Grief doesn’t just live in the heart — it lives in the body. This holiday season, a simple Christmas ritual helped my nervous system settle and showed me that healing often begins with less.

The holidays awaken old emotions, and the body feels every one of them. Discover how emotional stress becomes physical pain — and the simple practices that bring relief.

December is busy, and the body feels it. Here’s why doing less isn’t laziness — it’s how your nervous system resets, and how your body stays balanced during the holidays.

This week reminded me how quickly stress tightens the body and how deeply gratitude can unwind it. A small moment of surrender on the floor, a slow breath, Jojo at my side — and my nervous system finally exhaled. Sometimes, gratitude really is healing medicine.

The morning after I returned home, I felt a deep ache pulsing behind my eyes and down my neck. Coffee in one hand, Ramedica balm and gua sha in the other — I gave myself fifteen minutes. By the end, the pain had lifted. Once again, this simple ritual reminded me that natural pain relief can be both powerful and deeply personal.Today, that same balm is trusted by chiropractors, physiotherapists, and massage therapists who use it in their clinics and send patients home with smaller jars to continue the relief. Every time someone shares how the balm has helped them, the circle of healing expands — from my father, to me, and now to you.

After a year of challenges, loss, and unexpected surrender, I found myself in Egypt rediscovering what healing truly means. Our natural pain relief roll-on became a simple reminder to breathe, stay grounded, and honour the body as the vessel of spirit.