Get up and Do It All over Again. How to Stay Motivated?

This is in part why I celebrate all 12 days of Christmas. After putting so much energy into preparation for a celebration I can't have it come and go in one day. We make a point of celebrating each day of Christmas until Epiphany. Then the kids go back to school and I can clean up in peace and quiet.

My outlet is exercise!!! It is the only thing that keeps me sane and energized. It also helps me sleep well. Walks/hikes with the dog are great or classes at the gym are awesome too because I tend to work harder than by myself. Sometimes when I get too stressed I also grab my girls and snuggle with a book and just put everything on hold. Hang in there. I got super grumpy when I had to break down the decorations. It took all day and a few additional days to clean the floors and put everything away!

I just went through this.
My solution...don't do any of it. At all. For a day.
Let the house go. Order out. etc...

Seemed to be just what I needed to get back into it.
The world won't end if your house isn't in order for 24 hours!

I'm doing a combination of things I've seen on this site. We've had a boatload of snow and freezing weather in our area so I ate the $7 delivery fee and had my groceries delivered via Peapod. I have kept my kids in their jammies most of the past three days, letting them play with their Christmas toys and probably play too many video games/tv (but since they are going back to school next week, I don't feel guilty as we are too busy during school days to do any of this). They have only changed out of pjs to play in snow twice. They are eating simple meals...I'm not doing any major cooking (and for lunch I used paper plates and tried to avoid guilty feelings by recycling them lol!). I am SLOWLY taking down Christmas stuff, with my final push being today, where I will drink a cup of coffee after my long lunch (happening right now while the baby naps and the big kids are watching a movie after wearing themselves out in the snow!). Then I will get the Christmas stuff put away, finally. To the one responser's point, though, it does feel good to be organized. I did go through some stuff in my office and get rid of lots of old paperwork - I didn't have to run around to do it, just sit in one spot, and it felt good to get some stuff organized. Honestly, I think doing things around the house that aren't my every day chores (less dishes/laundry!) is nice - getting organized but not doing the mundane. I have done things with my kids that are a little different too - we built a fort in the basement and I have them drawing pictures and writing Thank You notes for family who gave them gifts (last year we made videos on the computer as Thank Yous). We take lots of breaks...but slowly is better than not doing it at all and I feel like I'm still on vacation. Mental health days are good! Get out of the house if you can. SO...my response is choppy and may not make sense because I'm mentally not there either hahahaha My point is: a little lazy. A little light organization. Keep things simple. Don't feel bad if you just take a day off!

Set attainable goals with a matching reward - Once I get all the ornaments away, I'll have a cup of cocoa - and keep at it. Keep the music on (not Christmas carols) and move to the beat. Don't look at the big picture, it'll only depress you, just the small bites you can handle for now.

I know how you feel. I am just on a break right now from putting away the Christmas stuff. My husband helped me take down the tree this year, but he appears to have misplaced a fragile ornament that had sentimental value. )-:

It helps me to go to the Y and exercise. I wish I had Christy Lee's response and energy! My kids are supposed to be cleaning their rooms today, but one is sick and the other is just plain procrastinating.

And I just learned our winter break has been extended by a day. The Governor closed all public schools K-12 in our state on Monday due to the forecasted bitterly cold weather. Such a statewide school closure hasn't happened here since 1994!

Good luck and know that you aren't alone.

Oh, I so understand.

I worked my butt off cooking and getting ready for Christmas....and then it's over. Next year I'm skipping it all. We're going to get into the truck and drive to the beach.

That said, I still had to deal with the post holiday slump this year. What did I do? I gave the kids chores to do around the house, and then I went up to their rooms and did a major purge. I rearranged their furniture, threw out all the broken stuff and trash, put all the outgrown clothes into the donate pile, deep cleaned it all. Their rooms look amazing, and it made them both so happy. They're not messy kids, but you know how their stuff can pile up when they save every rock and sparkly thing. They love their "new" rooms and I love how I feel when things are clean and organized.

The next day I did our office. I filed all the papers that needed filing, put the stuff to toss out in a burn pile, straightened, organized and cleaned.

So that's three rooms that are now organized in our home.

The Christmas tree/ornaments aren't a big deal. I'm still enjoying them, for goodness' sake. They'll be up for another week or so.

The kids can fend for themselves for a meal, unload the dishwasher, and walk the dog.

The bed doesn't have to be made today. You're going to mess it up anyhow.

Grab a cup of coffee and go tackle that one room that you keep shutting to door on. I guarantee you'll feel better. :-)

ETA: I should have mentioned....we totally vegged out on the 26th. Didn't even get out of our PJ's. We all need a veggie day sometimes. Maybe today is yours!

Take a mental health day! Keep meals as simple as possible (PB&J, cereal, toaster waffles, take out), tend to the dog, and let everything else go. Let everyone have a down day of movies, blankets, and pajamas. Don't feel guilty - relax and enjoy and savor your day. Then get back on track tomorrow. Sometimes we just need to take that lazy day without any guilt!

