Less & More: The WFH Mom Edit

Cheers to the most wonderful time of the year! I think…

Sitting by my Christmas tree late Friday night I found myself thinking every four seconds that I should be working on that one DIY gift for my grandma or I should be organizing the kids’ clothing in their rooms so I can make donations of things that are too small ahead of Christmas, or that I should be doing some work things to get a jump on the time where things will be super quiet between Christmas and the new year. I pretended I was going to relax and here I am running a mental checklist of all the things I should be doing instead of just being in this moment watching all the cheesy holiday movies.

Are we all cruising toward a merry, little meltdown?

This story from TIME notes that parents are more stressed than ever and I am feeling it. Talking to friends and family the overwhelming takeaway is that people feel like there’s never a second to breathe. There’s school spirit weeks and moving the elf and social obligations and gift planning and cleaning and decorating and and and. In the season that should be so cozy and festive it is almost like feeling stretched so thin is unavoidable. I heard a mom say she’s just getting through December and can’t wait until January and I’m like, but I don’t want to just get through it. I want to enjoy the magic! And the cozy feels! And lights! I don’t want the perpetual state of burn out to impact my ability to enjoy the moment at hand any more than it already has.

But what if we leaned into tiny moments more? What if we said no to things? What if we didn’t allow the season to pass by in a blue so that we don’t even really enjoy it? What if we took small moments for gratitude even if it feels a little cheesy because our kids are kids one time and this moment should be special?

A list-maker by nature, I immediately opened the sticky notes app on my laptop and made a quick list of all the small ways I could enjoy the season and, if I’m being honest, I looked at the calendar and mentally canceled the things that I don’t really want to do right now (which is a luxury). Sharing my quick list in case you can lean into any of these things to steal a few moments of merriment for yourself.

–A Minty Zen Ten: Years ago I incorporated “zen ten” into my day because I was working 60+ hour work weeks from home with two small kids along with me for the ride. Zen ten was a ten minute block where I walked away from my computer and enjoyed a cup of coffee in peace. The holiday version of this includes a zen ten minutes but make sure you add hot cocoa or peppermint (bonus that peppermint will help your digestive system and can regulate your nervous system). Bonus points if you find yourself a cute lil glass, too.

–Do the YES Things: My sister and I recently were chatting about how when we feel overwhelmed or life is super busy everyone’s answer is to cancel the things we actually want to do. It’s tiresome constantly saying no to the fun little things or things you actually want in order to make room for obligation so…I’m leaning into the things I want to do. I took something off my calendar that was not mandatory and I was not looking forward to in order to carve out time to bake holiday cookies. It seems silly but I always want to spend a few hours baking different cookies for our neighbors and my husband’s coworkers but then the season gets busy and I decide other things are more important so I cancel what I want to do. Baking is relaxing! And festive! And fun!

–Beautiful Background Noise: Even if all you want to do is lay on the couch and zone out to the best corny holiday movies ABC Family or Lifetime has to offer, there are other things to do. I love to multi-task so I love to blast the Christmas music or put on holiday movies in the background when organizing gifts, working, cooking, whatever. I fully dip my brain in those red and green sprinkles all December long.

–Get Lean: I will say it again – you are allowed to say no or just cut back on things that don’t make your heart sing. You don’t have to go full Christmas with the Kranks but you can decide to pare down your shopping list this year or ditch that time-consuming DIY project and just buy Aunt Carole a really great something or other at the craft fair. Get lean on your sanity too and just go into the woods and scream for a bit! Seriously, you deserve to enjoy all the magic and cozy vibes and good feelings this time of year usually brings so I hope you find a few minutes to soak that in just for you.

With about a week until the big show, we hope you are feeling festive and making the most merry of it. How do you deal with holiday overwhelm and stress??

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