It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!
Or is it?
If you’re feeling a little weary, or perhaps experiencing a gradual low grade burnout, or maybe you’ve hit that wall of total overwhelm…
I see you friend.
While the holiday season truly is one of my most favorite times of the year, I also realize that sometimes the weeks leading up to Christmas can feel like a blur.
Our schedules stretch us thin, long to-do lists demand our attention, and the constant stream of noise leaves us feeling empty and anxious.
Add to that, the fact we live in a time where efficiency is king.
I often find myself swinging from the pendulum of extremes.
Grieving the quick passing of time and another year, while also acting as if I have all the time in the world, with the people in my world.
Oh friend, it’s easy to forget life is brief.
For me, I am keenly aware of my deep hardwiring, of not wanting to waste precious time with our family.
Because, every day it seems, there is new evidence that – our girls are growing up and up and up.
And yet?
The pressure builds.
To shop, buy, bake, schedule, gift, toast, celebrate, all while holding space to create deep meaningful memories of nostalgia, with our loved ones while we have them.
Sadly all of this pressure and stress can start to sneak in and steal the joy of the season – if we let it.
What if –
We learned to stop fighting time.
What if –
We let our best be our best.
Friend, what I’m learning is that it is imperative for me to honor my very real human limitations by guarding my capacity, especially during the holiday season, and it’s making all the difference.
I’ve been writing on the internet for nearly six years now, and today, while this post may be sprinkled with half thoughts and slow considerations…I pray that the words will walk with you as your companion and friend, softening your steps, as we co-journey this holiday season together.
Today on the blog, I’m sharing simple tips and what’s helping me to manage my personal holiday stress, so that I can focus on the true meaning and joy of Christmas.
Sounds like something you want too?
Follow me friend.
Managing Holiday Stress
As I write this, we have exactly 19 days left in 2025.
And that right there also bakes into the layers of our holiday stress recipe.
Not only do we carry a heavier than normal mental load, during a time of year where we ought not to feel badly about resting, savoring and lingering by the fire…
We also bump right against the annual pressure…
To end well.
To wrap the year with wise decisions, goodness, gratefulness and grace.
But also – there is the stuff.
The stuff that needs getting done and getting done yesterday.
But don’t forget!
We must end well – with glimmer and shine.
But remember!
We must…
Shower.
Shop.
Show up.
You get the idea.
Yes, this time of year is met with the very visible to do’s and the very much invisible pressure to measure up and end well, with a smile.
What Is Holiday Stress
As we enter into the commercial fray, with good intentions of gifting and goody buying, we simultaneously say yes to riding the rollercoaster life pulse of emotions, giving from every stranger, from every direction.
All the more reason…we must be intentional about setting our soul rhythm, before we walk out our door.
Honestly I believe a lot of our holiday stress usually stems from overwhelmed schedules, endless to-do’s, stretched bank accounts and underwhelmed spirits and souls…and likely also, lack of sleep.
This time of year, when the days turn dark early, we should be inviting ourselves towards the fire with a cozy blanket and cocoa…with absolutely zero guilt.
And instead…we push ourselves beyond our human limits, trying to hit the bullseye of a target….that is buried deep in unrealistic measure.
Why Are The Holidays So Stressful
overwhelmed schedules
During a season of the darkest, coldest days for many of us, we have a tendency to make too many plans, have too many commitments and too little time to squeeze it all in.
But we still try don’t we?
What if we said No to the things we simply are too tired to do?
Endless to-do list
For me I know part of my feeling overwhelmed during this time of year comes from simply the fact that there is more to get done.
From the decorating, to the gift buying, shopping, wrapping and hosting tacked on top of the every day routines…we tend to reach for what I have come to decide are too high of expectations for ourselves.
Enough is enough of the not doing enoughness.
What if we let our best be our best?
too much spending
Maybe you don’t fall into this category.
Or, maybe you do.
If you do – I get it.
It’s hard to set the holiday budget and stick to it.
But the truth is, in the past our family has spent way too much money on Christmas.
Our culture makes it sooo easy to spend and our brains have become very good at justifying our indulgences.
But, all of that too much spending on the outside?
It has a way of not leaving enough left on the inside to give – in both bank and body.
What if we spent ourselves with our hearts, instead of our wallets? Helped a neighbor, served at a shelter, shared a meal with an elderly family member?
How To Manage Holiday Stress
Refuse the rhythm of rush
What I have found for my own mental health is that –
Prayer is my power source.
In order to withstand what the world may throw my way, when I walk out the door…
I know I must be PRAYED UP in order to handle what might be teed up around the bend.
When I intentionally spend my first waking minutes in conversation with God…my entire day’s trajectory is laid to a soundtrack of a slower today.
I am able to refuse the rush when I have spent time with the Lord in prayer and asked Him to order my day and establish the work of my hands.
This practice of stillness and quiet prayer, especially during a fast-moving holiday season, has become a critical lifeline for managing holiday stress and adopting a rhythm of slow…yes still slow…and some days—even slower.
honor your true capacity
I love how Emily P. Freeman says it:
To understand our own limitation, ability or inability….In this situation, being honest about who I am not called to serve is a way of extending love and compassion through absence.
We simply cannot do it all.
We cannot be everything to everyone.
Over the last year, I have leaned heavily into honoring my limitations versus being frustrated by them.
We were each made to be a unique limited edition by a limitless God.
Why then, would I try to be what God never intended me to be?
When I honor my capacity by saying no to the extra thing, or by declining the ask…
I honor my Creator by caring for His creation.
I rest.
I re-set.
I recollect my rhythm and know that not one of us was made to go full speed, full time.
breathe
At the risk of stating the obvious, take deep breaths.
I know it sounds too simple.
But the fact is – deep breathing is a powerful, science-backed tool for reducing stress and improving overall well-being.
When I start to feel my energy tick up on the inside, I know it’s time to re-center myself.
The quickest and easiest way I am able to pay attention and care for what is happening on my inside is to physically close my eyes and take a deep inhale through my nose and a longer exhale through my mouth.
I repeat this deep breathing exercise several times and often follow it by drinking a cold glass of water.
Going outside for short walk is a bonus and also always helps me reset!
Let your best be enough
Too often we pattern ourselves after everyone else’s hi-light reel and we keep moving our own goal posts…
Instead, I am gently reminding myself that doing my best is the only goal.
Lysa TerKeurst says it like this:
Our job is obedience, God’s job is everything else.
May we do our best and leave the outcomes to the One who is the Light.
Let us seek the Light friend.
I hope this post will serve as a helpful reminder to manage holiday stress this season as you make your plans with family and friends and check your list twice…
May we reorient our hearts into a posture of realignment for what truly really matters, as we intentionally choose a slower today, within a world that is running too fast for any of us to keep up.
Living on a prayer,
Heather
