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Why Is Hosting Overnight Guests Stressful? (GUEST STRESS SYNDROME)
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Apr 13, 2024
So many of us become anxious and stressed when asked to host a guest overnight that the term Guest Stress Syndrome has been coined to describe this exact phenomenon. Here are some of the reasons why you may be stressed every time you host overnight guests and how to overcome the stress. | BLOG POST | Why Is Having Overnight Guests So Stressful? - https://diannedecor.com/home-entertaining/hostess-tips/why-is-having-overnight-guests-so-stressful/ ✨| FREE DOWNLOAD |✨ The Big List - 101 Places To Shop Home Decor Online https://diannedecor.com/the-big-list | MY WEBSITE | https://diannedecor.com | SOCIAL MEDIA | https://instagram.com/dianne_decor https://pinterest.com/diannedecor *Disclaimer: Some links in this description are affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase through my links.
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Hi, it's Lindsay Diane from dianedecor.com
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In this video, we're going to talk about why the seemingly easy and uncomplicated task
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of hosting guests overnight can be so stressful and sometimes downright overwhelming
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We're going to pinpoint exactly what causes the stress and how to overcome it so that
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the next time you host guests overnight, it's a breeze and you won't feel overwhelmed by
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the experience. Let's get started. While most things get easier with experience and practice, when it comes to hosting overnight
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guests, there are a lot of variables that are thrown at you
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The amount of time the person may be staying may be different
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The reason why they're in town may be different. The number of people staying, the age of the people staying, all of these things need to
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be navigated when you're hosting an overnight guest. So it's no wonder that it can become really stressful really quickly
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Over the years, I've asked myself, what exactly is it that is making this experience so stressful
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And I really tried to break it down. So in this video, I'm going to share with you what I've learned and the things that
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have helped me hosting overnight guests stress-free. The first reason hosting overnight guests causes stress is because whether you want
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to admit it or not, odds are you care what other people think of you and your home
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and you want to make a good impression and put your best foot forward
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Whether it's friends or family, you want to make sure that all of their needs are covered
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and they have a nice, comfortable, enjoyable experience in your home. And to do that, there are a lot of details to attend to, and that alone can cause stress
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You want to make that great impression, and you kind of hype yourself up and think that
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I've got to get this right and this right, and the bed linens have to be perfectly made
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and the breakfast has to be great, and we have to make sure the shower is clean, and we have to, you know, all of these things, you kind of create this mental checklist
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and it can be overwhelming really, really quickly. So knowing that that is something that may be causing you stress, the best solution is
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instead of trying to make everything perfect, just focus in on one particular thing to do
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really, really well. One area where you can really wow and impress someone
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So that may be a breakfast buffet that you create, or that may be a guest bedroom basket
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that has lots of snacks and treats that they can enjoy in their room, or that may be some
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really beautiful hotel luxurious bedding. Take one thing to do really, really well, and just meet the mark for everything else
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You don't have to make it perfect for everything. No one's expecting a five-star resort stay in your home
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They just want to have their basic needs met and be comfortable and spend time with you
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because odds are the reason they're staying in your home in the first place is that they want to be able to spend more time with you on their visit
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So don't worry about getting everything perfect. Just focus your energy in on one particular thing to do really well, and your guests will
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surely have a great experience. The next reason you may be experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety around hosting an
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overnight guest is just the basic change in routine for you and your family
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So things like dinner may not be at the same time as it usually is
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You may have less time to sleep because you end up staying up and chatting late into the
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night when you'd normally be resting. You may also end up going out when you would normally stay in
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These little changes in your routine can really throw you off and cause a lot of stress because
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you may feel like there are things that aren't getting done that normally get done, and you're
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trying to figure out how to squeeze it all in. In order to overcome that type of stress, the best thing to do is to plan ahead as much
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as possible. Now, of course, there are instances where you may have a last minute guest and it may
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kind of just throw everything into chaos and you really don't have time to plan
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But if you have the time to plan, even if it's only a week in advance, there are a few
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things that you can do ahead of time that will make everything run so much smoother
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If you're worried about meal times, you can always meal prep ahead of time
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So things like dinners, you can prepare crockpot dinners or slow cooker dinners, things that
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are like dump and go meals that are easy on a weekday
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You can prep them in advance, put them in a Ziploc bag, throw them in the freezer, and
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then the day your guest arrives, you can throw it into the crockpot, let it cook all day
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long and it's a hands off experience for you. Not only will your home smell amazing, but you're going to have a beautiful meal to offer
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that person when they finally arrive and you didn't have to mess around in the kitchen
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and dirty up more things in the kitchen and create more messes for you to clean up during
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that day of arrival as well. The next thing that may be causing you stress is the idea that you will not have time to
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prep for your next day the night before. So a lot of us like to kind of get everything in order the night before so that our morning
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runs smoothly, but you may be using that time chatting and socializing with your guests
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So instead of you laying out your clothes the night before or getting some laundry loaded
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or packing up lunches, things like that, you may be sitting around on the couch chatting
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for an extra two hours, and then the next morning the things that are normally done
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aren't done. And so that creates a little bit of a stressful morning and a stressful start to the day
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So the best thing to do is to try to plan ahead and when you say pack a lunch the night
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before, pack three of them. Or you know, packing lunches for your kids instead of doing just for one day, do for
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multiple days if you can so that you don't find yourself constantly day after day feeling
