I'm an introverted mom, so sometimes I have to say no during the holidays,

to the office party,

to the Secret Santa dinner that ALL my mom friends are attending,

and I miss out.

Because, yes, those things can be fun, but they also drain my soul that is already low on fuel from the day with my children and their holiday events.

Because being a mom during this season is extra chaotic. It's constant planning, noise, parties, and activities.

It’s constantly being on.

I’ve always been a yes girl during this season because I’m a people pleaser at heart,

but when I do that, I find my mental health suffering.

I become overwhelmed by the day-to-day and don’t feel as “merry” as I should because my soul desperately needs the quiet to recharge.

Time is finite, and as moms, we need to pick and choose what we feel we need most.

We’re putting everyone else’s needs before our own all day, so we need to be more critical of what we devote our time to, or we’ll burn out.

Because it’s hard when the only “me time” of the day exists at night after work or whatever responsibilities we have. And then if we have holiday commitment after holiday commitment, we have no time.

I used to think to be a kind human; I had to always say yes, especially during the holidays.

But I've learned to say no to other people so I can say yes to myself.

And I’ve learned to say no for my kids because that's how I'll be the best mother to them.

Because I’m important, too.

And remaining the best version of me, not only for me but for my family and our time together, is more important than any outside holiday commitments.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId. And my Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!: https://amzn.to/317TvVc