Behind the excitement, are you feeling a sense of Christmas panic? Photo: Thicha Satapitanon.
Michelle Gibbings suggests a scientific method of dealing with the ”Christmas is almost here” stress that often plagues workplace leaders at this time of the year.
When I was a child growing up in Brisbane, there was a saying that if you hadn’t started studying for your year-end exams by the time the jacaranda trees were blooming, you had left it too late.
At this time of the year, many leaders describe to me the same feeling. They look ahead and feel if they blink, Christmas will be here, and yet there is still so much to do.
It is precisely at this moment that a more deliberate relationship with your emotions becomes more important than ever.
Handled well, emotions reveal priorities, protect boundaries, and point to unmet needs. Handled poorly, they lead to impulsive decisions, strained relationships, and a prolonged recovery in January.
The concept of ‘’self-care’’ has become a catch-all term, often shorthand for scented candles, Netflix marathons, or a glass of wine at the end of the day — but these rituals often miss the point.
Genuine self-care is less about indulgence and more about restoration — practices that help the body and mind recover to meet tomorrow’s load with steadier resources.
Under chronic pressure, the body’s stress systems remain ‘’on’’, degrading attention, memory, and decision-making quality, a phenomenon known as allostatic load.
One example to counter this: Before presenting at a key meeting or conference, rather than powering through, allocate time for rest.
It might be five minutes of slow breathing or a brief walk without your phone. Because busy weeks blur good intentions, use a simple test before defaulting to a comforting habit.
Ask yourself: Does this action restore me, or does it merely remove me from what is uncomfortable?
The goal is not to banish comfort. We all need a do-nothing day and the occasional time to binge-watch our favourite TV show.
The aim is to pair comfort with at least one restorative micro-dose. Over time, your capacity for recovery improves, rather than just feeling short-term relief. So, having established the logic, what is helpful is a step-by-step method.
Step One: Create three daily checkpoints. It could be morning, midday and late afternoon, and ask: What am I feeling? Where do I feel it? What is it signalling about my needs or risks?
Use precise language: Swap ‘’stressed’’ for ”overloaded and uncertain” or ”irritated and time-pressured”. This helps you to identify and create more accurate options.
Step Two: Use a two-word label and a one-sentence cause. For example: “I feel anxious and underprepared because the client brief is still vague”, or “I feel tired and foggy because I got up too early and slept badly last night”.
This small step lowers your intensity, allowing you to choose recovery over relief.
Step Three: Consciously select an action that aids your recovery. It might be 10 minutes without work cues, stepping away from the phone, or going for a walk around the block.
Deliberately select an activity that reduces stress stimuli and increases positive emotions. It might be five minutes of slow breathing or gentle stretching.
Engage in activities that are not related to your work but offer a challenge and learning. It could be learning a new piece to play on the piano, or testing a new recipe.
Step Four: We all have days when it feels like the wheels are coming off. In those moments, the action is not about suppressing emotion. It is about noticing the spike, buying a few seconds of space, and choosing the response that serves the outcome you want.
Take six slow breaths with a longer exhale, place both feet flat on the floor, and if you’re speaking, lower your speaking pace.
This simple grounding interrupts the surge, quiets the body, and gives the prefrontal cortex a chance to take the lead.
Name what actually matters in this moment. Say to yourself, for example: “The goal here is clarity on scope before noon”, or “The priority is keeping the team focused on the top-three risks”.
A crisp intention narrows attention and reduces the pull of irritation, anxiety, or the urge to prove a point.
Next, use tiny pre-commitments to keep you on track. If you notice a conversation escalating, you can, in advance, commit to pausing, taking a deep breath, and asking a clarifying question.
If you notice a conversation going off track, you can commit to summarising, clarifying understanding and proposing a next step.
Then, protect the basics in real time by setting boundaries. For example, time-box the discussion, ask for a short break if thinking has stalled, or set a follow-up for issues that do not need to be solved at that moment.
You can borrow calm from a colleague with a quick: “Can I think out loud for 60 seconds?” or signal an ally to summarise the thread.
Safe social connection is a direct route to a steadier physiology and clearer thinking.
The end of the year will still be a busy time. The difference lies in whether you cross the line depleted or deliberate.
With the above actions, you will finish with more clarity and less cost.
Michelle Gibbings is a Melbourne-based workplace expert, and an award-winning author. She’s on a mission to help leaders, teams and organisations create successful workplaces — where people thrive and progress is accelerated. She can be contacted at [email protected]. This article first appeared at https://www.changemeridian.com.au/latest-news/.
