Holiday Burnout Is Real: Your Guide to Reclaiming Energy & Joy This Season

Picture this: It’s just before New Year’s Eve, and you’re standing in your kitchen at 9 p.m., staring at a half-finished holiday to-do list. Despite your best intentions to “keep it simple” this year, you’re exhausted.

The festive music playing in the background feels more like noise than cheer, and you can’t shake the feeling that the holidays shouldn’t be this draining.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone; according to a recent American Psychological Association survey, 28% of American adults report feeling more holiday stress this year than last year. And while there are numerous societal factors that can contribute to these feelings, we might be overlooking some internal reasons why holiday stress might be hitting you harder than it used to.

The Biology Behind Holiday Burnout: Why It Feels Different After 35

Remember when you could power through holiday parties and last-minute shopping expeditions with more energy and momentum? The change you’re experiencing isn’t in your head.

As we age, our bodies undergo subtle but snowballing changes in how they handle stress and maintain energy levels.

The hormone systems that once bounced back effortlessly from holiday chaos become less resilient, affecting everything from sleep quality to emotional wellbeing.

“A High-Speed Roller Coaster” of Hormones

Dr. Leita Harris, a board-certified physician and gynecologist, is particularly familiar with the challenges that men and women have to navigate in their mid-thirties, forties, and beyond. “Their hormones can feel like a high-speed roller coaster, full of ups and downs, twists and turns that can make you feel like you have to buckle in for the ride every day.”

The natural changes in hormone levels can amplify the effects of stress on our bodies. What might have been a minor inconvenience in our twenties – like a disrupted sleep schedule or irregular meals – can now throw our entire system off balance.

Hidden Energy Vampires of the Season

The holiday season also brings out unique challenges with holiday burnout that can deplete your energy in ways you might not expect:

Emotional Labor

That mental list you’re constantly running? The one keeping track of dietary restrictions for the family dinner, office gift preferences, and the script for your kids’ holiday recital? It’s called emotional labor, and it’s exhausting. During the holidays, this invisible workload often doubles or triples, creating a constant drain on your mental and physical resources.

Disrupted Routines

Your body craves consistency, especially when it comes to sleep and eating patterns. The holiday season throws these rhythms into chaos, affecting your hormone balance and energy levels. 

Social Energy Expenditure

While socializing can be joyful, it also requires significant energy – especially for those experiencing hormone-related fatigue or mood changes. The increased social demands of the holiday season can quickly deplete your reserves, leaving you overwhelmed and exhausted.

Beyond “Just Get More Sleep”: Real Solutions for Holiday Vitality and Midlife Merriment

So what can we do when we feel like this? The standard advice about managing holiday stress often misses a crucial point: wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all, especially as we age.

Instead of the typical guidance about drinking more water and eating vegetables (though both are important too), let’s look at some additional strategies that can address the root causes of holiday burnout.

Hormone-Conscious Energy Management

Research indicates that cortisol and sex hormone levels can swing more drastically during the holidays, which can have dysregulating effects on you and your relationships. Knowing this, try some techniques that can help shift the momentum back in your favor, including:

• Planning high-energy tasks during your natural energy peaks.
• Including short rest periods between holiday activities. Try the Pomodoro technique to stay on track and ensure adequate mental break times.
• Practicing simple stress-reduction techniques like an after-dinner walk (which can help regulate your blood sugar), or screen-free reading time before bed.
• Considering professional guidance to optimize your hormone levels.
• Staying up to date on all of your supplement and prescription refills. (and setting reminders to take them at necessary intervals)

Strategic Nutrient Timing

Rather than focusing on restrictive eating during the holidays, consider timing protein and fiber-rich meals to support hormone balance and energy levels. Studies show that maintaining regular meal times can help stabilize cortisol patterns and support healthy hormone function. This approach allows you to enjoy seasonal celebrations while maintaining stable energy throughout the day.

Additionally, as much as it can sometimes feel easier to rely on caffeine, alcohol, or other substances to manage our emotions and responses, keep in mind that these can potentially force our bodies to fight harder to combat growing feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. 

Mindful Boundary Setting

Creating boundaries isn’t selfish – it’s essential for maintaining your health during high-stress periods. This might mean saying no to some invitations or delegating holiday tasks that drain your energy. Remember: setting boundaries actually enables more meaningful connections with loved ones when you do engage.

Making Connection the Heart of Holiday Wellness

One often-overlooked aspect of holiday wellness is the power of collaboration. Instead of shouldering all the responsibility alone, consider how sharing the load can actually strengthen family and friendship bonds.

“For many, the holidays bring about mixed feelings, from joy to worry to grief,” said American Psychiatric Association CEO and Medical Director Marketa M. Wills, M.D., M.B.A. “Mental health is often tested over the winter holidays and it’s important to remember that although finding the perfect gift or preparing the favorite feast is gratifying, we can find meaning in the season by spending time with the people who mean the most to us.”

Creating New Family Traditions

Transform holiday preparations from stressful tasks into opportunities for connection. Consider:

• Assigning age-appropriate tasks to children, teaching valuable life skills while lightening your load
• Running “errand dates” with a friend you might not otherwise have time to see before the holidays, to tackle holiday tasks together
• Using meal prep time as an opportunity for family storytelling and tradition-sharing

The Partnership Approach

Couples who actively coordinate holiday responsibilities can better connect and feel less stress overall than those who don’t. This might look like:

• Regular check-ins with your partner about both of your energy levels and needs
• Dividing tasks based on each person’s strengths and energy patterns
• Taking turns handling high-energy activities while the other rests
• Supporting each other’s wellness routines, even during busy times

Intergenerational Support

Don’t forget the valuable role that extended family can play. Consider how grandparents, aunts, uncles, and older children can contribute meaningfully to holiday preparations, which may also help them feel more needed and included.

Taking Control of Your Holiday Wellness

The good news is that feeling overwhelmed during the holidays isn’t inevitable. Modern wellness approaches, including personalized hormone optimization, can help you maintain steady energy levels and emotional resilience throughout the season. The key is recognizing that seeking support isn’t a luxury; it’s a valid response to very real biological changes.

Consider starting with a comprehensive wellness assessment to understand how your hormone levels might be affecting your energy and stress response. This information can be invaluable in creating a personalized strategy for maintaining vitality during the holidays and beyond.

The Gift That Really Keeps on Giving? Feeling Like Yourself Again

Remember, the goal isn’t to power through or simply “survive” the holiday season–it’s to actually enjoy it. By understanding and supporting your body’s changing needs, you can reclaim the joy and energy that make the holidays and new year special.

Ready to explore personalized solutions for your wellness? Schedule a confidential, commitment-free consultation here to discuss how hormone optimization might help you navigate every coming season with more energy and resilience. 

Feeling like the strongest, most present version of yourself is the gift that you and your loved ones truly deserve.