Let’s be honest: December has a vibe… and not always the cute hot-chocolate-under-a-blanket one we get sold in the adverts.
For many of us, it’s a month of pressure, overstimulation, panic-buying wrapping paper, and trying not to scream when someone asks, “So, what are you doing for New Year?”
This blog is your permission slip to take the pressure off - not by forcing calm, but by understanding what’s actually going on inside your mind. Because once you see that, everything gets a whole lot easier.
Here are five gentle ways to take the weight off your shoulders this season.
1. Stop Trying to Get Everything Done (Because You Won’t Anyway)
We give December this mythic power… like the world will end if we don’t complete 47 tasks before the 24th.
But here’s the truth I had to relearn this week:
Not everything is getting done.
And guess what? It doesn't have to.
When you drop the expectation of superhuman productivity, your nervous system stops revving like a jet engine. You’re allowed to prioritise. You’re allowed to let things go. You’re allowed to not have the “perfect Christmas” - especially because that only exists on Instagram anyway.
2. Notice Your Patterns… Without Judging Yourself for Them
When my mind gets busy, I don’t push harder - I procrastinate.
I will avoid, delay, sidestep, and convince myself “I’ll get up early tomorrow.”
(Spoiler: I won’t.)
And that’s okay.
It’s simply what a revved-up mind does.
The trick isn’t to fix the habit but to notice it.
“Oh look, there I go again.”
Awareness brings you back to presence far more effectively than self-criticism ever will.
Judgment lowers your state of mind.
Acceptance lifts it.
3. Let Go of the Worry About Getting Ill
This time of year can trigger the classic:
“What if I get sick and ruin everything?”
But ironically, the more we worry about getting ill, the more we stress our immune systems.
I used to obsess over this - especially when I had important things coming up - and none of that worry ever protected me. Not once.
Things work out.
Opportunities can be rearranged.
And sometimes, rest comes because you needed it more than you realised.
Worry isn’t a safety strategy.
Wisdom is.
4. Remember That Pressure Comes From Thought - Not the Calendar
We treat dates like they’re spiritually significant - Christmas, birthdays, New Year’s Eve - when really they’re just numbers someone invented and we all agreed on.
The pressure we feel isn’t coming from the day.
It’s coming from the meaning we pile on top of it.
When you see that, New Year's Eve stops being a test you have to pass
and becomes… just a day.
A day you can spend in pyjamas, eating sushi, or going to bed at 10pm like a victorious adult.
5. Let Yourself Be Human (Especially When You’re Overwhelmed)
Busy mind?
Hormonal wobble?
Feeling emotional for no logical reason?
Welcome to the human experience.
Even I had a moment recently where my mind said, “Shouldn’t you be worrying more about having cancer?” And that’s how sneaky thought can be when we’re tired or low.
But the gift is this:
The moment you notice you’ve drifted into noisy thinking, you’ve already stepped back into clarity.
Your wisdom doesn’t disappear - it just gets temporarily drowned out by static.
And it always, always comes back.
If You Need Deeper Relief… There’s a Simpler Way
If you’re feeling the weight of life, anxiety, stress, or overwhelming thoughts - especially at this time of year - you don’t need more pressure, more techniques, or more to-do lists.
You need a simpler understanding of how your mind works.
That’s exactly what A Simpler Way to Freedom, my 8-week course, is designed to give you.
Real ease.
Real clarity.
Real freedom - without the mental gymnastics.
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