Party planning stress

I love hosting parties. I love people filling up my large front room, the delicious smell of food floating through my entire house, and how clean the house gets.  Deciding what will be eaten, when it will start and end, and who’s invited is all in my control.  There doesn’t seem to be any problem with this right?  Well, I wish I could tell you that I didn’t stress out planning the party, preparing for the party, and managing everything during the party, but I do.  This is where my control freak goes bonkers.  I’m OVER controlling.  I want the kitchen spotless, so “don’t eat anything family”.  I want the family room toy free, so “don’t play with any toys for a day my almost two year old child”.  Seems a little unrealistic to me.  
 
I have learned that expectations play a lot into my frustration of feeling lack of control. When I’m planning a party, I start envisioning what that party is going to be like and how everyone is going to be while they are at my house.  So I start to work, forming what I believe I need to do in order to make those expectations become a reality.  This leads to overwhelming myself with what I believe I need to do in order to have a successful party; a perfect party.

Cue anxiety.  (read more here)