The Surprising Power of a December Slow-Down

December has a way of feeling both too full and strangely quiet- a mix of chaos and calm that ends up being the perfect doorway into clarity.

And every year, my brain reminds me of that in the same exact moment.

My Christmas Day Reset Moment

For me, the most peaceful part of the season isn’t when the decorations first go up, or when I finally cross the last gift off my list.

It’s Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve at my house is… a lot (in the best, most extra way). I decorate my kitchen and bathrooms, cook everyone’s favorite snacks, bake for days, and make this enormous twenty-cheese lasagna that could feed a small town. There are presents everywhere, wrapping paper drifting in piles on the floor, kids running circles through the house, and my little dog somehow having a panic attack and the time of his life at the exact same time.

It’s loud. It’s chaotic. It’s wonderful.

But Christmas morning?

That’s my reset button.

I video chat with the littles to see what Santa brought, and then…the day is completely mine.

Zero responsibilities.
Zero expectations.
Zero noise from the outside world.

Cookies and hot chocolate for breakfast.
A Christmas Story on repeat, even though I could recite it by heart.
A cozy blanket and a puzzle on the coffee table.
Staring at my Christmas tree like it’s a piece of art in a museum.

My brain finally exhales.
It is the most relaxed and peaceful it feels all year.

“Okay, But That’s Not My December…”

And listen… I know Christmas Day is not everyone’s calm day.

For some people, that’s the peak of the chaos.
For some, it carries a lot of pressure, complicated family stuff, or old grief.
For others, it’s just another work day, or it doesn’t feel like a holiday at all.

So if you’re reading this thinking, “Yeah, that sounds nice, but absolutely not my reality,” I hear you.

Here’s what I want you to notice instead:

Somewhere in December, there’s usually one moment where the noise fades…
where your obligations loosen…
where the world stops asking quite so much of you.

It might be:

• A random Tuesday night when plans get canceled

• The quiet drive home after a long family gathering

• The first morning the house feels still again

• A walk around the block when the air feels different

That moment matters.

Because those tiny pockets of quiet?
They’re not accidents.
For overwhelmed, big-hearted women who are carrying so much, they’re powerful.

Why December Feels Different (And Why That’s Good News for Your Brain)

Even if your schedule feels wild, December has a different texture than the rest of the year.

Routines shift. People travel. Schools pause. Work slows down (even just a bit). Group chats go quieter. The usual “go go go” hum of life softens around the edges.

And for your brain - especially a brain with executive function challenges or ADHD tendencies - those shifts are actually an opportunity.

Here’s what’s happening under the surface:

• Your normal routine gets disrupted
  Which sounds scary, but it also means your brain isn’t running the same tired loops on autopilot. There’s room for new thoughts.

• People expect slowness
  Emails sit longer. Response times stretch. The world, for once, doesn’t demand instant answers from you.

• The pressure peak comes before the holiday
  The first half of December can be intense. But afterward, expectations drop off—and your nervous system knows it.

• Season transitions activate reflection
  Moving from one year to the next naturally nudges your brain toward big-picture thinking, whether you “try” or not.

• The emotional contrast is huge
  Busy → quiet. Loud → soft. Full house → empty living room. That contrast makes moments of clarity hit harder.

So no, you’re not imagining it.

December really is different.
And that difference is a gift if you know how to use it.

The EF Magic of a Slow Month

Let’s talk executive function for a second—those brain skills that help you plan, prioritize, initiate tasks, stay organized, and follow through. When you’re overwhelmed or living at full speed, those skills get overloaded and glitchy.

A slower month like December can quietly give them a chance to reboot.

Here’s why:

• Reduced cognitive load → your thoughts finally untangle
  When you’re not juggling 47 decisions an hour, your brain has space to connect dots it normally can’t.

• Lower expectations → less shame, more curiosity
  When no one expects you to be “on,” it’s easier to be honest with yourself about what’s working and what isn’t.

• Built-in pauses → self-awareness comes back online
  Pauses are where you notice what you actually feel and want - not just what you’re supposed to do.

• Predictable routines → your nervous system relaxes
  Even small predictable pieces - like knowing you’re off work for a few days - give your nervous system permission to settle.

• Less noise → more intuition and long-term thinking
  When everyone else quiets down, you can finally hear your own voice again.

