The Holidays are always a great time to relax, reset and enjoy the year’s blessings with family and friends. However, for some of us who are introverts, it can quickly become exhausting as you go from one party to another and visit every family member, including your great-grand-uncle, who you’re not quite sure how they are related to you. On the flip side, you also don’t want to be the couch potato during ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. So, what to do? Balance Baby. I’ve put together a working GUIDE for fellow introverts on making the most of the holiday season.
Stay in charge of your time & energy:
Everyone knows nothing beats a well-planned holiday season, so don’t just leave everything and activity to chance- plan, plan, plan some more and make room for spontaneity. Carefully planning your time enables you to be present for the most important things and absent for the ones you shouldn’t be found in for energy’s sake. Through careful planning, you can schedule activities that require more energy when you feel most energised, ensuring that you’re not merely present but actively engaging as your best self. Planning also helps you make effective use of your time and resources. For instance, you can visit family members in a specific area on one trip instead of going one after another.
Explore Alternatives
There’s always a way to tweak various activities to suit your comfort zone. Consider having a Netflix Watch Party at home rather than going to the cinema or swapping out a concert for a karaoke night with your family. Not only does this forge unique memories and moments of bonding, but you also get the chance to enjoy being an observer (high five!). You could also consider engaging in enjoyable activities with family members, such as reading storybooks to your nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Take the initiative
Since you already know probable activities in your home during the holidays, you can take the initiative and suggest new ways of doing things that are both great for you and enjoyable for others. Taking the initiative helps to ensure that you’re not the one tagging along the general plan, which is both tedious and exhausting, but also allows you to contribute meaningfully to your family this special season.
Say No when needed
Sometimes, you have to just say NO to those things that are either unnecessary or just ‘too much’ for you. Remember, it is the Holidays, a time to relax and refresh for the new year, so don’t be afraid to decline some things that may not serve you. The key is balance.
Make room for you.
Saying NO without making time for yourself will land you in regrets because not only did you not have a good time by your own standards, but you did not make any memories or spend time productively. So, it is not enough to say NO if you are not making time for yourself. Daily, take about a 30-minute to relax, read your favourite book, do what you love or just sleep!
Finally! Holidays are fun because of the memories we make during them, so strive for a sweet balance of a fun and memorable time with family, friends and loved ones while also being revitalised for the new year.
