The holiday season arrives with lights, music, and messages of cheer. Everywhere we look, there’s an expectation — spoken or not — that we should feel merry and bright. But human emotions don’t follow a calendar. They don’t shift simply because the world says they should.
Maybe you’re tired.
Maybe life has been overwhelming.
Maybe grief or stress or change is close to the surface.
Maybe this year looks different than you hoped.
None of this means you’re “doing the holidays wrong.”
Emotional authenticity is not only allowed — it’s healthy.
You don’t have to pretend. You don’t have to force joy. You don’t have to put on a performance for others.
Your feelings deserve space.
Your heart deserves care — exactly as it is.
So if this season feels complicated, you’re not alone. And you’re not a problem to be fixed — you’re a human being having a human experience.
Annika Schaefer
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