Hi there,
As we enter December, I’ve been thinking a lot about how complicated this season can feel for so many of us. The holidays are often presented as joyful, magical, and full of connection. But the truth is, they can also feel heavy, overwhelming, or emotionally tender.
If the holidays feel heavy this year, I want you to know something important:
There’s nothing wrong with you.
And you’re not alone.
For many, this season brings a pressure to hold everything together; to host, plan, cook, decorate, and show up with a smile, even when our nervous systems are tired and stretched thin.
Old wounds may resurface. Family dynamics may feel complicated.
Loneliness, grief, or comparison can stir quietly under the surface. And the emotional labor of “making the holidays magical” often falls on the people who already carry the most.
I remember after the end of my long-term marriage, the first several holiday seasons felt lonely and painful. Even surrounded by people, I felt the emptiness and grief of what was changing. It reminded me how layered this time of year can be … and how important it is to offer ourselves compassion.
Sometimes the heaviness isn’t dramatic — it’s subtle.
It’s the feeling of being “on” all the time.
It’s the overstimulation.
It’s the pressure to recreate a holiday that may never have felt peaceful in the first place.
It’s the longing for rest, spaciousness, or connection that feels hard to reach.
For many, this season is also layered with life transitions that don’t get talked about enough.
You may be navigating divorce, or the ending of a relationship you thought would look different.
You might be watching your children grow older, leave home, or pull away in their own life journeys… and feeling the ache of a shifting identity.
You might be carrying grief from a loss this year or from years past . Grief that feels sharper during the holidays.
So if your body feels tired…
If you’ve been more emotional…
If you’re needing quiet more than celebration…
If the season brings up grief, uncertainty, or loneliness…
Or if you simply don’t feel as festive as others expect you to —
You’re allowed to feel exactly how you feel.
There is no one right way to move through this season.
One of the most healing things you can offer yourself right now is gentleness.
Gentleness in your schedule.
Gentleness in your expectations.
Gentleness in the way you speak to yourself.
This might be the year you choose peace over pressure.
This might be the year you honor your limits.
This might be the year you let the holidays be simpler, softer, or slower.
And if this season is bringing up old patterns, emotional triggers, or things you’ve been carrying for a long time, please know that deeper support is available if you want it. My Trauma Healing Intensives are one- to three-day experiences designed to help you release the layers of overwhelm, anxiety, grief, relational wounds, and emotional imprints that keep you stuck … so you can finally create the space to breathe again.
If you’re curious about doing this work, you’re welcome to learn more or schedule a complimentary pre-admission call to explore whether an Intensive might be right for you.
And if you’d like gentle tools to support you through the holidays, you can also explore my book, Stress Relief for Busy Moms, Entrepreneurs, Caregivers & Professionals, and the companion Stress Relief Journal. Both were created to help you reconnect with yourself, regulate your nervous system, and cultivate calm … even in demanding seasons.
Sending you warmth and compassion as you move through this month.
You deserve support. You deserve rest. And you deserve to feel like yourself again.
Warmly,
Jayme Nicole MacCullough, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Trauma Specialist
