Slow Living During the Holidays: Preparing (Part 1)
By the time the holiday season arrives, the calendar is full of invitations, traditions, and a to-do list that grows by the day, and you can feel your energy draining before the first gathering. As a licensed mental health counselor at Therapy with Enid, I work with highly sensitive women who love the holidays and still need room to breathe, and this post shares 3 tips for slow living during the holidays, so you can prepare in a way that protects your energy. This is Part 1 of two, and Part 2 covers recovering afterward. If you are new here, start with what an HSP is.
The Holidays Are Not Bad, Even for Sensitive Women
You can love the decorations, the food, the lights, the sounds, and the smells, and still find it a lot. For highly sensitive women, the holidays pack many sensory experiences, social obligations, and expectations into a concentrated stretch of time, and crowded attractions with limited hours add to it. Many people report stress at this time of year, and sensitive women tend to feel it sooner. The tips below are meant to help you enjoy the season instead of just getting through it.
1. Keep It Simple
There is a lot of pressure to cook everything from scratch, keep the house immaculate, and schedule everyone to the minute. Try slowing down instead. Leave room for downtime and let some of the day unfold on its own. Your more extroverted relatives may want a packed schedule, and they can have one without including you. Make family time intentional, choose the most important things to do, and give them chunks of time.
A few ways to simplify:
Order food for part of the meal, or go potluck so everyone brings one or two dishes, which also helps with different food needs.
Swap cookies instead of baking together. Bake a few dozen of one item at home, trade portions with friends, and everyone ends up with a variety.
Pick two or three traditions that matter most and let the rest wait for another year.
2. Schedule Breaks Instead of Activities
With a big group or a long visit, you already know the meals and main events will happen. Make the breaks the other set item. It may feel backward, and it can make things more balanced. You might say:
“Between 1 and 3 p.m., we are not scheduling anything. No one has to be anywhere or be available.”
Knowing you will get a quiet stretch in the middle of the day can be a huge relief. Figure out what works for you, name it, and be clear, since clear is kind. If setting limits with family is hard, my post on boundary basics can help.
3. Prioritize Your People-ing
You may already have a dozen invitations, plus concerts, traditions, and attractions you feel pulled to repeat. Nobody can do everything every year. When we force it, we tend to feel resentful, tired, and more anxious, and a sensitive nervous system often shows the strain first. The fast-paced world is not built for sensitive women, and that is not a flaw in you.
Choose the events that matter most to you and do only those. You are a priority too, so protect the rest you need to be present and enjoy the things you choose. For more on saying no, see the struggle of saying no and living at a slower pace.
Once the season winds down, Part 2 walks through how to recover.
Therapy for Highly Sensitive Women in Florida
If you are a woman in Florida who sees herself in this post, I would love to support you. I am a licensed therapist, and I offer online therapy in Florida for women who want to enjoy the holidays with less overwhelm and more energy for what matters. Contact me to tell me a little about what you are looking for, and we can talk about whether working together feels like a good fit.
Enid DeJesus is a licensed mental health counselor who provides online therapy in Florida for high-achieving, highly sensitive women. She helps women plan for the holidays in ways that protect their energy, from simplifying traditions to setting limits with family. Her approach is warm and solution-focused, and her work centers on practical plans that make seasonal stress more manageable. If the holidays leave you drained, she would love to hear from you.
