Christmas Stress: Confessions From A Stressed Mom

It's Christmas eve, and confess, Christmas stress just got to me. For as long as I can remember, I have found get a lot of stress at Christmas time. Even when I was a child, the mayhem of gift-giving, and the pressure to have a perfect day, when so many families are suffering, always gave me a slight case of Christmas stress.

It wasn't until recently that I figured out why I felt that way, and really simplified the materialistic side of Christmas in place of appreciate family and being grateful for all I have.

But today, I have a confession to make... I kind of lost it on my kids. And now I have this mother's guilt thing happening. So here is what happened...
My kids are wonderful but like most kids, they are really wound up today. It's Christmas ever and they are excited about the gifts and cookies and everything else that comes with Christmas. So they were running around the house screaming and playing and I realized they needed to get some fresh air. Getting out in nature always calms them (and me) down.

So this stressed mom got the family into the car and about 5 minutes into the car ride to the hiking trail, which is a good 20 minute drive away, my kids were still screaming and carrying on in the car, and just ignoring me when I asked them to calm down... they were not fighting mind you, but just overpowering everyone else in the car and being annoying in general. And the thing that tipped me over the edge is that they just wouldn't listen when I asked them to settle down. And I feel listening to people is a very important thing to know how to do.

Now, I am a pretty patient mother in general but every now and then, I do lose it. And this was one of those times. I stopped the car and told them they had to separate or take it down a notch. I guess the 'magic' of Christmas was just too strong and they continued being silly and loud. In normal circumstances, I could handle it, but today, I snapped. I turned the car around and went home, sending my husband, who doesn't get bothered by this type of thing, to take them out without me.

Honestly, I just needed a break a bit of down time, and so I took it.

During that hour I sat in the quiet of the house and I realized how lucky I am to have kids, and that sometimes all a stressed mother needs is a little time for herself. Time to reflect and appreciate all she has, despite some normal life frustrations.

Taking the time to think about all I am grateful for really helped me shed my Christmas stress and now I am ready for a fun evening because my patience has been renewed.

I am grateful that my kids are so great. I am grateful we are healthy. I am grateful we have presents under out tree and delicious food on our table, when so many families are feeling the pinch this year. I am grateful that we haven't had any natural disasters in our area, and grateful for where we live. I am grateful for my family and friends, and all the love that surrounds us. I am grateful for my bed. I am grateful for my mom. I am grateful to have such have traveled a lot. I am grateful that my husband is a good cook. I am grateful to be able to work from home and not have to deal with a boss or anyone telling me how much I am worth or what time to be where.

This Christmas Eve, I send my love to all the families and children in the world who are less fortunate than I am right now. But I realize that things could change at any time and never take a moment for granted. And even at times when I feel the stress of being a mom, I appreciate the bigger picture of our life.

So if you are feeling Christmas stress this year, I encourage you to write down a list for everything you are grateful for too.

It changed me right around today and put everything into perspective.

Rebecca

"Grateful mother"

Rebecca Ness is a work from home (or anywhere there's an internet connection) mom who loves helping other families create extra income streams from home. To see exactly how she works from home visit her at http://www.work-from-anywhere-family.com/

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