How to stay grounded during the holiday season

On the Appalachian edge of the central time zone, Nashville greets the violet hour sooner than most. The sun sets earlier and the nights feel longer. 

As nature is slowing down for winter—preparing to become more dormant, more restful, and less active in the dark season—our culture’s social calendars are in overdrive. From Halloween to New Year’s, it can feel like every week there’s another holiday, another party or potluck, another Instagram reel telling us what to buy to redecorate our porches and mantles, again.

While holiday festivities can be joyful and rejuvenating, they also come with a unique set of stressors that can wreak havoc on nervous systems craving calm and rest in the dark season. All this busy energy and pressure to get everything done makes it especially hard to stay grounded.

Why the Holidays Are So Stressful 

  1. Everyone’s family is uniquely weird. Whether you’re keeping gatherings intimate, balancing multiple celebrations with a blended family, or navigating a maze of awkward conversations and conflicting worldviews, you’re sure to encounter some tensions in planning and attending holiday festivities with family. 

  2. This season is challenging for introverts. If you thrive in a one-on-one setting (as many wellness practitioners and healers do) or need alone time to refuel, the back-to-back social event marathon of this season can be especially exhausting. Even extroverts often find themselves zapped by the end of December.

  3. The holidays are expensive. It takes a powerful effort to manage your budget for gifts, decor, food, and the “optional” game of Secret Santa at work that doesn’t feel very optional. 

All these factors build on one another to create a perfect storm for heightened stress levels, and in a season of giving, it can be especially challenging to take time for yourself, even with nature pulling you toward stillness.

How to Manage Stress and Stay Grounded This Season

  1. Bring back the joy. For most of us, our favorite childhood holiday memories don’t depend on how immaculate the tablescape was at Thanksgiving dinner or how many extended family members we got to briefly catch up with in December. Embrace the nostalgia of the season by remembering (and recreating) some of the simple pleasures of spending time with your closest loved ones.

  2. Wear peace-seeking glasses. Amidst the chaos, intentionally search for moments of peace. Whether it's a quiet morning walk, a few minutes of mindful breathing, or enjoying a warm cup of tea, carve out time for activities that promote calmness and relaxation. (Pro tip: try not to include your phone in your moments of peace.) You can even look for this peace in others. Where do you see the people around you relishing a sliver of calm? Who in your community makes you feel most safe and regulated? Stay close to them.

  3. Zoom out. If the turkey is overcooked, if you’re nervous about turning down an invitation to one more holiday happy hour, if someone’s gift didn’t arrive in time… seek perspective. Look back on a similar situation in a previous year, and ask yourself how everything turned out in the end. Or look ahead to five years from now and consider whether that one drink spilled on the carpet will still be an emergency.

  4. Zoom in. Listen for that still, small voice in your heart that tells you when you’ve had enough, done enough, given enough. If you give it a chance, it will guide you in how to prioritize during the holiday season to squeeze out all its joy and cheer without running yourself past your limits. Remember, it's okay to say no to commitments that may compromise your inner peace.

For a grounded and stress-free holiday season, take time to find your center, balance, relax, and find ways to relieve stress all winter long. With these techniques, you’ll experience the holidays with less overwhelm and more joy.

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