Listen to the Warning Signs

Everywhere we go, we see, “The Holidays are coming, the Holidays are coming!” The warning is louder than Paul Revere’s, “One if by land, two if by sea,” and just as alarming.

Regardless if you are prepper – having everything done by October 10 – or a last-minute planner, the pressure to have everything perfect for long-lasting memories can be exhausting.

Now I’m going to add one more to your to-do list: take care of yourself first.

We’ve all heard the flight attendant warning to put your own oxygen mask on first. But let’s imagine if we didn’t. What would happen if something happened to us before we had everything perfect?

For years, I found I sabotaged myself out of the holidays, forcing myself to take care of me: I was down for the count with a stay-at-home-for-weeks flu; I twisted my ankle; I discovered a crippling stomach flu. Every holiday I would end up in bed, unable to accomplish my long list of MUST do items. Some years, I would beg the children to try to accomplish the required duties.

Once I started noticing my ‘get-out-of-the-holidays’ pattern, I stopped planning and completing my ever-growing list. I stopped preparing months in advance. I decided to begin to enjoy the holidays as much as I wanted others to enjoy those days.

This process was not easy. Surprisingly, the one person who was the most disappointment was …me! At first, I felt like a failure, then I began to relax, to breathe, and to enjoy the holidays as much as my loved ones did. It felt good and I never heard one complaint. In fact, it seemed as if the family enjoyed my sense of calm and peace as much as I did.

As we approach our end of year holiday rush, consider Paul Revere’s warning for you, adjusted for this century and our culture: “Care for me, then care for we.”