• Have a Pep Talk with Staff: Gather everyone together and provide encouragement, as well as tips (you can draw from the ones below) on how to manage stress during the holidays. Your pep talk will make you and your staff feel more confident about how to take care of themselves during stressful times.
• Ask for Help: Practice Managers are used to…well, managing. But managing everything yourself can cause overload, especially during the holidays. Ask staff for help at work, and ask your family to help out at home. If it helps, make a list and then determine which tasks can be delegated and to whom.
• Just Say No: Agreeing to do too much, no matter whether it’s at work or at home, will increase your stress level. If the holidays are traditionally a slow time at your practice, make reasonable attempts to increase revenue and then stop. Your methods may or may not be successful and you can use that information to make better plans next year. And if your family holds a big holiday bash every year, do you have to make pies from scratch, or will store-bought pies do the trick? Don’t require tasks of yourself that will not have an equivalent benefit.
• Take Time for Yourself: Even if it’s only ten minutes, carve time out of each day to flip through a magazine, get some fresh air, or write in a journal. Many practice managers skip lunch by eating a sandwich at their desks or grabbing holiday treats that are in the office at this time of year on the go, but that doesn’t count as time for yourself. Close your door, turn off your phone, and relax in the manner that works best for you – for at least 10 minutes, every day.
• Make It Fun: This is supposed to be an enjoyable, peaceful time of year. Don’t erase the fun and peace by demanding too much of yourself, your staff, or your family. The holidays don’t have to be perfect for you to enjoy them – and with so many people involved, they’re unlikely to be perfect no matter what you do. Make the holiday about being with family and friends and take time to savor the sweet moments that create lasting memories – cookie-cutting with children, listening to stories of tradition from elders, gazing at neighborhood holiday decorations, and appreciating all of the blessings in your life.

The holidays can be a stressful time in the life of a practice manager, but these tips can help you make the most of the season and enjoy this time with your staff and with your family and friends.