Maintaining During the Holiday Season

I am going to get real here….

I used to absolutely love the holiday season but over the past several years I become thoroughly depleted this time of year.  I hate to say this but I feel like Christmas has become just another thing on my to-do list…the scheduling, the gifts, the cooking, the decorating, the pressure to do creative stuff with my children on top of daily life. I am exhausted.

This is NOT how I want to feel.

I have been talking about this a lot with my clients over the last few weeks and these feelings are prevalent. 

So, what to do?

This is the month of maintenance. This is not the month to try and lose weight but to instead maintain it, to stay consistent with your workouts not only for your body but for your sanity, to continue your healthy eating habits as much as you can, to schedule in “me” time, to give yourself grace and let go of guilt.

I do not have all the answers but I do have strategies and I am working super hard to practice what I preach.  Letting go of the high expectations of yourself and others during this time helps immensely.  Here are a few of my life examples…

• Last week I sat back and let my boys decorate the tree while I made my son’s birthday dinner…I was nervous to see the end result but was pleasantly surprised.
• This weekend I scheduled a date night with my youngest. We went to the book store, to dinner and then got ice cream.  During dinner he put his arm around me and said, “I have been waiting all week to do this.”  Well, if that just doesn’t make a mamma tear up!
• Tuesday, I enjoyed a pedicure and long lunch with a dear friend.

These strategies are what is allowing me to enjoy this time of year…I feel less like Scrooge and am now really looking forward to the coming weeks.

Do you feel overwhelmed during the holidays?  If so, what healthy strategies do you employ to handle your stress?