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Avoid Holiday Burnout: A Freelancer’s Guide

The end of the year is approaching, and you’re booked and busy. On top of your clients, you’re likely juggling family commitments, last minute shopping and thinking about switching up your services come the new year. Read on for our tips on how to thrive as a hair and beauty freelancer without succumbing to burnout.

No more endless to-do lists

Being organised is one of those vital skills that every freelancer needs and many of us love compiling a to-do list. Even the mere action of making the list makes you feel more organised! However, if your list is taking up tons of space on your Notes app or pages in a sketch pad, it’s more likely to make you feel incredibly stressed every time you look at it.

While it’s great to have everything written down, take a look at your to-do list and ask yourself: what must be done today?

Nine times out of 10, you’re able to take quite a few items off your list when you separate the ‘must do’ from the ‘would be good to do’.

By prioritising the items on your list, you can gain clarity and lessen any feelings of overwhelm, so look at dividing the items into different sections, such as ‘must do’, ‘needs attention’ and ‘can wait’. Then based on the results, move some of the items to later in the week.

The best thing about prioritising your list is that once you’ve completed the ‘must do’ you might find that you feel more in control, to the point of even knocking a few more items off the less important sections!

No more saying ‘yes’ to everything

‘No’ is one of the shortest words in the dictionary, and yet it’s often the most difficult one to say. At this time of year, you’re likely being bombarded with all sorts of requests; from clients wanting last-minute appointments to family members in need of childcare or gift ideas. While it’s nice to feel needed and it feels even nicer to be able to help, before you respond to a text, invitation or request, think about what saying ‘yes’ will mean. If that leads you to decide that you can indeed help then go for it, but if it leads you to begin to feel overwhelmed because you’ve already got so much on, then saying ‘no’ will mean it’s one less thing for you to think about.

Once you’re comfortable with using the word ‘no’ when needed, you will begin to create boundaries and space to think or simply to take a moment to chill out.

No more drama

Perhaps it’s a case of too much prosecco, but there’s something about the festive season that has the ability to turn even the happiest of family get-togethers into a potentially stressful day. One minute you’re comparing presents or swapping recipes, the next you’re swapping insults because quite frankly, you’re all tired! At these times, tempting as it may be to just get stuff off your chest, it’s often better to take a moment – or better still, take a walk!

While it might sound a little selfish, think of it as self-preservation. By removing yourself from a situation you’re giving yourself time to think things through and you’ll be more likely to come up with the solution that might help all parties. At the very least, by getting away from the stress you’re giving your nervous system a chance to recalibrate and restore itself.

If things feel a little too overwhelming, call the Samaritans on 116 123 for free or contact betterhelp.com to be matched with a therapist near you – no GP referral needed.