Dancing Through the Disaster: Finding Joy (and Movement) in Holiday Chaos ✨
Ah, the holidays. That magical season of twinkling fairy lights everywhere, nostalgic traditions, fresh-baked cookies cooling on the counter, cozy cocoa nights wrapped in soft blankets at home, the smell of pine and cinnamon in the air, and snow gently falling outside… in theory.
In reality?
Endless school concerts
Class potlucks
Class treats - red-dye-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free…and impact on wallet? Not free.
Office parties - but yet you work from home.
Secret Santa chaos and White Elephant exchanges - funny, original, raunchy, or elegant enough to impress a crowd, under $15, and Amazon deliverable in 30min.
Lost gloves. Every. Single. Day.
One random sock forever frozen on the doorstep.
Two left-side snow boots… with no right side in sight.
Travel plans built entirely on hope.
Holiday parties you never RSVP’d to but are somehow on your way to anyway.
Teacher gifts you swear you bought in July.
Amazon carts abandoned at 12:47 a.m.
Looking for the tape you need - only to find it all stuck in your toddler’s hair.
The battle for matching pajamas
Dammit-I-forgot-to-move-that-stupid-elf-from-the-shelf moments
Last-minute glitter-covered arts-and-crafts disasters
Winter sport schedules - how is there STILL soccer games happening?
Kids asking for things that literally don’t exist in stores.
The annual cookie-burning/baking meltdown.
That one relative who came early “to help” but is really just camping on your couch while dealing with their personal crisis.
And in all that chaos, when you’re just trying to remember what day it is, it’s no wonder holiday cheer starts to feel like just one more thing on the never-ending to-do list. Even during the “most wonderful time of the year,” joy can feel like a duty — something we’re expected to pull out of our diaper bag and hand out on demand, even when all we’ve got are crumbs, dried-out wipes, and sheer exhaustion.
The world shouts, “Be merry!” but your body is over here like, “Nah… not today, I’m good.”
Joy Isn’t Just a Mood… It’s Chemistry🧪
Here’s the thing most of us forget: joy is literal chemistry. Physical movement creates it. Your body is wired for it. You don’t need motivation first. You don’t need an hour. You don’t even need perfect circumstances. Just 5–10 minutes of movement is enough to start firing your brain’s feel-good chemicals.
When you move, even just a little, your brain releases a cocktail of molecules that literally make you feel happier, more energized, and alive:
Dopamine: Known as the “reward molecule,” dopamine is your brain’s personal cheerleader. It lights up your brain’s reward system, drives motivation, boosts focus, and gives you that heck yes! feeling when you actually check something off your never-ending to-do list. Even tiny wins count!
Serotonin: Often called the mood stabilizer, serotonin helps regulate happiness, sleep, appetite, and memory. It’s what makes you feel calm, grounded, and like you’ve got your life (or at least your morning) sort of together, a small buffer against holiday chaos.
Endorphins: Your body’s natural painkillers and euphoria-makers. They’re released during movement or minor stress, giving you that “I’ve got this” high. Endorphins literally help you feel better, even when the kids are arguing over matching pajamas for the third time today.
Don’t tell your butt, but your brain is low-maintenance. It doesn’t care if you’re at the gym, speed-walking through Target, or lightly twerking over the stove. Your butt wants structure and squats. Your brain? It just wants movement. Any movement! A little circulation here, a tiny butt squeeze there, a flex, a reach, a sprinkle of exhale… and suddenly your brain is like, Oh hey, joy!
Movement Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect🙃
Here’s the holiday truth: you can’t invite joy in if you’re treating movement like a task. That 15-minute dance session, that stretch between errands, that sprint to stop the toddler from redecorating the house, again, these are the moments that actually matter.
Think of it like your holiday family photo. You go in with high hopes - everyone in their holiday finest, standing in front of the tree, looking merry and bright. Then reality hits: someone’s blinking, someone’s crying, someone’s red and flustered (usually me), the dog is eating the ornaments, a diaper needs changing, and yes, someone’s face definitely smells it. It’s messy, ridiculous, chaotic… and yet somehow full of life and love.
That’s exactly how your movement can, and should feel. Imperfect, spontaneous, sometimes messy and maybe even a little chaotic… but still joyful. You don’t need a 60-minute, Instagram-worthy sweat session. You don’t need a quiet, perfectly decorated room or a personal trainer guiding every burpee. You just need to get out of your head and into your body, in whatever way you can.
Imperfect Moves, Maximum Joy ✅
Here’s what really counts, holiday-style:
Hauling grocery bags while your kid clings to your leg: not exactly glamorous, but if you do multiple trips and you alternate them on each leg - you just scored a symmetrical leg workout. ✅
Carrying laundry baskets up and down the stairs: annoying? Yes. Functional strength + cardio? Absolutely. ✅
Quick dance break: my personal favorite. There is ALWAYS time for that in my book. ✅
Stretch it out between chores and errands: no gym, no excuses, just instant feel-good.✅
Chasing a toddler destroying the holiday decorations: chaotic, and definitely not graceful, but hey, it’s cardio. ✅
Picking up endless boxes delivered to your door: your gluteus will be in heavenus. ✅
Wall-sit counting down from 10 to avoid losing your %&!#: maybe not your finest moment, but whatever, it counts. ✅
15-minute sweat session on the Make Me Awesome App: the holiday miracle. Efficient and effective. Even if it somehow ends up taking 2 hours — still counts. ✅
Basically, any little movement that gets you out of your head and into your body counts — even if it’s messy, chaotic, or a little ridiculous. Just like that imperfect family photo, it’s often the messy, imperfect moments that end up being the most memorable, joyful, and full of personality. So embrace the chaos. Laugh, move, and let yourself be perfectly, wonderfully imperfect.
The Takeaway: Joy Isn’t Found - It’s Made🌟
This season isn’t just about finding joy. It’s about creating it — for yourself, right in the middle of crumbs, chaos, and slightly crooked holiday decorations. Movement doesn’t have to be perfect, Instagram-worthy, or even planned. Every little step, stretch, dance, or sprint counts.
When you move, laugh, and embrace the messy moments, you’re not just surviving the holidays… you’re sparkling through them. You’re reminding your brain that joy isn’t something you wait for — it’s something you create, one imperfect, wonderfully chaotic moment at a time.
And guess what? Team Awesome is all about infectious joy. Best part? It’s B.Y.O.C. — Bring Your Own Chaos.
Our Awesome App has quick, to-the-point workouts to help you reset fast and ignite that joy within. Need to hit pause because someone’s screaming “Mooooooommmmm!”, a rogue smoke alarm randomly starts beeping every 30 seconds, or you have to sprint to the scene of a household “crime”? No worries — in our book, that’s not a derailment; it’s a heart-pumping, joy-inducing moment too.
So this holiday season, skip the pressure, ditch the guilt, and let movement be your secret ingredient for feeling alive, energized, and — yes — truly merry. Because when you embrace the chaos, dance a little, stretch a little, and laugh a lot… that’s where the real holiday magic happens.