7 Tips for Managing Holiday Stress as a Home Business Owner

The holiday season is officially underway (even though it feels like fall just started)!

• Do you get stressed during the holiday season?
• Is it a bit overwhelming for you?

With family, children, gifts, cookies, parties, holiday orders and much more, it’s easy to understand why you might be feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment! It’s normal, and I assure you — you’re not alone!

Take a deep breath.

Here are seven easy, straight-forward tips for managing holiday stress you might be feeling as the season approaches.

1. Don’t Take on More Than You Can Handle

As mothers, we often have difficulty telling people no. It’s okay to do that, and sometimes you need to maintain your sanity. Try not to feel guilty. Each of us has our limits, and we need to know and respect them. The world will not end if you don’t send an extra treat to your child’s holiday party or if you don’t host the neighborhood holiday open house. If you feel the need to add something to your list this year, make sure you take something else off.

2. Prioritize

Make your list and stick to it! It’s important to recognize which things on your list are necessary and crucial to you. These things should go at the top. Manage your time and do the most pressing matters first. It’s okay to have some things on your list that are there just if time allows. The things toward the bottom of your list will be the ones you don’t get to if time runs out. And, that’s okay!

3. Focus on Your Kids

Nothing will bring you more joy than spending time with and enjoying your children! After all, they are why you do everything you do. The holiday season truly is magical through the eyes of children. Take the time to enjoy and savor that. If they are your focus and your priority, everything else will inevitably fall into place.

4. Be Honest

Not only with others but with yourself! If you really don’t want to attend your great-aunt Nancy’s neighbor’s Christmas gathering, don’t! If you do not want to participate in the secret Santa exchange at church, say so. When you aren’t honest, you’re hurting more than just yourself. This goes back to knowing your limits and respecting them.

5. Cut Yourself Off

Last-minute projects tend to stress me out. So, I recommend establishing a cutoff date. And, be firm! Set your last day to order before Christmas early on and stick to it. Be sure to schedule time to bake your cookies in between Christmas programs and parties. Keep your calendar organized and try your hardest to get things done early. Saving shopping, baking, and wrapping until the last minute won’t be kind on your stress level.

6. Take Time Off

Just because you are an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you have to work over the holidays! Enjoy taking a few days off, or setting some time aside for just yourself. The holidays can be a busy and stressful time, but they are also a time to refocus and regroup for the coming year. Give yourself that time to rest and reassess, and then you’ll be even more ready to tackle the New Year!

7. Savor the Moment

Hopefully, by doing some of these things, you’ll be better able to hold off the holiday stress and enjoy the special times with your family. Because really that’s what it is all about. Keep the reason for the season in the forefront of your mind, and everything else will fall into place.

Conclusion

The holidays don’t have to be stressful. They can be a time of joy and delight, you just need to plan ahead, manage expectations, and know that it is okay to not do it all. Afterall, the holidays aren’t about being Pinterest perfect, they’re about spending time with your loved ones, honoring traditions, and observing your religious rituals.

Good luck! I’d love to hear about your plans for the upcoming holiday season and how you plan to balance it all.