The Anti-Burnout Holiday Game Plan for Moms

Let’s set the scene: It’s barely October, and somehow your calendar is already filled with trunk-or-treats, potlucks, classroom "celebrations" (code for you doing everything), and "fun" family outings that require twelve layers of planning and fourteen snacks per child.

And this is before the gift guides, the matching pajama photoshoots, the in-law negotiations, and the inevitable "why didn’t you RSVP?" text.

The holiday hustle is real, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be decking the halls right into a full-blown cortisol collapse.

So this year? We’re not doing that.
Here’s your Anti-Burnout Game Plan to prep, protect, and power through this season without losing your mind (or your immune system).

1. Set Your "Non-Negotiables" Early (Like...Now)

Before you start saying yes to everything from the school bake sale to your cousin’s awkward Friendsgiving, take a moment and ask:

✨ What do I actually want out of this holiday season?

Do you want slow mornings and cozy movie nights? Time with your kids? Sanity?

Make a list of your top 3 “non-negotiables.” Maybe it’s not hosting anything. Maybe it’s staying in pajamas until noon on Christmas Eve. Maybe it’s just not cooking for 17 people.

🔒 Write them down. Protect them like they’re over priced concert tickets!

2. Learn the Sacred Power of "No, Thank You"

Your nervous system cannot handle 43 events in 6 weeks. That’s not holiday cheer, that’s trauma with tinsel.

Start using phrases like:

• “That sounds lovely, but we’re keeping things simple this year.”

• “Thanks for the invite, we’ve got enough on our plate right now.”

• “Hard pass.” (Okay, maybe don’t say that one out loud. Unless you mean it.)

Every time you say yes to something that drains you, you’re saying no to rest, calm, and your immune system. Choose wisely.

3. Build in Weekly Energy Check-Ins

Here’s a wild idea: What if you scheduled rest like you schedule chaos?

📅 Every Sunday, look at the week ahead. Ask:

• Where do I need to say no?

• What can I move, cancel, or simplify?

• When am I going to do something for me?

Yes, even if it’s just a quiet shower with no one knocking on the door. (Manifesting.)

4. Create a “Holiday Buffer Ritual” (Because You're Not a Robot)

Let’s say you just came back from a crowded holiday event. You smiled, small-talked, carried coats, and possibly absorbed the energy of 17 overstimulated toddlers.

Your body needs a buffer...a 10-minute reset to bring your nervous system down from Defcon 1.

Try this:

• Change clothes when you get home

• Light a candle or diffuse calming oils

• Sit or lie down with your feet up

• Put your phone in timeout

• Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6  (repeat x3)

Bonus points if you add dark chocolate or a bath.

5. Let Go of the Martha Stewart Holiday Fantasy

We don’t have time for glitter-wrapped pressure and performative perfection. Your kids don’t care about how “curated” the holiday is. They want YOU...calm, present, and not screaming at the ribbon drawer.

They will remember the feeling in the house; not the Instagrammable centerpiece.

So do the gingerbread houses. Or don’t.
Send the holiday cards. Or don’t.
Just stop doing things for the aesthetic and start doing them for the joy.

You Don’t Have to Hustle for the Holidays to Matter

This season is allowed to be simple. It’s allowed to be quiet. It’s allowed to be yours.

So here's your permission slip to step out of survival mode and into something softer. Something slower. Something sacred.

Your energy is a limited resource. Spend it wisely.

P.S. Want more anti-burnout, pro-sanity tips this season?
Come hang with me on Pinterest  where I’m sharing fall and holiday boards full of recipes, rituals, immune support, and just enough sarcasm to survive the season.

And in case you missed it: my book is officially shipping.
📘 Grab your copy here  and gift yourself the real talk, tools, and mom truth you actually need this holiday season.