How to Create Better Boundaries Around the Holidays

With the holidays quickly approaching, we’re acknowledging the fact that although this time of year is one of the most joyful, it also has the potential to be the most stressful for people both in and out of the office. 

According to a 2021 study by telehealth provider Sesame, 3 in 5 Americans feel their mental health is negatively impacted by the holidays, with 60% reporting an increase in anxiety and 52% feeling an increase in depression compared to the holiday season before.

As staggering as these statistics are, it’s always helpful to remember that things don’t have to shake out this way every single December, especially once we’re equipped with the proper tools that allow us to establish, communicate, and enforce clear boundaries in our personal and professional lives. 

Boundary-setting skills can be utilized year round, but are especially important during the holiday season

All throughout our leadership programs, we teach the importance of holistic development, meaning many of the skills that we use to help leaders excel in the workplace actually translate seamlessly to the ways they navigate challenges (yes, even difficult conversations) in their personal lives. So, with a solid foundation of effective communication and emotional intelligence skills, as well as a willingness to utilize the power of boundaries, dreading "the most wonderful time of the year" can finally be a thing of the past.

So, you’re keen on setting clear boundaries ahead of the upcoming holidays? Let's jump right in to the best approaches to boundary-setting at work and at home this season: 

Holiday Boundary-Setting at Work

As a manager, increased responsibility and pressure may lead you to believe that your ability to set proper boundaries around your work is somehow revoked. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Especially around the holidays, managers have the opportunity to set a precedent for self care and boundary-setting in their organization, especially when they demonstrate these practices themselves for employees to see. 

So, if you plan to take time away from work, do so with commitment. Time off spent completely offline––and yes, that means not checking email periodically––is bound to rejuvenate you substantially more than if you opt to passively stay on top of work matters while out of office. Commit to a well-deserved break this season and return to the office in the new year with a refreshed outlook on what you do. 

Holiday Boundary-Setting at Home

When thinking about what holiday stress means to you, odds are, the exhaustion of travel, gift shopping, and gatherings all come to mind. Whether it’s an annual event, a gift exchange, or cooking a dish from scratch, find one thing to (graciously) say no to and absolve yourself of having to give an explanation. This little bit of practice in boundary-setting will ultimately help you with some of the stickier challenges that you may encounter this holiday season––usually pertaining to controversial conversations at the dinner table that have you biting your tongue. Above all, remember this: it’s ultimately up for you to decide what conversations you are willing to lean into and what conversations you should steer clear of. If you do decide to lean into a controversial conversation, be sure that you’re only engaging with someone who will meet you with just as much empathy as you give them.

Setting and enforcing boundaries as a workplace leader is a skill

If establishing and enforcing clear boundaries hasn't always been your thing, going outside your comfort zone this holiday season and prioritizing your own professional and personal limits will likely show you just how important this practice is year-round. And when you, as a workplace leader, begin to set this example for your teams, you'll find that frequent and communicative boundary-setting will increase work-life balance and employee satisfaction across the board. 

So much of this work begins with a solid foundation of effective communication and emotional intelligence skills, tools that countless workplace leaders are using to their advantage this holiday season thanks to professional development resources like Activate. 

Leadology’s Activate leads managers in purposeful conversations and provides toolkits for leadership that can empower them to keep this boundary-setting mindset with them year-round.

Ready to see what boundary-setting looks like in action? Schedule a call with us to learn more about how Activate is equipping leaders with the confidence and communication skills to set effective boundaries in every area of their lives. 

Here’s to saying “no” to what no longer serves us in order to say “yes” to what matters. 

– Carrie & Team Leadology