Burn Bright This Festive Season — Without Burning Out

A gentle guide to navigating overwhelm, tending to your inner fire, and honouring your winter rhythm

As the lights go up, calendars fill, and the familiar swirl of December begins, many of us start to feel the pressure of the “shoulds.”
I should go to that party.
I should buy more gifts.
I should feel festive by now.
I should do it all…

But here’s the quiet truth:
There is nothing festive about burning out.

This season can be beautiful, but it can often feel overstimulating, emotionally charged, and far busier than our bodies are built for. And if you’re already carrying a lot — work, family, hormones, life — December can feel less like magic and more like too much.

Before the rush sweeps you along, take a moment to check in with yourself. December doesn’t need more pressure; it needs more honesty, softness, and space.

Why This Time of Year Feels So Much: A Polyvagal Perspective

If the festive season overwhelms you more than it excites you, you’re not alone — and you’re definitely not failing. Your body is simply responding to increased demands through its nervous system.

Polyvagal Theory helps explain why.

The Polyvagal Ladder: Three States of the Nervous System

  • Ventral Vagal — Safe & Social
    Calm, connected, grounded.
    The place where you can enjoy life’s moments and feel like “yourself.”

  • Sympathetic — Fight or Flight
    The anxious, wired, overstimulated state.
    (Common when you’re rushing from event to event, juggling responsibilities, or feeling sensory overload.)

  • Dorsal Vagal — Freeze / Shutdown
    When everything feels “too much,” your system may collapse into exhaustion, numbness, or disconnection.

Where Overwhelm Lives

Overwhelm happens when your system gets stuck in sympathetic or dorsal states for too long.
You might feel:

  • Wired, restless, easily startled

  • Foggy, flat, or emotionally distant

  • Overcommitted and inwardly panicking

  • Unable to “cope” in the ways you usually do

This is biology — not personal failure.

And December, with its noise, pace, pressure and expectations, pulls many of us away from a sense of safety and into survival mode.

The key is learning how to guide ourselves gently back.

Tend to Your Fire by Tuning Into Your Needs

Winter asks us to slow down, soften, and conserve energy — just like nature does. This season, let your choices reflect what truly nourishes you.

When you feel overwhelmed or stretched thin, pause and gently check in:

Does this bring me joy?
Does this give me energy or drain it?
What do I need right now — rest, play, quiet, movement, connection?

Honouring your capacity isn’t selfish; it’s how you protect your energy.
Let your choices reflect what you need, not what’s expected of you.

A Gentle Invitation to Soften With Me

If this resonates and you’re craving a quieter rhythm, some grounding practices, and a return to yourself before the festive season jumps into full swing…

You’re warmly invited to Season to Soften — a FREE, ONLINE, 3-day at-home mini retreat running December 5–7 (SIGN UP NOW CLOSED)

Expect short, grounding practices and seasonal rituals you can weave easily into your day — all designed to help you:

  • regulate your nervous system

  • find pockets of rest

  • reconnect with your body

  • create a sense of calm in the rush

  • move gently, breathe deeply, and ground back into yourself

If you’ve already signed up, I’m so happy you’re joining us.
Here’s to tending your fire, honouring your rhythm, and moving through the season with softness.

With warmth,
Eirian x

Eirian Collinge