The holidays can feel both magical and overwhelming.
You’re juggling shopping, family plans, travel, and expectations, and suddenly the season that’s supposed to feel joyful starts to feel heavy.
During this time of year, if you’ve ever found yourself feeling anxious, overthinking, or just trying to hold it all together, you’re not alone.
The truth is: staying grounded during the holidays isn’t about doing more.
It’s about slowing down, coming back to the present, and finding calm in small, simple ways.
Here are five calming tools that actually help, especially if you’re working on embracing a softer, more intentional life.
1. Wake up earlier for 10 quiet minutes before the day starts
Those first few moments after you wake up set the tone for your entire day.
Giving yourself just ten quiet minutes to breathe, stretch, or spin your fidget ring before the noise of the world starts can make a huge difference.
It helps you move through the day feeling grounded and intentional instead of rushed.
2. Set your phone on “Do Not Disturb” for part of the day
Constant notifications can keep your mind in a constant state of alert without you even realizing it.
Setting your phone to “Do Not Disturb” (even for an hour) gives your nervous system a chance to rest and reset.
It’s a simple way to be more present, calm your thoughts, and actually enjoy the moment you’re in. Try it during family time or while having your morning coffee.
3. Fidget Rings
Fidget ring are a really powerful grounding tool.
When your thoughts start to spiral or you feel anxious in a crowd, just spin the ring gently.
That tiny motion helps bring your focus back to now.
This is especially helpful during holiday travel where everyone is in a rush.
It’s a gentle reminder: you don’t have to control everything, you just have to breathe.
Fidget rings are helpful for when you’re overthinking, your mind is busy, and if you’re trying to live a softer, calmer life in this coming year.
If you want to wear one of our rings for the holidays this year, these are our most popular fidget rings.
4. The 54321 grounding exercise
When you feel overwhelmed, try this simple grounding tool (it only takes one minute).
I do this every time I’m stressed and it really helps.
See: name 5 things around you
Touch: notice 4 textures
Hear: listen for 3 sounds
Smell: find 2 scents
Taste: focus on 1 flavor (even if it’s just your coffee)
This helps your mind shift from overthinking to focusing on what’s right in front of you.
For an extra grounding effect, you can spin your fidget ring while doing this exercise.
The spinning motion keeps your hands busy and helps calm your mind.
We created a beautiful card deck with 25 grounding exercises like these and 25 affirmations that come with a stand, so you can always have them with you at your desk, or in your room.
Check out our Grounding Gems card deck!
5. A soft life holiday routine
Living a soft life doesn’t mean doing nothing, it means doing everything with more calm, more ease, and more intention.
Instead of rushing, try adding gentle moments throughout your day:
- Enjoy your morning coffee in silence before checking your phone.
- Light a candle while wrapping gifts.
- Go for a short walk without music and just breathe.
Tiny shifts like these lower your stress, help you stay grounded, and remind your brain it’s safe to slow down.
6. Give yourself permission to say no or leave early
You don’t have to say yes to everything this year.
Protecting your peace is an act of self-care, not guilt.
Whether that means skipping an event, leaving early, or taking a moment alone, it’s okay to honor your limits.
The holidays feel lighter and more meaningful when you prioritize what truly matters to you.
7. The “one small win” mindset
When everything feels like too much and the to-do list feels really overwhelming, pick one tiny thing you can do right now.
Answer one text.
Fold one shirt.
Wrap one gift
That one small win breaks the loop of overthinking and gets your energy moving again.
It’s not about doing everything, it’s about proving to yourself that you can start.
And every time you do, you’re teaching your mind calm confidence.
We created a course with other mindset techniques like this to help you do everything that matters, without feeling overwhelmed.
If you’d like to learn more about it, take a look at The Soft Shift .
8. Breathing with intention
If something stresses you out suddenly, try pairing your breath with movement.
Spin your fidget ring while you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8.
This 4-7-8 breathing exercise lowers stress and tells your nervous system: “I’m safe.”
It’s simple, quiet, and powerful.
Over time, your body learns that calm is something you can create, not something you have to wait for.
Just remember, you can be present, peaceful, and have a really nice time (even in the chaos) when you come prepared with all of these grounding techniques.
We hear you and we understand you.
I hope this helps.
❤️
Bianca