Alisa Camplin on maximising your recovery time these holidays

As we know, switching off is an essential skill for maintaining our mental wellbeing. We can’t maintain our attention forever and we’re designed to oscillate between states of active engagement and rest and recovery.

For example, we know if we want to perform throughout the day, breaks actually make us more productive. You need some time off or your performance – and the quality of your work – will drop. The same goes on a macro scale. To be able to switch back on at a higher level, we need to take those bigger breaks.

Christmas is one of those times where most of us take a step away from work to spend time with family. So how do we make sure that when we're moving out of work mode into recovery mode, we actually manage to maximise our recovery time and get some quality rest in?

There are some basic tools at our disposal for overcoming the accumulated fatigue we build up during the year – like exercise, outside time, and mindfulness – but I also believe that setting yourself up for success is really important. Most of us work right up to the last minute before the holidays, so we’re already exhausted when they start. We need to be conscious of this in order to minimise the negative impact.

Consider your whole family unit as you go into Christmas and be aware of how everybody is transitioning into holiday mode. Most parents are tired and stressed for a variety of reasons. The kids are excited, but they're also burnt out at the end of the year. Plus, its common to get sick as you go into the holidays because your resilience and immunity is down. If you just switch from intense work mode to intense holiday mode, you might come undone, so it helps to seek a transition that gets everybody ready.

In the lead up to the break, try to slow the pace and put processes in place to make the adjustment a smooth one. Make sure you’re considering ways everyone can get good food and sleep, and create the opportunity for everyone to start with a little personal or quiet time. And try to not get carried away with the festive spirit on day one. You can’t throw yourself into a Christmas party binge and expect to wake up the next day feeling great.

Examine your expectations about what’s coming up for the holidays. Have a plan, have a chat with your partner or family, and then allow yourself to get a little bit selfish. Accept the things you’ll need to do – the running around buying presents, and the family Christmas parties – and then get really strict about blocking out the time around those commitments.

Build in some downtime, recovery time, outside time, or couch time, and look at how you can make that happen. Get a babysitter, organise a play date with another family, and think outside the box. One year we went over to a family’s house and wrapped their presents while they were out doing groceries, and the next night they did the same for us. Think about how you can share duties and make the experience easier for everyone. Give yourself permission to take control of your holiday schedule, after all, it’s sacred and special time.

There’s a lot of value in learning from the past. If something was tough last year, seek to identify what you can do to make it easier this year. Maybe that means declining some things or avoiding some people ¬– which can be good things to learn how to do.

Practise getting a few statements down. “I promised my children that this year would be a bit more lowkey,” or, “My wife and I have come to the agreement that we need more downtime.” It’s okay to say no. People think they need to be available all the time, that they need to go to everything, but they don’t. Start politely saying ‘no’ and you’ll find that people are not only receptive but totally fine with it.

We work so hard to enjoy our holidays and have quality time to spend with our families. So you don’t want to resent it at the end because you gave away your time and didn’t have a positive experience.

We all want a holistically full life that satisfies us, so it's crucial that you not only respect the break for the value it brings your own recovery, but also for the greater joy of living life. Make sure you plan and enjoy quality time in the relationships that matter to you – because that's what it's all about. Once you remind yourself of that, it's much easier to prioritise and then respect the boundaries that you've set up.

A former world champion aerial skier, Alisa Camplin made sporting history in 2002 as the first ever Australian woman to win gold at the Winter Olympics. After 18 years as a global corporate executive, Alisa now juggles a mix of sport, business, consulting, charity and governance roles. No stranger to physical and emotional trials, Alisa runs Resilience and High Performance programs to assist others in achieving their full potential. Awarded the prestigious Order of Australia medal, Alisa is passionate about mental wellbeing and helping people thrive. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a financial adviser or medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.