Holiday Stress-Buster Ideas for Moms
Can you believe it is almost Christmas? For many Moms, the holidays equal stress. If your life is already jam-packed (and whose mom’s life isn’t ?) adding responsibilities, visits, and shopping can amount to complete overload and veritable crazinesss. If you happen to have a baby this holiday season, multiply the stress level by 100! You might think that one baby would not be a problem to “fit into” the holidays. You would be wrong.
One of the biggest issues for a mom and baby during the holidays is the change in schedule due to visits of family and friends. With this particular issue in mind, I’ve created a few ideas for you to use to ease the pain of the ‘visit’ requirement. Although these tips were originally created with a baby in mind, feel free to use them any time for any time of the year for any event. After all, everyone needs a break now and again and as you will see a laugh or two as well!
The Top Three Ways to Keep Your Sanity This Holiday Season:
Get out of dodge: Plan ahead for next year’s holiday season. Create a fictional distant relative and organize a vacation for your immediate family to a remote location. This way, your extended family’s feelings won’t get hurt and you can bond with your spouse and your kids while sipping a Mai Tai.
Fake an illness: This is a sure-fire way to avoid family gatherings. Make it something “non-specific” so you don’t get bombarded with questions and suggestions for going to the doctor aka Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. A intestinal issue is usually a sure-fire winner . Your family will be more than happy to excuse your absence from the holiday table.
The Ole’ Switcheroo: This one has been a well-kept secret for decades. Here’s how it works. You tell one side of the family that you are visiting the other side of the family and vice-versa. You stay home! (This method works best for those families that live in different states) Beware, though, The Ole’ Switcheroo can tumble like a house of cards at the very next joint family event when one side asks the other side, “How were the holidays?”
If none of the above suggestions provide you with a solid idea for avoiding stress this season, try keeping the following in mind:
If you are a new mom and have a baby, he doesn’t realize it is a special time. Take advantage of that fact and try not to put so much pressure on yourself to make the holiday “perfect”.
If you do go visiting, try the “show late, leave early” approach. Your family will understand the brevity of your visit but will appreciate the effort.
Never, I repeat, never, try “supersplitsies.” No one ever comes out of “supersplitsies” alive. (Super Splitsies is defined as visiting both sets of families on the same day!)
Finally, remember it is the holidays, so you have an excuse to have a drink.
Do you have any tips for beating holiday stress? Share with the class!
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Tags: holiday family visits, holiday issues, holiday stress, moms, motherhood
