Frantic holidays are something it seems like everyone has in common. If there’s not family, there are friends, if not friends, there are events, then there is work, then there’s that distant relative and heaven forbid you forget to call ______ on Christmas, or Hannukah, or Quanza, or whatever holiday(s) you celebrate.
Nick and I have spent a lot of time working out how to juggle time this holiday season. To think, before him, I thought juggling my own family was complicated… now it’s double the excitement! Everyone has their holiday stress, but some people let it turn them downright bitter. The gifts they were so excited to buy or make become burdensome, the family they “love” to spend time with becomes just another stressor. Even Christmas songs and lights themselves just seem exhausting.
Don’t let that be you.
Instead of booking yourself silly until your emotional battery is dead, set aside time for rest. Instead of leaving 45 minutes between work and a family event to bake cookies and get out the door, set aside a few hours, even if it means saying no to something you love. It’s better to commit to a few things and do them really well than to overwork yourself.
So, instead of zipping around like a crazy person, I’ll be spending tonight watching Netflix with Nick, and most of tomorrow lazily sipping coffee. Whatever you need to do to recharge, it is not selfish to make time for that. There is nothing wrong with saying “No” when one more event/meeting/task is jammed into your holiday. There is a reason breaks exist, whether yours is two days or two months.
Breathe. Smile. Recharge.
Then get back to running around like a crazy person.
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