Whether the holidays bring great joy, sorrow, or a little of both, coaches should be prepared to help their clients face them and combat the stress that often accompanies this time of year. Spending time with family and friends can be thrilling and exhausting. If family relationships are strained, these gatherings can take a toll on individuals. Life coaches may be walking their clients through some tough challenges over the next several weeks or experiencing the stress themselves. Don’t lose sight of your own needs to be the best coach for your clients. Dig into your certification toolbelt and take some steps to practice self-care, stay focused, and be on track to success!
Tough Family Ties
One of the most incredible things about life coaching is that one’s own experiences can help them understand what others are going through. Tough family relationships can be the source of anxiety for many people during the holidays, when the pressure to make an appearance may force people to be in difficult situations. Life coaches can approach these tough family gatherings as an opportunity to set a goal of bringing peace to every event. Instead of allowing yourself to fall into the drama, be the one who stays out of it and offers peace to others. Making this decision ahead of time can help you get into the mindset as you entertain or attend events, and it is also a helpful way for your clients to approach these scenarios. Share your experiences while keeping it professional and grounded in your training!
The Lovely Listener
Nobody regrets listening more than talking, and the holidays are an excellent time to practice listening skills. When you spend time with people whom you may not see often, use these gatherings with colleagues, friends, and family to practice being a good listener. Usually, when we pause long enough to listen to others who are not our clients, we allow people space to share. Listening deepens a life coach’s understanding of others and their situations. It is not recommended to use your company’s holiday party to get new clients, so skip the hard sell. If you feel someone would benefit from your services, find a way to connect with them later.
Donate Your Time
The best way to stop thinking about ourselves is to serve others. Find an opportunity to serve others less fortunate during the holidays. There is never a shortage of food banks, churches, schools, or shelters that need volunteers during the holidays. These experiences deepen our own and are something we can encourage our clients to do to help them gain perspective and gratitude in their current circumstances. Stepping back and volunteering our time opens our eyes and gives holidays more meaning. You will never regret donating some of your time during the holidays.
Leave Time for Nos and Self-Care
It is easy to get overscheduled during the holidays, but we are not effective in our coaching roles if we overextend ourselves. Leave time to say no to an invite and take care of your body. Eating healthily (for the most part), staying hydrated, getting rest, and staying active will help keep balance during the chaos of the holidays. Although it may be challenging to say no to another invite, taking time for self-care is the best way to get out of the holidays unscathed!
Focus on the True Meaning
Life coaches, like everyone else, can get caught up in the “I want everything to be just right” mindset. Whether talking about gifts, parties, travel, or another holiday tradition, the best approach is to be flexible and focus on why people are gathering in the first place. Many of our clients face these exact expectations, whether triggered by an idealist view from their upbringing or social media posts. Allowing things to flow, leaving room for mistakes while giving grace and showing love to others, is a powerful tool we all have and can use without hesitation.
The funny thing about what life coaches can do for themselves over the holidays is that many of the things we advise our clients to do are the same. If we are doing our jobs well, then we should be following our own advice! This is never truer than during the holidays. Think of family gatherings and social events as an opportunity to listen to someone you don’t know, find time in your schedule to volunteer, take care of your mind and body so that you can coach your clients through their holiday stress, and ring in 2026 with a mindset of gratitude!
Not a life coach yet? Contact Life Purpose Institute today for a free consultation about how life coaching can change your life and the lives of your clients! We invest in you and your future with unmatched support and the most highly regarded certification programs through the International Coaching Federation.
