The craziness is in full swing, and we’re all holding out for the break next week. But how do you recover from 11 months of doing and business in just a few weeks (if you’re lucky)?
Let me share my personal tips for deep rest and recovery, and evaluating life so you can actually have a 2026 that feels more aligned with your values and the pace you want for your life.
FIVE SIMPLE WAYS TO REST & RECOVER WITHOUT PRESSURE
- Get rid of the holiday check list.Check lists are pressure. The need to constantly achieve an accomplish is part of what creates enormous stress over the whole year. Why make vacation time part of the same system? It's fine to have a project you want to tackle over the break if you need to, but make it a family thing - get everyone involved. Aside from that, treat your time off like the holiday it should be - wake up each day with a "what should we do today" mentality.
- Staycations are under-rated.Staying home these holidays? Perfect! The best vacation I've ever had was when I took 10 days off work to find rest and adventure close to home. Change your eyes, not your location. See things around you differently. Be a tourist in your own town. What would you do if you were visiting for a week or two? I bet most of those things you've never taken the time to do before. And make your home a haven of relaxation, whatever that means to you and your family. Screen-free? Board games? Visitors all day long? Beautiful cook-ups? It's your vacation; do what you want.
- Give yourself the advice you'd give your bestie.If your best friend was in your situation, what would you encourage them to do? Make a physical list of the 6 things you would tell someone else who is under the same pressure as you are, and then take some of that advice yourself.
- Learn to do nothing. Literally.This one is reallllly hard for most of us. The art of doing absolutely nothing. Your body will scream at you to move, your mind will feel like it's exploding for a while. But there is deep, expansive peace on the other side of that, trust me. Find a place you find peace - the beach, a clifftop, forest, park - and sit still. No pen. No phone. Just you, the sounds of the world around you, and your chaotic mind needing to locate its rest again. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes to get there, and sometimes it will be several hours. But right now is the perfect time to do literally nothing and to find that deep inner calm you were born with.
- How can you do 2026 differently?This might be a personal exercise, or a family one. Or both. Get really honest with yourself and the people you love. Have you shown up the way you wanted to? The way they need you to? This is not about blame - it's about admitting that modern life takes control out of our hands too often, and the things we say we value and love take a back seat. It's true for all of us. How do we do it better next year? What does it take to rearrange your priorities and values so the first things are always first. And how do you stay accountable to that? It might mean a radical, scary overhaul of career, location, routine, roles, or it might just mean finally doing the things you said you always wanted to do/see/be. Either way, we can't do the next 12 months like the ones we've just completed.