Give Yourself a Break this Holiday Season

As a wife, mother, and grandmother, I've lived through 29 years of Christmas seasons managing most, if not all, of the planning, buying, and cooking.

Because of that, I've got some experience with trying to manage the busy holidays.

One of the most important and valuable lessons I've learned through the years is this:

You do not have to do All. The. Things.

Read that again.

Slowly.

That means, you don't have to plan a huge family get together.

You don't have to go in to debt to buy gifts, especially for extended family and friends whom you're not obligated to impress.

You don't have to cook everything from scratch.

You don't have to cook At All.

Denny's, Cracker Barrel and other restaurants offer fantastic meals already made.

I've done the math. At today's food prices, and time spent in the kitchen, it's practically the same cost!

Less stress, less mess!

You don't have to put out all the holiday decorations. You can do some, you can do none. (Psst…I haven't done any decorating yet myself!)

I did nothing for several years because after my kids left home, I was honestly burned out on all of it.

It became so difficult with teens who weren't interested in anything but the latest, greatest electronics.

And, I'd spent YEARS doing all the shopping, planning, gift wrapping etc, with literally nothing in return.

Not that we parents do any of this because we EXPECT something in return.

But honestly, after years of filling your own stockings, buying and wrapping your own gifts, and doing most, if not all the cooking, year after year, Christmas loses its shine.

You've done all this giving, where's the receiving??

Be okay with dialing it back to a manageable level.

You don't have to say YES to everything.

This holiday season, try an experiment.

Take a step towards setting and keeping boundaries for yourself with family, friends, coworkers, and bosses who demand of you things you don't have to give.

Pick one thing, just one, that you hate doing or feel comfortable saying no to.

Then after the holidays, evaluate your experiment. See how it felt, how your stress was less (or not).

And feel good about putting your needs first.

Your stress levels will thank you!

Need help with stress management and learning how to set AND keep boundaries? Let's talk.

Happy Holidays! 🎄☃️🎁🫂

Your friend,