There is no doubt the last 12 months have been mentally and emotionally hectic. We have been disrupted like never before. It may have felt like not much was achieved but I truly believe we all deserve medals to have made it to December!

As we head into the festive season, this can still feel like a challenging time. It’s not uncommon to be feeling overwhelmed right now. You may even be getting to the end of the year feeling tired, unmotivated, and a little traumatised even? Here are three things you can do to have a good end to 2020.

1. What do I need right now?

One really useful thing to do if you are not already doing this is to check in with yourself on regular (a few times a day if you can) basis and just ask yourself "How am I feeling?" and very importantly "What do I need?" We get caught up in what others need from us and sometimes forget what we need for ourselves. It can be as simple as a walk on our own, or not checking emails for the afternoon or as big as I need a weekend to myself. Whatever it is make it happen.

2. Only commit to what you can handle

The second thing is to not over commit yourself. We all get so caught up in trying to catch up with everyone we know before Christmas Day. This year I understand the urgency of the deadline as many of us haven’t seen each other in months! However, over-committing just leads to feeling stressed and that is not fun.

One thing I have figured out about me after all these years (and particularly noticed during the lock down) is that I need solitude. I LOVE socialising but I equally love and need to have time alone, not bail myself up with lots of social engagements.

3. Plan Ahead

Having a plan and being organised going into the last part of 2020 will help you have some control during a time that can feel a little uncontrollable. By planning your day, your goals for the week etc.. you are able to be productive and feel calm whilst getting stuff done.

I love using a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly planner (mostly for work) to keep on top of life. Daily planner for micro stuff to do, whilst quarterly planning is for bigger projects being broken down into bite size chunks. If you are a fan of planning download my daily, weekly and festive period planner.

What do you know about yourself that you can do now to make the next four or so weeks easier on yourself?