How to Manage Holiday Stress

We see this time and time again…year after year.

The Christmas decor is out in the stores before the Halloween candy is even passed out! Almost like there is unnecessary pressure to have things out and ready before the first Hallmark movie is on TV. Or how about the Mom who posted that she already has ALL of her Christmas shopping DONE and WRAPPED!

Like, really!?

Unfortunately, this seems to be the new normal in our world. There is a huge rush to get the next holiday started before the current one has even arrived!

As a Mom of two small children, Charlotte (5) and Carson (16 months), today, I find that there is so much pressure to have it ALL together ALL.THE. TIME! Am I alone here? It can be hard to manage expectations and the stress of what this time of year can bring. It can often feel like you are in a pressure cooker.

As this season is upon us, I wanted to share some tools that I have tried to adopt that might help us all during this stressful time.

EMBRACE

1. I believe that we first must go ahead and accept the fact that this is a stressful time of year. Period. Know the holidays are here, and they will be about 2 months long.  Embrace this time and pace yourself for the ride.

GET ORGANIZED

2. If you have not done this, get a planner. Today. Paper or electronic, it does not matter. Just get one. My husband, Stephen and I share a Google calendar where we both can put important dates of events. Trust me; this has been a game changer in our marriage and how I organized my life! When you have all of your holiday obligations on a calendar, you are less likely to be surprised by a holiday obligation.

LEARN TO SAY “NO”

3. If your family is as busy as mine, you are going to have every weekend in November and December filled. You will be invited to parties, community events, work functions and your children’s school events. You are going to be pulled in a lot of different directions. Learn to simply say “No” to some of them. You need to decide what’s important to you and your family. If it seems like it might not fit into your schedule and will cause more unnecessary stress for you, then politely decline.

SELF CARE

4. I personally cannot emphasize this one enough. You know when you are in an airplane and they go through the oxygen demonstration with the yellow mask? You are told you have to first put the mask on yourself before you can help others. Start thinking about self care this way. It will be the best medicine for you, not in just the holiday season, but for life. When you move your body, it releases all the “feel good” hormone serotonin and you are simply happier! It’s like you have a superpower and you want everyone else to feel good too! Doing just 30 minutes of exercise per day has been crucial for me in managing my stress. I have more energy, I’m more creative, and it helps me be a better wife and mother.

DON’T COMPARE

5. Comparison is the thief of joy. This can be a slippery slope that cause many of us moms to feel guilty.Keep in mind that you never know what someone else is going through. Ever.

We all can be quick to judge and sometimes long for what others might have. When we compare ourselves to others, it puts unnecessary pressures on us and that is never healthy. Try to stay in your lane, smile at strangers and lift up others when you have the opportunity.

REFLECT

6. We can all agree that the holidays are crazy. For some, it’s the most wonderful time of year, and for others it’s the worst. Whatever your position might be, the holidays are inevitable and it’s your choice on how you choose to look at this time of year. There is always an opportunity to make a new tradition, set new goals, to try something new in the coming year. This is a time of year to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and what matters most in life. Give yourself permission to slow down and reflect on why we recognize the holidays in the first place.

As I write this and think about how busy this last quarter of 2017 has already been for me and my family, my hope is that we can all take-away parts of these suggestions and build on them. As mothers, we are the foundation for our families and we are all just trying our best each and every day.

It is OK to say “No”

It is OK to take some time out for yourself.

It is OK to slow down.