How to Avoid Pre-New Year Burnout and Anxiety 0 19

Many are familiar with the feeling of needing to set world records before the New Year arrives. In the last days of December, the calendar seems to rapidly erase days, and hours fly by like seconds. As a result, by December 31, people often find themselves in a state of complete exhaustion, losing interest in the holiday. The celebration happens more out of inertia, because 'it's the tradition,' without joy and pleasure.

Nevertheless, the New Year is rightly considered a holiday of magic. And this magic can be created with our own hands. On how to avoid stress before the holiday, shares his opinion candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor, and clinical psychologist of the highest category Alexey Melekhin.

Reducing the List to Five Key Tasks

“Every year we face a condition that can be called the pre-New Year anxiety syndrome. It arises when people start planning, making to-do lists, and trying to accomplish everything. In the end, they step on rakes, striving to put everything in order. Speaking of this year, it is particularly full of uncertainty,” notes Alexey Melekhin.

To avoid losing one's mind before the New Year and to prevent increased irritability and anxiety, the expert recommends starting the restructuring today. “You should slow down your pace and ask yourself: what are the five tasks that are most important to me right now and what do I want to accomplish before the New Year. At the same time, it is worth remembering that we have only 20% of our internal resources left,” explains Melekhin. He emphasizes that the first thing that comes to mind will be the true desire and important task.

How to Avoid Burnout Before the Holiday?

Avoiding burnout is quite possible. “The first thing you need to do is to give up planning and not try to fit yourself into the framework of certainty. This will already help significantly,” asserts Alexey Melekhin. The main problem of the pre-New Year race and subsequent burnout becomes irritability and sensitivity, when a person reacts too painfully to everything. When tension accumulates, the desire to do anything is lost — this is a sign of exhaustion. In such a situation, one needs to pull oneself together and take action.

“At this moment, it is important to tune in to celebrate the New Year like never before. For example, if you are tired of traditional salads and constant attempts to entertain the children, you can give that up. Perhaps it is worth simply giving everyone money to buy what they really want, while you celebrate the New Year in a new way, for example, by having a picnic on the floor,” says Alexey Melekhin.

The psychologist also emphasizes that before the holiday, everyone in the family should be given freedom — each can celebrate the holiday as they wish. This year, traditional gatherings in starched shirts may not be suitable. This will lead to the celebration becoming forced and not enjoyable.

To avoid burnout, it is worth changing your habits and attitudes. “To prevent breakdowns, everyone should be given the opportunity to do what they want. It can be anything, even if it has not been done before but evokes a desire to try. The main thing is not to celebrate the holiday in the old ways. This can be new dishes or their absence, different shows and movies, new scents — literally everything,” emphasizes the psychologist.

Stop Words

The specialist also notes that the words “celebrate” and “see off” can be forgotten. They are associated with increased anxiety for many, for example, in connection with job loss. At such moments, there is no time for celebrations.

“When considering changes in celebrating the New Year, it is important to remember the 20% charge. This will help filter out the unnecessary and focus on the main thing. It may seem strange, but the main thing is to make it interesting,” notes Alexey Melekhin.

Another important point that will help avoid overheating before the holiday is to exclude all evaluations. “We often summarize the year, and this needs to be removed. Be sure to exclude evaluative judgments, especially about oneself — whether good or bad, how I was this year. There should be no achievements, judgments, or evaluations. It is better to avoid phrases like 'this year was like this',” says the psychologist. By assigning oneself scores, one can again confine oneself to frameworks, leading to feelings of being trapped and dissatisfaction with oneself, causing additional stress and moral tension.

As psychologists recommend, before the New Year, it is worth switching to associative ideas — to imagine, think, and write down what exactly you want, and then bring it to life. This will help reduce tension levels and maintain mental health for the main holiday of the year.