The Holiday Season Isn’t Just Joyful — It Can Be Overwhelming. Gratitude Can Help.
The holiday season often brings a mix of excitement, pressure, and emotional intensity. From family expectations to social commitments to sensory overload, many people feel stretched thin as the year comes to a close. For Neurodiverse, Gifted, and Twice-Exceptional (2e) individuals and families, this stress can feel even more amplified.
Yet there is a simple, evidence-backed practice that can help ground us during this busy time: Gratitude.
Not the forced, “just be thankful” kind — rather, a gentle, intentional practice of gratitude that supports emotional regulation, nervous system balance, and overall well-being.
This is your invitation to a holiday reset—one rooted in awareness, compassion, and small daily practices that foster genuine peace and balance.
Why Gratitude Is So Powerful During the Holidays
Gratitude isn’t only an emotion; it’s a nervous-system supportive practice. Research shows that consistent gratitude can:
- Lower stress hormones like cortisol
- Strengthen emotional resilience
- Activate regions of the brain tied to empathy and connection
- Improve sleep and overall mood
- Reduce physical tension and anxiety
- Enhance clarity, productivity, performance, relationships, and motivation
When holiday obligations start to pile up, gratitude helps interrupt stress cycles by shifting the brain’s focus from overwhelm to grounded awareness.
For neurodiverse individuals, who may process stimuli more intensely or feel emotions more deeply, gratitude practices can offer a much-needed anchor.
How Gratitude Helps Regulate Stress During the Holiday Season
1. Gratitude Brings You Back Into the Present
Holiday planning, travel, and social events often pull us into future-thinking and worry.
A brief gratitude check-in — even a single deep breath paired with one acknowledgment — pulls you back into the moment.
2. It Encourages Nervous System Balance
Thoughts of appreciation stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, the part responsible for rest, digestion, and calm.
This helps quiet emotional reactivity, supports intentional response, and reduces overstimulation.
3. It Softens Perfectionism and Pressure
Many people feel pressure to make the holidays perfect. Gratitude gently redirects your attention to what’s already working and what is meaningful, rather than what’s lacking.
4. It Strengthens Emotional Resilience
When gratitude becomes a practice, it builds internal stability.
This means you can move through holiday stress with more grace, patience, and compassion — both for yourself and others.
Simple Gratitude Practices for a Calmer Holiday Season
While it can be helpful to use a journal or ritual, you don’t need one. Start with what feels accessible.
1. The “One Line” Daily Check-In
Each morning or evening, complete one of these sentences:
- Today I’m grateful for…
- One thing that brought me comfort today was…
- One small moment I appreciated was…
2. A Sensory-Friendly Pause
Especially helpful for neurodiverse individuals:
Take 30 seconds to notice one soothing sensory experience such as warmth, light, texture, or breath.
Pair it with the thought: “In this moment, I’m grateful for this feeling.”
3. Gratitude During Transitions
Use natural pauses — like getting in the car, walking between rooms, or waiting in line — to name one thing you appreciate.
4. Appreciation Over Achievement
This season, focus on:
- What you handled
- What you learned
- What you navigated
- What you created space for
- What you released
Gratitude becomes more powerful when directed inward, not just outward.
5. A Family or Household Gratitude Ritual
Try a simple, inclusive version that doesn’t require sharing aloud:
Each person writes one thing they appreciated that day and places it in a small bowl.
Read them together once a week — or save them for Thanksgiving.
What is Authentic Gratitude?
Gratitude is not:
- Ignoring your stress
- Pretending the holidays aren’t difficult
- Forcing yourself to feel thankful
- Minimizing challenges
True gratitude coexists with complexity.
You can be tired and grateful.
You can feel overwhelmed and appreciative.
You can need space and still find meaning.
Gratitude isn’t a replacement for emotional honesty — it’s a companion. It helps regulate emotions and gently redirect thinking toward what’s healthy, grounding, and empowering.
Nourishing The Holiday Season
This holiday season, give yourself permission to slow down and anchor your energy in small, meaningful practices. Gratitude doesn’t need to be grand or performative; it simply needs to be intentional.
Whether you’re celebrating with family, navigating sensory challenges, or cultivating peace in a busy season, gratitude offers a gentle reset — one moment at a time.
The holidays can be joyful and overwhelming all at once. If you’d like personalized support, tools for emotional regulation and everyday wellness, Zaretsky Wellness is here to help you move through the season with balance, clarity and support your well-being.
References:
Boggiss, A. L., Consedine, N. S., Brenton-Peters, J. M., Hofman, P. L., & Serlachius, A. S. (2020). A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 135, 110165.
Kirca, A., Malouff, J., & Meynadier, J. (2023). Expressed gratitude interventions: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 8, 1–25.
Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2010). Gratitude predicts psychological well-being above the Big Five and social desirability. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(5), 653–657.
Karns, C. M., Moore, W. E., & Mayr, U. (2017). The cultivation of pure altruism via gratitude: A functional MRI study of change with gratitude practice. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 599.
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389.
