Staying Sane During The Holiday Season
For years, maybe about 12, I have been lying to myself and saying that the holidays are blissful and full of joy, when every year, I was just finding ways to cope to barely get by.
One year, I made 12 different types of Christmas cookies, having an extra layer of chaos made me feel like there was a reason for me to feel like I was going crazy.
Another year, I made 2 handcrafted ornaments for presents for my family. I knew that was a disaster when I got glitter glue on a pair of work pants, while cookies burned in the over.
Last year, my soul finally gave in and broke down. As I was driving to Target after my run one cold evening, I started having a mild panic attack, followed by uncontrollable sobbing, hiccups and ugly face included. I turned off the Christmas music, drove home and buried myself under my blankets while listening to Brazilian Samba.
I have asked myself why does Christmas stress me out. And so many different answers came to mind... The start of the celebration being elongated more and more each year, the amount of money I had to spend on buying gifts, and the insane desire to find "PERFECT" gifts for each member of my family that comes with shopping; Missing the traditions of my childhood, which I have not been able to duplicate in the USA.
So this year, I'm taking it easy on myself on every angle...
1. I don't have to listen to Christmas music non stop. I leave that to all the grocery stores, department stores and the rest of the word. This year I have been listening to music that genuinely makes my heart happy, and limit my Christmas music to the grocery store... but if even that is bugging me, I put on my headphones and dance in the aisles at Wegmas to Anitta. ( Yes, I dance while I shop for groceries)
2. I am buying limited gifts. My family and I agreed on a gift exchange instead of buying lots of things people don't need. I am spending time and effort on putting a good gift together for my person.... and I have learned more about make up in the last week, Than I did in my entire life!!
3. Stop seeking perfection. I am most looking forward to spending some down time with my son, eating good food, and running some miles the rest of the month. I had a small list of things I wanted to buy for my family, and I'm checking things off without thinking TOO MUCH about it.
4. I'm only baking 2 cookies from scratch, and either buying dough or buying other cookies.
5. Minimizing my gift list. I spent a lot of time in previous years trying to figure out what gifts my family could give me. And each year, I would love their thoughtfulness, but didn't use the things they gave me. This year I asked for the registration to my favorite race, a pair of sneakers and a running vest. If I get one of this items, I will be happy. If I don't, I will still be happy.
I also need to say that Roger and my son took over the entire decorating process, because they both LOVE decorating for Christmas, and that was a huge weight off MY shoulders.
So far, I am surviving this holiday season and dancing in the bathroom to J Balvin.
One year, I made 12 different types of Christmas cookies, having an extra layer of chaos made me feel like there was a reason for me to feel like I was going crazy.
Another year, I made 2 handcrafted ornaments for presents for my family. I knew that was a disaster when I got glitter glue on a pair of work pants, while cookies burned in the over.
Last year, my soul finally gave in and broke down. As I was driving to Target after my run one cold evening, I started having a mild panic attack, followed by uncontrollable sobbing, hiccups and ugly face included. I turned off the Christmas music, drove home and buried myself under my blankets while listening to Brazilian Samba.
I have asked myself why does Christmas stress me out. And so many different answers came to mind... The start of the celebration being elongated more and more each year, the amount of money I had to spend on buying gifts, and the insane desire to find "PERFECT" gifts for each member of my family that comes with shopping; Missing the traditions of my childhood, which I have not been able to duplicate in the USA.
So this year, I'm taking it easy on myself on every angle...
1. I don't have to listen to Christmas music non stop. I leave that to all the grocery stores, department stores and the rest of the word. This year I have been listening to music that genuinely makes my heart happy, and limit my Christmas music to the grocery store... but if even that is bugging me, I put on my headphones and dance in the aisles at Wegmas to Anitta. ( Yes, I dance while I shop for groceries)
2. I am buying limited gifts. My family and I agreed on a gift exchange instead of buying lots of things people don't need. I am spending time and effort on putting a good gift together for my person.... and I have learned more about make up in the last week, Than I did in my entire life!!
3. Stop seeking perfection. I am most looking forward to spending some down time with my son, eating good food, and running some miles the rest of the month. I had a small list of things I wanted to buy for my family, and I'm checking things off without thinking TOO MUCH about it.
4. I'm only baking 2 cookies from scratch, and either buying dough or buying other cookies.
5. Minimizing my gift list. I spent a lot of time in previous years trying to figure out what gifts my family could give me. And each year, I would love their thoughtfulness, but didn't use the things they gave me. This year I asked for the registration to my favorite race, a pair of sneakers and a running vest. If I get one of this items, I will be happy. If I don't, I will still be happy.
I also need to say that Roger and my son took over the entire decorating process, because they both LOVE decorating for Christmas, and that was a huge weight off MY shoulders.
So far, I am surviving this holiday season and dancing in the bathroom to J Balvin.
I'm glad you limited the holidays to only do the things that work for YOU. And kudos to your men for taking on the decorating!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, normally I freaking LOVE Christmas, but this year, for several reasons, it has made me feel very overwhelmed. I wasn't happy and I just wanted to skip it.
Luckily, things in my personal life started to get better and now I don't have negative feelings toward Christmas. I am not as excited as I normally am but I am also not wanting to skip it. So we'll see...