How to Stay Calm During the Holidays | Your Guide to Finding Peace in the Chaos

Why Calm Feels Hard During the Holidays

The holidays are beautiful but they can also be emotionally loud. Between travel, hosting, family expectations, and constant stimulation, your nervous system rarely gets a break.

Here’s the truth: you can’t control the chaos, but you can control your energy. This guide will show you how to stay calm, grounded, and joyful through even the busiest season—with simple rituals, mindset shifts, and mindful tools designed to help you reconnect to yourself.

1. Begin Your Day with Intention (Before Checking Your Phone)

How you start your morning shapes everything that follows. Instead of reaching for your phone or rushing into your to-do list, create a moment of calm first.

Try This:

Breathe: Inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 2, and exhale for 6. Repeat 5 times.

Hydrate: Drink a glass of water before caffeine to rehydrate your body and regulate cortisol levels.

Light therapy: Natural light or candlelight signals your body to wake gently.

The Handling the Holidays Candle is perfect for this moment. Its grounding mix of pine, orange, and cedar wood helps stabilize mood and energy, while Unakite Jasper promotes emotional balance.

Repeat the affirmation:
“I can’t control everything today, but I can choose calm.”

2. Move Your Body, Even for 10 Minutes

Physical movement is one of the fastest ways to regulate stress hormones and clear mental clutter. You don’t need a full workout—just enough to get energy flowing.

Try This:

A morning walk around the block (leave your phone at home).

Stretching or light yoga by candlelight to connect movement with mindfulness.

A kitchen dance session to release tension—bonus if it’s to your favorite playlist.

Lighting the Aura Energy Candle while you move helps you stay present. Its clean, refreshing scent and balancing crystal energy support focus and clarity—helping you shake off anxiety before it takes root.

3. Create “Micro Breaks” During the Day

Holidays often mean back-to-back social interactions and stimulation. Without small resets, your body stays in “go” mode.

Try This:

Step outside for 2 minutes of fresh air between tasks.

Practice the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method: name 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 thing you taste.

Keep calming scents or rituals nearby for sensory grounding.

The Serenity Now Candle is perfect for these mid-day resets. Its refreshing blend of citrus and mint instantly clears mental fog, while Lepidolite crystal—known for relieving stress and promoting emotional balance—helps you exhale tension and return to center. Light it, take a deep breath, and let its energy remind you that calm is always one breath away.

4. Use Gratitude as a Stress Reset

When anxiety spikes, gratitude brings you back to the present. It’s scientifically proven to lower stress and activate the brain’s reward system.

Try This:

Write down 3 things you’re grateful for—1 big, 1 small, 1 about yourself.

Express it out loud to someone you love.

Pair the ritual with candlelight to create a sensory memory of calm.

The Good Vibes Candle pairs perfectly with gratitude work. Its bright, mood-lifting fragrance and crystal pairing promote positivity and joy—helping you shift from “I’m overwhelmed” to “I’m supported.”

5. Recenter Your Space Each Night

Your environment affects your nervous system more than you think. After guests leave or your day ends, take 5 minutes to clear energy and reset your space.

Try This:

Dim the lights, light a candle, and walk slowly through your home.

Tidy one small area that feels chaotic (the kitchen counter counts).

Breathe deeply and imagine releasing anything that doesn’t serve you.

The Handling the Holidays Candle doubles as a perfect energy reset tool—its soothing, woodsy aroma and grounding crystal help cleanse tension and invite calm.

Learn more ways to energetically clear your home in our Pairing Crystals and Candles Guide.

6. Prioritize Sleep + Digital Detox

Good sleep is the foundation of emotional regulation—and yet, it’s often the first thing we sacrifice. The blue light, late-night scrolling, and sugar spikes all sabotage rest.

Try This:

Shut down screens 45 minutes before bed.

Read or journal by candlelight to ease your mind.

Add a few drops of lavender oil to your pillow or wrist.

End your day with the Authentically Me Candle. Its soft, comforting fragrance creates a sense of safety and self-connection, helping you unwind and reflect without judgment.

For a deeper wind-down routine, explore our Morning Meditation Guide—you’ll find simple breathwork and intention-setting rituals to balance energy before the next day begins.

7. Redefine What “Enough” Means

The holidays often trigger perfectionism—gifts, meals, appearances. But calm begins when you decide you’re already enough.

Try This:

Replace “I should” with “I choose.”

Ask yourself: Would this make me happy or just look good?

Practice saying no with kindness and yes with presence.

Light your Handling the Holidays Candle as a reminder that simplicity is sacred. Let the flame be your cue to pause, breathe, and return to yourself.

Your Calm Holiday Ritual

Here’s your new plan for staying calm during the holidays:

Start slow.

Breathe often.

Rest intentionally.

Protect your peace like it’s your favorite ornament.

And if you need help creating moments of calm, our candles are here to support your rituals with light, scent, and energy that heals.

Shop Crystal Candles for Calm + Clarity →