While year-end holidays seem cheerful and relaxing on their surface, 88% of a recent study’s population reported the holiday season as the most stressful time of year. This perception’s causes are manifold, but we believe that a significant influence lies in the forthcoming winter months, when many people start suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This type of depression occurs alongside changing seasons and can make people feel moody and drained of energy. Coupled with the stress of planning holiday festivities, this affliction makes implementing wellness and self-care behaviors critical. Indeed, corporate wellness programs can help employees establish wellness routines, set aside time for self-care, and develop wholesome coping mechanisms.
Below, we discuss how to incorporate wellness and self-care initiatives into your holiday season:
Build a Wellness Routine
Quite a gap exists between deciding on healthy habits and following through on them. Yet those who struggle with wellness routines should remember that following one can allow them to put positive energy into numerous tasks and relationships. Therefore, the next time you want to seclude yourself, consider reaching out to a friend. Or, if you feel tempted to self-sabotage, consider doing yoga or going for a walk.
Sticking with a fitness routine keeps your spirits and your heart rate up. Use a wellness challenge app to track your fitness, visualize your goals, and share your progress with others who are also pursuing ambitious health goals. Who says you can’t make progress on wellness during the festive season?
Although they may feel minor or inconsequential at the moment, wellness routine efforts can make a significant difference in long-term health and livelihood. Given the approach of American Heart Health Month in February, the holidays present a perfect opportunity to make healthy decisions for yourself. Your corporate wellness program can build initiatives to improve employees’ heart health and the public’s knowledge of such issues.
Carve Out Time for Yourself
Between the gifts to buy, family and friends to see, decorations to put up, events to plan, and meals to prepare, the holidays can make everyone feel like they have no time for themselves. However, this circumstance adds all the more importance to self-care!
Making time for yourself and your well-being can protect your mental health during the holidays. Indeed, you must set aside time to focus on self-care after your busiest days. As one piece of folk wisdom goes: we cannot pour from an empty cup. Wellness challenge apps can help with mental health care, particularly de-escalation tactics, distress tolerance exercises, and goal setting.
Workplace responsibilities can also accumulate during the holiday season. Nevertheless, implementing social wellness exercises and activities can help staff members manage their seasonal stress.
Manage Stress Triggers
A lowered ability to endure tough times can result in unhealthy or destructive coping mechanisms. Bringing distress tolerance exercises into the office—wherein stressful and emotional situations are prevalent—is a great way to manage negative energy, promote healthy work behaviors, and prioritize self-care and well-being. Some examples of distress tolerance exercises are breathing exercises, meditation, engaging in paired muscle relaxation, and reframing negative thought patterns.
Corporate Wellness Programs
Implementing wellness initiatives in the workplace can increase productivity, promote relationship-building, and make employees feel like a part of something bigger. However, success depends on small changes to routines that center around self-care and long-term wellness.
Employers can cater programs to those of the overall workplace. Doing so may involve gearing initiatives to not only physical wellness but also mental and social wellness. For instance, community wellness projects may help employees establish strong workplace connections and wellness routines. Leverage the power of wellness programming to prevent the holidays from taking over every aspect of people's lives.
Givhero Helps Manage Holiday Stress with Corporate Wellness Programs
Taking care of your mental health and well-being during the holidays allows you to be there for others, enjoy yourself, and do the things you love most. Givhero offers a wellness app and reward system that helps employees prioritize their well-being and social responsibility, whether in the office or remote. It can help you transform your office into a place of self-care and mindfulness. For more information on implementing corporate wellness programs in your workplace, visit our website and book a demo today.
