Permission to Feel Like Sh*t at Christmas

Dec 01, 2025

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The Pressure

Everyone around you is performing joy. The Instagram posts. The matching pajamas. The forced cheer at work drinks. And you're just trying to get through it without falling apart.

You're not broken. Christmas is hard for a lot of people.

What Nobody Says

Grief doesn't take a holiday. Loneliness gets louder when everyone else is posting family photos. Seasonal depression is real, and no amount of twinkle lights fixes a nervous system that's struggling.

The pressure to be festive makes it worse. You're not just dealing with how you actually feel - you're also dealing with the shame of not feeling how you're "supposed" to feel.

You're Allowed

You're allowed to find Christmas hard. You're allowed to miss someone. You're allowed to feel disconnected when everyone else seems wrapped up in magic you can't access right now.

You're allowed to do the bare minimum. You're allowed to skip things. You're allowed to say "I'm not really feeling it this year" without explaining why.

What Actually Helps

Stop pretending you're fine when you're not. Tell one person the truth. Lower your expectations to something survivable. Let yourself feel it without adding a story about what it means that you're feeling it.

January will come. You'll get through this.

It's okay that it's not okay right now.

Download Emotional Regulation Playbook Here

Take care,

Siobhan ✌🏼

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Permission to Feel Like Sh*t at Christmas

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