Holiday Stress Busters

If you’re a mum midway through school holidays you may be feeling stressed out.  If you are home with little ones, school holidays have become your normal. When they do hit, it throws out the family routine. Gone are the days of school to occupy the bulk of the week. There is care to organise, activities to plan and fund. Finding the energy to survive the holidays and possibly work and keep on top of domestics, can send your Stress Richter into over drive. That’s not to say it isn’t fun to enjoy time together but having a solid plan and stress busters to call on, will ensure you cope with whatever comes up.

 Be prepared to step away to regroup when there are too many demands being juggled at once. Take yourself for a long loo break. Take a few breaths where you extend the inhale, pause and take a long exhale. This is the quickest way to tell your brain that you are okay and can do this. 

 Call on your allies to debrief or outsource some of the care. Talking through your stressors out loud not only gives perspective but access to support.  Our own inner critic is generally not satisfied with the job we are doing. The house is a mess, it’s unfair to put kids into care or it’s lazy to stay home. You would reassure a friend if they had the same thoughts yet we demand more from ourselves. 

Anchor yourself back to the present using your senses. Feel your body by noticing your feet pressing against the ground, what can you see, hear, smell? It will take your mind off everything for a moment and at the same time dial down your stress level. Tune into things that you find pleasant. The body remembers what it likes and calms a little.

 Then get moving on your to do list by doing a tidy up, taking the kids out or make it fun to stay home.  Don’t forget to reduce your vulnerability to not coping with stress by getting enough sleep, attending to your physical health, nutrition and exercise.