How to Reduce Holiday Stress by Supporting Your Nervous System

The holiday season tends to ask a lot of women, especially if you’re trying to conceive, pregnant, or moving through postpartum. Your body’s already doing important work behind the scenes, so the added plans, pressure, and expectations can feel like they’re pulling you in every direction.

But here’s what you might not realize. Your body has built-in cues that tell you when you’re reaching your limit, and learning to listen to them can change everything.

Once you understand what your body is trying to tell you, you’ll be able to move through busy seasons with more calm, and a lot less pressure to keep up with everything. This blog will act as a guide to help you understand what’s happening in your nervous system and how to support it.

What Stress Really Does to Your Nervous System

Your nervous system is constantly working to keep you safe. It shifts between states of activation and rest depending on what your body thinks you need. During busy seasons, especially when hormones are shifting or your body is growing a baby or recovering from birth, this system becomes more sensitive. When you’re in “go mode” for too long, your body shifts into a heightened state. This can affect:

• Hormones: Stress hormones compete with reproductive hormones, which can impact fertility, PMS, pregnancy symptoms, and postpartum recovery.
• Digestion: You may notice bloating, heartburn, nausea, or appetite changes.
• Sleep: Falling asleep or staying asleep feels harder when your system is in overdrive.
• Mood: Irritability, overwhelm, anxiety, or emotional sensitivity are common signs your system is overloaded.

These signals are your body’s way of communicating. And once you learn to tune in, you can respond with support instead of self-criticism.

Common Signs of Nervous System Overload During the Holidays

Many women normalize these because they think stress is “just part of the holidays.” But they are actually cues that your body needs support:

• Feeling drained before the day even starts
• Trouble winding down at night
• Overthinking or feeling emotionally sensitive
• Increased tension in the neck, jaw, or pelvic floor
• Feeling “on edge” during social plans
• Digestive changes
• More headaches, aches, or tightening in your body

Practical Ways to Support Your Nervous System This Season

You don’t need a big lifestyle overhaul. What helps most is choosing supportive, realistic steps that meet you where you are.

1. Set Boundaries Without Guilt
Protecting your emotional and physical energy is essential, not selfish. This might look like:

• Saying no to gatherings that feel draining
• Leaving early when you have reached your limit
• Skipping traditions that feel overwhelming this year
• Choosing quiet evenings over back-to-back events

If you are TTC and certain spaces feel emotionally triggering, it is completely valid to opt out. You are allowed to protect your peace.

2. Be Realistic About Travel
Travel is stimulating for the nervous system and can feel even harder during TTC, pregnancy, or postpartum. Ask yourself:

• Does this trip support my well-being?
• Can we shorten it or space out visits?
• Would it feel easier for others to come to us this year?

3. Create Space for Quiet Moments
Your system needs pockets of calm to reset. Try:

• Five slow breaths in the car before going inside
• A short walk after dinner
• Gentle stretching before bed
• A morning without plans

Small pauses make a real difference.

4. Choose Supportive Hands-On Care                                                                                                                  Chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and psychotherapy all help shift your body out of stress mode. Women often notice:

• Less tension
• Better sleep
• Improved digestion
• More emotional steadiness

Hands-on care is one of the most grounding tools you can lean on during an overstimulating season.

5. Listen to Your Emotional Cues
Your emotions are information. If you feel:

• Drained after certain events
• Triggered by certain conversations
• Overwhelmed by crowded spaces
• Touched out in postpartum

Let those feelings guide your decisions.

6. Redefine What Rest Looks Like
Rest can be small and simple:

• Ordering takeout
• Downsizing your holiday to-do list
• Asking for help
• Staying home when your body says “not tonight”

Rest is a regulation tool, not a reward you have to earn.

The Holiday Season Can Feel Different This Year

You deserve a holiday season that supports your wellbeing, not one that drains it. If you’re looking for a calmer, more supported way to move through the holidays, we’d love to help you build a plan that feels good.

Reach out to book an appointment or send us a message to get started.

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