"Eyes heavy. Bodies slumped. Expressions drifting somewhere between weary and defeated. These are graduate students who usually enter class buzzing with creative energy, swapping stories from their practicum sites, passing around charcoal sticks and water pens like candy. But that night, the spark was gone. When I asked them how they were feeling, one student whispered, "I'm trying... I'm just trying to make it through the holidays.""
"Some years, the holiday season doesn't feel like light and laughter. It feels like a season of stretching-socially, emotionally, physically-just when our bodies are asking us to rest. As a somatic-informed, intuitive-led therapist, I pay close attention to the rhythm of energy, and lately, the collective rhythm feels deeply frayed. We're approaching winter with nervous systems already taxed by global stressors, personal obligations, economic pressure, and the relentless expectation to be cheerful and available."
Many people enter the winter months depleted, showing visible physical and emotional exhaustion and struggling to meet social expectations. Fatigue can make social gatherings feel like heavy emotional labor rather than restorative connection. Widespread stressors—global crises, obligations, economic pressure—and cultural pressure to be cheerful strain nervous systems before winter arrives. Social hibernation allows people to conserve energy, maintain their window of tolerance, and prioritize authentic connection over performative presence. Intentional rest and boundary-setting support emotional well-being. Recognizing and honoring personal limits functions as psychological wisdom that protects capacity for meaningful engagement.
Read at Psychology Today
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