Burnout-Proof Holidays: Managing Stress and Protecting Your Energy
Burnout-Proof Holidays: Managing Stress and Protecting Your Energy
Stress is not a December-only problem. It just feels louder this time of year.
The holidays tend to magnify what already exists. Busy schedules become packed calendars. Mild stress turns into chronic tension. Small decisions start to feel overwhelming. Remembering that there was one more thing you needed to do today, and you have no idea when you will do it. For many people, this is when frustration around eating, sleep, and self-care really shows up.
I hear it all the time. People tell me they want to work on their nutrition, weight, or overall health, but things are stressful right now. Work is demanding. Family needs more time. Schedules are chaotic. So, progress gets paused or doesn’t happen.
Eventually, I ask a simple question: When will life not be stressful enough to start?
That is usually the moment of realization. The stressors today are not magically disappearing next week or next month. They may change, but stress itself is part of life. So instead of waiting for calm that never comes, we must learn how to work with stress in our lives rather than waiting for it to magically pass.
What Stress Actually Is
Stress triggers the fight-or-flight response. You have undoubtedly heard this, but not quite fully understood what is happening. This is a survival mechanism designed to keep us alive when we are in danger – it is innate in humans. When the brain perceives a threat, the key point is that it is perceived – whether it is real or not – we will still have that stress response, which releases hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine.
These hormones do a lot to prepare us for the fight-or-flight response, including increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, sharpened focus, and redirected blood flow away from systems that are not immediately necessary for survival. Digestion slows down. Appetite signals change. Blood sugar and fats are released into the bloodstream to provide quick energy for muscles. Some of this you may notice, like the heart rate, clammy palms, and a knot-like feeling in your stomach.
This response is incredibly effective when the threat is real. The problem is that the body does not distinguish between a life-threatening situation and a packed calendar or running late for a meeting. The same physiological response occurs whether you are being chased or just overwhelmed. And it takes a bit for the body to return to baseline. Even after the threat passes, for example, you may experience something or have a close call that triggers stress, and 20 minutes later, your body is still trying to recover.
When this response is triggered over and over again, it becomes chronic. That is when we start to see downstream effects such as poor sleep, digestive issues, elevated blood pressure, fatigue, and difficulty regulating hunger.
Stress and Food Go Both Ways
Stress has a very real impact on eating behavior. For many people, it increases cravings for higher-fat and higher-sugar foods. This makes sense physiologically. The stress response releases glucose and fatty acids into the bloodstream. The brain is primed for quick energy and comfort.
This is where comfort foods come in. Think baked goods, chips, candy, fast food, creamy or cheesy dishes, and sweetened drinks. These foods are easy to eat, require little effort, and provide quick sensory relief.
For others, stress does the opposite. That tight knot in the stomach can blunt or suppress appetite. Meals get skipped. Hunger cues feel muted. Eating becomes inconsistent, which can then backfire later with overeating when the stress eases or exhaustion sets in.
Both responses are normal. Neither is a personal failure.
What often happens next is a cycle. Stress influences food choices. Those choices may leave someone feeling physically sluggish or mentally frustrated. That feeds more stress. Mood and food are closely connected, and when both are off, it can feel like everything is harder.
Time Pressure and Holiday Expectations
Then there are the holidays, which add another layer. No matter which holidays you celebrate or not, it is still out there: more events, more errands, more social obligations, and often more expectations, both external and self-imposed. Time feels tighter, even though the clock has not changed, and we still have the same 24 hours every day.
When time is short, food decisions shift. It’s usually the first thing affected. Takeout, delivery, and convenience meals are more common. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Not at all. The issue arises when it becomes the default day after day, with no balance.
You do not have to cook everything from scratch to eat well. You also do not have to choose between convenience and nutrition. Ordering pizza and adding a bagged salad is a reasonable middle ground. Using frozen vegetables, rotisserie chicken, or prepared grains, such as precooked brown rice, counts as feeding yourself. It’s not hard and certainly less expensive than that take-out or delivery.
The goal is not all-or-nothing. It is consistency that works in real life.
What Protecting Your Energy Actually Means
Protecting your energy is about recognizing that your time, attention, and capacity are limited resources. When everything feels urgent, energy gets drained quickly.
This starts with boundaries. Not every invitation needs a yes. Not every tradition needs to be preserved exactly as it has always been. Mixing tasks in the “must do” category with activities you enjoy can help prevent burnout.
Planning matters here, but not in an all-consuming way. A simple plan for meals, movement, and rest reduces decision fatigue. Fewer daily decisions mean more mental space.
Protecting energy also includes getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and regularly fueling (eating, including snacks). Skipping meals and running on caffeine might feel productive in the moment, but it makes stress harder to manage and recovery slower.
Practical Ways to Manage Stress and Support Yourself
Start by acknowledging stress instead of fighting it. Stress is not a moral failing. It is a physiological response.
Focus on what you can control. Regular meals, adequate fluids, and consistent sleep go a long way in buffering stress.
Build in pauses. Even a few minutes of stepping away from screens, taking a walk, or practicing slow breathing can lower stress hormones.
Revisit your to-do list. Ask yourself what truly needs to happen and what could be simplified, delayed, or skipped entirely.
Use food as support, not punishment. Balanced meals that include carbohydrates, protein, and fat help regulate blood sugar and energy levels, which in turn helps manage stress.
And finally, be realistic. The holidays do not need to be optimized. They need to be survivable and ideally enjoyable.
The Bigger Picture
Stress is part of life. Waiting for it to disappear or pass before taking care of yourself is a losing strategy. Learning to manage stress while still eating, sleeping, and functioning well is what actually protects long-term health.
The holidays may amplify the pressure, but they also offer an opportunity to practice working with stress instead of against it. That skill matters long after the decorations come down.
