Work Stress? Holiday Stress?
Your Nervous System Doesn’t Know the Difference.
One of my clients, Taryn, told me something last week that stuck with me. She said:
“I thought the holidays would feel like a break. But I’m just trading one kind of stress for another.”
That’s the story for so many midlife women.
The deadlines change shape.
The pressure changes location.
But the nervous system?
It just keeps responding to everything at the same loud volume.
This month, we talked a lot about the workplace and how menopause shifts concentration, motivation, memory, and stress. What I kept hearing from women is this: I don’t know how to turn off the stress response anymore. It feels like my body is always bracing.
Here’s why December can feel harder than any work week—and how to change that without burning out.
Your Nervous System Doesn’t Categorize Stress
Whether you’re reacting to an unreasonable email from your boss or a passive-aggressive comment from a family member, your body responds the same way: with elevated cortisol, faster breathing, and heightened emotional sensitivity.
Menopause magnifies that reaction.
Estrogen, progesterone, serotonin, and cortisol are all interacting differently now, and your internal “shock absorbers” aren’t as padded as they once were.
So when everything feels bigger, louder, and more intense during the holidays, it’s not a personal flaw.
It’s physiology—layered with emotional expectation.
The Menopause Holiday Equation
Here’s the combination I see every year:
Decreased stress tolerance
disrupted sleep
heavier emotional labor
family dynamics
holiday overeating
work deadlines
= a nervous system that feels fried
And yet, women often blame themselves instead of the biology.
You are not too sensitive.
You are not failing.
You are not behind.
You are not weak.
You’re going through a hormonal transition that requires real support.
Three Ways to Carry November’s Tools Into December
These are the same strategies that helped you function better at work—now they’ll help you survive the holidays without melting down.
1. “One emotional demand at a time.”
Don’t take on your sister’s stress, your partner’s stress, and your kids’ stress in the same hour. Separate the demands and handle them one by one. Your nervous system can only process so much.
2. “No is a full sentence.”
Say no the same way you’d decline an unnecessary meeting.
No explanation.
No apology.
No guilt.
3. “Reset between responsibilities.”
Work taught you the value of stepping away for a few minutes.
Use that at home too.
Bathroom breaks count.
Standing on the porch for a minute counts.
Closing your eyes before entering a crowded room counts.
These aren’t small coping tools. They’re nervous system protection.
You Don’t Need a New You for the Holidays
You just need a version of you who is supported, understood, and allowed to be human during a massive hormonal shift.
There’s nothing wrong with you.
There’s nothing to hide.
And there’s nothing to push through.
This season, your job isn’t to perform your way through overwhelm.
It’s to treat your body like it’s worth listening to.
Because it is.