Ten Practical Ways To Stay Calm During the Holidays
- Jody Williams
- Dec 10, 2025
- 2 min read
The Holidays can feel magical...
They can also feel like a slow-moving avalanche headed straight for your nervous system.
Shopping lists, family expectations, and the pressure to create a perfect holiday can build up fast. Here is your reminder to enjoy this season. You can stay grounded and present while the world around you ramps up.
These ten practices will help you stay calm, connected, and fully alive through the chaos.
1. Plan Ahead. Stay Human.
A simple plan keeps stress from running your life. Break big tasks into small, doable steps. Spread things out. Wrap gifts before you are exhausted.
Life will still throw surprises at you. When plans change, breathe, adjust, and move forward.
Flexibility is its own kind of peace.
2. Drop the Perfect Holiday Myth
Holiday movies never show the messy parts. Real holidays have burnt cookies, cluttered rooms, and imperfect moments.
Let it be real instead of perfect. When you release perfection, you make space for presence.
3. Protect Your Energy Like It Matters
Self-care is not optional this time of year. It is your anchor.
Read. Walk. Sit in silence. Listen to the song that brings you home.
And sleep.
Your nervous system needs rest to regulate itself. Protect it.
4. Simplify Your Gift Game
Gifts do not need to drain your budget or your spirit. Set a clear limit and honour it.
Give experiences instead of clutter. A shared moment is worth far more than another item on a shelf.
5. Choose Social Events That Feel Supportive
You do not need to attend every gathering. You are not required to be everywhere.
Choose events that nourish you. If you feel overwhelmed, step outside for a few breaths. Return when your body feels ready.
6. Come Back to Your Body With Mindfulness
Slow breathing brings your nervous system back online. Inhale for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds.
Notice the scents, sounds, and textures around you. Mindfulness is simple awareness. It brings you home to yourself.
7. Share the Load
You are not meant to do everything alone.
Let people help. Delegate tasks. Invite others into the process.
This is how connection grows.
8. Unplug From the Comparison Machine
Screens can steal your joy if you let them. Holiday perfection online is an illusion.
Set boundaries. Take breaks.
Focus on real moments, real people, real peace.
9. Build Traditions That Fit Your Life Now
Traditions evolve. If an old one brings stress, release it.
Create something new. A movie night. A walk to see the lights. A simple meal. Build traditions that match your life today.
10. End the Day With Gratitude
Gratitude softens the chaos.
Name three things each day that brought you joy or comfort. This simple practice trains your mind to notice what is good.
It does not erase the noise. It simply makes room for peace.
If you want some practical tools to help you, check out my Stress Less Interactive Guide that has a guided one-minute Nervous System Reset, A longer Guided Meditation for Safety & Nervous System Regulation, lots of tools to ground you quickly, and even a Spotify Playlist to soothe the Nervous System
Peace, and Happy Holidays,
J
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