Nervous System Overwhelm During the Holidays: Subtle Signs High Performers Miss
Dec 23, 2025
If you’re a high performer who feels chronically tired, scattered, or emotionally thin right now, it’s easy to assume the holidays are the problem.
The family dynamics.
The schedule disruptions.
The travel.
The expectations.
But more often than not, the holidays aren’t causing the overwhelm — they’re revealing it.
For many capable, driven people, the nervous system has already been stretched thin long before December arrives. The pace, the pressure, the constant mental load of being “on” doesn’t suddenly appear during the holidays. What happens instead is that the additional stimulation, social demands, and loss of routine expose a system that has been hanging on by a thread for quite some time.
As I often say to clients “the coping mechanisms that worked through the year just don’t anymore when you layer on top holiday stress”
And the signs are usually subtle.
You might notice yourself:
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Craving sugar or comfort foods more than usual — not because you lack willpower, but because your body is searching for quick energy and relief.
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Poor sleep, which often accompanies chronic stress, also lowers our capacity for self-regulation, making it harder to feel steady around food or choices.
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Compulsively checking your phone. Refreshing emails. Scrolling apps. Tracking packages. Filling every quiet moment with stimulation because stillness feels uncomfortable, or even unsafe. This isn’t distraction — it’s a nervous system that doesn’t know how to rest.
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Digestive issues often show up. Bloating, indigestion, or a sudden belief that certain foods are the problem. While food sensitivities can be real, many people are surprised to learn that what’s actually driving these symptoms is prolonged stress keeping the body out of a relaxed, digestive state.
And then there’s the mental side of it — difficulty concentrating, decision fatigue, executive functioning collapse. Tasks that once felt manageable suddenly feel overwhelming. This is often the final warning sign before the system tips into full freeze or burnout.
None of this is a personal failing.
These aren’t character flaws or bad habits.
They’re signals.
Signals that your nervous system has been operating in overdrive for too long, and is asking — quietly, at first — for restoration.
The encouraging part is that regulation doesn’t require drastic overhauls or disappearing from your life. It begins with small, practical shifts that restore predictability and safety to the body.
Simple Steps for Big Results
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Setting boundaries with technology is a powerful first step. Removing apps from your phone and choosing intentional check-in times on your computer reduces the constant state of alert that scrolling creates.
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Sleep matters more than perfection. A consistent sleep ritual — going to bed at roughly the same time each night — helps the nervous system relax because predictability signals safety. Tracking your sleep in something such as a FitBit can also help you notice patterns, such as restlessness or low heart rate variability, that is signalling your system is struggling.
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Supporting the vagus nerve through simple daily practices can help bring the system out of overdrive and back into balance. This doesn’t have to be complicated — gentle, consistent inputs matter more than intensity. Make sure to check my YouTube channel for simple shifts in under 3 minutes!
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And nourishment matters, especially first thing in the morning. Hydrating upon waking and eating a breakfast that includes protein, healthy fats, and slow-digesting carbohydrates helps stabilize blood sugar, which directly supports nervous system regulation.
What’s important to remember is this: calm isn’t something you force. It’s something you create the conditions for.
If the holidays are feeling harder than usual this year, it may not be because you’re failing to cope. It may be because your body is asking for a different relationship with pressure, pace, and care.
And that’s not weakness.
That’s wisdom.
A Shift in Perspective
As the year comes to a close, the most powerful thing you can do may not be pushing forward, but pausing long enough to listen.
Instead of overriding the signals of your body, try asking: What am I actually needing to feel safe, supported, and resourced right now?
You don’t need all the answers today.
Just the willingness to listen.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and I look forward to going on this journey with your in the New Year!
ashley
Author
