If you’re a midlife woman, you know how the holidays go. You slip straight into project-manager mode without even thinking about it. The lists. The coordinating. The shopping. The reminders. The emotional labor no one else even sees. This invisible load during the holidays has been building for decades, and you’ve gotten so good at carrying it that you barely feel the weight anymore.
Until suddenly – you do.
It sneaks up on you. One day you realize you’re exhausted, short-tempered, and running on fumes. Not because you’re weak, but because you’ve spent a lifetime training yourself to push through.
This is Part 2 in the Sixty and Me holiday series. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here: Holiday Food Everywhere?
And if you’ve ever wondered why the stress hits so hard – and what it’s doing to your health – you’re in the right place.
Why So Many Women Hit a Breaking Point This Time of Year
If you’ve ever wondered why the holidays feel heavier now than they used to, you’re not imagining it. Midlife holiday burnout is real. And it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong. It’s because you’re doing everything.
There’s the holiday stress for women over 50 that no one talks about: the pressure to hold everyone together, keep traditions alive, and make it all look effortless. You’re juggling work, family, aging parents, adult kids, and a house that somehow needs to stay “holiday ready.”
And then there’s the scope creep holiday season brings. One extra dish. One more event. One more late night. That quiet voice that says, “It’s fine, I’ll handle it,” even when you’re already stretched thin.
It adds up fast. Too fast.
And before you know it, doing too much during the holidays becomes the default – until your body, your mood, or your health finally waves the white flag.
You Don’t Have to Push Through This Alone
I’ve spent almost 20 years coaching midlife women through this exact pattern, and here’s what I know: the holiday overload isn’t a personality flaw. It’s a health issue. When the mental load gets too heavy, it affects everything – sleep, food choices, mood, energy, even how your body stores stress.
If you want to go deeper into this topic, I recorded a full podcast episode on it. You can listen to it here.
And if you want step-by-step support, the Feel Good Holiday Playbook will walk you through how to simplify your season without guilt. Click here to grab your copy of the Feel Good Holiday Playbook.
Simplify and Prioritize: How to Avoid Holiday Burnout
If you want to avoid Midlife holiday burnout, you can’t keep doing the season the way you’ve always done it. Not because you’re older. Not because you’re “less capable.” But because the load has grown while the support has not.
This is where how to simplify the holidays becomes a health strategy, not a luxury. Start by listing everything you think you “have” to do. Then circle the things that truly matter. A tree. A meal. A few people you genuinely want to see. That’s your real holiday.
Everything else? That falls under minimal holiday planning. It’s optional. You get to choose whether it deserves your time, energy, or sanity.
Women at this stage of life often fear that if they do less, the holiday will fall apart. It won’t. What falls apart is you when you keep trying to carry an entire season on your back.
Let the rest go. Your body will thank you for it.
Set Healthy Boundaries This Season
Most midlife women don’t struggle with capability – they struggle with capacity. And that’s why holiday boundaries for women are non-negotiable. Without them, the season turns into a runaway train.
Setting boundaries during the holidays doesn’t mean you’re hard or selfish. It means you’ve finally stopped pretending you can do the work of five people without consequences.
If saying no feels uncomfortable, try language like:
- “I can’t take that on this year.”
- “I’m keeping things simple.”
- “That’s not going to work for me.”
These phrases protect you from automatic yeses – the ones that lead to resentment, exhaustion, and burnout.
When you practice how to say no during the holidays without apologizing, something powerful happens. Your stress drops. Your sleep improves. You stop feeling like you’re sprinting through December.
And you show everyone around you what a grounded, healthy woman looks like in midlife.
Stay Grounded and Nourished – Navigating Emotional Eating at the Holidays
Here’s the truth: emotional eating during the holidays isn’t about a lack of willpower. It’s a response to overload. When stress rises, your brain looks for comfort. And food is the fastest, easiest option.
This is why holiday stress and midlife health are so intertwined. Your nervous system feels the pressure long before you consciously notice it.
A few small practices can help you stay steady:
- Pause before eating and check your body. Are you hungry or overwhelmed?
- Eat full meals on busy days so you’re not grazing out of exhaustion.
- Build in small breaks – even five minutes alone can calm your system enough to reduce holiday overeating triggers.
You don’t have to white-knuckle the season. You just need a plan that honors the reality of your life, your body, and your capacity.
You Can Make This Holiday Season Feel Different
This article is Part 2 in my Sixty and Me holiday series, and there’s more support coming your way. In the next piece, we’ll dig even deeper into how to stay steady when the season speeds up. You don’t have to push through December on grit alone.
If you want more guidance right now, you can listen to the full podcast episode on this topic here: Total Health in Midlife Podcast Holiday Health Series Episode 2: The Invisible Load.
You deserve a holiday that doesn’t drain you. Let’s make this the year you enjoy it. And if you need more help, the Feel Good Holiday Playbook will walk you through the process step by step.
Imagine a Holiday That Actually Feels Good
Picture waking up in January feeling steady, clear, and rested. Your clothes fit. Your energy is stable. You moved through a holiday season without stress, not because everything went perfectly, but because you chose differently.
This is how to enjoy the holidays without burning out – by protecting your capacity, saying no when needed, and letting the extras go.
When you simplify your holidays, you don’t lose anything important. You gain yourself back.
You deserve joy, connection, and ease – not overload. And with a few intentional changes, that version of the season is absolutely possible for you.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Do you feel pressure to make a perfect holiday? What if the holiday was good enough instead? Where do you put most of your energy in December?