As the calendar edges toward December, many of us start feeling the weight of the year. You’re not imagining it—the end of the year can genuinely be tough to manage, emotionally and mentally. Despite all the festive marketing and holiday cheer, it’s also a time when burnout, overwhelm, and emotional fatigue quietly set in.
So, why is this time of year particularly draining?
School holidays arrive with a mix of excitement, pressure, noise, and… more noise. As parents, we often imagine long, relaxed days, happy kids, and slow mornings. In reality, holidays can quickly become a juggling act of boredom, big emotions, shifting routines, and siblings who suddenly forget how to coexist peacefully.
As December rolls around, something interesting happens in the therapy room. People begin quietly confessing that they’re not feeling the way they think they “should.” Christmas is supposed to be joyful, warm, magical… at least that’s what the ads, movies, and social media feeds tell us. But for many children, teenagers, and adults, the Christmas period brings something more complicated: pressure, exhaustion, emotional overload, and a creeping sense of “What’s wrong with me? Why am I not happy?”
Being a teenager today can feel like walking through a maze of pressure: school demands, social expectations, body image, friendships, identity, and constant comparisons online. Many young people hold themselves to impossibly high standards, and when they make a mistake or don’t meet those standards, their inner voice can turn harsh and unforgiving.
“Walk with us to wellbeing.”
