The holiday season is the busiest and most stressful time of the year for me.  My colleague Debbie and I were chatting about this the other day and all we could think is “here we go again into that ever so stressful season!”  It’s supposed to be “the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, as the Christmas song playing on the radio says.  Yet work, finances and other family or social commitments seem to bog us both down.  It got us thinking…is this time of year really that wonderful?

We rambled on about some trivial and some not-so-trivial hurdles to enjoying the holidays, realizing there has got to be a better way.  How can we balance work, leisure, and those family commitments that creep up during the holidays, so that we actually believe that it is “the most wonderful time of the year”?

In every moment we have a choice to stop…to think…to remember the purpose of the holidays.  We also have the choice to stop and think about maintaining an effective work-life balance.

Debbie and I came up with some ideas to help you create that work-life balance…

• Prioritizing: We often feel overwhelmed by the many “to do’s” of the holidays.  Focus your energy on what is most important to you, your family and friends.

• Slowing Down: Is something that many of us may not think to do but it’s key in balancing work and leisure time.  So, for my family I’ve done a holiday family movie night which brought many laughs and encouraged everyone to “slow down”. 

• The importance of family, friends and traditions: Think about what traditions are important to your family and friends.  Use these traditions to strengthen the relationships within your family and create lasting memories.

We all can take control of our lives during the busy holiday season and enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year”.

From all of us at HaltonParents, we wish you and your families a safe, happy, healthy and enjoyable holiday season.

Share your experience:

For more tips and hints about surviving the holidays, or to share your experience, there are many ways you can talk to one of us directly:

• Leave us a comment below – we’d love your feedback
• Talk to us on Twitter: @haltonparents
• Email us at haltonparents@halton.ca
• Dial 311 or 905-825-6000 for parenting information or to speak directly to a Public Health Nurse every Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

About this guest blogger:

Christina Stokl, RN has been working in the field of mental health for almost 5 years.  She is passionate about mental health and enjoys working with children and their families in her current role as a Mental Health Liaison Nurse in the North Halton Elementary Schools. Christina’s previous nursing roles have included mental health nursing on Assertive Community Treatment Teams inToronto and Halton.  Remember, there is no health without mental health!

Christina’s colleague, Debbie Bush, RN is a public health nurse on the Mental Health Liaison Nurse Team.  Debbie’s previous nursing roles have included Acute Mental Health Units inHamilton and Emergency Mental Health Assessment Teams in both Hamilton and Guelph.