The holiday season is supposed to be joyful. But for many women, it’s a source of chronic stress that derails their health, disrupts their sleep, and leaves them feeling exhausted by January.
Does this sound familiar?
You stay up late baking cookies for the school party. You say yes to every holiday event—even the ones you don’t really want to go to. You skip your workouts because you’re “too busy.” And you tell yourself you’ll “get back on track in January.”
But then January rolls around, and you’re exhausted. You’ve gained weight. You feel worse than you did in November. And now you’re starting the new year from a deficit instead of a place of strength.
Here’s the truth: The holidays don’t ruin your health. The way you approach them does.
And I’m going to show you exactly how to change that.
The Holiday Stress Trap: What’s Really Happening in Your Body
When I founded Antigravity Wellness, it was out of frustration with Western Medicine’s focus on sick care instead of prevention and wellness. I watched too many women suffer through perimenopause and menopause symptoms—only to be handed a prescription and sent on their way. No investigation. No partnership. No real solutions.
One of the most common patterns I see in my practice is what I call the “holiday stress trap.” Women come to me in early January looking completely defeated. They’re exhausted, gaining weight despite eating healthy, their periods are all over the place, and they feel like they’re falling apart.
When I ask what happened, they say: “The holidays.”
Here’s what I’ve learned: The holidays don’t ruin your health. The way you approach them does.
Let me introduce you to Sarah, a composite of many of my patients. Sarah is a 45-year-old woman navigating perimenopause. She came to see me in early January looking completely defeated.
She’d spent six weeks trying to be the perfect host, the perfect baker, the perfect gift-giver. She stayed up late wrapping presents, baking cookies, cleaning the house. She skipped her workouts because she didn’t have time. She ate whatever was in front of her at parties because she told herself, “I’ll start fresh in January.”
But here’s the thing: her body didn’t wait until January.
By the time she came to see me, her cortisol was through the roof, her hormones were a mess, and she was in full-blown burnout.
Understanding Cortisol: Your Body’s Stress Response
To understand what’s happening during holiday stress, we need to talk about cortisol.
Cortisol is a powerful hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It’s designed to help you survive a threat—like running from a bear or dealing with a real emergency. When you face a stressor, your body releases cortisol, which increases your heart rate, sharpens your focus, and mobilizes energy to help you survive.
But here’s the problem: Your body can’t tell the difference between running from a bear and staying up until midnight wrapping presents.
Your body just knows: stress equals survival mode.
So when cortisol stays elevated during the holidays, here’s what happens:
Sleep Disruption: You wake up exhausted even after a full night in bed. Cortisol should be lowest at night, but when stress is chronic, it stays elevated, preventing deep, restorative sleep.
Stalled Weight Loss: Your metabolism slows down because your body thinks you’re in danger and it needs to hold onto every calorie. This is why so many women gain weight during the holidays despite not eating dramatically more.
Hormonal Chaos: Elevated cortisol interferes with progesterone production, leading to irregular periods, worse PMS, heavier bleeding, and intensified perimenopause symptoms.
Accelerated Aging: Chronic stress accelerates aging at the cellular level. You get more wrinkles, brain fog, and fatigue.
Mood Disruption: You feel anxious, irritable, and overwhelmed. Your nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight mode.
Your body literally can’t tell the difference between holiday chaos and a real threat. It just knows: stress equals survival mode.
And that’s why so many women feel terrible by January.
The Good News: You Can Interrupt This Cycle
But here’s the good news: You don’t have to choose between enjoying the holidays and protecting your health.
You can have both.
You can enjoy the parties, the food, the time with family—and still take care of yourself.
It starts with seven science-backed strategies that will help you protect your hormones, maintain your energy, and actually enjoy the season—without telling yourself you’ll “start fresh in January.”
Strategy 1: Set ONE Boundary (Without Guilt)
The Problem: You say yes to everything. You host the party, you bake the cookies, you attend every event, you buy all the gifts. And your nervous system stays in overdrive the entire time.
The Solution: Choose ONE thing to say no to this season. Just one.
I want to give you some permission slips right now:
You have permission to buy the cookies. Homemade isn’t always better. Your kids will survive. Your guests will survive.
You have permission to skip one event. Rest is productive. You don’t have to go to everything you’re invited to.
You have permission to delegate everything you can. Ask your partner to wrap the gifts. Ask your kids to help clean. Ask someone else to bring the side dish.
