Short & Sweet Strategies to Reduce Stress This Holiday Season

The holidays have a way of pulling us in every direction at once. There’s the joy, of course—the lights, the traditions, the small magical moments. But there’s also the weight: expectations, family dynamics, full calendars, financial pressure, and the deep desire to hold everything together for everyone else.

For so many helping professionals—educators, social service providers, childcare staff—this time of year isn’t simply busy. It’s emotionally loaded. You’re carrying your own life, your own hopes for the holidays, and the needs and stresses of the children and families you serve. And without even noticing, we slip into a familiar thought, “I’ll take care of myself later.”

I know that pattern well. 

The Season My Life Changed

Almost 20 years ago, when we adopted our children, life shifted overnight (you can read about our adoption here). Adoption brings joy, tenderness, and deep purpose—but it also brings trauma histories, transitions, and big emotions. Every day required everything I had. I told myself I just needed to push through.

Six months later, I was hit with a significant health challenge, breast cancer. It forced me to sit still, look honestly at my life, and ask: How long had it been since I had taken care of myself?

The truth was hard to face. I had been operating under stress, urgency, and exhaustion for too long. I ignored every signal my body was sending. My cancer was what I call a 2 by 4 moment—a moment when I wasn’t paying attention when I needed to. So God had to hit me over the head with a 2×4 to get my attention!

I realized that during the time my body made me slow down, I came upon something that has shaped my work and my life ever since:

Stress isn’t just a feeling. It’s a full-body process.
And the smallest practices make the biggest difference.

I didn’t need a weeklong retreat to heal my stress patterns (however, that would have been nice). I needed the tiny, doable moments my nervous system could actually receive—moments that brought me back to myself while life was still happening.

Those small practices became my lifeline, and now they’re one of the foundational tools of my framework that  I teach to educators and helping professionals today.

Stress Is Normal

One of the most trauma-informed truths we can embrace is this: There is nothing wrong with you for feeling stressed. Stress is a normal, biological process. It happens anytime something is difficult, uncertain, emotional, or demanding.

Your nervous system isn’t misbehaving—it’s trying to protect you.

The key isn’t eliminating stress. It’s building a “menu” of practices that help you return to yourself when the world pulls you away. Especially in the holiday season, when pressure quietly (and sometimes loudly) ramps up, these small practices are an act of grounding and resilience.

Let’s talk about some short and sweet strategies you can weave into your day—whether you have 2 minutes or 20. Here are some strategies to try.

Short Resets (2–5 minutes)

1. Exhale Longer Than You Inhale: A long exhale tells your brain, “We are safe enough to settle.” Try a 4-second inhale, 6-second exhale.

2. Hand on Heart: A simple, powerful gesture that brings warmth and reassurance—especially helpful when emotions are high.

3. Joyful Photos: Look at something that sparks positive emotion—your pet, a funny memory, a favorite place.  A 10-second emotional shift is still a shift.

Medium Moments (5–10 minutes)

1. Soothing Soundtrack: Music is a regulatory tool for your nervous system. Find a playlist that helps your body get its needs met, whether it’s to calm, energize, or entertain.

2. Repetitive Crafts: Knitting, coloring, doodling—activities with rhythmic motion calm the system beautifully, and you can do them together with friends, family, or co-workers.

3. Mindful Eating or Drinking: Sip a warm tea, cocoa, cider, or coffee and really taste it. See how long it takes you to eat that holiday cookie. Be in the present moment and enjoy the sensations.

Rest, Restore, Reconnect (10+ minutes)

1. Movement Practice: Yoga, swimming, strength training—gentle or energizing, your choice.

2. Nature Time: Ten minutes under a tree can do what 50 minutes at a desk cannot.

3. Long Nap or Rest: Permission to rest is permission to heal. Rest builds resilience.

Your Menu: Choose What Works for the season.

In my workshops, I always tell people: you don’t need all of these. Pick three practices—one short, one medium, one longer—and let those be your “holiday menu.”

Life isn’t about perfection or achieving calm 24/7. It’s about creating micro-moments when your body can return to steadiness and safety.

It’s burnout prevention. It’s a trauma-informed way of caring for your whole self, and it matters. Especially now.

As you move through the holidays and into 2026, I hope you’ll offer yourself the compassion you so readily give to others.

Small practices work.
Small practices count.

Small practices change lives.

If you want more tools or support, I have an extended “Holiday Menu” you can download HERE. I’ll be sharing even more short-and-sweet practices throughout the season.

Here’s to a little less stress, a little more peace, and a year ahead that feels more like you.