What are the ages of your children?

Give them responsibility. My kids are 11 & 13 - they walk the dog, set the dinner table, pour drinks, do their laundry, empty the dishwasher, make the kool-aid, etc. Their beds must be made EVERY DAY...that's been going on since they were 5 years old. It doesn't have to be perfect - the covers must be pulled up. I don't want to see the mess.

stop trying to do it all yourself. Your kids need to learn how to do these things as well. They are part of the family and need to help the family go.

Good luck!

Don't do it - any of it! The ornaments will still be there tomorrow, the dishwasher will just have dishes in it, the beds work the same if the sheets are neat or not, no one will starve if you skip making a meal, etc. The dog, yea, someone has to walk him of course, but the rest of it ... can wait. There's nothing wrong with having a do-nothing day! It's good for you! I remember when my kids were little, I had to take days like that. Once, my then-husband would not help, so I went to a hotel for the weekend. Some things got done, some didn't, but I was able to tackle it when I got back. Nothing bad happened and everyone survived, lol!

These feelings are normal this time of year. All of the build up with the holidays. Starts about the end of September. I call this the winter lull before spring.Use this as a time to decompress. Is there something you've been meaning to get to, but didn't have the time? For me it's organizing my photos so they aren't all on facebook but in a real album. I don't want my kids to have to go online to look at pics when they are older. I also would like to put together new recipes for my kids since I am tired of cooking the same things for them. Just find somethign that has been neglected or you have an interest in that you can turn your focus on. Before you know it, it will be spring. I see you live in Chicago. You are in a crazy winter storm right now. I've lived in Chicago in the winter, and I know how you feel right now. Hang in there!!

Manda beat me to it. Take the day off, not just physically... but mentally. Decide that you AREN'T going to deal with any of it today, and then don't! And let it be okay that you decided that. It is a decision, not something that just happened to you... embrace the decision to ignore it all for a day.

Sometimes it's exactly what you need to get your mojo back.

Plan for a little bit at a time. Rome wasn't built in a day. I would give yourself a few days to do nothing. Then I would give yourself x amount of days to whip it out. You can do it! When you're done then you should reward yourself with something relaxing. There is usually a let down after the holidays. Be kind to yourself.

I think we all have moments like this! Wanta be a kid for a while? Abandon responsibilities? Leave the work?

Well, what can you do to indulge yourself for a little while? You still need to exercise the dog (it's not the dog's fault you're in this mood!). You still need to take care of your children. But you could leave the beds unmade, the laundry and dishes un-put away, and maybe a few other things.

How long will you be "lazy"? Set a time limit! All day today? Three hours? One hour? Answer that before you go any further. What will you do with your time? Read to your children? Read to yourself? Get out your knitting? Watch movies? Go outside and jump rope? Using your time for things not on your to-do list will make it more fun.

A lot of your work will wait, but it won't do itself for you. So make up your mind that after your break is over, you'll get right to it! And let your children know that mommies and daddies like to take *short* breaks from their work, just like they do.

It's a little like being in a bad mood. Sometimes I simply feel like pouting, like feeling sorry for myself, like raining on my own parade. So I do my temperamental thing - for thirty minutes, by the clock. When the time's up, I put the kiddie attitude away and become a grownup again - a happy one who doesn't mind doing what needs to be done....

Sometimes forcing yourself to get up and doing what you don't want to do solves the issue.

Other times, just give yourself permission to be lazy. Decide that you're simply not doing it and move on.

go for a walk. Clear your mind and chill for a sec. Come home and dedicate 15 minutes to one of your tasks. Set a timer so you are not constantly looking at the clock. If after 15 minutes you have built momentum and want to continue, DO IT. If not take a break. Do something for you and try again in an hour or 2. Repeat until it is done. Sure it may take longer. But it will get done. Good luck!

Most of life is getting up and doing it again.
Every morning, I get up, let three dogs out, pour my coffee (set the pot on a timer the night before), fill dog food bowls, let dogs back in to eat, fill food bowls for fifteen cats indoors and three outdoors, clean six litter boxes, and let dogs back out after they eat, and back in. THEN I get dressed for work.
Every afternoon, when I get home from work, I do the same thing - let dogs out and in, fill food bowls, clean litter boxes. THEN I decide what I'm going to have for supper.
Yes, it gets tedious, but I signed up for it, knowing full well what I was getting into.

Get out there an shovel! Only kidding! It is the January blahs early because the bad weather started early. Jan is the longest month of the year. So join the club and yes just grin and bear it. I am do e with cold, snow and winter!

IT's YOU TIME.
SIT IN THE TUB
READ A BOOK
WATCH A MOVIE
GRAB YOUR HUSBAND

I literally could have written this question myself today. As I write this I have a Christmas tree up, minus the baubles but the lights are still on where I just got bored of putting everything away. I will get round to it eventually. Maybe.
But you are not alone. So give yourself a day off. Grab some bargains in the sales, go for a run, have a lie-in, forget the housework for a day (my ironing pile is bigger than me!) and do something for you!