Why the Holidays Hit Your Nervous System Harder Than You Think

Dec 24, 2025

12:09

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The holidays often bring up reactions that feel bigger than the moment. Tension, irritability, overfunctioning, or the urge to withdraw can show up even when nothing is “wrong.”

In this short episode of the Building Resilience Podcast, Leah Davidson explains why emotionally loaded days like the holidays affect the nervous system more than we expect. Your body is not responding to the calendar. It is responding to patterns it has learned over time.

Leah walks through how past experiences, family roles, sensory cues, and relational dynamics quietly shape how your nervous system prepares for these days. You will learn why logic alone does not settle the body, why these reactions are not flaws, and how to gently bring yourself back into the present without forcing cheer or pushing through discomfort.

This episode offers a compassionate reframe for navigating the holidays with more awareness, self trust, and choice, especially if this season feels complicated or tender.

We’ll explore:

• Your nervous system responds to patterns, not events

• Holiday reactions often come from history, not present danger

• Strong emotions and coping behaviours are learned survival strategies

• Awareness without judgment can be regulating on its own

• You do not need to force happiness or override your body

• Small moments of orientation help bring your system back to the present

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

COMMUNITY

NERVOUS SYSTEM JOURNALING CLUB : Doodle, journal and heal in community.

Join here: https://www.skool.com/nervous-system-journaling-club/about

MENTAL HEALTH STATIONERY - RESILIENT BRILLIANCE PRODUCTS: