The holidays can be a loving and wonderful time of year.
So why does it seem to get overwhelming and stressful? The pressure of gifts, money, where you’re going, what you’re doing, the list goes on for what seems like forever!
The holidays have been my favorite time of year since I was a little girl.
I love spending time with family and just being able to be together and enjoy each other while celebrating life.
So when I got married and then had kids, my holidays started getting busier, as you can imagine! I was determined to make sure I have an amazing holiday each year.
Not only for myself but also for my family. I want my kids to have this same magical feeling that I was able to have.
I have the BEST 5 ways to decrease your holiday stress for good regardless of your situation.
- Lower your expectations of others
- Are you expecting your kids to be on their “best behavior”? Or expecting the food to turn out perfectly? Are you expecting everyone to be there? What if…you only expected them to be themselves. Sometimes kids get overwhelmed with the stimulation of the holidays and that’s okay. What if you do burn some food? What would you do? What will you do if not everyone shows up? You can only control your response not others.
- Raise your expectations of yourself
- That’s where your expectations for yourself come in remember you can figure anything out. Now if you have anxiety like me, you’ve thought of the worst-case scenario. Now go there, to your worst-case scenario for the holiday. Let’s say it is true. How do you want to respond to it? What will you do? Who do you want to be if that happens?
- Plan it All!
- Start planning for gifts and food now. Plan out your decorations. Do you want to go all out this year? Do it! Want to lay low this year? Do it! Do what feels right for you. (Besides, you’re the one that lives in your home!) Are you going somewhere and can’t bring your dog? Good boarding places and pet sitters fill up FAST (so if that’s you I encourage you to go plan right now!) Put all of this on your calendar and stick to it. When the time comes and you want to watch Netflix instead resist the urge and remember to respect your schedule and the commitment you made with yourself. Your animals deserve the best care and you deserve to be stress-free!
- Just Say No
- Is there something you’re just dreading? Maybe you don’t want to cook a certain something, maybe you don’t even want to host! Maybe you’re not comfortable having everyone over right now, that’s okay. It’s okay to say no. I’m giving you permission right now to say no to something that makes you anxious just thinking about it. You don’t have to people please for anyone! As long as you love your reason for saying no, that’s all you need.
- Have Fun
- It’s important to remember to have fun and give yourself and family a lot of love. Sometimes we forget that our family are just people too with their own past experiences that we may know nothing about. So enjoy this time with them. Does someone not want to come? Then celebrate with the people who are there. Play games, decorate cookies, watch movies, there is so much fun to do!
Year after year these 5 tips can help you have a stress free holiday season. Last year right before the holidays my soul mate dog Remy and my grandmother passed away. Both were unexpected. Both were incredibly emotional. But these 5 tips helped me through.
Here’s a bonus tip for anyone grieving this Holiday season whether it be for a loved one or a different loss.
- You are allowed to be sad, excuse yourself (without an excuse), cry, want a hug, not want a hug, whatever it is that helps you through this Holiday season. Life will always be what you make it no matter your situation. You are allowed to grieve for a while and then play a game with your family and enjoy yourself in the same day. So enjoy the holidays how you want to enjoy them.
If you want to take this work a little deeper join me for free coaching and training on Monday (for the rest of 2020) and Thursday evenings at 4:00 pm CT. Together this can be the best Holiday season yet!
Join us HERE.
All my love,
Melissa Etzler
Melissa Etzler
I’m Melissa Etzler, a mom of two, wife, and life coach. I help you with all the things, because there’s a lot. Especially when running your own business, and being a mom, and also being a wife. I show you how to live your life with purpose and meaning from the inside out. I’ve been an entrepreneur for seven years and I absolutely love being a life coach. The transformation from self doubt to self worth is something I feel blessed to be able to contribute to the community and beyond, because it will literally change your life. In my spare time I love volunteering for the community and am the president of Wood Violet Animal Rescue a local non profit. I know what it’s like to want more from life and am excited to share with all of you how to achieve your dreams and live your life with true meaning. Podcast / Website / Instagram
Leave a Reply