The stretch between mid-November and early January is often filled with themed celebrations and travel, alongside disrupted routines and more social energy than many of us burn through all year. And even though the season is meant to be fun, the pace can leave almost anyone feeling a bit overstimulated.<\/p>\n
We spoke with mental health experts who shared several small, restorative shifts that can help your nervous system settle down and ease the transition from holiday chaos back to everyday life. Here\u2019s to a new year that feels steadier, calmer, and more grounded.<\/p>\n
Manage Your Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n There are multiple aspects of the holiday season that make it a perfect storm for stress. \u201cFirst, it is the end of the year, so we are already usually taking an internal temperature of how the year went,\u201d says Katie Carhart, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Align and Empower Therapy. \u201cThen, holidays themselves come with such high expectations. Many of us have these lofty visions of what holidays looked like as kids. We long for that feeling again, but it\u2019s unrealistic because we are now the magic-makers, which comes with a ton of pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n So how do you handle all that internal judgment? \u201cBe realistic with what the holidays look like,\u201d says Carhart. \u201cIf holidays each year feel disappointing, it\u2019s likely because you\u2019re going in with very high expectations. Just know that holidays come with a mix of feelings (wistfulness, nostalgia, sadness, joy, etc.). All of your holiday feelings are OK! You\u2019re human, they are normal, and you\u2019re allowed to have them.\u201d<\/p>\n Prioritize Self-Care<\/strong><\/p>\n The holidays are typically spent with extended family, but that extra exposure requires balance and planning. The added strain of trying to coordinate with multiple people can lead you to neglect routine self-care. \u201cOn a basic level, don\u2019t forget to eat well, hydrate, sleep, and move your body,\u201d Carhart says. \u201cIt can be so easy to get caught up in all the holiday activities that your own physical well-being takes a back seat.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you have restored your foundation, you can (and should!) focus on regulating the nervous system. \u201cI teach a simple breath practice called the 4\u20136 Breath: Inhale for four, exhale for six, repeated 10 times,\u201d says Djuan D. Short, LCSW, a licensed trauma-informed therapist and founder of the Dahlia Rose Wellness Center. \u201cIt activates the vagus nerve and helps calm the body. As I often remind clients: \u201cYour breath affects your emotions. Your emotions affect your breath.\u201d<\/p>\n Stay Present with Yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n Presence both through and after the holidays matters, and tapping into it daily can be as simple as becoming a neutral observer. \u201cObserving your thoughts without judgment, even for a few minutes, helps bring you back to yourself,\u201d says Short. \u201cI remind clients: \u2018You are not your thoughts and emotions. You have them, but they can be changed and reprogrammed.\u2019\u201d Staying present in this way helps anchor you, even when the post-holiday rush tries to pull your attention in every direction.<\/p>\n Use Your Feelings as a Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n Even when you\u2019re staying present without judgment, that doesn\u2019t mean you need to push your feelings aside. \u201cFeelings give us important information about what is most aligned for us,\u201d says Carhart. \u201cIf you\u2019re feeling sad, are you feeling wistful for something specific? Is there something you can plan into your post-holiday that would help connect to what you\u2019re missing?\u201d<\/p>\n Carhart says to tend to the varied feelings that might come up :<\/p>\n \u2022 Grief for loved ones no longer with you for the holidays can be met with taking some time to honor them and your feelings. \u201cInstead of getting stuck in the feeling or judging the feeling, get curious about it,\u201d says Carhart. Sit with it to determine what the emotion is trying to tell you, and use the feelings as a guide to make better decisions in the future to help you feel less burned out and resentful.<\/p>\n Short agrees with this sentiment on a spiritual level and invites her clients to choose intentions instead of resolutions. “Naming a feeling\u2014like ease, joy, or alignment\u2014and letting your post-holiday decisions support that state is far more sustainable than rigid goals,” says Short. \u201cPay attention to your thoughts and words. Let them flow and be open to changing your mind when necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n Set Emotional and Physical Boundaries<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve steadied your emotions and identified what they\u2019re asking of you, it becomes easier to set healthier emotional and physical boundaries. \u201cWhat matters to you matters. Don\u2019t let other things push out the things that mean the most to you,\u201d says Carhart.<\/p>\n \u201cI share with my clients to be mindful of exchanging energy with people and how it can impact them later,\u201d says Short. \u201cWhether it is through prayer, a hot shower, or sitting in silence, I encourage people to consciously release what is not theirs to carry.\u201d Once your internal boundaries feel steadier, the next step is setting physical ones: name your limits, set expectations upfront, and stick to them in real time.<\/p>\n Try Journaling<\/strong><\/p>\n Writing is a wonderful tool for post-holiday recovery, and you don’t even need a fancy journal to get the job done (though it wouldn’t hurt). Short says she encourages journaling with prompts like: \u201cWhere did I abandon myself last month?\u201d or \u201cWhat do I need more of this week?\u201d Write whatever comes up to help yourself open up to the new possibilities and insights. \u201cSelf-inquiry brings subconscious patterns to light and restores a sense of personal agency after weeks of emotional performance,\u201d Short adds.<\/p>\n Reset Your Fitness Routine<\/strong><\/p>\n Recovery should be all-encompassing, but for the physical side, start with moving more slowly. \u201cInstead of jumping into intense fitness routines, I recommend restorative yoga or gentle movement that encourages grounding,\u201d says Short. \u201cSlow stretches and body-based breathwork can release tension in the shoulders, jaw, and gut\u2014all common places where stress, especially holiday stress, tends to get stored.\u201d<\/p>\n Give Yourself Micro-Breaks<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally, don\u2019t underestimate the very real power of micro-breaks. (These small pauses may feel insignificant, but they add up quickly.) \u201cTen minutes without a screen or a task, several times a day, helps recalibrate focus and reduce cortisol levels,\u201d says Short. One of her favorite mantras is a simple one: \u201cBreaks give us the pause we need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Frustration or overwhelm can be managed by evaluating what\u2019s on your plate and how you can change that moving forward.<\/p>\n