After Survival Mode: The Post-Holiday Crash

The holidays are over. The house is quieter. And suddenly, everything that I manage to swallow prior to the pre-holiday preparations, celebrations, and excitement seems to come back up. Note that I don’t ignore these things, they just seem to hide back into the shadows of the holiday exhilaration until the holidays come to an end.

This is the part no one really prepares you for—the emotional drop that comes after the noise fades. When the calendar no longer gives you something to brace for, something to perform through, something to survive until. The stillness can feel heavy. Old memories resurface. Grief, exhaustion, and unanswered feelings step forward when distraction steps back.

For me, the holidays have never just been about celebration. They carry echoes of survival—times when joy and pain existed in the same room, when love showed up in unexpected ways, and when getting through the season felt like an accomplishment in itself. Once it’s over, my nervous system doesn’t immediately relax. Instead, it exhales—and with that exhale comes everything I didn’t have the capacity to feel in December.

If you’re finding January harder than the holidays themselves, you’re not broken. You’re human. When we move out of survival mode, our bodies and minds finally feel safe enough to speak. The quiet becomes an invitation—not to fix anything, but to notice what’s been waiting.

I’m learning that this season doesn’t need to be rushed. Healing doesn’t follow the calendar, and neither does grief or growth. Some seasons are for rebuilding energy, redefining softness, and letting ourselves exist without explanation.

If you’re here, reading this, and feeling the weight of the aftermath—please know you’re not alone. You don’t need a resolution. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Sometimes, simply allowing yourself to feel what comes after is enough for now.