Holiday Stress Tips: You CAN Have A Stress-less Holiday Season!
1) Ask your family what one thing they most love about the holidays.
I know I’ve often gone overboard for the holidays and one year I asked, “What do you love about our holidays? What do you have to have to make it “holidays?” I got responses that I didn’t expect (cookies a few nights a week, candles lit, Christmas decorations and a tree.) I added in my “have to have” (local light displays). Everything else I was doing (gatherings with friends, luminaries, and amazing wrappings on gifts) didn’t rate on their “had to have”. It showed me where to put my energy and time and allowed us to all feel loved. It also gave me a marker for “enough”.
2) Plan a free night.
Just put it on a random night on the calendar – one in November and one in December. This is a night to do nothing – hang out with family, laugh, take photos, play games, go to bed early. This is our oasis for ourselves and our family during a stressful season where we are doing FOR everyone but have difficulty connecting WITH everyone. If the day has to be moved, then move it, but it now exists and will happen at some point. These holiday stress tips help the build up of anger, resentment, and physical sickness to disappear instead of building up over the holiday month.
3) Be intentional with yes and no.
We often do things because we’ve always done them or because we feel we have to. This can create resentment. When we intentionally commit to something, let’s show up fully. If we cannot show up fully and with joy, then let’s modify it with a “yes but only for an hour” or use our “not this year”. This will not only help our holiday stress turn into holiday spirit, but keep our schedules a bit more free for the things we really want and love.
It’s TOTALLY possible to have a holiday you LOVE this year – just follow even one of these holiday stress tips and you’re almost there!
Add in YOUR go-to stress busters below!
Vikki Spencer, The Mom Whisperer, Mom Coach