# 7 | Why Women Feel More Exhausted in December
December carries a particular kind of intensity for women. While the world celebrates the season, many women are quietly carrying the mental load, the emotional labour, and the invisible work that makes the holidays run smoothly. It is supposed to be a time of joy, yet for so many it becomes the month where exhaustion peaks.
Dare we say it but it’s a pattern rooted in culture, expectations, and physiology. Understanding why women feel so tired in December is the first step toward changing how we support ourselves during this season.
Let’s start with the mental load and emotional labour…Women still carry the majority of household and caregiving responsibilities, and this burden expands significantly at the end of the year. The holiday planning, the gifting, the logistics, the emotional caretaking, the “remembering” for everyone else. This is the mental load at its most amplified. The emotional labour is just as draining. Navigating family dynamics, smoothing tension, creating the perfect experience, absorbing the stress of others. It is energy-intensive work that is rarely acknowledged, let alone shared.
Layered on top of the cultural expectation is a physiological reality. Women’s stress systems respond differently, partly due to hormonal patterns across the lifespan. Whether you are in your reproductive years, perimenopause, or menopause, stress affects cortisol rhythms, sleep quality, and energy levels.
Chronic stress during December can lead to elevated cortisol, disrupted sleep, cravings, irritability, and emotional fatigue. For women in perimenopause or menopause, the combination of hormonal changes and holiday stress can intensify symptoms like brain fog, night sweats, anxiety, and low mood.
This is why so many women reach the end of the year depleted. The body is not designed to run on adrenaline for weeks at a time.
What You Can Do To Support Your Energy
Set boundaries early. Not everything requires your involvement. Give yourself permission to decline, simplify, or hand over tasks. Boundaries are an act of self-care.
Reduce unnecessary screen time. Screens overstimulate the nervous system and interfere with sleep hormones. Limiting screen exposure in the evening helps regulate cortisol and improve rest.
Prioritise consistent sleep. Your brain and body recover at night. Create a wind-down routine that signals safety and calm. Reading, stretching, meditation, or a warm shower can help transition into sleep.
Support your blood sugar and mood. Balanced meals with fibre, protein, and healthy fats help stabilise energy, reduce cravings, and support emotional resilience. December eating does not need to be perfect. It needs to be steady.
Schedule breaks before burnout hits. Short pauses across the day help calm the stress response. A walk, deep breaths, or even two minutes of intentional slowing can shift your nervous system.
Ask for more. Accept more help. Expect more help. The holidays often expose how uneven household responsibilities truly are. Redistribute tasks. Do not carry everything because you always have.
Reclaim the parts of December that are for you. Joy, connection, rest, reflection. Exhaustion is not the only story.
December Does Not Need To Break You
Women deserve a December that does not rely on their burnout to function. A season that honours rest rather than glorifying exhaustion. A culture that recognises the weight of the mental load and emotional labour women hold.
At HER, we believe in rewriting that story. Better boundaries. Better support. Better health. December can feel different when women have the knowledge and tools to protect their energy.
If you recognise yourself in this, you are not alone. And you are not meant to carry all of this by yourself.