Let’s get into a touchy topic today…We are smack in the middle of the holiday season and as a human this can be one of the most stressful times of the year. As a wife / mom / chief / event planner / Santa’s Elf / Family Personal Assistant this is go time for us! This is the time of year that we run off of pure caffeine, little sleep and its pure insanity. With that being said we need to talk about how you are going to safeguard your inner peace. Of course, there's the financial stress that rolls around with the holiday season but how about the stress of family. I hear every year the complaints from friends on how they have to spend Christmas Eve at Aunt Mary's house and they don’t even get along with Aunt Mary. My favorite is when they tell me they have to go to 4 or 5 different houses to “show face” so no one gets upset. Ummm why? Where is the respect for your time? Especially those of you that have your own families. No matter how big or small that family of yours may be, it’s still your family unit. When do you get to start creating your own family traditions? Just to be clear, I’m talking about having to attend events/dinners/gatherings that you could care less to attend. You know what I’m talking about. Like having to go to Tio Juans house for Thanksgiving dinner even though Tio Juan hates your husband and will make rude comments all night about him until you finally decide it’s time to go. When do you tell yourself that your inner peace is worth protecting? I learned from a very young age that the majority of my family wasn’t going to be made up of those I was tied to by blood. Maybe because I learned this when I was so young it was just normal for me and that resulted in me always being okay with it. There have been some pretty amazing people that I’ve been blessed to cross paths with and they have changed my life. There are others that have been there for me in my darkest days and in the ugliest of times, never left my side. Then you have those that love my kids like they were their own and share life experiences and adventures with us. These people are my family too even though there isn’t a drop of blood connecting us! These are the people I choose to spend my time with. These are the people I choose to expose my children to. You have that same power. What I am trying to tell you here is that it is okay to have boundaries. Actually, boundaries are one of the healthiest things you can do for your own personal mental health. You have to have a clear understanding of what you are comfortable dealing with and what is going to be a strong NO for you. Really take a moment and think about this. Why would you subject yourself but most importantly your family, your children to people or things that don’t protect your peace. It is okay to love from a distance and have different types of relationships with people and family that are important to you. It’s not you being “fake” or “two-faced”. This is you saying “Hey I see how you operate and what direction you're moving in but that’s not how I operate, and I have to move in this opposite direction. I still love you, respect you and support you and that’s why I am getting out of your way”. Everyone has a place in your life, and you have to rearrange that tree of life around your boundaries to protect your inner peace and THAT’s OK!
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