5 Daily Ways to Keep Cortisol From Hijacking Your Holiday (and Your Whole Life)

The holiday season is here. Which means sparkle, food, family, and let’s be honest… a tiny bit of “Oh Lord, help me” energy woven in between the joy.

We love our people. We love the traditions. We love the festivities.

But your hormones can feel the chaos before you do. Schedules get tight, emotions run high, and suddenly your body is acting like a lion is chasing you through Target when all you’re doing is trying to buy ribbon.

This is the season when cortisol likes to get loud but it doesn’t have to run the show. Here are five simple, science-backed daily steps to keep you grounded, steady, and glowing (not frazzled, puffy, and running on gingerbread fumes).

Step 1: Notice the Story Your Body Is Telling

Cortisol spikes when your brain misinterprets normal life as danger. And during the holidays? Your brain is basically a drama queen.

All day long, ask yourself:

“Is this an actual threat… or can I drop this like a hot potato?”

Because your brain loves to pretend:

• every email,

• every tone shift,

• every schedule shuffle…is DEFCON 1.

  
  

But pausing for just three seconds interrupts the threat loop and signals safety back to your nervous system.

Those three seconds? That’s a cortisol-lowering superpower.

This alone can shift you from “wired and spiraling” to “I’m okay — I’ve got this.”

Step 2: Control What You Can. Release What You Can’t.

Cortisol skyrockets when your body believes it must fix everything.

Holiday stressors pile up fast:

• family expectations

• gift planning

• financial pressure

• social commitments

• emotional labor

Your peace is precious you protect it like your hormones depend on it (because they do).

Say NO to what drains you. Say YES to what grounds you.

And let’s be clear: Supplements support your body…but your mind and nervous system drive the real healing.

If you want to add your red light therapy photo — this is the perfect place.

Step 3: Sprinkle Nervous System Resets Into Your Day

Tiny practices = massive hormone wins.

These take less than 2 minutes and lower cortisol faster than you think:

• Look up at the sky or out a window

• Stare into space (permission granted)• Slow breathing for 60–90 seconds• Humming (vagus nerve stimulation)

• Gentle shaking (releases adrenaline)

• EFT tapping

• Journaling to move thoughts out of the body

• Touching a plant or stepping outside for 60 seconds

My ritual: Red light + PEMF every night. It sends my brain a whisper: “We’re safe, babe.” And I’m out like magic.

Whatever your version looks like, find it. Even 10 minutes a day resets your entire hormonal landscape.

Step 4: Lean Into Your Faith or Grounding Practice

Your grounding practice is your anchor. Especially during emotionally loaded seasons.

For me, it’s a verse my mom taught me when I was young:

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Repeating it softens my system instantly. My breath slows. My shoulders drop. My body remembers safety.

I’m not trying to convert anyone this is simply my grounding practice.

Your job is to choose the mantra, prayer, affirmation, or spiritual path that brings you back to safety.

Because calm isn’t just a feeling; calm is chemistry.

Step 5: Support Your Adrenals Physically

Stress burns through minerals like wildfire especially during the holiday rush.

When potassium, sodium, magnesium, and vitamin C drop, you feel:

• wired

• tired

• irritated

• puffy

• snacky (hello, cortisol cravings)

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Inflammation rises, energy dips, and suddenly you feel like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

On busy days:

✔ Take electrolytes

✔ Take magnesium glycinate + B6

✔ Take vitamin C

✔ Hydrate (half your body weight in ounces)

Your adrenals will thank you. loudly.

Conclusion

If you’ve been feeling like stress is aging you in real time the bloating, the brain fog, the irritability, the wired-but-exhausted nights it’s not “just the holidays” and it’s definitely not “just getting older.” It’s your nervous system and hormones waving a little white flag.

The good news? Your body can bounce back. I’ve seen women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond look and feel more grounded, energized, and emotionally steady than they did a decade earlier once we got their cortisol, minerals, and adrenals working with them instead of against them.

If this resonated and you’re wondering where your cortisol and hormones stand. Let’s talk. We’ll take a compassionate, holistic deep dive into what your body is trying to tell you and create a plan to support your energy, mood, and metabolism from the inside out.