The Post-Holiday Crash: Why You Feel Exhausted and How to Recover Emotionally
December 26th often arrives with a mixture of relief and… depletion. After weeks of preparing, planning, hosting, navigating family dynamics, managing emotions, and keeping everything “running smoothly,” many women wake up the day after the holidays feeling completely drained.
This exhaustion isn’t a sign that you’re ungrateful or “doing something wrong.”
It’s a sign that your nervous system has finally stopped bracing.
Especially for high-achieving, highly responsible women, the mental, emotional, and invisible labor leading up to the holidays is enormous — and often overlooked.
Why the Post-Holiday Crash Happens
Even if you had a joyful holiday, your body and mind were holding a lot:
1. The Weight of Emotional Labor
Anticipating everyone’s needs.
Trying to keep the peace.
Managing conversations, schedules, and expectations.
Smoothing over tension before it even surfaces.
This work is invisible, but it’s exhausting.
2. Nervous System Overload
Between social events, family triggers, travel, overstimulation, disrupted routines, and constant “on” energy, your nervous system has been operating in a heightened state for weeks.
Once the pressure lifts, your body releases the tension it’s been storing — and you feel the crash.
3. The Letdown Effect
Psychologically, when a stressful period ends, people often feel fatigue, irritability, sadness, or brain fog.
Your body has been pushing through.
Now it finally feels safe to slow down.
4. Grief and Mixed Emotions
Holidays can bring joy and pain in the same breath.
You may feel:
nostalgia
loneliness
disappointment
relief
sadness that things weren’t as you hoped
grief for what changed this year
These emotional layers take energy to process.
How to Recover from the Post-Holiday Crash
The days after the holidays are not for powering through — they’re for recalibrating.
Here’s how to support yourself gently:
1. Give Yourself a “Soft Day”
As much as possible, create a day (or even a few hours) with:
low demands
slow pacing
quiet moments
fewer screens
no major decisions
Your nervous system needs ease, not effort.
2. Reconnect With Your Body
After a season of go-go-go, try:
stretching
deep breathing
a warm bath
grounding walks
restorative yoga
Anything that brings you back into yourself is healing.
3. Feel the Feelings You Didn’t Have Time For
During the holidays, emotions often get pushed aside to “get through” everything.
Now is the time to notice:
What am I really feeling now that it’s quiet?
Let your emotions surface without judgment.
4. Release the Pressure to Be Productive
Your worth doesn’t depend on how quickly you bounce back.
Rest isn’t a reward — it’s a requirement.
5. Create a Gentle Re-Entry Plan
Instead of launching back into your normal routine immediately, consider:
easing into responsibilities
setting one or two priorities per day
saying no to anything that drains you
holding space for decompression
Small steps protect you from burning out as the new year approaches.
A Final Reminder
Feeling the post-holiday crash doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’ve been carrying a lot. One day (or week) of emotional fatigue is a normal, valid response to the intensity of the season.
Let this be your permission to rest.
To breathe.
To soften.
To take back your energy before the new year begins.
You don’t have to emerge from the holidays energized and glowing.
You just have to be human — and that is more than enough.