You have permission to say no to hosting. Someone else can do it this year.
Here’s what I need you to hear: Your worth is not measured by how much you do.
You are not a better mom, a better wife, a better friend because you do everything yourself.
Action Step for This Week: Think of ONE thing you’re going to say no to this season. Just one. Write it down. Tell someone. Commit to it.
Strategy 2: Prioritize Sleep Over Perfection
The Problem: You stay up late wrapping gifts, baking cookies, cleaning the house. And your sleep gets destroyed.
When your sleep gets destroyed, your metabolism tanks, your cravings go through the roof, and you feel wired and tired at the same time.
The Solution: Seven to eight hours of quality sleep is non-negotiable.
Sleep is when your body heals, balances hormones, and burns fat. When you prioritize sleep, your body composition changes in weeks—without changing your workouts.
Sleep is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.
Your Sleep Protection Protocol:
Set a bedtime alarm. Thirty minutes before you want to be asleep, set an alarm. That’s your cue to start winding down.
Dim the lights after dinner. This supports melatonin production, which helps you fall asleep naturally.
No screens in bed. Blue light suppresses melatonin. Read a book, journal, or listen to a meditation instead.
Keep your room cool. Sixty-five to sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for deep sleep.
Action Step for This Week: Pick ONE sleep habit to implement. Just one. Start there.
Strategy 3: Move Your Body Daily (Even 10 Minutes Counts)
The Problem: You’re too busy to exercise, so you skip it entirely. When you skip movement, cortisol stays elevated and stress stays unmanaged.
The Solution: Movement doesn’t have to be intense. Even ten minutes of walking lowers cortisol.
Here are some daily movement ideas:
- A ten-minute walk after breakfast or lunch
- Gentle stretching while watching TV
- Dancing in your kitchen while cooking dinner
- A quick yoga flow (YouTube has tons of free options)
- Strength training two to three times per week, which builds resilience to stress
Here’s the key: Move because it feels good, not to punish yourself or “earn” your holiday treats.
Movement is not punishment. It’s a gift you give your body.
Action Step for This Week: Schedule one ten-minute walk. Put it on your calendar like an appointment. Notice how you feel afterward.
Strategy 4: Master Blood Sugar Balance (The Party Plate Strategy)
The Problem: You skip meals because you’re busy, then you show up to a party starving. You load up on appetizers and cocktails, and then you crash hard. Your blood sugar spikes and crashes, leaving you exhausted, irritable, and craving more sugar.
The Solution: Eat protein first, add fiber, and hydrate.
Here’s what I call the blood sugar plate. At every meal, eat in this order:
Protein first. Twenty to thirty grams per meal. Turkey, salmon, eggs, chicken, beef, tofu, legumes. Eat this first.
Then fiber. Vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains.
Then healthy fat. Olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds. This helps slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar.
And carbs last. Sweet potatoes, rice, bread, pasta. Pair them with protein and fiber.
Your Holiday Meal Strategy:
Before the party, eat a small snack with protein and fat. A handful of nuts, some cheese, a hard-boiled egg. Don’t arrive starving.
At the party, fill your plate with protein first. Turkey, ham, seafood. Then add vegetables and fiber. Then add the carbs—the stuffing, the rolls, the desserts.
Eat slowly. Enjoy your food.
At your next meal, eat protein first. Then notice how you feel two hours later. I bet you’ll feel more stable, more energized, and less hungry.
Action Step for This Week: Practice the blood sugar plate at one meal. Protein first. Notice how you feel.
Strategy 5: Support Your Gut-Brain Connection
The Problem: Holiday stress, sugar, alcohol, and travel disrupt your microbiome. When your gut is out of balance, it can’t produce enough serotonin—your happy hormone. This leaves you feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
Here’s something most people don’t know: Ninety percent of serotonin is made in your gut. Not your brain. Your gut.
So if your gut is a mess, your mood is going to be a mess.
The Solution: Support your gut with fermented foods, limit sugar, and take a quality probiotic.
Your Gut-Healing Foods:
Fermented foods. Sauerkraut, kimchi, Greek yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso. Eat these daily.
Prebiotic foods. These feed the good bacteria. Garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, oats, apples.
Anti-inflammatory foods. Fatty fish like salmon and sardines, berries, leafy greens, turmeric, ginger.