How a County Committee Created a Roadmap for the Future

This is the third case study I have shared over the last few months to illustrate Wildewood Learning’s partnership with schools and organizations that serve families and children, with a trauma-informed, strength-based approach. 

Read the case study on how Wildewood Learning partnered with a school district HERE.

Read the case study on how Wildewood Learning partnered with a social service agency HERE.

The Community Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC) was an ad-hoc group of stakeholders in the justice system of a rural county in Minnesota. The committee has met monthly since 2014 to address the growing inmate population in the county jail. The CJCC is a dedicated committee that brings together local hospital, law enforcement, community action, the court system, county commissioners, social services, schools, and other local organizations and agencies, all with the goal of helping residents avoid recidivism in the court system.

Challenge

The CJCC sought to expand its networking capacity to enhance the mental health of targeted populations by formalizing relationships between stakeholders. In formalizing the committee, the Reaching Rural Grant funding awarded to Roseau County hired Wildewood Learning to help develop a strategic plan, bylaws, and a communication plan, creating a network to expand mental health and chemical dependency services for area residents. 

In a rural county with a population of just over 10,000 residents, the availability of services is limited. The formalization of the CJCC and development of a strategic plan would provide stakeholders with the basis to apply for grant funds to increase services.

The CJCC also sought to integrate trauma-informed principles and strength-based interventions into the services offered to county residents. 

Solutions

To support the CJCC in formalizing its structure and strengthening its impact, Wildewood Learning (Kathryn Magnusson) co-facilitated a collaborative planning process that united diverse county partners around shared priorities. Through a series of activities with the steering committee and guided whole committee discussions, the group identified key community challenges, developed a mission and vision grounded in resilience and well-being, and created a strategic framework to guide future decision-making. The process emphasized inclusion, ensuring that voices from law enforcement, social services, schools, healthcare, and community organizations all contributed to shaping the plan’s direction.

Wildewood Learning also integrated trauma-informed and strengths-based principles into every stage of the planning process. The resulting strategic plan outlined clear goals, measurable outcomes, and realistic action steps to enhance coordination across systems, expand access to behavioral health and prevention programs, and empower community members as active participants in building safety and a sense of belonging. In addition to the strategic plan, Kathryn facilitated the development of formal bylaws, a communication plan, and tools for tracking progress—providing the CJCC with a sustainable framework for collaboration and funding readiness.

Results

  • A comprehensive five-year strategic plan was created through a collaborative process facilitated by Wildewood Learning—the plan establishes measurable outcomes and progress indicators to guide cross-agency collaboration and service delivery.
  • Enhanced community engagement through clearer communication channels, formal bylaws, and inclusive outreach strategies that gave underrepresented populations a voice in local justice initiatives.
  • Increased organizational capacity and funding readiness, positioning the CJCC to pursue grants and partnerships that expand mental health, substance use, and prevention services across the county.

The CJCC’s transformation from an informal working group into a formalized, collaborative committee illustrates what’s possible when a community unites around shared purpose and strategic action. Through facilitated planning, the group developed a clear mission, vision, and structure that will guide future decision-making and strengthen coordination among justice, health, and social service partners. This process not only created a foundation for sustainable funding and service expansion but also deepened relationships across systems—ensuring that every resident has access to the support they need to thrive.

As Sue Grafstrom, Reaching Rural Grant Manager, reflected, “Hiring Kathryn to carry out the goals and objectives of our Reaching Rural Grant was a great decision! She was able to capture the essence of what I wanted to accomplish in formalizing our Roseau County Justice Coordinating Committee. We now have a formal organization, mission, vision, and a strategic plan. She has the knowledge and experience to dig in and get things done.”If your organization or county is ready to strengthen collaboration, build trauma-informed systems, and create a shared vision for community well-being, Wildewood Learning can help. Together, we can design strategic, trauma-informed, and strength-based solutions that move your community from a reactive to a resilient state—building systems that foster belonging, safety, and hope. Connect with Wildewood Learning Training and Consulting today!

Increasing Compassion in Your Life

Over the next few weeks, I will share a video series that looks at situations through a trauma-informed lens. 

In this video, you will:

  • Understand we are all carrying the stressors of life in our “invisible backpacks.”
  • Learn grace and compassion needs to balance setting expectations.
  • Reflect on increasing compassion and grace in your life.

You can find out more about including compassion and grace in your life on the Wildewood Learning blog: https://wildewoodlearning.com/what-are-you-carrying-in-your-invisible-backpack/