I love the holidays. Especially as my girls get older Christmas really becomes fun. The lack of filter (due to ADHD) allows me to feel the excitement of the holidays at a really intense level. It’s why I put a timer on my smart watch to remember to move Leah, our Elf on the Shelf, just so I can see the joy on my youngest daughter’s face when she finds her in the morning.
“However, we all know that with the joy comes the crazy.”
However, we all know that with the joy comes the crazy. There is pressure to be like the put-together, PTA Mom who also is the DA of your county and blow dries her hair to perfection every morning and decorates her house to the nines the day after Thanksgiving. Holiday cards need to go out… to do that you need the picture and the outfits and the addresses and stamps. That’s just the tip of the iceberg….
To top of all the crazy that first world parents must go through, we also have ADHD to contend with. What if we forget to buy the big gift or bring the crescent rolls to Christmas dinner? (Not that I’ve ever done anything like that…). What if the Christmas cards get out so late they get delivered after Christmas? What if I spent all my money on myself on black Friday because I just couldn’t control myself? And I swear the Elf of on the Shelf mocks me from her perch on the mornings I forget to move her.
The holidays sometimes just feels too much. So this holiday season I am giving your permission to NOT do all the things. I give you permission to say NO! I give you permission to take a moment, ask yourself what you can handle and what you can’t and then say NO to the things that don’t serve you. I give you permission to put a few things on the back burner that don’t need your attention right this moment like folding laundry or making sure the kids get a bath every night.
“There is pressure to be like the put-together, PTA Mom who also is the DA of your county and blow dries her hair to perfection every morning and decorates her house to the nines the day after Thanksgiving.”
As I sit here having my own panic attack over the holidays and all that needs to be done, I am looking for things to delegate or just not do. All of this is easier said than done. And maybe there is just nothing you can let go of. So take a deep breath and do one thing at a time. Figure out the biggest priority (like…. I’ll get fired if I don’t hit that deadline) and do that first. Put everything else out of your mind for that moment. If something pops up in your brain… jot it down.
This time of year is crazy for everyone. Neurodivergent and Neurotypical alike. Try not to be too hard on yourself. I give you permission to forgive yourself. I give you permission to love yourself and be proud of all that you have accomplished. You are awesome.
Happy Holidays! With love, Megan.
Megan from Happy Hyper Shiny is a woman, mom, friend, and human with ADHD, just trying to figure it all out.
