Pre-holiday syndrome: 4 ways to deal with it

    Holidays are that well-deserved time to enjoy and disconnect after a hard year of work and obligations. However, as the date gets closer, it is likely to experience what experts call Pre-holiday syndrome. This syndrome consists of the anxiety and stress originated due to the pressure to leave everything ready at work and at home before leaving. Have you felt nervous or overwhelmed before going on vacation? Have you felt burdened with the amount of pending things and the lack of time? Then you have experienced this syndrome, which is quite common despite being unknown.

How can you deal with the pre-holiday syndrome?

There are several ways to deal with the nervousness, overwhelm and insomnia that can be felt before a vacation.

1. Delegate Frequently the excessive workload can be overwhelming, especially for the available time and resources. Therefore it is important that you can categorise the tasks between those that you can assume in the time available and those which can be delegated. Asking for help and delegating is a sign of strength, which will help you to be more relaxed and more efficient with the tasks you do.
2. Set realistic goals. Many times the excessive self-demand creates a pressure that depletes more than necessary. It is important that you can establish realistic and achievable goals with the available resources. Many times you can not reach everything, and recognizing the limits helps to lower the demand and be more relaxed. Do not be hard on yourself and accept how far you can go with the time you have.
3. Keep in mind the contingencies. In relation to the previous points, it is important that you bear in mind that unexpected incidents may arise. This generates anxiety because it creates a sense of loss of control of the situation. If you can count on having to save some time to solve unexpected problems, you will be able to face them more efficiently and be calm when things do not go according to plan.
4. Take care and dedicate time to yourself. Focusing solely on work causes self-care to take a back seat, negatively affecting physical and emotional health. It is important that you can find small moments during the day to relax and prioritize yourself. Give yourself a relaxing bath, take time to eat something you like, or just take a walk. These small actions can reduce stress and  increase motivation.

Being less demanding and prioritizing your well-being will help you cope with the anxiety and lack of energy associated with those days before the holidays. You will be able to delude yourself again with that well deserved time of rest.