The Holiday Season and the Pressure to Please

The holidays often bring joy, connection, and celebration — but they can also bring stress, guilt, and exhaustion. Between family expectations, social gatherings, and the endless list of “shoulds,” it’s easy to forget one of the most important gifts you can give yourself: healthy boundaries.

When the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” Feels Strained

The holidays are meant to bring warmth, closeness, and connection — yet for many couples, they can feel anything but romantic. Between financial pressure, family obligations, travel plans, and fatigue, it’s easy for intimacy to take a back seat.

As the air turns crisp and the trees begin to shed their leaves, we’re reminded that letting go is part of life’s rhythm. Fall invites us to release what no longer serves us—habits, fears, and sometimes, the ghosts of past relationships that still linger in the corners of our hearts.