2 Secrets For Reducing Holiday Stress

The holidays can bring about a mixture of happy and sad emotions. Multi-unit franchise owners are unique in that your business is family business, and you employ families in the business.  And the people you employ have their own families and emotions that may affect them during this holiday season. Blending the two together, say for a work holiday party, can create the same kind of sensation. Add in the ongoing, and now growing again, pandemic and there are more stressors and fears.

But there are ways to create a happier holiday season, or as we like to call it, the season of family.  You can do so by understanding, embracing, and practicing the only thing you can control. Once you do this, then you can lead by example for those around you.

As a family member in the family business, this topic hits close to home for me.  I get a lot of questions from our multi-unit franchise owners on what my emotions are like during the holidays and how I navigate them. I wish I could say it’s all so easy, but it does take some work on your part. I am going to share with you some of my secrets that help me navigate the “ho-hum” to “ho-ho-ho” in my life.

I have four secrets. I will share two here and two more in my next article. If you do not want to wait to hear the second two secrets, you can watch and learn more about them here.

Don’t get swept up and away in the busy season:

1. Practice the Pause. Focus on breathing when things get tight, there is conflict, or you feel simply uncomfortable. It is powerful. It can change perspective and mood and help give you space to move past whatever it is that has you feeling that certain way. 
2. Locus of Control. There are certain things in your environment you cannot control. However, you can control your own thoughts, emotions, how you view things, etc. The only thing you can control is you!

These are two areas that you can practice and perfect before that family gathering.  In the next article, I will share my other two secrets, that when combined with these, will carry you into the new year with a stronger sense of self and the confidence to navigate any “awkward” gatherings.

The holidays are positioned in the world as a time for cheer, celebration, and magic. However, many people feel anxiety, fear, and pain as a result of past and current circumstances. You can find the magic in the season by understanding what you can and can’t control.

Kendall Rawls knows and understands the challenges that impact the success of an entrepreneurial-owned business. Her unique perspective comes not only from her educational background but, more importantly, from her experience as a second-generation family member employee of The Rawls Group - Business Succession Planners. For more information, visit www.rawlsgroup.com or email info@rawlsgroup.com.