balancing health, family, work, and social commitments is always easier said than done, it’s important to be kind to yourself and set realistic expectations. The RISE team is here to listen to your plan of attack and offer any tips to prioritise your health this silly season.

References
www.citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.90.1443&rep=rep1&type=pdf