December "Vibe" Check-in

[Rae Foote]

Hi there, fellow Community members! 

Happy December 1st! I know the holidays can be a difficult time for a lot of people, so I wanted to start a discussion about mental health and make sure we're all checking in with each other. 

Please feel free to post about the following: 

• How you managing stress as the year comes to a close
• Something fun you've done to "fill your cup" or take care of yourself recently
• Something you're looking forward to 
• Something you are proud of
• Anything positive! 
• Any great resources or tips/tricks you've found recently that help you feel your best! 

This community is so amazing and I'd love to know how you are all keeping spirits high as the year comes to a close. Also, if you are a resource for others who might be having a hard time, feel free to let us know here as well! 

Xoxo,
Rae

[Rae Foote]

I've found that working really hard to name my emotions has helped me manage them better. Sometimes, it's easy for me to think things are making me "angry" or "frustrated" when the actual emotion stems more from insecurity, feeling rejected, or feeling lost. Once I was able to find the root of some of my more reactive emotions, it helped me manage stress a lot better because I could find actionable steps to take.

[Tiffany Scolnic]

@Rae I love this post and thanks for starting the conversation. 

When it comes to self care, I have best been managing stress by movement. I'm based in Austin and now that the weather is cooler I can spend more time outdoors walking/running, which has been a great way to alleviate stress and reduce anxiety. Ditto to yoga. 

Which ties to what I'm proud of! On Thanksgiving I completed by first 5K!! It's been a goal for years but I never thought I'd be one of those people that could run 3 miles without stopping and I'm proud to say I accomplished that goal and felt like a million bucks afterwards. 

Overall, I'm really looking forward to the time at the end of the year to connect and reflect with family and friends. I love the holidays and trying to take things at a slower pace and set myself and my team up for a great 2024. Excited for what's ahead :) 

[Rae Foote]

Love this! Movement, I've found, works for me as well. It's always so annoying when all those "drink water and get active" people you see on social media end up being right! Congratulations on your 5k, that's awesome! Maybe I'll join you from NYC next year :) 

[LarryBrock]

Congrats on the 5k @Tiffany Scolnic !!

[LarryBrock]

Great topic @Rae Foote - thanks for posting!

Something that never fails to fill my cup is to help others.  Though small and seemingly simple, it's replacing the bulbs in all the neighbors luminaries, not just my own.  It's making and delivering home-baked goodies to friends in the neighborhood.  It's sorting, packing, and delivering gifts and meals to families in our communities who have less.   These are the things that I believe Christmas is about.  Cheers!

[Rae Foote]

Yes!! When you have the bandwidth, nothing will fill your heart or remind you of the beauty of the human experience like sharing it with others. Absolutely agree!

[carolyn french]

Agreed @LarryBrock - this fills my cup too!

[Brittany Joiner]

I love this topic. For me, it's realizing that we've had a big year, we've been through a lot, and sometimes giving 100% looks different when we're tired and it's okay if it's not the same 100% we had in the middle of the year! 

I love spending the time reflecting and thinking about what i liked and didn't like about this year and what we can incorporate into the next year based on that.

[Rae Foote]

This, this, this! "Sometimes giving 100% looks different when we're tired" is so important for people to read and internalize, especially the notion that your 100% could look totally different from someone else's. 

Rebrand reflection to EOY Retro?? Lol

[Loren Siegel]

Thanks for posting, @Rae Foote

This time of year, I like to take time to reflect on all the things that happened this past year, both positive and not-so-positive. This exercise fills me with gratitude and gives me a sense of completion. I'm able to really celebrate the good and look back at what was hard and how I grew from the experience. 

On a lighter note, I LOVE driving around and looking at holiday lights. It's just so festive and fun and the crazier the better, IMO! 

I hope you have a cozy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season, Rae! 

[Rae Foote]

The decorations (and the yummy food) are on my list of holiday favorites as well! Happy and peaceful holidays to you, too, Loren! 

[Amanda Barber]

What great timing for a great topic! December tends to fill up fast with a variety of activities for my kiddos, while also trying to juggle the shopping, wrapping, cooking, and baking for the upcoming holiday celebrations. 

I definitely manage my stress best when I keep moving (like I see many others have mentioned!) Carving out 30-60 minutes a day to move my body is important all year, but especially so during this hectic month.

I'm also working on prioritizing myself a bit more and saying no more often. Boundaries are important, and you can't pour from an empty cup, so sometimes you need to take care of yourself first. 💜

[Rae Foote]

Your last point about boundaries and prioritizing yourself is a big one for me right now as well. I want to do everything for everyone, but then I end up not putting my best foot forward because there just. isn't. enough. of. me. 

Here's to us both getting better at putting "me" first! 

[Dave Liao]

I’m looking forward to a lovely cup of coffee (find me at Thank You Thank You Coffee Brewers), and finally finishing that book that Bob Wen wrote. 📕👀 

@Robert Wen_ReleaseTEAM_ I know, I know 😂 

[carolyn french]

@Dave Liao Do you find you put more pressure on yourself towards the end of the year to finish those books sitting in your backlog from earlier on in the year?

I noticed that definitely happens to me since I usually commit to a Good Reads Reading Challenge at the beginning of the year, and then I see I'm only a few books away and can do it if I spend a few evenings buckling down!

For example, I owe @Brittany Joiner a review on her Trello book, which is a great book!

[Dave Liao]

@carolyn french - great question!

