Let’s be real…
Traditionally, this time of year is a time for giving. Please don't forget to give to yourself when this phrase floats into your head.
It has been a year where burnout and mental illness have continued to rise. There have been significant adjustments to new ways of working, and connecting.
We have drawn on our resources and drained vast amounts of energy. Perhaps at times you’ve even noticed feeling drained to the point of exhaustion - where the wear and tear of the year has shown up as brain fog, flustered emotions, or fatigue setting into the body.
This kind of effort - this load we’ve had on our shoulders - has tested the fitness, strength and resilience of our mind, body, and relationships.
So, it’s the time of year for giving - but what is left to give?
We must give to ourselves. The important people in our lives will benefit from this as well.
Yep, giving to ourselves is actually, in many ways, an act of giving to others. When we are at our best, everyone gets the best us - not just what’s left of us. So everybody wins.
Who wouldn’t want some of that to round out an incredibly challenging year?
Your time spent recharging vital wellbeing resources will be time well spent. If we recharge and prepare ourselves for 2023 - like athletes taking on important pre-season training - we can bring energy, hope, optimism and even some much-needed confidence into the year ahead. With our wellbeing restored and even strengthened we can bring the best of our human spirit to the 2023 starting line.
What would it look like for you to transition from surviving 2022, to thriving in 2023? What wellbeing resources will help you to do that?
Here are Benny Button’s top 8 tips to Live Well and Have Impact during the festive season.
TIP 1 - NOURISH - Eat more vegetables and fruit, eat less meat and stay hydrated
“Hara hachi bun me” - As the Japanese principle goes “Eat until you are 80% full”. Try and up the intake of vegetables (at least 5 serves of veg per day) and minimise your intake of meat. Stay hydrated and drink 2 to 3 litres of water per day. Consume alcohol mindfully and in moderation, if you decide you want a drink at all.
TIP 2 - MOVE - Put your runners at the end of your bed
Our data shows us that approximately 50% of people tell us that time is a barrier to exercising at a level that positively contributes to our health, wellbeing and performance potential. Use your festive time wisely! Putting your runners at the end of the bed is a little habit stacking hack to help make it easier to get out there and move.
TIP 3 - STRESS MASTERY - Breathe more consciously
On average we take 23,060 breaths a day. We take most of them unconsciously. Breathing into our diaphragm (think just under your ribs) both fuels us with energy and clears and calms mind and body. Breathing this way for a couple of minutes per day as a regular part of your routine is like a pre-season training exercise for coming back to work fresh and focused. And if you’ve ever heard someone tell you to take a few deep breaths when you expressed stress or frustration, it was wise advice. Breathing consciously, slowly, and into your diaphragm will help you to navigate stress more effectively when you return to work. (In fact, research shows us it’s breathing in this way that has a hugely beneficial impact on balancing the activation and relaxation of our central nervous system.)
TIP 4 - MINDFUL ACTION - Intention. Presence. Receptiveness.
Go to the events by choice and truly be there when you arrive - be present. Be receptive and open to what’s happening around you, and curiously engaged in the moments of your day rather than being preoccupied wondering whether there is something better you could/should be doing.
TIP 5 - CONNECT - Keep it real
Tell the people you love that you love them. Do it often. And give them a meaningful, attentive hug while you’re at it. For bonus points, hold on for around 7 seconds and you’ll receive an oxytocin boost which is a powerful bonding chemical that elevates our happiness and wellbeing. We could all ‘hug it out’ more, right? If you feel courageous enough, attend to and improve or mend even just one relationship where you see an opportunity for strengthening your connections with others (or finally letting go of some baggage that might otherwise be weighing you down). Don’t be afraid to let toxic relationships end.
TIP 6 - GROW - Strengthen your capability and explore your potential
Identify your strengths - things that you love doing, that energise you, and that you do really well. Extend on those strengths by deliberately investing time and effort with them. Learn something new. Maybe it’s learning how to say the equivalent of “cheers” in as many different languages as you can. It could be literally anything that takes you into new territory and stimulates your mind.
TIP 7 - REST - Put your feet up
Write down a list of 3 things you find relaxing that you can make time to invest in during your break. Make time - a calendar event with yourself if you must. Tick each one of them off your list before you go back to work.
TIP 8 - WORK - Switch off and recharge
If you can, write your out of office email and fill it with kindness and gratitude to your network PLUS your intention to give yourself the gift of a ‘recharge’. Then, and most importantly if you can, please switch off your email notifications and resist the temptation to check them during YOUR break time.
It’s worth noting that to complete all of the above tips might be too much of a stretch. We certainly don’t want to perpetuate any stress into your break setting up an expectation that you would only benefit if you complete them all. Instead, reflect on what resonated for you most in the above list. Then, if you can, just pick one thing that you can practice over the festive season that will be a benefit to your wellbeing and performance, and go from there.
Tis the season to Live Well and Have Impact!
Troy Mansell is director and co-founder of Benny Button.
Benny Button delivers data-driven intelligence to help organisations measure and enhance cultural wellbeing and performance.