12 December 2017
Look after Yourself over the Holidays
The build-up to the Christmas holidays is hectic, with the rush to get work finished off, the parties and the last minute shopping. All these activities can you leave you feeling stressed and tired before the festivities have even properly begun.
It is important to think about your wellbeing at this time of the year, to make sure you get the most out your time off at Christmas, and to have a good break, ready to start the new year feeling refreshed.
What do we mean when we talk about wellbeing? Wellbeing is subjective and it does mean different things to different people, but it’s about how we feel, how we think, our relationships, and how we find meaning and purpose in our lives.
It’s important to remind yourself that Christmas doesn’t have to be ‘perfect’ or ‘just like it was last year’. As families grow and children leave home, traditions and rituals can change. Accepting family and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to all of your expectations, may help with managing any underlying tensions. A happy, relaxed Christmas will add to your wellbeing, and give you a positive start to the New Year. The added bonus of the Christmas break is that many offices and courts close or run with a skeleton staff and clients tend to be in down-mode themselves, so there is an even better opportunity to switch off and recharge the batteries.
LawCare, the charity that promotes and supports wellbeing in the legal community, has some advice about how to get the most out of the holidays:
- Try to take some time off
- Screen calls and switch off your mobile. Don’t take calls from the office
- Try to resist the urge to check your email or if you will feel more stressed if you don’t, only check email once a day.
- If there are other colleagues keeping an eye on things while you’re off, make sure you have briefed them
- Enjoy spending time with family and friends, even if there are underlying tensions, try and put these aside over Christmas
- Relax and use the time off to catch up with old friends, get outside and have fun
However, at LawCare, we know that for some, the holidays can be a difficult time. If the thought of Christmas is concerning you take a look at our website www.lawcare.org.uk and if you need to talk, call our free, independent and confidential Helpline on 0800 279 6888 The line is open throughout the holiday period, including Christmas Day.