On my personal tasking I don't give (or feel) pressure to complete things by the end of a calendar year. Guilt is my engine, so if I've told someone else I would finish a thing by EOY, then yeah, the pressure's on.

The only real time pressure I feel these days is when Duo the owl tells me to complete my daily Duolingo lesson. 🤣

[Dave Liao]

P.S. looking forward to crossing paths in-person again next week @Rae Foote ! 🙌 

[Rae Foote]

We're going to have so much fun!

[Teodora V]

The end of the year is always a two-way street for me. Usually, the workplace turns into a nightmare, while outside is my favorite weather - cold and calmer because everyone is keeping themselves warm inside.

I try to focus more on myself and the family rather than letting work take its toll on my well-being. I'm very similar to @Tiffany Scolnic and @LarryBrock, and I keep myself busy with movement and contribution. Outside my work hours, I spend time working out, and recently, I started joining more and more local causes that help people on various levels.

Every morning, I look forward to my dog walk, the first thing I do for the day. 6:30 AM is the best time to be outside in the still-sleeping city.

This year, my team is the most significant thing I am proud of. Sadly, some people have been let go because of the recent company layoffs, but we had a unique, successful, and productive 2023.

Managing stress is a tricky subject, and my biggest tip is always to take a breather during the day. Even 5 minutes of switched-off time have a massive impact on the stress levels (meditation apps like Calm or Oak are a good place to start!)Or start your morning with a short walk outside and view some natural light; it would really make a difference. 💙

[Dave Liao]

+1 to meditation apps like Calm!

I block off time to take lunch breaks (even if they're small) and coffee breaks (always small, unless I'm meeting a friend).

@Teodora V - hope you have some time off planned for this month!

[Rae Foote]

Five minutes a day sounds so manageable, thank you for putting that out there! I think it's easy to get overwhelmed trying to fit "me time" into a busy day, but EVERYONE has five minutes.

And if you don't? Time to revisit that work/life balance, maybe.

[Teodora V]

@Dave Liao only a few days, but I will try to get the most out of them!

@Rae Foote 100% agree with you, sometimes I am 'struggling to find these five minutes' and next thing you know, I am browsing food photos on Instagram late evening 🫠

[Jimmy Seddon]

Great topic @Rae Foote!

First, I'm terrible at managing stress, but they say knowing the problem is the first step to correcting it right?  It has been challenging over the past few weeks as the "requested" workload has increased about x5 the normal amount for my teammate and I.  Thankfully, we have an amazing manager that has done a very good job of setting everyone's expectations that vacations are coming up very soon and we will "not" be getting everything done before the end of the calendar year.

The next few I'm going to sum up into a single amazing thing from this past weekend.  I'm a HUGE video game nerd (most people know that).  I had been looking forward to this past weekend since August when I first booked tickets.  I got to attend Kupocon in Toronto, and my son came to the event with me.  We were up very early to drive into the event and he's only 6 and managed to last the majority of the day before he was tired.  I was very proud of how much of a trooper he was.  We had a lot of fun and got to see some really cool things (including some celebrity meet & greets)

As for advice, the best thing I can suggest to everyone would be: "Ask for help!".  At times I'm very bad at this myself and I try not to burden others with my problems.  However, I have discovered that most people are more than happy to assist and that can go a long way to reducing your stress level if you don't have to do everything alone.

Have a great week everyone!

[Rae Foote]

Happy Monday, Jimmy!

I'm so excited that you and your son got to have that quality time together. Planning events like this amid a busy season is important because it gives us something to look forward to.

And yes, never be afraid to ask for help! 

[Summer.Hogan]

Thanks for starting this conversation @Rae Foote! I think December is the best month for managing stress. Even though I miss the ones I have lost at this time of year there are plenty of holiday events taking place, tons of wonderful food, and time spent with family and friends to make up for the sadness. Typically around this time of year it is slower at work so I take full advantage of that. I also love to drive around looking at lights and holiday displays. I also plan on attending 3 holiday events this year in and around the area I live. I hope you all find some peace this holiday season! Happy Holidays! 

[Rae Foote]

I'm glad you've found a way to find joy and happiness during the holiday season despite missing loved ones. And yes, work slowing down (for most industries) should be taken advantage of! 

Sending peace and good vibes to our Q4 Sales peeps/gifting/commerce brethren though! Lol

[Angelie Stephens]

Love this idea for the vibe check in, @Rae Foote ! 

After a particularly challenging year, I'm now trying to spend more time on self care since I tend to put that on the back burner! I've been using the Headspace app for meditation every day and that's been very helpful. 

This year  I'm most proud of reaching the final week of a Couch to 5k running plan! Just did my first 30 min run today and I'm very pleased since I've literally never been able to run before. I'm going to try and keep it up into next year 🏃‍♀️

I'm hoping for a peaceful holiday season with lots of good food. Happy Holidays everyone! ✨

[Rae Foote]

Oooh, the Couch to 5k running plan intrigues me. I've never been a great runner myself (but would love to fall in love with cardio for heart health purposes). Is that an app? 

Hoping you have a peaceful holiday season as well! 

[Angelie Stephens]

I'd definitely recommend a Couch to 5k plan since it's a great way to gradually increase your running time! I use an app by the UK Health Department, so I'm not sure if it's available worldwide, but I'd hope there must be other apps out there 🤞

[LarryBrock]

Go @Angelie Stephens go!!  We're all rooting for you!!