Our organizer’s tips for reducing holiday stress
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This blog’s “professional organizer” Amanda Wiss, whose help we can always use, has generously answered my request for ways to reduce holiday stress. I am up to my neck in stress and desperately needed some advice.
3 Simple Strategies to Reduce Holiday Stress
Amanda Wiss of Urban Clarity
by Amanda Wiss of Urban Clarity
December can be both joyful and overwhelming, especially as a parent with young children. After one too many Mommy meltdowns, I now wholly subscribe to the theory that being calm and relaxed is the best gift you can give your family, no matter what the season. Here are three simple strategies so the holidays feel more meaningful and magical – and you’re not nicknamed Scrooge.
1. Design a Workable plan.
If you haven’t set holiday priorities with your family, the time is now. Chat with your partner (and children, if they’re old enough) about what’s most important. Discuss which traditions to keep, which to discard and which to create. Prioritize the invitations you receive. If you decide to attend something, it’s perfectly reasonable to make a brief appearance. Keep coming back to what’s most important to your family….and drown out the rest of the noise.
2. Manage your energy!
To prevent crankiness all around, take time to properly care of yourself and your family. You know the drill – plenty of sleep, lots of water, exercise and down time. Beyond protecting your child’s naptime and playtime, carve out time for yourself. Especially if you’re spending time with extended family, you’ll need to take time away from the crowd. Book that massage or check the yoga schedule – you’re going to need it!
3. Delight in the simple pleasures.
Even as your to do list overflows, stay in the moment. Watch your child stare with awe at the decorations, or listen to her teach her sister a holiday song. They’re only young once, and this is the stuff you want to remember. Be grateful for all that you have, and know that whatever you do is the right and best thing for your family. (Really!)
Amanda Wiss is the founder of Urban Clarity, a Brooklyn-based professional organizing firm. She helps parents reduce their stress by streamlining their homes, work spaces, and schedules.
