Rest & Recharge: Supporting Pets (and Ourselves) as We Prepare for the Holiday Season

6 minute read

Jill VegaOct 24, 2025

Rest & Recharge: Supporting Pets (and Ourselves) as We Prepare for the Holiday Season

While it brings joy, family time, and tradition, the holiday season can also stir up stress and disrupt routines, for both our pets and us. That’s why this month we’re focusing on rest and recharge: how to keep our furry family members (and ourselves) balanced, energized, and grounded as we head into the busiest time of year.

Keeping Routines Steady During Holiday Prep

The weeks leading up to the holidays can feel just as busy as the celebrations themselves. Shopping, decorating, travel plans, hosting, and longer to-do lists can shift the rhythm of the household, often causing our own energy to feel unsettled, and our pets pick up on that energy. Maintaining calm in the chaotic flow of holiday prep, while keeping our pets’ schedules as steady as possible, helps everyone feel more at ease.

As behaviorist Patricia McConnell, Ph.D. explains, repeated routines and positive experiences give dogs a sense of safety and resilience [1].

Feline behaviorist Mieshelle Nagelschneider also emphasizes that disruptions in environment and routine often trigger stress in cats, making predictability and familiar spaces especially important [2].

When schedules do shift, natural supports may help ease the transition. Functional mushrooms like Reishi are valued for promoting relaxation and supporting healthy sleep patterns, while calming herbs such as Lemon Balm can help pets maintain a sense of ease during temporary disruptions. You’ll find both of these ingredients in our Mushroom Relax Soft Chews, which combine Reishi, Lion’s Mane, adaptogens, and herbal nervines to support calm and focus when routines are unsettled

Creating Safe Spaces Through Holiday Disruptions

As households get busier with cooking, decorating, and getting ready for guests, our pets may feel overwhelmed by the extra activity. Having a safe space (a cozy crate, a spare room with a soft bed, or a quiet corner with their favorite toys) gives them a retreat when things get too chaotic.

The key is familiarity. Pets won’t automatically relax in a new space that hasn’t felt safe to them before. If your dog has been using a crate in a certain spot, keep it there instead of suddenly moving it. If your cat tends to retreat to a quiet room, closet, or under a bed, make that space cozy with familiar bedding, toys, or a perch. It’s often best to choose an out-of-the-way area from the start and build positive associations there over time.

And just as we prepare our homes for holiday visitors, we can also prepare our pets from the inside out with steady, daily wellness. Reishi is known for its grounding and calming support, while Lion’s Mane helps with cognition, focus, and stress relief.

Daily Dawg: includes 7 functional mushrooms, including Reishi and Lion’s Mane, along with herbal adaptogens and other beneficial ingredients, making it simple to weave calming and focus support into your dog’s everyday routine.

Functional Feline: combines the same 7 functional mushrooms and herbal adaptogens, but formulated with cats in mind. From supporting calm during busy days to encouraging focus and overall wellness, it’s a daily way to help your cat feel balanced and secure.

Both Daily Dog and Functional Feline contain cordyceps, a functional mushroom often recognized for supporting kidney health by helping protect against oxidative stress and aiding detoxification. Functional Feline provides slightly more cordyceps, tailored to cats’ unique wellness needs.

Mental Stimulation Matters

Rest isn’t just about sleep or downtime, it’s also about balance. Mental engagement gives pets an outlet for energy and helps prevent stress from building up during holiday prep. When their minds are challenged in positive ways, they’re more likely to settle calmly afterward.

Simple enrichment activities can make a big difference:

For dogs:

“Sniffari walks” — A sniffari is a dog-led walk and scent-focused, allowing them to stop, sniff, and investigate as much as they want. Let your dog set the pace and follow their nose, which is just as mentally enriching as exercise.
Movement puzzles — where dogs learn to navigate under, around, and through simple obstacles. As Mari Valgma of The Moving Canine explains, movement puzzles aren’t just about fitness; they also help dogs cope better with stressful situations, improve focus, and reduce impulsivity [3].
Playful problem-solving — as trainer Susan Garrett suggests, “You can do things like rolling a cookie across the floor, or hiding a cookie in the couch cushion so that they have to get engaged and find it.” [4].

For cats:

Interactive play — wand toys or feather teasers mimic hunting and provide both exercise and mental stimulation. As feline behaviorist Mieshelle Nagelschneider notes, predictable play routines help reduce stress and prevent boredom in cats [5].
Foraging toys or food puzzles — encouraging cats to “hunt” for kibble or treats engages their instincts. Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall emphasizes that food-foraging activities improve feline welfare by combining feeding with problem-solving [6].

a tuxedo cat playing with a cat toy to relieve stress — A playful mind is a peaceful mind, interactive games help pets thrive through the holiday hustle.

These small activities provide structure, reduce boredom, and encourage better rest. Pets who are mentally fulfilled are less likely to show stress-related behaviors.

For pet parents, mental balance is just as important. Mushrooms like Lion’s Mane can help support focus and clarity, while Reishi promotes calm, a pairing that helps us stay grounded and present while juggling holiday to-do lists.

Sustained Energy with Cordyceps

While rest and relaxation are essential, so is steady energy. Cordyceps is valued for supporting stamina and respiratory health, making it a helpful addition to daily wellness. It provides sustained, balanced energy without overstimulation, ideal for senior pets who benefit from a gentle boost to start their day.

Pet parents may also find Cordyceps useful for maintaining steady energy through long to-do lists, travel prep, and busy mornings. Adding it alongside breakfast can help set the tone for a productive, balanced day.

Evening Wind-Down & Cozy Rituals

Rest isn’t just about sleep, it’s about giving ourselves and our pets meaningful downtime. Quiet moments throughout the day help us recharge, regulate stress, and prepare the body for deeper, more restorative sleep at night. The same is true for our pets: when they enjoy calm, predictable downtime, they sleep more soundly and handle daily changes with greater ease.

Building in cozy evening rituals can make a big difference. Curl up with a blanket, your best furry friend, a favorite book or movie, and a calming cup of tea. Adding Reishi to chamomile tea creates a soothing blend that helps calm the mind, ease tension, and signal to the body that it’s time to unwind.

Reishi Chamomile Restorative Tea

Ingredients

1 heaping tsp loose chamomile (or chamomile tea bag)
1 cup hot water
½ tsp Real Mushrooms Reishi powder
½–1 tsp honey or maple syrup
Optional: splash of milk or non-dairy milk, pinch of cinnamon, a couple drops of vanilla

Instructions

Bring water to a gentle boil.
Remove from heat; steep chamomile ~5 minutes.
Stir in Reishi powder until dissolved.
Sweeten with honey or maple syrup.
Add to your favorite mug, then optional milk/spices if desired.
Sip slowly ~30 minutes before bed.

Taking time for cozy rituals, for both you and your pets, helps set the tone for a calmer, more grounded season. Here’s to rest, recharge, and the joy of sharing it with our furry companions.

dog sleeping on a throw pillow on a couch with two women — Peaceful evenings, side by side.

Let’s Stay in Touch

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and join our Real Mushrooms for Pets group to connect with fellow pet parents and get the latest on events, tips, and all things mushrooms.

May your holiday preparations be balanced with cozy moments, meaningful rest, and plenty of time to recharge together. Wishing you and your pets a season filled with calm, comfort, and connection, from all of us at Real Mushrooms.

References

Resilience: Can We Increase It in Dogs?, patriciamcconnell.com
Life Among the Animals, thecatbehaviorclinic.com
programs.themovingcanine.com
The Tim Ferriss Show #200, tim.blog
The Cat Behavior Clinic, thecatbehaviorclinic.com
Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats