Wednesday Wisdom:
- QiSong
- Dec 10, 2025
- 3 min read
Why This Season Presses on Our System (and Why We Reach for the Things That Numb)
These last couple of days, so many of us have been noticing the same things — the tiredness that hits out of nowhere, the emotions sitting a bit closer to the surface, the cravings, the overwhelm, the restless sleep, the sudden need to withdraw, the old patterns creeping back.
And when we don’t understand what’s happening inside us, it’s easy to blame ourselves.
But none of this is random.
It’s not because you’re weak.
It’s not because you “should be coping better.”
It’s because this time of year hits your system from every angle — biological, psychological, social, metaphysical, spiritual — all at once.
And when your nervous system is carrying too much, it doesn’t matter whether the ‘threat’ is a tiger in the bushes…
or a family to-do list that never ends.
Your body responds the same way.
Let’s unpack it — gently — so you can recognise what’s really happening and stop turning against yourself.
🟣 The Biological Layer: Your Nervous System Thinks There’s a Tiger
When life speeds up and your responsibilities pile on, your brain shifts into protection mode.
It doesn’t ask,
“Is this dangerous?”
It simply asks,
“Do I feel overloaded?”
And when the answer is yes, it flips into the same setting it would use if a tiger were standing in front of you.
Your breath gets shallow.
Your heart rate rises.
You crave quick energy — sugar, crisps, carbs.
Your brain wants escape — scrolling, zoning out, glass of wine.
Your thoughts tighten — worry, self-criticism, replaying conversations.
It’s not poor discipline.
It’s survival.
Your system is saying,
“I can’t hold any more right now.”
🟣 The Psychological Layer: The Pressure to ‘Do Christmas Right’
December comes with its own script — one we never officially agreed to, yet feel pressured to follow.
Be happy.
Be festive.
Make it magical.
Keep everyone else comfortable.
Don’t let anything slip.
Those expectations activate the same part of the brain that responds to threat.
To your nervous system, “I have to get everything right” sounds suspiciously like “I need to outrun the tiger.”
No wonder your body is tired.
You’ve been sprinting.
🟣 The Social Layer: Women Carry the Weight of the Season
This season amplifies all the invisible work women do — organising, remembering, smoothing over, anticipating needs, managing emotions, filling gaps, holding the household rhythm.
Even the joy can be heavy when you’re the one holding it.
Your system knows this load.
It feels it long before your mind names it.
🟣 The Metaphysical Layer: Endings and Old Stories Surface
As we reach the end of the year, the emotional field gets louder.
Memories rise.
Anniversaries are felt more deeply.
The veil between past and present feels thin.
Your energy is responding not just to your life, but to the collective mood of endings and reflection.
Your system is reading everything — the room, the season, your history, your hopes, your losses.
No wonder it feels big.
🟣 The Spiritual Layer: Your Inner Rhythm Wants to Slow Down
Spiritually, winter is a season of exhale.
The soul pulls back.
The body asks for warmth.
Your intuition becomes clearer when everything else goes quiet.
But our culture does the opposite — more events, more pressure, more noise, more expectation.
Your inner wisdom is saying,
“Rest. Breathe. Release.”
And the world is saying,
“Push.”
You’re not imagining the tension between them.
🟣 And Then There’s the Numbing…
When the load gets too heavy,
Food for comfort.
Drinks to soften the edges.
Scrolling to escape.
Overthinking to feel in control.
Busyness to avoid feeling.
Being needed to avoid being with yourself.
None of this is lack of willpower.
It’s your nervous system trying to self-soothe with the tools it has.
These behaviours don’t make you flawed — they make you human.
They simply tell you one thing:
"I need gentler support than I’m getting."
🟣 So What’s the Answer?
You soften.
Not collapse — soften.
A pause.
A breath that reaches deeper.
A check-in with your own energy.
A small release of the thing you’re gripping.
A moment of coming back to your body instead of trying to outrun it.
This is how regulation begins.
This is how clarity returns.
This is how cravings settle.
This is how sleep repairs itself.
This is how healing actually happens — in awareness, not punishment.
Everything you’ve been noticing these last two days?
It’s your system showing you exactly where it needs care.
If you’d like support with that — that’s what the Softening Discovery Calls are for. Just hit the button below.
A space to look at what’s happening inside you… and help your system exhale.
For now, just keep noticing.
It’s working.
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