Protecting Your Peace This Holiday Season: Permission to Slow Down
The holidays are here again, which means twinkling lights, endless to-do lists, and a mix of emotions that can leave even the calmest among us feeling like we might burst into tears in the Target parking lot.
This season can be full of warmth and meaning, but it can also be heavy. Maybe you’re trying to create special memories for your kids while quietly counting the minutes until bedtime. Maybe you’re navigating complicated family dynamics or spending the holidays without someone you love. Maybe you’re just tired. Whatever your situation, it’s okay if this season feels like too much.
The Pressure to Do It All
Somewhere along the way, the holidays became a competition for who can do the most. More cookies, more decorations, more events, more magic. We start believing that the “perfect” holiday means doing everything and doing it with a smile.
But underneath all that doing, many of us are running on fumes. We keep going because slowing down feels uncomfortable. For those who have lived through trauma, chaos can start to feel like home. When things finally get quiet, our nervous system doesn’t always know what to do with that stillness.
So we bake another batch of cookies, volunteer for another event, or plan one more family outing — not because we want to, but because stillness can feel unsafe.
Protecting Your Peace Isn’t Selfish
Protecting your peace during the holidays is not rude, lazy, or selfish. It’s a way of honoring your limits and your healing.
Saying no to an event you dread is an act of self-respect. Setting a spending limit is responsible. Taking a break from the group chat when it’s full of drama is emotional self-care.
You are not responsible for making everyone happy, fixing old wounds, or keeping the peace by sacrificing your own. Sometimes love looks like quietly choosing calm over chaos.
Small Ways to Slow Down and Find Calm
You do not need a full weekend retreat to rest (although that sounds lovely). You can start small.
Take five slow breaths before you respond to a text invite.
Step outside and feel the air on your face between errands.
Choose one or two traditions that actually bring you joy and let the rest go.
If you need to cry, cry. If you need to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, do that too.
Your nervous system will thank you for any moment of stillness you give it. Slowing down is how we make space to actually feel the season instead of just surviving it.
A Different Kind of Holiday
Imagine a holiday where peace is the goal, not perfection. One where the lights are a little uneven, the cookies are slightly burnt, and everyone laughs about it anyway.
What if this year you gave yourself permission to make things simpler? You might find that smaller and slower feels a lot more meaningful than bigger and busier ever did.
You deserve a season that doesn’t leave you exhausted and resentful. You deserve rest, connection, and enough breathing room to notice what actually matters.
So instead of pushing through, try this: pause, breathe, and remind yourself that you are allowed to slow down. You are allowed to choose calm over chaos. You are allowed to protect your peace and still have a beautiful holiday.
And if things get messy (because they probably will), remember that peace isn’t about everything going perfectly. It’s about coming back to yourself when it doesn’t.
