Why Adulting is HARD During the Holiday’s

The other day, I woke up to my glaring alarm clock at 6am. Pure exhaustion was at its finest. I had to catch a train later that morning, yet, I hadn’t packed for my weekend trip. So, I grabbed my coffee, started to chug it down to wake myself up, and I still didn’t feel awake. However, through it all, I got up and I started to hustle and hustle double as much as I was just a month ago. COVID-19 shot down the holiday festivities for the most part in 2020, and in 2021 my exhaustion is greater than ever before. With all of this, I know that I am NOT alone. The holidays are exhausting and that is OKAY!

Since starting my full-time job, I have felt exhausted more than ever before. Working full time is extremely tiring, and it is the grind that never stops. So many days, I wake up and think “oh I want to do *insert activity here* and I’ll get to it over Winter Break”, but then realize that working full time does not usually provide the luxury of a three week break. Some jobs don’t even give Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day off – I feel VERY fortunate that I have both off and am able to take a few days off for myself. It’s hard to realize that the working world does not have the same luxuries as the college world in terms of Winter Break and breaks, but it is something that each of us must face in our lives. We MUST keep going, despite all of the lack of breaks that we may get.

A few weeks ago, my friend Shivani and I were talking about how we do not need to overbook ourselves during the holiday season. However, I have *most definitely* overbooked myself already. I am traveling every weekend before Christmas, traveling even during the week, going on a few late afternoon/evening excursions, attending evening events and even hosting my own Christmas Party, and traveling for New Years, too – ALL while working full time. Let alone, we cannot forget that every human needs 3 meals a day give or take, some time for physical activity, time to work on their potential side hustle, and take care of their potential pets/children along with getting approximately 8 hours of sleep each night, in order to be healthy. Not to mention, the holidays brings on gift shopping, gift cooking and baking, decorating for the holidays, gift wrapping, card sending, and much more. The holidays are crazy, and it’s easy to overbook ourselves, especially when the world feels like it is never-ending.

When I was in college, a friend and I were in her car before a fashion show for one of our finals. For the course, the fashion show was a part of our final exam. I recall while riding with her to go pick out outfits for modeling within that fashion show she said “finals feel like a 3 week period that we think is never-ending until it is”. Indeed, the holidays are the SAME exact way for adults. However, the break part usually isn’t 3 weeks to a month. We keep going, despite the fatigue and we learn something if not many things from it. We learn how to maintain ourselves on our own and not depend on anyone else. We gain independence, strength, and the dedication to our work and outside of work commitments. Adulting is TOUGH, but it is the pathway to the life that can provide for ourselves, our pets, and someday our partners and maybe even children.

Adulting sucks sometimes, but it can also be super rewarding. The holidays make adulting that much more tougher. Having to keep going, despite the stress, chaos, and overbooking outside of the work world isn’t easy. But, at the same time, each and every single one of us has one life to live. Even throughout the extreme fatigue that arises during the holiday season with it all, living our lives to the fullest and enjoying every single moment is important. We all have one life to live and it is what we make it, especially during this holiday season of overbooking, overcommitment, and most importantly togetherness.

XOXO – Katie <3

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How I Stay Sane During the Holiday’s

Holiday party apparel on – check. Curling up in a blanket on the couch thanks to exhaustion – check. Drinking wine out of an old coffee mug – check. Christmas happens to be everywhere around me – check. The holiday’s can be INSANE y’all. With 2020 bringing about a lot less holiday parties and in-person gatherings of all sorts, this upcoming 2021 holiday season will be bringing about a much much much crazier holiday season than ever before. Not only will we be adjusting to in-person festivities yet again, but we will also be dealing with the holiday craze like never before. Nevertheless, the holiday’s make staying sane anything but possible. Well, until today’s blog post, which I hope will help you a bit!

How I Stay Sane During the Holiday’s

  1. Start early – There’s nothing worse than it being one week until Christmas time and you have yet to decorate the tree, wrap the gifts, decide what casserole to make, and to bake that batch of cookies. Yes, we all know that it can be a lot at times, but it always helps to start early. You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm!
  2. Make a list of EVERYTHING I aspire to accomplish this holiday season – Decorating the house, buying the presents, baking the casseroles and cookies, hosting that holiday party, and wrapping all those presents. There’s A LOT that we have to do for the holiday’s in general. The holiday’s are a crazy time of year, and it is oh so easy for everything that we aspire to and need to do this season to get all jumbled in our minds. That being said, it most definitely helps to see in writing what you aspire to accomplish this holiday season. When you see it all out in the open, then you can conquer it in increments, especially when starting early!
  3. Check that list twice – Before we find out whose naughty or nice, we gotta check our holiday to do’s list again and again and again. Usually, there are so many things that we need to do that we do not even realize that we need to do until later. That being said, checking our list twice helps us accomplish what we need to do and aspire to do and even more.
  4. Make a budget – Let’s get this straight: the holiday’s are expensive! That being said, making a budget is key to success when it comes to the holidays. There are so many expenses that come with it all and to be able to set your limits early and not via a hefty credit card bill come January is the key to financial success during this crazy exciting season.
  5. Stick to that said budget – Now, the hardest part of it all is actually having the discipline to stick to that budget. To be honest, I struggle with this one the most out of them all, but despite the struggles, sticking to a budget is oh so rewarding and worth it in the long run.
  6. Do tasks on your list in increments – When accomplishing and tackling the holidays, do it all in increments. As previously mentioned, the holidays is indeed a crazy *overwhelming* time of year. So, doing what you can to get what you need to get done little by little will help keep you sane and be successful, too.
  7. Take time to soak up some holiday cheer! – Most importantly, through it all, take some time to sit back, relax, and enjoy some holiday cheer. Enjoy that glass of Egg nog, that Peppermint Mocha, and that Shot of Bailey’s and everything in between! Take the time to admire the Christmas decorations all around, time with friends and family, and give back to those around you. But, take the time for YOU too.

The holiday’s are a crazy time of year, but they can also be a super exciting time of year. Through it all, be sure to soak in ALL of the holiday cheer. Get a dose of Christmas spirit and take it everywhere you go, too!

XOXO – Katie <3

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