Whew! We Made It!

Click here for a printable version of this post

Hi and welcome back! Lisa here. So, you’ve survived the holiday rush. In no time at all, your kids will be heading back to school. If you’re like one of my good friends, you’re ready to get back to a sense of routine. She takes down her Christmas tree and she and her family clean up the house the day after Christmas. This clear dividing line between the holidays and regular life signals to her family that it’s time to get back to their usual schedule and routines. 
 
At first, I thought this was a little abrupt. But after thinking about it some more, I realized that it actually helps her and her family prepare for their return to work and school. That got me thinking about how hard it is for some families to readjust once the holidays are over. Over winter break, everyone gets used to sleeping in and not having a strict schedule to keep, so it can take a while to get back into the swing of things. 

Here are some helpful tips to make your family’s transition back into regular life a bit easier.
 

• Gradually get back to routine: This will look different for every family depending on how far you’ve diverged from your typical routine. It can be tempting to take full advantage of time off from work and school- sleeping in, lazing around, etc. for as long as possible. Instead of doing that until it’s absolutely necessary to get back to routine (i.e., the night before school restarts), start gradually moving bedtime earlier and waking up earlier in the morning. If you’ve let go of schedules and regular chores, start getting everyone back on task. 
• Do something to mark the end of the holiday season: Having a tradition that marks the end of the holiday and return to regular life can be great for your family. Whether that’s taking down the holiday decorations or having a special New Year’s Eve/Day celebration, doing something special can signal the end of the holidays and create some additional special moments for you and for your family.  
• Set some intentions for the New Year: I don’t mean making random New Year’s resolutions (see our very first blog post, New Year, Not New You for my thoughts on that!). But it can be helpful to think about how you want to approach things once you return to your routine. This can be a wonderful exercise for you and for your family- you can talk about how you would each like things to be in your family and for each of you personally. As a family, you can set intentions, plans, and goals for how you want to interact/communicate as a family. Whether it’s committing to having a technology-free family dinner a couple of times a week, having regular family check-in meetings to talk about how things are going with each family member and within the family as a whole, showing more interest in each other’s hobbies and accomplishments, or spending time together doing something fun other than watching TV, setting family goals sets a positive tone and creates feelings of hopefulness and purpose rather than a feeling of dread about the holidays being over. 

• Give yourself some grace: Transitions are tough for a lot of people. Know that it may take a little while for you and for your family to get used to being back in your routine. There may be a few bumps along the way but remind yourself that that’s to be expected. Even if you and your family are looking forward to getting back to normal life, unanticipated struggles may arise as responsibilities increase once again. It’s okay- you’ve readjusted before and you’ll do so again. If 2020 has taught us nothing else, it’s taught us to be flexible and to give ourselves (and hopefully others) some grace. 

​Pat yourself on the back for making it through another holiday season and through a pretty tough year. Whether you flew through this year with minimal difficulties or you’re dragging yourself across the finish line- you made it and you get to celebrate! 

Remember that as 2020 comes to a close, this will be the last installment of our blog. We have thoroughly enjoyed communicating with you throughout the course of this year. We have some exciting things planned for the next year. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for our newsletter so you can be the first to hear how we’ll be supporting you and your family in 2021!

Click here for a printable version of this post.

Have tips for getting back into your routine? Share them by leaving a comment below, clicking this link or emailing us at [email protected].