The winter holidays can be a welcome pause after a long year, however, actually switching off isn’t always easy. Many people reach this period already exhausted, juggling work pressures, social expectations, and end-of-year fatigue. Some even return to work feeling more depleted than before they left.

Whether you celebrate or not, this period offers an opportunity to step away from your usual routines, prioritise your wellbeing, and reset for the year ahead. For neurodivergent and disabled individuals, this break can come with additional challenges such as sensory overload, disrupted routines, and increased fatigue. This makes intentional rest even more important.

Below are strategies to help you prepare, switch off effectively, and create a winter break that feels genuinely restorative.

1. Preparing for the Break & Strategies for Switching Off

Switching off is much easier when you don’t leave loose ends behind. Preparation reduces mental load, supports emotional regulation, and helps your brain give itself permission to rest. Creating intentional boundaries can also ensure work doesn’t creep back in during your break.

Here are practical ways to support that shift:

• Action what you can beforehand and make a clear plan for what will be picked up when you return to work. This reduces the mental load of unfinished tasks pulling at your attention during the break. This could be a ‘things to pick up in January’ list that you put out of sight until then.
• Schedule time to complete tasks you usually procrastinate, such as admin tasks, so they’re not waiting for you in January.
• Communicate boundaries early, letting colleagues know when you’ll be unavailable and setting an out-of-office reply.

To help you effectively ‘switch-off’, you could also:

• Turn off work phones and work-related notifications from personal devices if possible.
• Set digital boundaries: limit screen time, use blocking tools, or schedule intentional offline hours.
• Plan decompression time before and after social activities to reduce overwhelm.
• Change your environment – whether it’s taking a walk, meeting someone socially, or spending time outdoors, a change of scene can help you unwind and can mark the start of your break.
• Use predictability to support regulation, especially if you struggle with change. Creating a loose guide or visual schedule of what your break might involve can help. This could even include scheduling ‘rest time’.

If you are neurodivergent or disabled, switching off may also mean planning ahead for sensory, cognitive, or mobility needs. This could include identifying quiet spaces at gatherings, taking noise-reduction tools, planning travel at lower-sensory times, pre-cooking meals to reduce executive load, or communicating preferred ways of engaging socially (i.e. texting instead of calling). Small adjustments like these can reduce overwhelm and preserve energy.

2. Taking Care of Your SHED

A central feature of staying well during the festive season is maintaining your SHED: four key foundations of wellbeing that can easily become disrupted this time of year. This includes:

S – Sleep

Quality sleep and restful downtime help regulate mood, cognition, and emotional balance. Maintaining a consistent sleep-wake cycle, reducing evening screen time, and using a relaxing wind-down routine, even during the holidays, can support this.

H – Hydration

Staying hydrated boosts concentration, memory, and alertness. It’s especially important during busy or overstimulating periods.

E – Exercise (Movement)

Movement increases energy and supports emotional regulation. Gentle options, such as stretching and walking can be restorative. Why not go for a walk around the local area to see the Christmas lights?

D – Diet

Food influences energy and wellbeing. Enjoy seasonal treats but also check in with what leaves you feeling nourished, comfortable, and balanced.

For many neurodivergent and disabled individuals, taking care of your SHED may look different. Tailoring SHED to your own body and needs is what makes it effective.

Keeping your SHED well topped up can support both rest and overall wellbeing throughout the festive season.

3. What Does Rest Mean for You?

Rest is not one-size-fits-all. Just as SHED helps you meet your essential needs, it is also important to consider what type of rest you need most. There are seven types of rest, and different moments call for different kinds:

• Physical rest: sleeping, stretching, massage, gentle yoga.
• Mental rest: reducing thinking, planning, and decision-making.
• Emotional rest: being your authentic self and expressing your true feelings without people-pleasing.
• Social rest: spending time with relationships that energise and uplift you, rather than drain you.
• Sensory rest: reducing sensory input – such as planning ‘quiet pockets’ during gatherings or travel.
• Creative rest: activities that allow imagination, inspiration, and play.
• Spiritual rest: connecting with faith, identity, or community to foster belonging and purpose.

A helpful reflection:

“Which two types of rest do I need most right now, and what is one small way I can give myself each?”.

This approach can aid you to tailor your break to what you personally find restorative and restful.

For neurodivergent and disabled people, certain types of rest, especially sensory, mental, and social rest, may be essential for preventing burnout. This can include time without masking, opportunities for stimming, and reducing cognitive load where possible.

4. You Do Not Need to Use the Time ‘Wisely’

Breaks can easily become productivity projects, with unspoken pressures to improve, achieve, or reinvent yourself. But rest is not a waste of time, and you don’t have to ‘earn’ it.

Instead prioritise what you need – whether that’s physical rest, connection, creativity, or simply slowing down.

Resting isn’t laziness, it means your mind and body are recovering, restoring, and strengthening. A meaningful break supports mental health, physical wellbeing, emotional resilience, and sustainable productivity.

Whatever your holiday season looks like, give yourself permission to pause, restore, and return at a pace that feels right for you.

If you need support please get in touch with us using the contact button below.