Staying Grounded Through the Festive Season: A Guide for Women Navigating Family Gatherings (Part 1).
staying grounded through the festive season.
The weeks leading up to Christmas can feel like a double-edged sword.
On one hand, there’s the glitter, the lights and the promise of tradition and connection.
On the other there can be an undercurrent of tension - strained family dynamics, financial pressure, grief for those we’re missing or the weight of ‘keeping it all together’.
For many women this time of year is less about rest and more about juggling responsibilities. Planning, shopping, hosting, managing family expectations, smoothing over conflicts and keeping the peace at family gatherings.
It’s no wonder that December often brings a rise in stress, anxiety and burnout.
If you’ve ever found yourself dreading Christmas dinner, bracing for difficult conversations or feeling like your body tenses the moment you think about ‘family time’, you’re not alone. The truth is, that whilst the holiday season is marketed as a time of joy, it can be deeply challenging - and it’s okay to name that truth.
I’ve created a 6-part blog, which I will share in the lead up to Christmas, in the hope it will help you find practical ways to stay safe, grounded and in control as Christmas approaches. Come back every week to learn a little more and share it with your friends, because at this time of the year we need all the help we can get!
part 1: naming the truth about christmas.
As the shops fill with tinsel, schedules get more and more crammed with events and Christmas music starts to play on repeat, many of us feel a familiar mix of anticipation and pressure: Christmas is upon us.
We’re told this season is about joy, family and connection. But for many of us the weeks leading up to Christmas bring more stress than sparkle. Behind the wrapping paper and fairy lights there can be exhaustion, financial pressure, grief and the strain of managing complicated family dynamics.
If you’ve ever felt guilty for not being excited, or for dreading the family table, you’re not alone.
The truth is - Christmas is complicated.
it’s okay if christmas feels hard.
One of the heaviest burdens women carry this time of year is the expectation to ‘hold it all together’. We’re often the organisers, the peacekeepers, the ones smoothing over awkward moments and making sure everyone else is okay. Meanwhile our own well-being slips down the list.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of ‘I should be happy’, ‘I should look forward to this’, ‘I should make it perfect’. But should is a heavy word and it robs us of honesty.
Here’s a gentle truth: your feelings are valid, no matter what they are.
Maybe you’re excited to see family AND dreading old arguments resurfacing?
Maybe you’re grateful for traditions AND missing someone deeply?
Maybe you’re looking forward to rest AND feeling overwhelmed by preparations?
Naming these contradictions doesn’t make you ungrateful - it makes you human.
checking in with yourself.
Before the season sweeps you away, it helps to pause and check in with where you’re really at.
Here’s a simple exercise:
Find a moment of stillness- maybe with a cup of tea or just sitting quietly alone in the car before heading inside.
Take three slow breaths.
Ask yourself:
When I think about Christmas this year, what’s the first word that comes to mind?
Write it down. No judgement, no censoring - just the word that arises.
This one-word check-in might give you more insight than you expect.
If your word is ‘tired’, ‘overwhelmed’ or ‘anxious’ that’s information you can work with.
If your word is ‘hopeful’, ‘peaceful’, or ‘curious’ that’s also information you can build on.
Awareness is the first step to changing anything and in this case, it might be the first step in creating a Christmas that works for you, not just one that you endure.
letting go of the ‘perfect christmas’.
There’s enormous pressure this time of the year to create an insta-worthy Christmas, but we all know that perfection is a myth. What matters the most isn’t that everything goes smoothly - it’s whether you feel safe, steady and cared for this Christmas.
Ask yourself:
What do I really want to feel this Christmas?
Peaceful, connected, more relaxed?
What small choices could help me feel that way?
Fewer obligations, more rest, clearer boundaries?
What traditions or expectations could I gently let go of this year?
Sometimes peace comes not from doing more, but from doing less.
a simple grounding practice.
As we begin this series, here’s one grounding exercise you can start using now, whenever the season feels like ‘too much’.
The Name-It practice:
Pause wherever you are.
Say (aloud or in your head) ‘Right now I’m feeling…’ and fill in the blank.
Take a slow breath in and a slow breath out.
Remind yourself ‘It’s okay to feel this. I am safe right now’.
This simple practice helps you separate the whirlwind of Christmas expectations from your actual lived experience.
looking ahead.
Over the coming weeks this series will share practical tools for navigating triggers, setting boundaries, staying grounded during family events, creating exit strategies and redefining Christmas in a way that truly serves you.
For now, give yourself permission to be honest about how you feel. You don’t need to plaster on a smile or force excitement. By naming your truth, you’re already taking the first step towards a safer, calmer and more grounded festive season.
support resources.
If the thought of Christmas feels overwhelming or unsafe, please remember that support is available:
Lifeline (Australia): 24/7 Crisis Support 13 11 14
1800RESPECT: Domestic and family violence counselling 1800 737 732