December has a one-of-a-kind energy, don’t you think?

The lights, the traditions, the cozy moments, but also the pressure, the rushing, the expectations.

It’s the month where we’re “supposed” to feel joyful, grateful, festive, yet so many of us end up overwhelmed, overstimulated, and exhausted.

But this year is different for me.

This year, I’m intentionally slowing down, because December is the second month of my 6-month gentle reset:

• a shift away from pressure and toward presence

• a season of doing less… and feeling more

• a season of slowing down without feeling guilty for it

Why December Exhausts So Many of Us

We often forget that Christmas isn’t just a holiday, it’s a full sensory experience that can overwhelm the body.

  • more events
  • more emotions
  • more social energy
  • more plans
  • more expectations
  • more noise

And at the same time?

  • less sunshine
  • less rest
  • less personal space
  • less breathing room

Of course, our nervous systems struggle, and we feel tired.

We’re still humans, not machines.

Understanding How to Regulate Your Nervous System

Something I’ve learned deeply over the past year is this:

Your nervous system determines how you experience life.

If your body is activated → everything feels like “too much.”
If your body slows down → presence becomes easier.
If your body rests → your mind softens.

Here are my favourite practices that help me feel grounded:

1. Breathwork and meditation

Meditation and breathwork in the morning have become non-negotiable for me. Skipping them feels as strange as leaving the house without brushing my teeth.

On the days when I’m truly in a hurry, I might skip one, but never both.

Breathwork and meditation both ground my body and signal safety to my brain, reducing anxiety and overwhelm.

2. Gentle, Slow Mornings

I’ve fallen in love with slower mornings. No phone until I leave the house.

I start with hot lemon water and feeding my cats, then move into breathwork and meditation before getting ready for the day. Nothing rushed, nothing forced.

A soft beginning truly changes the whole day. It’s like telling your nervous system, “You’re safe. We’re not sprinting today.”

3. Evening Hot Showers as a Reset

Warm water is medicine. My evening shower has become a little ritual, a way to wash the day off and soften my mind before bed

It helps me sleep better and reset emotionally.

4. The One-Thing-at-a-Time Rule

Multitasking overstimulates the nervous system, especially when your mind is already tired or anxious.

So lately, I’ve been practicing the art of doing things one at a time:

• one task at a time
• one plan per day
• one moment at a time

It slows my mind, calms my body, and helps me stay present instead of spiraling into overwhelm.

5. Slow Movement

Slow, intentional movement has been a huge part of my regulation lately.

Practices like gentle yoga, intuitive dancing, or walking in nature calm both my body and my mind.

Just movement that feels good, not movement that “achieves” something.

It helps me release anxious energy, reconnect with my breath, and return to my body most peacefully.

6. Rest and stillness are medicine

Rest is truly medicine.

When you slow down or simply sit in stillness for a few minutes, your nervous system gets a chance to repair and reset.

Honoring rest has been one of the biggest shifts in my gentle reset… and the most healing one.

These practices help me feel like myself again.

Present.

Calm.

More connected to what matters.

Creating a Slow Christmas Season

This December, I’m practicing something gentle:

I refuse to rush my way through the season.

Because rushing steals the magic I actually want to feel.

So this year I’m choosing:

  • simple moments
  • slow mornings
  • early nights
  • less pressure
  • more presence

Because this is what I want December to feel like.

Saying “No” With Softness

One of the biggest lessons of this season: saying no is an act of self-respect.

No, I can’t make every plan.
No, I can’t attend every event.
No, I can’t pour into every conversation.

I’m learning that “no” doesn’t have to be harsh.
It can be gentle.
It can be loving.
It can sound like: “I would love to, but I don’t have the capacity right now.”

My nervous system is my compass now, and if something drains it, I choose peace over pressure.

Enjoying Home, Warmth & Family

One thing I’ve been loving this month:

Returning home to myself.

  • Slow dinners.
  • Candle-lit evenings.
  • Hot tea after a cold walk.
  • Small traditions.
  • Movies under blankets.
  • Talking to the people I love.
  • Letting moments be simple.

When you slow down, you realise how much beauty already exists in the room you’re in.

Holiday Self-Love Rituals I’m Adding

Here are the little rituals supporting me this month:

• warm evening showers
• nourishing skincare
• journaling
• slow mornings
• not checking my phone first thing
• early nights
• walks in fresh air
• saying no before I’m overwhelmed
• being grateful
• reminding myself “I am enough exactly as I am.”

My 6-Month Gentle Reset

This month is my season of softening.

Nervous system recovery. And choosing presence over pressure.

And I can already feel the shift happening.

I’ll share my month 3 check-in in January: what has changed, what has helped, and what I learned about slow living.

But for now…

Here’s to a December that doesn’t drain you.
Here’s to a Christmas season that feels like an exhale.
Here’s to the art of slowing down and coming home to yourself.

If you’d like to receive these reflections more intimately, I share them in my monthly newsletter, a soft space for women on a journey of self-love and inner growth.

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