Quality probiotics. Take a quality probiotic daily, especially during stress and travel. Look for multi-strain formulas with twenty-five billion CFU or more. Trusted brands include Thorne, Designs for Health, Ortho Molecular, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, and Microbiome Labs.
Action Step for This Week: Add one fermented food to your meals. Just one. Notice your mood and energy over the next few days.
Strategy 6: Be Intentional With Alcohol
The Problem: Nightly holiday cocktails disrupt your deep sleep, tank your blood sugar, and interfere with hormone metabolism. This makes hot flashes worse, weight gain worse, and mood swings worse.
The Solution: Set a limit before you go out.
Your Alcohol Guidelines:
Set a limit. One to two drinks max. Decide before you go, and stick to it.
Choose wine or spirits over sugary cocktails. Skip the eggnog and the margaritas.
Eat food with your drink. This slows alcohol absorption and stabilizes blood sugar.
Drink water between alcoholic drinks. One glass of water per drink.
Take at least two days off per week. Give your liver a break.
Now, if you’re struggling with sleep quality, weight loss, hot flashes, mood swings, or energy levels, consider taking a two to four week break from alcohol to see how you feel.
You might be surprised at how much better you feel.
Action Step for This Week: If you’re drinking this holiday season, set your limit now. Tell someone. Commit to it.
Strategy 7: Shift Your Mindset (Progress Over Perfection)
The Problem: All-or-nothing thinking sabotages you. You tell yourself, “I’ll start in January,” so you abandon your health for six weeks. Then you feel terrible and start the cycle all over again.
The Solution: Progress over perfection. One good choice is still a win.
Here are some mindset shifts I want you to practice:
Instead of: “I ruined my diet with one cookie” Say: “I enjoyed a treat and I’m getting back on track”
Instead of: “I don’t have time to exercise” Say: “I’m moving my body for ten minutes because it feels good”
Instead of: “I’ll start in January” Say: “I’m taking care of myself starting today”
One good choice is a win. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up.
Action Step for This Week: Pick one mindset shift that resonates with you. Write it on a sticky note. Put it where you’ll see it every day.
Your 2-Week Action Plan
Here’s how to make this real:
Week One:
- Choose ONE boundary to set. Write it down.
- Schedule one ten-minute walk. Put it on your calendar.
- Implement one sleep habit. Maybe it’s setting a bedtime alarm.
- Add one fermented food to your meals. Maybe it’s Greek yogurt at breakfast.
Week Two:
- Practice the blood sugar plate at one meal. Protein first.
- Set your alcohol limit if you’re drinking.
- Take a quality probiotic daily.
- Write down your mindset shift and put it somewhere you’ll see it.
That’s it. Two weeks. Eight small actions.
You can do this.
Get Your FREE Stress-Free Holiday Guide
I know we covered a lot, and you might be thinking, “How am I going to remember all of this?”
Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.
I’ve created a FREE Stress-Free Holiday Guide that includes all seven strategies in detail, action plans, checklists, meal strategies, food lists, sleep protocols, mindset shifts, and affirmations.
It’s your complete roadmap to a stress-free, healthy holiday season.
Get your Stress-Free Holiday Guide
About Dr. Nicole Smith & Antigravity Wellness
Hi, I’m Dr. Nicole Smith, DNP, ARNP (WA & OR), FNP-C, ONP-C, MSCP. I’m the founder of Antigravity Wellness and a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner with a Doctorate of Advanced Nursing Practice.
I’m also a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with advanced training in functional medicine, hormone health, metabolism, and women’s wellness. I’ve completed advanced practice courses in women’s hormone health, DUTCH testing, GI MAP, advanced functional medicine, and men’s hormone health.
My own health journey started back in 2006 when I lost 45 pounds through lifestyle changes. I learned firsthand how powerful nutrition, movement, and hormone balance are for transforming your health. I even competed in bodybuilding, which taught me so much about what the body is capable of when you give it what it needs.
But here’s what really drives me: I founded Antigravity Wellness out of frustration with Western Medicine’s focus on sick care instead of prevention and wellness.
I watched too many women suffer through hot flashes, weight gain, brain fog, and exhaustion—only to be handed a prescription and sent on their way. No investigation. No partnership. No real solutions.
I’ve spent years studying metabolism, insulin resistance, thyroid and adrenal disorders, hormone health, and the impact of stress on the body. And I’ve seen what chronic stress does to women’s bodies—especially during perimenopause and menopause.
