66. Keeping Spirits Bright: Beating the Holiday Blues with Kindness and Self-Care

The holidays can bring joy, connection, and celebration — but also stress, sadness, and overwhelm. In this first episode of Jenny’s three-part Winter Blues series, she shares gentle, practical ways to keep your spirits bright through the holidays without adding pressure or guilt.

Whether you’re caring for others at work or home, or just feeling the emotional weight of the season, this episode offers compassion-based stress relief and reflection prompts to help you reset, reconnect, and rediscover what truly matters.

Jenny reminds us that keeping spirits bright doesn’t mean forcing joy — it means making space for peace, connection, and presence.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:
✅ Why winter can drain your motivation — and how to prepare before it hits
✅ A simple mindset shift that helps you release guilt and embrace self-kindness
✅ How to decide which traditions still bring joy (and which to let go of)
✅ Ways to redefine holiday “success” around meaning, not perfection
✅ How compassion — for yourself and others — can change everything this season

Takeaways & Action Steps:

1. Ask yourself: “What do I want this season to feel like?”
2. Choose one tradition or expectation you can release to reduce stress.
3. Focus on what truly fills you — connection, calm, or creativity — not comparison.
4. Practice self-kindness daily, especially when life feels heavy.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Feeling stressed? Grab my quick and easy Busy Nurses' Guide to Less Stress for practical stress relief that truly fits into your life! https://www.jennylytle.com/guide

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Chapters

• 0:58 Kicking Off Winter Blues Series
• 1:08 Naming Mixed Holiday Emotions
• 1:48 Gentle Self Care As A Starting Point
• 2:10 Lead With Kindness And Compassion
• 2:36 Define How You Want The Season To Feel
• 3:04 Let Go Of Stressful Traditions
• 3:27 Embrace Imperfection And What Matters
• 3:59 Peace Over Forcing Joy
• 4:19 Preview Next Week And Care Reminder

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:29

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Nurses Break Room with Jenny Lytle RN. Today we are kicking off a three-part series on beating the winter blues. And this first episode is all about keeping your spirits bright through the holidays, even when life feels heavy or things don't go quite as planned. This time of year brings many mixed emotions for a lot of us. For some, it's full of joy and excitement. For others, it's full of stress and grief or loneliness. And then a lot of us, it's just kind of a mix of all of that. And I was just talking with a friend about how easy it is to feel sluggish and unmotivated when the days get shorter and darker. And if you're already prone to sadness or depression, then it can hit even harder. And while we may know what helps, stuff like getting outside, connecting with people, resting, eating well, it's hardest to start when we're already feeling low. Everything feels heavier and harder. So today I want to focus on a few gentle ways to care for yourself through the holidays, no matter where you're starting from. First of all, be kind to yourself and to others. It sounds simple, but it matters so much. You never know what someone else is carrying. Illness, loss, financial stress, or just the weight of life. There's a lot of things going on in our country and in our world that are heavy. And a little compassion, even for yourself, maybe especially for yourself, can shift everything. Second, take a moment to ask yourself, what do I want this season to feel like? Not what should it look like, or what do others expect, but what would feel good for you? Maybe you want quiet and peace. Maybe you want more laughter and connection. Or maybe this is a season of reflection or healing. There's no right answer. You might even decide to let go of some old traditions that no longer bring joy. We often do things because we always have, even when they add stress instead of meaning. Consider talking with your loved ones about what truly matters now and give yourself permission to create new memories that fit where you are today in your life. And finally remember that it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. Your table doesn't have to look like a magazine. The gifts don't have to be extravagant. What people will remember is how they felt. So as you move through the next few weeks, ask yourself, what can I let go of to make space for what matters most? Because keeping spirits bright doesn't mean forcing joy. It means making room for peace and connection and presence. So next week, we are going to build on this and talk about ways to keep your energy up as winter settles in. Until then, take a deep breath and be gentle with yourself. And remember self care isn't selfish. It's essential if we want to continue to care for others and live our best lives.