When December Feels Heavier Than It Shines.

by Dr. Nicola McCaffrey, psychologist

It slips in quietly, as it always does — December.

Catching us off guard even when the calendar has been inching towards it for weeks. One moment we’re doing our best to stay afloat, and the next we find ourselves in a season that glitters with expectation while quietly demanding more energy, patience, and presence than many of us actually have.

And it makes sense, because this year has carried a certain weight for many. 2025 has been a year marked by uncertainty and fatigue. A year where the world has felt louder and more unpredictable — from global tensions and extreme weather events to economic instability and the rising cost of simply existing. Conversations about mental health and burnout have sharpened, creating an atmosphere where many have felt more vigilant than settled. And here in Norway, political shifts and ongoing debates have reminded us that even the firmest foundations can feel unsettled.

For many, this year has been lived on thin emotional margins — trying to make steady decisions in unsteady times, managing personal worries while absorbing global ones, and holding the quiet fear that the ground beneath us might move again.

So it’s no surprise that December, with all its promises and pressures, can feel like yet another thing to navigate rather than a place to rest.

The Meaning Hiding in the Smallest Places

What makes this season meaningful is rarely what we strive to orchestrate.

Meaning and joy live instead in the unnoticed spaces:

• the pause before the day begins

• the warmth of someone reaching for your hand on a cold day

• a familiar scent that tethers you to something safe

• a small gesture that makes room for your tiredness

These are the moments that steady us. That soften the nervous system. That help us feel a little less alone in a world that has felt heavy, and fast, and demanding this year.

If December Feels Complicated This Year

Please know you’re not alone.

Many of us are navigating this season with tender hearts and limited reserves. You are responding humanly to a year that required resilience, adaptability, and quiet bravery — often without acknowledgement.

My hope for you this month is simple:

that you let things be smaller, gentler, and more true to where you are now;

that you give yourself permission to loosen the expectations that never really belonged to you;

and that you notice the moments that matter — the ones that ask nothing of you but presence and offer something soft in return.

May your December be real. May it be tender. And may it carry the warmth you’ve offered others all year long.

Take good care of yourself this season.

And if all else fails… yes, there is always therapy.