January Reset: A Weekly Lived-Experience Blog Series

Week 1: The Crash After the Holidays — Listening to the Body as a Single Parent

When the holidays end, everything goes quiet—but as a parent, especially a single parent, the responsibilities don’t disappear.

For a long time, I thought the exhaustion I felt in early January meant I had failed. Too much chaos, too many treats, not enough structure, not enough energy to “get it together.” But lived experience has taught me something different.

That January crash isn’t failure. It’s my nervous system finally exhaling.

December requires a lot from parents—holding magic together for our kids, managing schedules, finances, emotions, and often doing it without much support. When it’s over, the body doesn’t want discipline. It wants care.

My January reset as a single parent starts with listening:

• Letting myself rest even when life doesn’t fully slow down

• Eating nourishing foods without restriction or guilt (its a struggle coming out of the holiday treats so its a process)

• Choosing walks, stretching, or quiet moments over intense workouts

• Saying no when my capacity is already full

This isn’t laziness. This is recovery.

If you’re a parent feeling depleted right now, know this: your body is responding to how much you’ve been carrying. January doesn’t need you to push harder—it needs you to soften.

Silje