But here’s what matters most: I’ve helped hundreds of women reclaim their health and vitality. Women who were told “it’s just your age” or “you just need to eat less and exercise more.” Women who finally found a compassionate provider who actually listens to them and investigates the root cause of their symptoms.
At Antigravity Wellness, I offer personalized functional medicine care, comprehensive lab testing, and ongoing support to help you feel like yourself again. I specialize in perimenopause, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, weight loss, and nutrition counseling.
Ready to feel like yourself again?
Take our Readiness Questionnaire to see if Antigravity Wellness is a good fit for your health goals. Go to the Services page here on the website to learn more. Or you can click this link: https://tinyurl.com/7xhz6b8m
Key Takeaways
- Cortisol is your body’s stress hormone. When it stays elevated during the holidays, it disrupts sleep, stalls weight loss, messes with your cycle, accelerates aging, and tanks your mood.
- You don’t have to choose between enjoying the holidays and protecting your health. You can have both—you just need the right strategies.
- Small, consistent changes create big results. Pick ONE strategy this week and master it. Then add another next week. Don’t try to do all seven at once.
- The blood sugar plate strategy works at every holiday party. Protein first, then fiber, then fat, then carbs. This keeps you stable and energized.
- Sleep is when your body heals, balances hormones, and burns fat. Seven to eight hours is non-negotiable.
- Your gut produces 90% of your serotonin. When your gut is out of balance, your mood suffers. Support it with fermented foods, prebiotics, and quality probiotics.
- Progress over perfection. One good choice is a win. You don’t have to be perfect—you just have to keep showing up.
References
- Thau, L., Gandhi, J., & Sharma, S. (2023). Physiology, Cortisol. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239/
- Royce A Singleton Jr. Alcohol consumption, sleep, and academic performance among college students. 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19371486/
- Walker, M. P., & van der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological Bulletin, 135(2), 331-354. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2890316/
- Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2017). The microbiome-gut-brain axis in health and disease. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, 46(1), 77-89. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28164854/
- Mayer, E. A., Tillisch, K., & Gupta, A. (2015). Gut/brain axis and the microbiota. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 125(3), 926-938. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25689247/
- Ludwig, D. S., & Ebbeling, C. B. (2018). The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity: Beyond “calories in, calories out.” JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(8), 1098-1103. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29971406/
- Slavich, G. M., & Irwin, M. R. (2014). From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: A social signal transduction theory of depression. Psychological Bulletin, 140(3), 774-815. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24417575/
- Chrousos, G. P. (2009). Stress and disorders of the stress system. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 5(7), 374-381. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19488073/
- Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2004). Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine, 141(11), 846-850. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15583226/
- Vaya, J., & Mahmood, U. (2006). Flavonoid content in leaf extracts of the fig (Ficus carrica L.), carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and locust bean (Ceratonia siliqua L.) trees. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 54(20), 7651-7654. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17473377/
- Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Belury, M. A., Andridge, R., Malarkey, W. B., & Glaser, R. (2011). Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety in medical students: A randomized controlled trial. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 25(8), 1725-1734. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21784145/
- Epel, E. S., Blackburn, E. H., Lin, J., Dhabhar, F. S., Adler, N. E., Morrow, J. D., & Cawthon, R. M. (2004). Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(49), 17312-17315. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15574496/
Medical Disclaimer
Important Notice: This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise routine, supplement regimen, or any other aspect of your health care—especially if you have existing health conditions, are taking medications, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The information provided in this article is based on current research and clinical experience, but individual results may vary. The strategies discussed are general wellness recommendations and may not be appropriate for everyone. Some individuals may require personalized medical evaluation and treatment.
If you are experiencing severe symptoms, mental health concerns, or any medical emergency, please seek immediate medical attention from a qualified healthcare professional.
Dr. Nicole Smith and Antigravity Wellness do not provide medical advice through this article. The content is meant to support your overall wellness journey in conjunction with professional medical care, not as a substitute for it.
For personalized medical advice specific to your individual health situation, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Nicole Smith or another qualified healthcare provider.
Ready to take the next step?
Take our Readiness Questionnaire at antigravitywellness.com to see if Antigravity Wellness is a good fit for your health goals. Or call us at 1-509-820-0334.
You deserve to feel amazing this season—not just after it. Let’s make it happen together.
