Calm First, Then Decide

How to Stay Regulated Through Chaos

For many people, this part of the year brings up a specific kind of pressure.
You enter the season strong, grounded, and clear. Then the holidays arrive, and suddenly everything around you is louder.

Family dynamics shift.
Old roles resurface.
Schedules change.
Expectations multiply.
Your time, energy, and attention get pulled in every direction.

And before you know it, you are making decisions from stress, not clarity.

This is not a character flaw.
It is a physiological response.
The holiday season impacts the nervous system more than most people realize.

Understanding this is the first step in protecting your wellbeing.

Why the Holidays Disrupt Your Internal System

The holiday season challenges your inner stability for several reasons:

• Your routines get interrupted
• Sleep, food, and movement patterns shift
• Travel adds micro-stress to your system
• Emotional expectations rise
• Family patterns invite you back into old versions of yourself
• Your attention becomes fragmented
• There is pressure to be emotionally available
• Your bandwidth narrows without you noticing

All of this subtly dysregulates your system.

When your system is overwhelmed, you lose access to your most valuable resources: clarity, discernment, and the ability to respond instead of react.

This is why even the most grounded people feel off during the holidays.
Your body is simply giving you information.

Calm First, Then Decide

When you are dysregulated, everything feels urgent.
Conversations become heavier.
Boundaries feel harder.
Decisions feel confusing.
Your inner world becomes noisier, and the noise drives your choices.

Trying to “push through” rarely works.
Regulation is what brings you back to yourself.

When your system calms, everything shifts:

• Your breath deepens
• Your shoulders soften
• Your thoughts slow down
• Your emotional range expands
• Your tone becomes clearer
• You make more accurate assessments
• You stop absorbing the energy of the room
• You can transition out of old patterns and into present-day leadership

Calm is not passive.
Calm is authority.

You do not need a perfect holiday.
You need a regulated one.

A 60-Second Grounding Ritual You Can Use Anywhere

Use this moment whenever you feel pulled off center.
It takes one minute and returns you to yourself.

1. Inhale for 4. Exhale for 6.
Repeat five times.
A longer exhale signals safety and immediately shifts your state.

2. Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
Feel the warmth of your palms.
Let your breath move under your hands.

3. Anchor into your feet.
Feel the pressure under your heels.
Notice the ground supporting you.

4. Speak one true sentence.
Not positive.
Just true.
“This moment is temporary.”
“I am allowed to take a pause.”
“I can choose my next step.”

This ritual resets your entire system without needing privacy, silence, or perfect circumstances.

How to Stay Connected to Yourself During Chaos

You can stay grounded even in environments that feel overwhelming.
A few practices help maintain your center:

• Choose one grounding practice per day
• Protect your mornings from screens when possible
• Build in transition time before family gatherings
• Identify what is essential and what is optional
• Release the pressure to play old emotional roles
• Maintain micro-consistency instead of big goals
• Track your energy, not your productivity
• Give yourself permission to step away when needed

Momentum is not created by doing more.
Momentum is created by staying connected to yourself.

Your Leadership Begins With Your State

When you regulate first, everything improves:

Your presence.
Your boundaries.
Your communication.
Your decisions.
Your ability to respond instead of react.
Your capacity to enjoy the season without abandoning yourself.

Regulation is not about perfection.
It is about returning to yourself again and again.

And the more you practice this, the more you build a steady internal foundation that supports your prosperity, wellbeing, and clarity long-term.

Ground Yourself Before the Season Shifts

If you want deeper support staying regulated and grounded through the holidays, the 22-Day Reset is designed to help you recalibrate your four primary resources:

time, energy, attention, and money.

It gives you structure, clarity, and practices that bring you back to center, no matter what the world around you is doing.

You can begin anytime.

👉 Start your Reset today
https://www.lilalife.co/start-here