How to Reset After the Holidays (As a Mom)

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Simple Grounding Habits to Help Moms Move From Holiday Chaos Back into Everyday Wellness

When the Holidays Are Over and Life Feels… Undone

There’s something strange about the week after Christmas. You know the one. Shops are half open, schools are still closed, and half the offices in town have auto responders turned on while the other half are already back at their desks. It feels like the whole world is in-between, and you’re living on another planet.

Meanwhile, your house is full of wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, and half-packed Christmas decorations. You’ve eaten so many sweets that the thought of one more candy cane or cinnamon stick makes you want to run. The twinkle lights don’t feel magical anymore, they feel like clutter. The jingle bells feel like noise. And suddenly, you’re desperate for normal.

We’ve all been there year after year. And if you’re feeling it too, you’re not alone. In this post I’m going to show you how to reset after the holidays, bring your wellness habits back, and find a rhythm that feels good again.

Why the Holiday Crash Happens

The holidays are beautiful, but they’re also intense. Between Christmas concerts, family gatherings, baking marathons, and shopping lists, we spend weeks operating on adrenaline and sugar. Then, almost overnight, it all stops. The decorations are fading, the fridge is still full of leftovers, and the kids are bouncing off the walls.

Your brain feels foggy, your body feels bloated, and your spirit feels drained. That’s the holiday crash. It’s not just you, it’s all of us. Especially as moms, because so much of the season rests on our shoulders. If this feels familiar, you might like my post about maintaining your mental health during the holiday season as a mom.

The good news is that the in-between week can be an invitation. Instead of forcing yourself into unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, you can choose these small grounding habits that reset your body and mind before the New Year.

Returning to a Wellness Rhythm After the Holidays

Chances are, your daily wellness rhythms were put on hold during the holidays. And now you are feeling it. The best way to reset after this is to focus just a few things. Forget the all-or-nothing “January 1st overhaul.” Start with what grounds you.

Start a reset rhythm that looks like this:

• A big glass of water before coffee.
• Morning devotions or prayer or whatever calms your mind and spirit.
• A quick 10–minute tidy of one space, like the kitchen or the living room.
• Skincare and dental care with non-toxic products, because even small self-care says “I matter.”
• Getting dressed in something cozy but intentional, so you don’t feel like you are live in your Christmas pajamas.

With these anchors, your day feels less like a blur of cardboard boxes and clutter and more like a true fresh start. Read more about how to reset your mind and body with simple daily habits in this blog post here.

Grounding Habits To Help You Transition After the Holidays

If you feel caught between holiday chaos and “real life,” try these grounding habits:

• Clearing surfaces. Even just one counter free of pine needles and cookie crumbs makes a difference.
  
• Resetting food. Swapping candy canes for simple snacks like fruit, popcorn, or smoothies. (It’s ok if you throw the Christmas candy in the garbage when your kids aren’t looking!)
  
• Going outside. A short walk with the kids in fresh winter air resets everything.
  
• Choosing one box to put away each day instead of tackling all the decorations at once.
  
• Limiting holiday noise — pausing the Christmas playlist and letting the house be quiet. Leave the jingle bells until next year 😅

These aren’t big changes. But they can help you move forward.

If the thought of switching gears to these wellness habits is overwhelming, you might like my post about Bridging Habits: the small, doable habits that bridge the gap between overwhelm and your true wellness rhythms.

Ditch the Pressure of New Year’s Resolutions

Everywhere you look, the world is shouting about “new year, new you.” But I’ve learned that real wellness doesn’t come from overnight transformations. And the pressure to do that just results in overwhelm and burnout.

Instead of signing up for ten new habits, just pick one or two rhythms you can stick with. Maybe that’s a morning latte and journal, or a five-minute tidy (or even one minute) before bed. The little things matter.

If you’re ready to leave the holiday haze behind, I’d love for you to subscribe to Let’s Glow. You’ll get exclusive discount codes, blog updates, and simple wellness tips to help Canadian moms thrive. And don’t forget, the holidays are beautiful, but they’re also draining. And your wellness matters as much in January as it did in December. Even if you spent a few weeks surviving off mulled wine and shortbread cookies.

For more holiday posts and how to actually have an enjoyable holiday season that you won’t have to recover from, check out this link here.