Holiday Stress, Anyone?

Fa la la la AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!

Tis the season for contracts and gift wrapping; project and holiday budgeting; and all around get everything done at once-ness. Welcome to the holidays everybody. Most of us tend to have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I myself tend to be a Grinch, but I’ll save my anti-holiday rant for another post. However, like most, I do enjoy spending time with friends and family as well as the ultimate excuse for eating and drinking treats in high volume. “Sure, I’ll have another cookie, it’s the holidays!”

Love or hate the holidays, I believe what we all can agree upon is that this is a stressful (!) time of year. There is just so much going on at both work and home. For Healthcare IT contractors, this is a time for contracts either wrapping up or extending and therefore many are faced with what I like to call “the hustle.” Talking to recruiters, interviewing with potential customers, and trying to secure work for the next year can be a stressful, time-consuming process. Not to mention all the gift giving and wrapping, company parties, and standing in line to see Santa that the season demands.

However the purpose of this post is not to remind you how much you have to do, but to remind you that this is a stressful time of year and that we all need to actively manage our stress. I started thinking about this after randomly reading this post on LinkedIn and to sum in an egregious way, stress is bad for you. Though in our daily lives, I would argue that stress is tough to avoid, but should actively be managed.

Here are a few tips from our friends at Mayo Clinic discussing a few ways to relieve stress. The article also states that stress is nearly unavoidable, but handling that stress is key.

I also liked this article from WebMD.com. They suggest coping mechanisms such as saying “no” to additional activities when one is too busy. I could use to learn that one! Time management (again, they are talking to me) and taking good care of yourself are also helpful. I believe that this latter tip is ultimately true. They more you dedicate yourself to your own health; the better able you are to manage your stress. The adage holds true; “control what can be controlled.”

For myself, I am actively working on good nutrition, proper hydration, and making sure I get my yoga in during this stressful holiday season.

What about you, readers? What are you doing this year to make this a pleasant, stress-managed holiday season?

About the author

Cassie Sturdevant

Cassie Sturdevant is a Senior Recruiter for Impact Advisors, a healthcare IT strategic and implementation services consulting firm just named 2013 Best in KLAS for Overall Services. She specializes in humor and follow up.

   

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