Every December, I’m reminded of that Grinch moment, the one where he throws his hands in the air and groans about “all the noise, noise, noise!”
We laugh because it’s funny. But we feel it because it’s true.
As a working woman, mom or wife, the holidays aren’t always just festive. They’re loud. They’re full. They’re frantic. Full of expectations. They’re overstimulating and overwhelming in a way that’s hard to explain without sounding dramatic.
The sensory overload hits quickly: the to-do lists, the kids buzzing with excitement, the calendar squeezed tight, the family dynamics, the constant hum of “don’t forget this,” the social expectations layered on top of a normal workload, not to mention all the food and gift planning.
Nothing is technically wrong, yet everything feels like too much.
And when that happens, we either snap or silently shut down, heading to our bed to hide under the covers.
Here’s the one practice I use that keeps me from falling off that edge:
I stop and notice the one place in my body that still feels calm, and I let my eyes rest where that calm feels most true or strengthens.
It sounds simple, almost too small to matter, but it’s a nervous system rewiring technique I use with my clients every day.
Here’s how it works:
- Your eyes land on something neutral or comforting — a lamp, a quiet corner, the way your child’s hair falls across their forehead. You are engaging in mindfulness.
- Your body finds the place that feels 1% less tense — your stomach, your jaw, your hands.
- And for 10 seconds, you let those two things meet: the calm in your body and the calm in your environment.
What happens next is tiny, but powerful. Your brain shifts out of survival mode. Your shoulders drop. Your chest softens. You can breathe again.
This practice doesn’t fix the chaos around you, but it anchors you so the chaos doesn’t swallow you whole. It gives you just a little bit more margin to think and operate out of clarity.
If you want more calm this holiday season, try these tiny add-ons:
- Lower the bar by 20%.
- Protect transition moments.
- Name what hurts.
If you find this helpful and are curious for more, you can find me on Instagram or at [email protected].
You don’t need to be the perfect holiday mom, wife or host. You just need to be a grounded one.
Audrey Crow, LAC, of Crow Counseling helps high-achieving women move out of survival mode and into regulated, present and emotionally connected living through trauma-informed, brain-body-based therapy.
Click here to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter:
