Every January, Instagram lights up with planners, goal lists, and “new year, new you” declarations—each one promising transformation, productivity, reinvention, peak performance, and all the things. What gets less attention, though, is a quieter counter‑message: January may be a month best spent resting, reflecting, and restoring—not hustling toward another checklist.

If any part of the holidays felt emotionally loaded—joyful but draining, socially intense, grief‑colored, or just a lot—then it makes sense that January might feel heavy. Winter’s short days, longer nights, and colder weather invite us inward. From a trauma‑informed, somatic, and relational perspective, honoring that invitation can be both healing and powerful.

This post explores why slowing down in January is not laziness, why listening to your body and the season matters, and how trauma‑aware therapeutic approaches support deep, embodied restoration—not surface‑level productivity.

The holidays can feel like the glittery conclusion of the whole year. And suddenly, you feel very different. Maybe flat, maybe down, maybe irritable. 

That slump, heaviness, flatness, irritability, or emotional fatigue has a name in popular conversation: the post‑holiday crash. But it’s more than a trend—it’s a real emotional shift with psychological and physiological roots. And for folks healing from trauma, complex PTSD, or long‑term stress, it can feel especially heavy.

Your brain remembers what your mind tries to forget. 💛

We often talk about trauma as something that lives in our memories or emotions—but there’s a powerful part of the brain that plays a key role: the amygdala.

This tiny, almond-shaped structure acts like an alarm system, alerting us to danger. But after repeated or complex trauma, that alarm can get stuck in “on” mode—keeping us anxious, on edge, or reactive even when we’re safe.

For women and female-identifying folks, understanding how the amygdala responds to stress and trauma can bring clarity and compassion to what’s happening inside.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by a to-do list, struggled to manage your time, or felt paralyzed by indecision, you’re not alone. These are common symptoms of impaired executive functioning, particularly for women who are often juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. This blog will explore how mental health conditions can affect executive functioning, what that looks like in women, and strategies to manage day-to-day life when your brain feels foggy, disorganized, or just plain tired.

Whether your summer slows down or speeds up, changes in routine can deeply impact how ADHD shows up in daily life. And because women are often the ones managing the invisible labor of summer—childcare, vacation planning, family logistics, and more—these seasonal transitions can feel especially overwhelming.

Motherhood is often idealized as a time of joy and fulfillment. However, many mothers experience intense anger, commonly referred to as "mom rage," which can be surprising and distressing. Managing these powerful emotions involves understanding maternal rage itself, knowing the underlying causes of rage and identifying supportive coping strategies for your real life.

The perinatal period—a time spanning conception through the first year postpartum—is a transformative and often vulnerable chapter in a person’s life. For individuals with a history of early complex trauma, this period can bring unique emotional, psychological, and physiological challenges. The intersection of past trauma and the immense changes of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood can shape a person’s experience in profound ways. However, with awareness, supportive care, and trauma-informed approaches, healing and resilience are possible.

Trauma rewires the brain to prioritize safety above all else. When the brain has experienced a threat—whether that’s childhood neglect, an abusive relationship, or a life-altering event—it learns to operate in survival mode. And survival mode doesn’t care about color-coded planners or meal prep schedules. For women who have experienced trauma, executive functioning difficulties can show up in a variety of ways,

When stress and anxiety creep in, it can feel like self-care requires more energy than we actually have. And while community care—the kind of support that comes from relationships, shared responsibility, and social connection—is what we really need, there’s also value in having small, intentional tools we can reach for in the moment. That’s where micropractices come in.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, often triggered by changes in light and weather. Most people associate it with the long, dark winter months when sunlight is scarce, but for some, symptoms reappear or intensify in spring. And if April’s gray, rainy days hit you harder than expected, you might be experiencing a lesser-known version of SAD.