How to Enjoy a Big Family Weekend Without Exhausting Yourself

Family weekends can be wonderful, but they can also be surprisingly draining, especially for older adults. Even when the people are loved, the atmosphere is happy, and nothing especially stressful happens, a busy weekend with family often asks much more from the body and mind than people expect.

Part of that is physical. There is usually more standing, more walking, more time in the kitchen, more interrupted routines, less rest, and often less sleep. Meals happen later than usual. Medications can get forgotten or delayed. Water intake drops because you are distracted. If grandchildren are involved, the energy in the house changes completely, which can be joyful, but also tiring in a way that is hard to explain unless you have felt it yourself.

But there is also a mental and emotional side to it. A full house means more noise, more conversation, more decisions, and more stimulation. You may be trying to follow several conversations at once, answer questions, remember where things are, ke…