Suite Success Secret #49

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THOUGHT PROCESS:
The holidays can mean Suite Members have more demands placed on them than ever – long hours, holiday party preparations, holiday-making for their own friends and loved ones and more. All this added stress can take you down emotionally as well as physically, unless you know how to recognize the signs and recharge.
 
ACTION STEPS:  
Embrace your human-ness! You can’t do your best at or outside of work if you’re not 100 percent. Plan to take especially good care of yourself during the busy holiday season. 

​1. Make Lists
 
You’re going to be busier during the holiday season if for no other reason than you’ll be adding your own holiday activities into the mix, not to mention fighting bigger crowds in stores and more traffic on the streets.
 
Lists can be your best friend. Making a list of what you need to accomplish ‘tomorrow’ at the end of each day can help you sleep better and be more efficient during the day since you will always know what you need to do next.  
 
2. Enhance Nutrition
 
From vitamin supplements to simply eating right, your diet plays a huge part in your energy level, stamina, and overall health and wellness. This isn’t the time to skip taking your vitamins or substitute junk food for balanced nutrition, no matter now tempting it might be to take a fast, easy out.
 
3. Feed Your Inner Self
 
When your schedule is busy, it’s not uncommon to find that your spirit isn’t getting the input it needs to stay inspired. Remember that you have to fill yourself up in order to support all of the work and good you want to put out into the world. Even quick fixes – like reading inspirational quotes or watching an uplifting video on YouTube can take you out of the grind and into a space where you can recharge your inner self.
 
Putting energy back into your body doesn’t always come in the form of intellect or emotion. Giving yourself the gift of a massage session, manicure, pedicure or some other self-pampering activity can also help you hit the reset button, stimulate mood and energy enhancing endorphins, and more.
 
4. Do Good
 
With consumer ads in our face for holiday sales and shopping events, the season can start to feel materialistic and shallow. Doing good for someone else provides a meaningful, lasting high that can inspire others to follow suit, and change someone’s holiday season for the better. Giving Trees, community efforts, volunteer work, and donations are all ways you can do good during the holiday season.
 
Doing good can also come in the form of helping a fellow Suite Member out. Perhaps it’s a new colleague who needs help getting settled in, getting their marketing efforts moving, or some other aspect of business operations. When you share your expertise with others, often times you both learn something new.
 
5. Rest  
 
It’s OK to call a time out when you start to sense exhaustion creeping in. From going to bed an hour early or finding a quiet spot for a 20-minute power nap during the day, giving your brain a quiet space to rest can help you avoid feeling overly-fatigued and improve your body’s ability to stay healthy.
 
6. Drink
 
Start your day with a glass of water and drink water throughout the day. WebMD notes that staying hydrated:

• Helps you maintain proper balance of body fluids
• Can help you control calories
• Energizes muscles
• Improves skin appearance
• Helps your kidneys and body functions

 
During the holidays when you might be skipping workouts or cutting meal and rest periods shorter, staying on a regimen of drinking water to start your day, at the start of snack and meal times, on your way to work or on your way home won’t slow you down and will help you stay energized.
 
7. Limit Exposure
 
In a public-facing profession it’s not realistic to believe you aren’t going to come into contact with people carrying the cold and flu bugs that can bring misery to the holiday season. But you can limit exposure with common sense actions, such as more frequent cleaning of your station, careful handling of glassware and other items clients or co-workers handle, getting flu immunization shots, and washing your hands more often.
 
Finally, pay close attention to physical, emotional, and mindset changes. Don’t ignore warning signs of inner or outer fatigue; these warning signs are there to give you an opportunity to take action in order to preclude more serious problems.  These signs are easy to miss when you’re busy, so you need to take time to consciously think about how you’re feeling during the day in order to catch them.