Reminders for When You’re Feeling SO Much Pressure

I feel like Maxie wrote this post specifically for me! As I gear up for the last bit of my “busy season,” the pressure is really mounting. I love everything she suggested… right down to the wrapped presents and wish I had read it before I went on a five-store journey looking for a specific type of wrapping paper 🤷🏻‍♀️

Reminders for When You’re Feeling SO Much Pressure

Guest post by Maxie McCoy

The pressure we put on ourselves causes SO much angst. When the pressure mounts, it’s hard to breathe, hard to see clearly, hard to make decisions, and nearly impossible to move freely. Much less enjoy whatever it is that we’re doing! And while I know they say “pressure makes diamonds”… it hardly feels that way when you’re in it.

The pressure we feel, especially during the holiday season, can come from so many different sources. We’re wrapping up the year’s classes and projects. We’re trying to attend all the holiday festivities. We’re decorating. We’re buying gifts. And oh yeah, we’re telling ourselves that we should probably start planning for the new year while we’re at it, too. There’s SO much to do. Both for ourselves and other people. There’s also so much we feel like we should be doing.

It’s important to release the pressure before it mounts into an all-out explosion. Here are a few things to remember that can help:

Get the list out of your head. Immediately. As our laundry list of things that we need to do gets longer and longer, it causes stress that starts to build up. One minute we’re worried about one thing. The next minute we’re remembering something else we still need to do. And getting through it all feels nearly impossible. Start relieving the pressure of it all by writing everything down. Whether it’s in your planner, the notes on your phone, or in your calendar. Start jotting. Things get done one step at a time. And it will all get done.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. And neither do you. It’s totally OK if the presents you’re wrapping aren’t Instagram worthy. Or if you didn’t have time to shower before the holiday happy hour. Or if you have to ask for a little bit more time on a deliverable. Things happen. Life gets crazy. And we need to let ourselves mess up, be imperfect, and go with the flow a bit more.

Slow down. If we’re racing from one thing to the next at 5-minute windows throughout this whole holiday season, we’re never going to remember it, much less enjoy it. If you slow down, I can promise you that it’ll all still get done. And you’ll likely make less silly slip-ups like locking yourself out of your car, or forgetting your computer at home. Slow down so you can breathe. Breathing relieves pressure (so take a few deep breaths now)

Self-care can be small. When the pressure mounts, we typically rob ourselves of what we deserve, like a bit of self-care. You don’t have to fit in an entire weekend getaway for yourself (although that’d be nice), but you do need to find small ways to come back to your own power, have a little peace and quiet, and feel calm. Try taking a bath with a yummy candle lit. Or taking an hour to journal about all of your favorite moments from this year. Or reading a good book before bed. Or dancing alone in your kitchen to your favorite song. Make small and enjoyable moments for yourself every chance you get.

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself during this festive season. Otherwise, you won’t enjoy it. Remember, you’re doing enough already.

For more encouragement from Maxie, read her book – You’re Not Lost.