Your cozy, soulful, messy-human guide to getting through the holidays without losing your mind.

The holidays have a way of stirring everything up — the joy, the grief, the expectations, the overwhelm, the cookies you ate for breakfast.
And if you’ve ever looked at a perfectly styled holiday photo and thought,
“Sure… but where are all the actual humans?”
then this zine is for you.

What’s Inside

A mix of heartfelt storytelling, grounding prompts, and simple tools pulled from my own life and recovery journey — including my years navigating codependency, creativity, boundaries, joy, and now cancer recovery.

Inside you’ll find:

✨ The Holiday Shift Check-In

Return to what actually matters this season — not what other people expect from you.

✨ DIY Permission Slip

Instead of me telling you what to do, YOU get to choose what you need permission for.

✨ Acceptance Practices

A gentle set of prompts to help you release the “shoulds” and breathe into what is.

✨ Tools for the Season

My real-life go-to’s that have saved my sanity more than once:

• Bathroom Sanctuary moments
• Pre-rehearsed exit scripts
• Let-it-go jingles
• Freedom strategies (yes, I’m talking about you, rental car)

✨ Holiday Card Ritual

A creative moment that takes you back to childhood: pens, scraps, crayons, and zero pressure. Includes:

• A card to yourself (the one you wish someone would send)
• A card you’ll never send (but absolutely need to write)

✨ A Free Pass to F-up

Because perfection is a myth and the holidays are messy.
And so are we.
Bless it.

Who This Zine Is For

This zine is designed for:

• the emotionally exhausted
• the recovering perfectionist
• the human navigating complicated family
• the one who’s grieving, growing, or overwhelmed
• the person who wants a softer, saner holiday
• the one who needs permission to do things differently this year

If the holidays bring up big feelings, old patterns, or the urge to hide in your car with a gas-station hot chocolate — welcome. You are in the right place.

Why I Made This

Because real life is messy.
Because we can’t control people (trust me, I tried for decades).
Because sometimes the holidays hurt.
Because sometimes they’re beautiful.
Because both can be true at the same time.

I created this zine as a small, meaningful way to help you feel supported, grounded, and a little more human this season — using the same practices that supported me through some of the hardest years of my life.

Ways to Use Your Zine

• Print it + mark it up
• Tape your permission slip to your mirror
• Use a page as your phone wallpaper
• Read one prompt a day
• Or devour it in one sitting
• Share it with a friend who needs some light
• Keep it in your purse for self-love emergencies

This is your space.
Use it up.