Have you ever noticed that many of us run around as if our hair were on fire because of all kinds of commitments? Then just for the thrill of it, we tend to add more activities to our holiday calendar.
Some of us do this because it feels like a challenge. Others do it because everyone expects them to. Besides, if they don’t do it, who will? Whatever the case may be, we often find ourselves sitting in carpool line, at class parties or sitting with friends commiserating about the insanely busy holiday season, how exhausted we are and how we can’t wait for it to all be over.
Plenty of us have said yes to activities thinking, “What’s one more thing? It’s really not that big of a deal.” A couple of weeks later, we find ourselves irritated for saying yes and waking up in the middle of the night wondering how we will get it all done – and we only have ourselves to blame.
One mom found herself completely exhausted from all she had said yes to while she tried to have the house perfect by the time her kids made it home for the holidays. When they headed back to school, her daughter said, “We really don’t care about a spotless house. We come home to spend time with you. It’s a lot more fun when you aren’t irritable and sleep-deprived.”
That was a moment of awakening for the mom. She realized that not taking care of herself had cost her precious time with her family.