Yikes! It is December already and many of you and your clients are busy planning, shopping, cleaning, and working on “must do” year-end work. As we all know, the holiday time and decreased light in the northern hemisphere leads to increased stress and depression. I am often asked by coaches and other helping professionals how to manage their own holiday stress and depression while working with others who are struggling themselves. We are intuitive caring humans who may sense, and even absorb, a client’s distress and walk away at the end of a coaching session feeling low. This is not healthy for us and can erode the quality of our coaching.
I was browsing for useful tools to support you during this season and beyond, and first want to remind you of basic practices that we often forget to use when stress and depression creep in. Here are a few that you use before and after coaching sessions.
- Build in a break between client sessions for mindfulness, stretching or brief aerobic exercise.
- Check in with yourself. When was the last time you ate? Did your snack or meal include protein? Are you drinking enough water to stay hydrated?
- Avoid internet surfing during planned or unexpected down time in your work schedule. Have a book or podcast at the ready to keep your mind active and curious.
- When working at home, develop a routine for a smooth transition from work to family. I found it helpful to let my family know when I would be finished with work so if I got distracted, they would know when it was ok to knock on my door. Stress -reduction strategies are personal. I encourage you to practice what works well for you and if you would like additional resources for yourself and your clients, I have selected a few tools you might find helpful.
Articles:
- Simplifying the Holiday Season with Your Neurodiverse Family
- 4 Mindful Tips to Destress this Holiday Season
- 9 Tips to Fend off Holiday Stress
These two tools are great for all ages. Parents and children can have fun practicing mindfulness together.
- Mindsight ‘Breathing Buddha’ Guided Visual Meditation Tool for Mindfulness
- ZenGlow Ball Guided Breathing Exercise Tool
Mindfulness Apps
- Headspace – popular and versatile
- Happier – a great app for beginners
- Smiling Minds – for children and families
Books
- Brain Boosters for Winter Break: A Neurofitness Activity Book for Kids 2024. Veronika Grebennikova
- Mindful Parenting for ADHD 2015. Mark Bertin. He is one of my favorite experts on ADHD and mindfulness.
- Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Teen ADHD 2021. Mark Bertin
Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, low-stress holiday season.