Are Upcoming Holidays Making You Stressed?
If you’re a midlife woman feeling that familiar tightening in your chest as the holidays loom—you’re not the only one. The season that’s supposed to be merry, quickly becomes another to-do list, a financial puzzle, a juggling act of expectations.
Let’s sit here together for a moment and breathe.
First, You Are Not Alone
- 88% of Americans feel stressed during holiday celebrations—a pervasive, universal tug at our sense of ease Everlywell.
- Women experience even more pressure—44% say their stress spikes during Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas, compared to 31% of men blog.discinsights.com.
- Only 27% of women say they feel able to relax over the holidays, versus 41% of men blog.discinsights.com.
- 79% of people report overlooking their health needs during this season—and 63% say the holidays are more stressful than tax season American Heart Association.
- Many of us feel that pressure long after the last ornament is packed away—most people take weeks, and mothers often a month or more, to truly unwind American Heart Association.
Midlife brings responsibilities tugging from all directions—aging parents, partnerships, self-care, work, caretaking. Adding holiday demands to that can feel like trying to pour from an empty cup.
7 Gentle Solutions to Ease Holiday Stress
Here are practical, heart-centered tools to help you move through the season with more calm and less overwhelm:
1. Take the Pressure Off Yourself
The most radical act this time of year? Saying: “I don’t have to do all the things.” Let good enough be enough.
- Delegate (or graciously say no) to tasks that don’t feel meaningful for you
- Let perfection go—your home isn’t a holiday catalog, (this is a hard one for the interior design lover in me!)
- Treat yourself with the same kindness you offer everyone else
- Do your best to keep your healthy routines on schedule
This tiny pivot creates space for calm.
2. Start with Intention, Not Expectations
Set your heart’s intention for the season—not a to-do list.
- “I intend to savor quiet mornings with coffee.”
- “I want evenings free of rushing and scrolling.”
3. Carve Out Daily Moments of Stillness
Even five minutes counts.
- Sit with your breath before family noise starts
- Create a small ritual—lighting a candle, sipping herbal tea
- Pause by a window to notice something beautiful in the day
If the emotional weight feels intense, know: you don’t have to carry it. You can rest into those still moments.
4. Set Boundaries—and Stick to Them
Caregiving hearts often over-extend. You get to say:
- “I can’t host this year, but I’d love to bring dessert.”
- “I need one quiet evening per week to rest.”
- “I don’t have to create a magical Christmas, small moments are enough.”
Your presence matters more than your perfection. Let me say that again, your presence matters more than your perfection. Make a sticky note of this for your bathroom mirror if you need to be reminded!
5. Simplify Gift-Giving with Meaning
Instead of overwhelm for the perfect gift, try:
- Experiences (a simple afternoon walk, homemade soup in jars &/or a gift certificate to cook together)
- Handwritten notes, favorite recipes, or playlists
- Budget-friendly gifts wrapped in seasonal fabric, paper or a recycled gift bag.
- Walking or driving in your town to enjoy the lights and decorations. Hot chocolate is an added bonus!
6. Keep Nourishment Intentional (Food, Rest, Joy)
The season often derails our rhythms.
- Prioritize restful sleep where you can—ritualize a simple wind-down
- Choose nourishing meals and skip the guilt over holiday indulgence
- Move your body—even gently—walking, stretching, or dancing along to a favorite song, and of course my favorite, Tai Chi!
7. Lean Into Quiet Community and True Presence
The pressure to create perfect gatherings often eclipses what truly matters—connection.
- Go for a walk with a friend or meet for coffee, instead of hosting a party
- Write a note of appreciation instead of orchestrating a gathering
- Let presence, not perfection, become the gift
Does it ALL FEEL LIKE TOO MUCH?
If holiday stress is echoing deeper overwhelm, consider a softer, soulful reset. The Stillness Before the Shift Method is a 90-day course designed for midlife women who are tired of hustling and want to return to clarity, purpose, and inner peace.
In those early pressures of the season, you don’t need to push harder. You need recalibration—through supportive somatic tools, small daily rituals, and presence-centered practices that restore, not drain.
A Supportive Recap: Your Holiday Stress Toolkit
Signs You Might Be Overwhelmed:
- Fatigue, irritability, disrupted sleep
- Skipping self-care, emotional numbness, over-doing it for everyone
- Feeling drained in a season that’s supposed to energize
Why It Happens:
- Societal pressure to be “holiday-perfect”
- Self pressure to create a magical holiday for everyone around you
- Mental load—woman’s often invisible emotional workload increases
- Double duty: work + domestic + emotional labor intensifies at this time
Solutions That Guide You Toward Ease:
- Lighten your load—let good enough lead
- Begin with heart-centered intentions
- Build daily stillness, even in small pockets
- Protect boundaries graciously
- Gift thoughtfully, not extravagantly
- Nourish yourself—sleep, food, movement
- Reconnect to presence—not performance
Closing Thoughts: You Deserve a Peaceful Holiday
As these long weeks of hustle stretch ahead, remember this: you are allowed to slow. You are worthy of rest, softness, and quiet joy. The lights, the meals, the gift exchanges—they’re not the point. Your presence, your love, your well-being—that’s what matters.
If you feel the weight of overwhelm more deeply this year, and you’re ready for a peaceful reset, Stillness Before the Shift Method awaits you with grounded support, gentle somatic practices, and thoughtful clarity.
Here’s to a season that quiets your spirit instead of causing chaos, overwhelm, and resentment.
This year, find ease in simplicity, rest in rituals, and calm in presence.