This is the part I see over and over with the women I coach:

Once life stops shouting at them, they finally hear themselves again.

It’s not that they “suddenly got motivated.”
It’s that they finally had enough quiet to notice what they want.

How to Use a December Slow-Down to Support Your 2026 Goals (Without Overhauling Your Life)

Here’s the important thing:

This is not about turning December into some kind of crazed, productivity boot camp.
You do not need another list of 27 things to “optimize before January.”

This is about using what’s already happening.

Think of this as a gentle noticing month- a time where your only job is to gather information about your life and your brain.

Some tiny, no-pressure ways to do that:

1. Do a 5-minute evening brain unload

Not a formal journal. Not a beautiful spread. Just:

• What felt heavy today?

• What felt surprisingly good?

• What’s still pinging around in your brain?

Give your thoughts a place to land that isn’t the inside of your head.

2. Ask yourself one gentle question

Sometime this month, ask:

“What do I want more of next year?”

Not “What should my goals be?”
Not “What will make other people proud of me?”

Just: What do I want more of?

More peace?
More creative time?
More fun?
More money that doesn’t cost you your sanity?
More follow-through on the things you already know you want?

Let your honest, unedited answer be enough. That’s data.

3. Pay attention to your energy

You don’t have to analyze every feeling. Just notice:

• What feels like dread?

• What feels like “ugh, I do not want to keep doing this next year”?

• What- even in small ways- lights you up?

You are not being dramatic. Your body is giving you feedback.

4. Choose one thing you’re not bringing into January

Just one.

Maybe it’s:

• An expectation you put on yourself

• A task you’ve been doing out of guilt

• A commitment you’ve outgrown

• A rule you never actually agreed to

It doesn’t have to be big or flashy. The point is to signal to your brain:

“We’re allowed to change things.”

5. Notice the systems that are working (even a little)

I know your brain loves to list everything that’s “wrong.”
But I promise you, there are systems you’re quietly running that are working better than you realize.

It might be:

• The way you get everyone out the door in the morning

• Your Sunday night reset

• The way you keep track of appointments

• Your mini-version of meal planning

These tiny wins are the building blocks of your future goals. We don’t bulldoze them—we build around them.

You Don’t Have to Fix Anything Yet

If your brain is trying to jump ahead to:

• “Okay, so what are my exact 2026 goals?”

• “What’s the plan? What’s the system? What’s the schedule?”

• “How do I not mess this up again next year?”

Deep breath.

This isn’t goal-setting season yet.

This is the soft, in-between place where you’re allowed to just:

• Notice what’s working and what isn’t

• Get honest about how you actually feel

• Let your brain rest enough to tell you the truth

You are not behind because you don’t have your word of the year yet.
You are not lazy because you’re tired.
You are not failing because you’re craving a quiet day more than a vision-board weekend.

You’re in the phase that matters most but rarely gets talked about:

The quiet before the creation.

Just like my brain finally softens on that quiet Christmas morning, your December moment- whatever it looks like- can be a doorway into real clarity about your life, your time, and your next season.

December Isn’t Lost Time. It’s Your Soft Landing.

I know it’s easy to think of December as:

• “The month I give up and start over in January”

• “The time of year where everything falls apart”

• “One long blur of sugar, obligations, and exhaustion”

But what if you thought of it differently?

What if December is:

• Your soft landing between one version of you and the next

• The month you stop pushing and start listening

• The season where you rebuild trust with yourself, slowly and quietly

Slow months don’t mean you’re not growing.
Slow months are where the real growth has room to take root.

You are not wasting this time.
You are allowed to move gently.
And you are absolutely allowed to make 2026 less about “fixing yourself” and more about building a life that actually fits you.

A Gentle Invitation: Quiet Reset

Later this month, I’ll be sharing a cozy, tiny-steps Quiet Reset to help you ease into the new year without the usual pressure and overwhelm.

No “new year, new you” nonsense.
No 47-point plan.
No shame spiral.

Just simple, compassionate support for your executive-function-sensitive brain so you can step into 2026 feeling more grounded, more capable, and a lot less alone.

Whether you join me for that or simply take this post as your quiet nudge, I hope you feel it:

You are not behind.
You are not broken.
You are allowed to slow down.

And your December moment?
It just might be your starting line.