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that type of stress while your guest is there. Instead you'll know that everything is prepped and ready for the same thing with clothes
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If you like to lay out your clothes ahead of time, pick a few outfits at a time instead
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of just picking the one. And anything that you can do ahead, do do ahead because that will alleviate the stress
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of feeling like you don't have the time to get it all done. The same thing can be said for self-care routines
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Now I personally, I like to do that on a Sunday. You know, I sit there, I'll, you know, do my nails and do a face mask and wash my hair
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and do all of those things. And lots of people kind of have designated days where they like to do that
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But what I often find happening is that I will sacrifice that me time to do all sorts
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of prep around the house. And by the time my guest arrives, the house may look beautiful, but I surely don't because
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I skipped taking care of myself. And so what I would say is, again, work that back into your schedule
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You may not have the whole day to do everything, but do one thing one day, do one thing the
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next day so that if you think that you're going to lose that time while that guest is
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there, you have already made plans for it and it doesn't throw you off your routine
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and you still feel your best and look your best. When you have guests come to town, you are more likely to go out on the town than stay
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in. So days where you would normally come home from work, get into your evening routine
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get to bed early, you might have found yourself out at dinner someplace when you normally
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wouldn't do that. And that can create stress because, again, you're losing time where you would normally
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be home in your normal routine. But now you've kind of sacrificed that for your guests
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And the best way to deal with that is to strike a balance. If you have someone that's staying with you during the work week and also through the
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weekend, try to strike a balance. And let's say during the work week, you may order in and you may hang out on the couch
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and you may do like door dash and cocktails and watch TV on the couch or watch a movie
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on the couch that you still get to socialize. You still get a day off from cooking and you still get to spend quality time with your
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guests so that it's something special because that's one of those things that guests also
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may feel. They may feel like it's better to go out than to force you to have to cook for them every
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single night. But at the same time, you might not have that time to sacrifice away from your home
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So find a balance, whether it's take out or something like that, and stay in during the week
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And then when you have more time on the weekend, use that time to go sightseeing and go out
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to restaurants and bars and all that sort of stuff. That will be a lot less stressful, especially when you are hosting overnight guests during
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a work week or a school week. Another reason why you may be feeling stressed over having an overnight guest is the expense
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You may feel as though that you need to spend money in order to provide a certain level
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of comfort for your guests. And I completely understand that feeling. You know, you want to have everything as nice as it possibly could be so that they have
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a fantastic experience in your home. But at the same time, sometimes those things cost money
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You know, you may spend a little extra money going to and from the airport to pick them
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up or to drive them around and do sightseeing. You may spend extra money stocking your house with some of their favorite snacks and beverages
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You're going to spend a little bit of extra on groceries if you want to be able to provide
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meals for them. Things like that can add up little by little
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You may be restocking your home of, you know, paper towels and toilet paper and you may
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decide, oh, these sheets are really rough and they're kind of stained and I want something
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nice and fresh. So you buy a new set before they come. Little by little, things do tend to add up and that can cause stress, especially if you
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feel like it's not the way that you would want it to be
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And unfortunately, this is an internal thing. This is not a mutual feeling between the guest and the host
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The guest is just grateful that you were able to open up your home to them and provide them
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with all of these amenities that they otherwise wouldn't have had in a hotel experience
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And they're really just grateful to be in your company. They want to hang out with you
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They want to see you. But as the host or hostess where you feel like you need to provide a certain level of
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you know, comfort for them, it may be overwhelming to think that you cannot provide that for them
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And so while again, I'm saying that this is not something that most guests are experiencing
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or even thinking about, this is an internal thing. So knowing that alone, you should just try to give yourself a break
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Focus on the one thing, one thing that will make this experience really special for them
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or that's just a little bit extra, a little bit above and beyond. And don't worry about doing everything
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You do not have to spend money making your bedroom absolutely perfect and buying all
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of the little extra toiletries that they could ever possibly need, even though they may only
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use one. You know, you don't have to do all of those things and incur any extra expense
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You can just focus on one thing to make a little bit special and know that that really
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is going to make them feel welcome and appreciated and just thought of, and it's going to go
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a really long way towards their experience in your home. The other option you always have is to not host an overnight guest if you feel like the
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expense is going to be a burden for you. You can always suggest a later date or another time
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That's it for this video. I hope you found it helpful. And the next time that you are hosting overnight guests, remember, just focus on one thing
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that will really stand out and make it special for them. And don't worry about having a perfect five-star experience every time
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Make sure to prep ahead of time for meals and for yourself, and make sure that you give
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yourself a little bit of grace when it comes to being the best hostess
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Strike a compromise between going out and staying in, cooking all of the meals, and
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take out. A nice balance is really what makes that experience special for everyone and stress-free for everyone
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So again, thank you so much for watching. Don't forget to visit me at dianedecore.com
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I post all about home decor and home entertaining over there. I'll see you in the next video
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Bye bye
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