A mom we interviewed recently talked about moving to part-time work to give herself mental space, which really resonated with me. And I decided that I’m going to work on giving myself extra “space” during the holidays.
The holidays are usually a time to spend with family and friends. It can be a fun time with our loved ones. It can also be a stressful time because there are a lot of moving parts and we often want the season to be amazing, especially for our kids. There is sometimes travel, prepping the house, preparing the meal, and all the usual coordination it takes when we interact with family and friends for holiday gatherings. And there is often little to no downtime for moms and their families.
It seems like mental space fits into how to enjoy the holiday season and keep the stress to a minimum. That way we make sure that we don’t overdo it, even if we have time as part-time working mom. I recently read the blog from Carrie Contey on being intentional during the holidays. There is also a blog from Renee Trudeau about figuring out what you need during the holiday.
We won’t act like the experts on helping you figure out how to most enjoy the holidays. What we will say is give yourself a break and understand you don’t have to give 100% on everything. You work hard, whether you work 10 hours or 40 (yes, for some industries that is part-time). Being a mommy is hard and then trying to balance career stuff too – whew! And then add all the other holiday stuff.
So, have that glass of wine, take the bubble bath, take a hike (with our without the family), grab lunch with a friend, whatever you need to get a break. Feel comfortable with saying “no” to an event or signing up to bring something easy to your child’s holiday party. It’s OK to order part or all of your holiday “feast” from a store or choose a simpler menu with some things from a box. There are great pies or cakes from a bakery or just thaw one out. Do an ice cream sundae bar with super simple toppings for dessert (think chocolate chips, fruit and chocolate syrup – no one will complain about that). And give yourself some much needed mental space.
We’d love for you to share how you will give yourself a break and create some mental space this holiday season in the comments below.
