What do holiday wrapping paper and December practice management responsibilities have in common? For me, a whirlwind of crazy! I don’t know about you, but for me, this time of year has been historically stressful; there is so much to be done on the “festive” side and the veterinary practice side that it becomes completely and utterly overwhelming.
I think about what needs to occur in December at my practice, and my head spins faster than a dreidel: Open enrollment for health insurance has to be dealt with; inventory has to be reviewed; rates and pricing need to be adjusted thanks to the holiday “gift” of inflation. At my office, I also must deal with a significant database cleanup project. And how can I forget the critical importance of finalizing a budget for 2023? There is no debating the reality that December 31, 2022, is a pretty firm deadline for doing so.
And then there are the people and life issues. At our practice, the last few weeks of 2022 have been a time of grieving. Some of our team members have lost friends and family or are dealing with aging parents; heightened emotions have commuted to work with us, and many office tissue boxes have been used on tears. This year my team and I are truly “feeling the feels.” But it is an internal stressor nonetheless. And it is hard to dismiss these feelings for the sake of bellowing out Christmas carols.
I have found that social media has the power to create even greater holiday pressure. We see Instagram-perfect trees, picture-perfect holiday meals, and wrapped gifts, and we ask ourselves (at least I do), why am I unable to achieve that? For me, the pressure of December has historically been overwhelming.
But this year, I hope it will be different! This year, I am giving myself the gift of kindness. This gift means I am lifting the pressure of creating the perfect Christmas off my shoulders. This special gift comes with some much-needed permissions. Here they are:
- My tree will be up and the house decorated, but it won’t be picture-perfect.
- I will wrap my gifts, but not as well as Martha Stewart would have wrapped them.
- I might not cook as much or bake this year. Thank you, See’s, for your peanut brittle!
- I will wear comfy, cozy clothes.
- I will celebrate moments of joy and avoid “the great overwhelm” of the season.
And on that note, I am shortening my December blog and concluding it here. I will assume you will make good use of the extra time. I know I will!
I wish you a holiday filled with the things that make YOU happy and kind to all!
Sincerely,
Jessica Speas, CVPM, SPHR, PHR-ca, SHRM-SCP, CCFP
VHMA President
#PracticePulse