The holiday season is here, and with it comes a lot of chaos. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the work that goes into planning a big event like Christmas or a Hanukkah party. It’s sometimes so exhausting that it becomes hard for moms to enjoy these special occasions.
The good news is it doesn’t always have to be like this. There are many unique ways to avoid overwhelm, and some of them don’t even include spending hours meditating or other healthy things that moms don’t have time for during this season. If you’re struggling with too much on your plate at once, try some of these simple strategies for enjoying the holiday season without overloading yourself:
Host A Casual Potluck Instead Of An Elaborate Dinner.
If your family has big formal meals during the holidays, consider hosting a potluck or casual holiday party. Potlucks are easy to plan and execute, which makes them a great way to save money and time. They also allow you and your guests the opportunity to spend more time talking and connecting, since you won’t be stuck in hostess mode all evening. It’s also easier to have a larger gathering, because with more people comes more food. So you can branch out, if you want to include people outside your immediate circle without worrying about the extra stress it could bring.
Put A Limit On The Decorations
Another way to avoid overwhelm during the holidays is to put up just a few decorations instead of going all out. Decorations can be time consuming to put up and take down, they may be fire hazards, and they can be a distraction from other fun holiday events. Instead of spending hours decorating your home with elaborate displays that will only be seen by your children and partner, why not try picking the few decorations that are the most special to you and your family and skipping the things you usually put up just to prove you decorated.
Send Cards To People Who Are Important To You And Skip The Obligation Cards
Sending cards is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. However, if you’re overwhelmed by the thought of sending them out to everyone on your list, it’s okay to skip some people.
Don’t feel guilty about not sending out a card to that third cousin twice removed that you haven’t seen or spoken to in 20 years. With the number of cards that go out every year they likely won’t notice, and at most your card would have gotten a glance before it got stashed or thrown away. Obligation cards aren’t that useful, and they take up time and money you could be using to have fun with your family.
Celebrate When You Feel Like It
Most people celebrate holidays on the calendar day. It’s what feels right and it’s the way most of us have always done it. But who says it must be done that way? Perhaps your schedule doesn’t fit celebration schedules, or you’d rather have a relaxing day enjoying not working. You can celebrate pretty much any time you want. If there’s just too much chaos, and that stress ruins your holiday celebrations, just… don’t do them that day. If you want to you can celebrate Christmas on New Year’s Eve, or you can celebrate it on December first when you’re still feeling cheerful and ready to bake cookies while jamming out to Christmas music.
Holidays have official days where they fall, but there are no rules that demand that you must stick to that calendar for your celebrations. Just do them whenever they bring you the most joy; it will make it a better holiday for everyone involved.
Make A List Of Holiday Priorities, And Eliminate The Rest
The holiday season is filled with fun and family, but it’s also full of chaos and guilt. You may be exhausted from all the other prep work, but you don’t feel like you can turn down an invitation to that next holiday party or volunteer event. To reduce overwhelm, try to be very intentional about which things you say yes to and which you politely pass on. This is a good way to make sure you don’t book up all your time.
Think about which events are the most important to you and your family before the holidays begin. You’ll want to make sure they’re something you will actually enjoy. For example, if you committed to baking pies in the afternoon with your kids and you’ve been invited to your boss’ house for a party that evening, and you’re only going because you feel obligated, consider caring for your own energy and skipping the party so you can have some downtime.
Bonus Tip
Saying no to invitations around the holidays can bring up a lot of pressure and guilt. It’s easy to feel obligated this time of year. One way to help this is to plan ahead of time of how you will politely turn down invitations. You’ll have to tweak it, but you can have a template. This way, you’ll still have to say no but you won’t have to think about the best way to do it while you’re on the spot. This *shouldn’t* be necessary because ‘no’ is a complete sentence. But most people feel better offering an explanation.
The holidays are exhausting. But there are plenty of ways moms can get things done and enjoy themselves without burning themselves out. By keeping decorations and gatherings simple, asking for help from family or friends, and setting priorities ahead of time instead of trying to fit everything into one big day, moms can have a happy and relaxing holiday and spend time with the people they love.
If you have a hard time controlling the amount of chaos in your life, or if you are living in a constant state of overwhelm and exhaustion, get in touch with our team at Marble Wellness. Our therapists frequently work with moms and are familiar with the anxiety and overwhelming stress that come with this role. Your trained therapist will help you set priorities that are important to you, and guide you while you recover your energy and happiness.
If you would like help navigating stress, both during the holidays and after, you can contact us on our website, and we will get in touch with you to find you the support you need.
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