Surviving 'May-cember'

How Stress Wreaks Havoc on Your Body During the Busiest Time of Year

If you’ve ever felt like May is just December without the decorations, you’re not alone. Between end-of-school events, work deadlines, graduations, and sports tournaments, this time of year has earned the nickname “May-cember” for good reason. It’s a whirlwind of responsibilities that can leave you mentally drained and physically exhausted. I want to talk about how this kind of chronic stress doesn’t just affect your mood—it impacts your entire body. From disrupted sleep and tension headaches to weakened immunity and burnout, the effects are real. And during a month as hectic as May, it’s more important than ever to understand what stress is doing to you—and how to manage it before it manages you.

“Feelings become flesh.”

“Your body keeps score…and it always wins.”

These are two messages that have always resonated with me, even when I was sure I wasn’t ‘overly’ stressed. We can sometimes predict it, manage it, or avoid stress altogether. But there are also ways that stress has already become a part of us. This can happen from past trauma or even experiences that we never dealt with before. Before we can even get to understanding how to manage and negate stress, we first have to understand what it looks like and feels like. I’m going down a little memory lane that some of you may remember.

Several years ago, when I was diagnosed with “walking mono,” I was under the impression that stress was only more stress than normal. I hope that makes sense. I couldn’t honestly remember a time when I wasn’t stressed, but now I had insomnia, anxiety, overwhelm, and constant feelings of fear. I guess managing four babies with no help and a growing business was “too much”. But during this time of reflection, I thought back to as far as I could remember, and I always did too much, so how was this any different?