The holiday season is stressful for most of us during most years. Between remembering ALL the people that we’re sending gifts to, scheduling holiday events, this year we have some unique stressors. The bonus of shipping everything because we’re not visiting family (and making sure it arrives in time), I have clients that I need to send gifts to, and you know, making sure our holiday is still… festive in these unique (and unprecedented) times. Us. moms take on so much, and well, sometimes we just gotta let it go. Or ask for help in some cases.
The past few weeks have been super anxiety-riddled for me – with client work (all good things mostly!), preparing for the holidays – i.e. time off largely, coming to terms with the fact that we’re not seeing either of our families as we usually do (it’s safest, and its the right thing but that doesn’t take away the ache from not getting to hug my parents or my grandfather), and you know, writing for myself. I’ve had a lot of posts planned but haven’t had the motivation to do much of it at all. I need to fix that.
Here are three ways I’m easing holiday anxiety:
- Do Something for You
Whatever self-care looks like to you – taking care of your physical self by making time to workout, taking a bath, just…do something for YOU each day. Thirty minutes is NOT a long time and I guarantee you can find 15-30 minutes somewhere in your day (the other day I fit in a treadmill run at like 730 pm – that was the only time I could find time) if you really look at what you’re spending mindless time on. - Stop Expecting Perfection
This year, nothing is “normal.” So stop expecting it to be. Lower expectations about what will be normal and what won’t be. Mourn the loss of those experiences and the “normal” that we’ve lost. It’s completely okay to be sad about everything we’ve lost but when you lower your expectations and stop letting perfect be the enemy of the good, there’s less opportunity to be disappointed. Find joy in the little things where you can. Whether that’s a night looking at Christmas lights around the neighborhood or curling up for a good Christmas movie. - Get some rest
With all the anxiety and high emotions, it’s more important now to focus on sleep. Let yourself get some good rest. Go to bed early. Find a day where you don’t need to set an alarm. Let your kiddos watch TV while you sleep in. Skip that workout after a bad night’s sleep (I did that earlier this week when I couldn’t sleep, zero regrets). But focus on rest and getting good sleep will help you in more ways than one – from your overall health, but also your stress and anxiety.
How are you taking care of yourself during the stressful (but joyous!) holiday season?