When the Holidays Stir Up More Stress Than Joy: A Message for the Overwhelmed Mom 🎁

The holidays are supposed to be magical, right?
Twinkle lights, warm memories, matching pajamas, slow mornings, endless gratitude.

But if we’re being honest?
For a lot of moms, the holidays stir up more stress than joy.

Because behind the photos and the festive chaos, there’s a mom who is:

✨ keeping everyone’s emotions steady
✨ remembering every detail
✨ managing schedules, gifts, and budgets
✨ navigating family dynamics
✨ holding space for everyone else’s expectations

and quietly praying she doesn’t fall apart under the weight of it all.

If that’s you, friend, take a deep breath.
You’re not failing.
You’re not ungrateful.
You’re not “too emotional.”

You’re a mom with a full heart carrying more than anyone realizes.

The Unseen Load Moms Carry During the Holidays

We don’t just plan the season.
We hold the season.

We track the emotional temperature of the room.
We sense shifts before anyone else notices.
We anticipate needs before they’re spoken.
We absorb the tension no one else sees.

And while this is holy, meaningful work
it’s also deeply exhausting work.

When everything finally slows, your body whispers what you’ve been avoiding:

“You don’t have to hold all of this.”
“Let some of it be softer this year.”
“Let God carry what you weren’t designed to.”

A Story From My Book: The Season Everything Felt Heavy

There was a stretch of time during Chloe’s struggles when even the smallest things felt overwhelming. In my book, I talk about the “No Knuckle Tattoos” moment, the day I realized I was picking battles on fumes, trying to control everything because I was terrified of losing her.

It wasn’t really about tattoos.
It was about a mom who was exhausted, scared, and carrying more emotional weight than she could say out loud.

And that’s exactly how the holidays felt that year.

I was trying so hard to keep the peace, to create a sense of normalcy, to make everything feel okay, while inside, I was unraveling. I wanted so desperately to give my family a calm, beautiful Christmas, but I was operating from a place of panic, NOT peace.

I remember standing in the kitchen, hands on the counter, fighting back tears because even the simplest decisions felt heavy. Not because of the task,
but because of everything underneath it.

That season taught me something I will never forget:

You can’t decorate over heartbreak.
You can’t wrap stress in pretty paper.
And you can’t carry Christmas on your shoulders.

God wasn’t asking me to fix the season.
He was inviting me to breathe, to surrender, and to trust Him in the places I was gripping the tightest.

And friend, the same is true for you.

You Are Allowed to Feel Overwhelmed

Even when things look “fine.”
Even when your family is smiling.
Even when you planned everything with the best intentions.

Your nervous system doesn’t know it’s Christmas.
It only knows the pressure you’re carrying.

And the holidays have a way of magnifying:

• the gaps you wish you could fill
• the relationships you wish were easier
• the griefs you thought you’d healed
• the expectations you’re exhausted from managing
• the emotional labor you’ve carried all year

This doesn’t make you weak.
It makes you human.

And it makes you a mom whose heart is doing its best.

Here’s the truth I had to learn the hard way:

God isn’t asking you to perform this season.
He’s asking you to be present.

Not perfect.
Not polished.
Present.

To breathe.
To lay down what isn't yours to carry.
To trust that joy isn’t created by your effort,
It’s created by His presence.

Your worth isn’t tied to the menu, the gifts, the moments, or the memories.
You don’t have to manufacture a magical season.

You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to simplify.
You are allowed to choose peace over pressure.

If This Season Feels Heavy, You’re Not Alone

So many Warrior Moms walk into December carrying invisible battles:

Teen mental health challenges
Family tension
Financial strain
Hormonal imbalance
Burnout
Silent grief
Loneliness
Unspoken fear

I’ve lived every single one of those.
And I want you to hear me:

You do not have to power through.
You do not have to pretend.
You do not have to carry this alone.

God sees your heart.
He sees your exhaustion.
He sees the weight of the unspoken things you’re holding.
And He meets you right where you are not where you think you “should” be.

Even in the overwhelm.
Even in the messy middle.
Even in the moments that look nothing like a Hallmark movie…

There is room for you this season.
There is grace for you.
There is joy waiting for you, the kind that doesn’t depend on circumstances.

Come hang with us in the Warrior Mom Facebook group. It is a space where we remind each other that we’re human and we’re moms. We are Warrior Moms. And we need rest too.
👉 FB WARRIOR MOM GROUP

Scripture for the Overwhelmed Mom (It is a perfect reminder)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

This is your permission slip to breathe again.
To rest.
To release the pressure.
To let God hold you this season.

Merry Christmas friends, 🩷 Jenn Robb/Warrior Mom

🩷 Save this for the days you need to remember who you are.
🩷 Share it with another mom who needs to be reminded she’s not alone in the fight.

🩷 Want more encouragement like this? Visit warriormomcoach.net and join my email list so you never miss a blog, newsletter, or Warrior Mom update. You’ll also get access to free resources created to help you advocate, overcome, and thrive as a Warrior Mom.

🦋 The Warrior Mom Reset: From Burnout to Battle Ready Course Your next step toward strength, clarity, and peace.

If this blog is hitting you right in the soul, the exhaustion, the overwhelm, the hormone chaos, the pressure to hold everyone together then sis, it might be time for a reset.

That’s exactly why I created The Warrior Mom Reset: From Burnout to Battle Ready.

This 6-module program is the roadmap I wish I had when I was fighting for Chloe, losing myself, and trying to navigate motherhood, hormones, and faith all at once.

Inside the course, you’ll learn how to:

✨ Reclaim your identity when life has stretched you thin
✨ Reset your nervous system so your body feels safe again
✨ Calm cortisol and step out of survival mode
✨ Understand your hormones and advocate for your healthcare
✨ Build strength in mind, body, and spirit — not just one
✨ Create a rhythm of rest, boundaries, and soul-care
✨ Walk with God through the fire instead of trying to do it alone

This isn’t another fluffy “self-care” checklist.
This is transformation backed by faith, science, and lived experience.

If you're tired of running on empty…
If you're ready to rise instead of just cope…
If you’re craving clarity, peace, and purpose again…

🌿 The Warrior Mom Reset is your next step.
Because burnout doesn’t get the final say breakthrough does.

P.S. If you’re looking for some of my favorite resources, books, and tools that have encouraged me on this journey, you can check out my Warrior Mom Amazon Storefront, I’ve curated it just for you. SHOP HERE

👉 If this resonates with you, I share more of our story in my book, Warrior Mom Rising, a battle plan of faith, grit, and advocacy for moms walking through hard seasons.

🩷 Book (Amazon) Link