5 Ways to Boost your Resilience Ahead of The Busy Festive Season Recent research conducted by Harvard Medical School reveals that sixty-two percent of peopledescribe their stress level as "very or somewhat" elevated during the festive holidays.

The demands of the holiday period can leave even the most organised individuals feeling overwhelmed and drained. But as we enter the final month of the year, many people are already fatigued and struggling to reach that Christmas break, let alone feel ready to go again in January.

Here are five strategies you can use to replenish your energy levels before and during end-of- year deadlines so you don't enter a busy festive social schedule fatigued.
Manage your "yes" reflex
It's too easy to say yes to everything you're asked to do in the lead-up to year-end, but sometimes, saying no is saying yes to what matters most in your life. When someone asks you to add another commitment to your overloaded plate, don't answer right away. Tell the person you will get back to them. Take time to evaluate the situation and determine whether it will add or take away from your priorities and whether it would energize you or deplete your energy. Then, and only then, give the person an answer you can live with. It is better to say no to a project than not be able to fulfill it to your satisfaction or to a social engagement if it's only going to add to your stress. The point is not to ignore commitments but to make sure you don't overwhelm yourself.

Break large tasks into doable pieces
The approach of the festive period can bring excitement, but professionally and personally, it's also often a time filled with extra responsibilities and deadlines. A good strategy to boost your resilience and productivity in the lead-up to the festive break is to break big tasks—whether work- or holiday-related—into manageable pieces to help you avoid procrastination and keep you from feeling overwhelmed and losing focus and motivation. To break down tasks effectively, consider the following steps:

- Identify the main goal of your task and why it is important.
- Divide the main goal into sub-goals that are smaller, more specific, and more manageable.
- Assign a deadline and a priority level to each sub-goal to ensure you're on track for the holiday break.
- Specify the resources and tools needed to enable these sub-goals, as well as potential gaps and roadblocks.
- Use your calendar to schedule when these sub-tasks should be completed and build in buffer time to allow for unexpected scenarios.
- Track progress.

Not every task can or should be broken into pieces, as too many segments can be distracting. Being flexible, agile, and adaptable in your approach is key to finishing strong in the lead-up to the holiday season.

Express gratitude often
Feeling and expressing gratitude with authenticity has a direct positive impact on physical and mental well-being. It generates a focus on positive emotions, strengthens social bonds, nurtures trust, and boosts resilience. Take a moment to respond to a past colleague if they reach out to you with a holiday greeting. This is an opportunity to not only return the holiday greeting, but express gratitude for your connection, for what you may have learned from them, or reflect on your work together in the past.

Go to sleep
If, like many people, you already struggle with getting enough sleep, it might be even harder during the holiday season, with all the professional and personal demands on your time. Try these techniques:

· Stay away from your computer monitor or phone at least one hour before bed. The blue spectrum of light from electronics can block the release of melatonin, which puts you to sleep.
· Practice before-bed rituals that help relax or lull you to sleep. Try a meditation sleep app, read a relaxing novel or poetry, pray, or listen to soothing music. For example, one sleep meditation from Calm is called Deep Sleep Release. You can select the amount of time you would like the meditation to play, ranging from five minutes to thirty minutes in five-minute increments. It works amazingly and puts you to sleep even when you have a "monkey mind".
· If you wake up in the middle of the night, try the 4–7–8 breathing technique: inhale for four, hold for seven, and exhale for eight. This technique will lower your heart rate and help you get back to sleep.

Try a pause breath
With the busyness of work and holiday preparations leading up to Christmas, taking time to breathe properly can be an invaluable tool to manage stress and stay energised. Mindful breathing can help rid the lungs of accumulated stale air, increase oxygen levels, and get the diaphragm to return to its job of helping you breathe. It may also decrease stress, increase calmness, and alleviate pain.

To integrate this practice during the holiday rush, try doing a pause breath throughout your day, perhaps before a meeting or when you are feeling tired. A single mindful breath to reset and calm your body and mind in less than six seconds. For the most relaxing results, breathe through your diaphragm and expand the belly for a count of four, hold for two, and then exhale completely for six. Repeat three times, and notice how this grounding technique helps you prepare you for the demands of the festive season. While the festive season can be joyous and fun, it can also be overwhelming and stressful.

To replenish your energy levels before and during the busy festive social schedule and end-of-year deadlines, manage your "yes" reflex, divide large tasks into doable pieces, express gratitude, go to sleep, and take pause breaths.