Soft Holiday Rest For Tired Hearts

The holidays can turn into a performance before we even notice—lists piling up, expectations tightening, and that murmur of “do more” getting louder than any carol. We pressed pause and spoke from a softer place: sick in bed, low on energy, and choosing honesty over perfection. What unfolded is a gentle invitation to treat rest as part of the ritual, not something you earn by crossing off every task. If you’ve been measuring your season by output, this conversation offers another way through.

We unpack the noisy “I shoulds” that crowd the mind and look at how easily time becomes a scoreboard. A nod to Momo reframes our relationship with time and urgency, helping us see the costs of rushing. From store-bought cookies to canceled plans, we offer practical, human-scale choices that protect your energy and keep you present. You’ll hear blessings for many kinds of celebrations—small, quiet, and tender, or bright, busy, and full—because softness is a posture, not a performance. Listening to the nervous system becomes the season’s most underrated tradition.

Illness stripped our plans back, but it clarified a core truth: worth is not measured by productivity. The holiday doesn’t need to be impressive to be real. If your Christmas looks different than the mood board, that might be the point. We share simple, grounding prompts to help you breathe, set limits with care, and let imperfect moments count as enough. May your cookies be flawed, your presence honest, and your rest guilt-free. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with someone who needs a permission slip, and leave a quick review so more people can find a softer way to celebrate.

Chapters

• 0:00 A Gentle Check-In From Bed
• 0:29 Naming Holiday Noise And Pressure
• 2:36 A Permission Slip For Rest
• 4:11 Softer Seasons And Honest Expectations
• 6:15 Worth Beyond Output
• 7:31 Blessings, Warmth, And Close

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello, my loves, and welcome back to Salty Bay Club. This is going to be a very soft episode because I'm sick, my energy is low, I'm laying in bed with a sore throat, I'm sweaty, I'm probably still a little feverish, so there's not gonna be a video. Um sorry, my loves. We're gonna be back next week with a full formatted episode. But you know what? Instead of pushing through or pretending otherwise, I'm just gonna arrive exactly like this. No big plans, no polished Christmas spirit. Um, just me talking to you in the middle of the season that honestly can feel like a lot. And wherever you are right now, you know, the holidays, the Christmas holidays have just started. If you're listening while resting or while hiding from the noise for a moment, I am really glad that you're here. I I also keep thinking about how loud this time of the year can be, not just out there, but in our heads. The lists, the I shoulds, you know, all the things that still need to be done, bought, wrapped, baked, shown up for, or even revisiting your new year's resolutions that you did by the beginning of this year, because I'm so aware that we are oh my god, I just wanted to say running out of time, but I also just watched Momo again, and I am I'm shocked by my own relationship to time. If you don't know what I'm referring to, it's a kid's book. There are um two versions of um the movie, and you you need to go read the book or watch one of those movies. It is so good. Anyway, um, maybe you're listening to this well. Your mind keeps running through everything that didn't quite happen the way you thought it would, or you're trying to cram in some, you know, New Year's things, or some holiday things, or you know, everything you're still trying to hold together. And maybe it's a quiet pressure to be more joyful, more present, more grateful, or more put together. And even when you're tired, even when your body is asking for something slower. So if you need a moment to exhale, this is it. If you need to hear this, here it is. This is your little holiday permission slip for whatever you need. This year doesn't need to be more productive, more aesthetic or impressive. It doesn't need to look good on the outside. So, yeah, shut down your Instagram. What a holiday challenge. I'm also gonna tell myself that store-boat cookies are enough. Canceled plans are not failure, and showing up tired and not curated, not in my pretty Christmas outfits, is still showing up. So I don't know, permission slip or reminder that you don't need to earn coziness, you don't need to earn rest. Rest is part of the ritual, the ritual of you know, those last few days of 2025. So let yourself linger in the darkness. Maybe Christmas isn't about doing it right. Maybe it is about listening to your body, your nervous system, and your limits. That that quieter version of care, that still is love. And if your Christmas is smaller this year, softer, simpler, quieter, that doesn't mean you're missing out. It might mean you're finally inside it. And maybe your Christmas is quite the opposite. Maybe it's sparkly, maybe it's shiny and bright, and you're wrapped and entangled in hugs with your big family, and you're all cozy. Bless you, bless you. We all love that for you. Um, and you know, just coming together, being with family, or being with whatever is, whatever life presents you and puts on your plate right now, just try to soften into it with kindness and appreciation. And I'm well aware that for some of us that might be easier, and for some of us that might be harder, but I do believe that, as I said, it's part of the ritual and part of how we transition from this year into the next year. And let me tell you, being sick right now has really stripped things back for me. There are things that I thought I'd be baking, moments I thought I'd have more energy for, and instead I'm listening to my body, drinking warm lemon water, and letting the days be a little unsure, uncertain. I'm still not sure if I can spend Christmas with my family. Um, because, you know, I am infectious and not in the good way. But honestly, it's not the Christmas I planned, but it does feel honest because for some reason I found a peace, a calm that it's okay as it is. And it feels like a reminder that worth isn't measured by output. Oh my god, and let me tell you, I need that reminder over and over and over and over again. Especially it's especially true during a season that already asks so much of us. And sometimes sometimes the most radical thing we can do is simply let it be enough. So wherever you are, while listening to this, may your cookies be imperfect. May your body be listened to. May your Christmas and your entire holiday season be softer than expected. May you let yourself rest without guilt and may that rest feel like belonging. Big Club, thank you for being here. Thank you for spending some time for listening. I am sending you so much warmth. And I'll see you on the other side of the holidays with what's probably gonna be a more fun 2025 wrapped episode. So this is it. I'm your host, Sarah Grace. Thank you. I love you, and happy holidays.