00:00Every year around Christmas, I see the same thing in clinic.
00:04Women who are exhausted, emotional, run down and quietly asking themselves,
00:09why can't I cope? And the answer is, there's nothing wrong with you.
00:14Christmas burnout hits women harder because it isn't just about food or money or time.
00:20It's about responsibility. Women are still expected to carry Christmas,
00:26to plan it, remember it, feel it, to anticipate everyone else's needs, their gifts,
00:32meals, family dynamics, emotions, often without being asked.
00:37There's also a huge social expectation to make Christmas magical, to host, to cook,
00:43to keep the peace, to look like you're enjoying it, even when you're exhausted.
00:49Now layer onto that hormones, PMS, hairy menopause, menopause,
00:54and stress hormones like cortisol, which stay high all day long.
00:59That affects sleep, mood, appetite, patience, everything.
01:03So if you're more tearful, more irritable, craving sugar, or just feeling overwhelmed,
01:09that's not weakness. That's biology colliding with social pressure.
01:15You are not broken. That's the part I really want women to hear.
01:20You're not required to be perfect this Christmas.
01:24You don't have to hold everything together.
01:28You don't have to make it magical at your own expense.
01:33Lowering the bar isn't failing.
01:35It's self-protection.
01:37Rest isn't laziness.
01:39Saying no isn't selfish.
01:41If Christmas feels heavy this year, you're not broken.
01:45You're not doing anything wrong.
01:46You're just human.
01:48And sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is to do less and let that be enough.
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