DiscoverMentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin266 — The Holiday Playbook: Family Triggers, Strong Emotions, and Gracious Boundaries
266 — The Holiday Playbook: Family Triggers, Strong Emotions, and Gracious Boundaries

266 — The Holiday Playbook: Family Triggers, Strong Emotions, and Gracious Boundaries

Update: 2025-11-21
Share

Description

Does the thought of spending time with family during the holidays cause you extra stress? Do you find yourself bracing for family drama or feeling overwhelmed by social expectations? If the "happiest time of the year" feels complicated, you're not alone.


The holidays can stir up a lot of emotion and family stress. But it doesn't have to be that way. Today, I'm sharing my Holiday Playbook for dealing with family drama, strong emotions, and boundaries. Some of the things I talk about are:



  • How to name your season so decisions feel easier

  • The 3 most common family stress traps

  • Strategies to prepare for emotional triggers

  • Ways to set boundaries that actually work

  • Simple scripts to handle awkward conversations

  • What to do when emotions run high

  • How to know when to stick it out or step away

  • Tools to calm yourself in the moment

  • The power of planning ahead for gatherings

  • How to manage guilt around saying no

  • Why micro-goals can make a big difference

  • Tips for creating your own holiday playbook


Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mentally Stronger Premium⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for exclusive content like weekly bonus episodes, mental strength challenges, and office hours with me.




Connect with the Show


Buy a copy of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Connect with Amy on Instagram —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AmyMorinAuthor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Visit my website —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmyMorinLCSW.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠




Sponsors


OneSkin — Get 15% off OneSkin with the code STRONGER at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.oneskin.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 


Quince Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns!


Shopify — Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shopify.com/mentallystronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


L-Nutra — Visit ⁠ProlonLife.com/MS⁠ to claim your 25% discount and your bonus gift.


Jones Road Beauty — Use code STRONGER at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jonesroadbeauty.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchase! #JonesRoadBeauty #ad


Lola Blankets — Get 35% off your entire order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lolablankets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by using code STRONGER at checkout. Experience the world’s #1 blanket with Lola Blankets.


AirDoctor — Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AirDoctorPro.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and use promo code STRONGER to get UP TO $300 off today!


AquaTru Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AquaTru.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ now for 20% off using promo code STRONGER


Uncommon Goods Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UncommonGoods.com/Stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 15% off

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

266 — The Holiday Playbook: Family Triggers, Strong Emotions, and Gracious Boundaries

266 — The Holiday Playbook: Family Triggers, Strong Emotions, and Gracious Boundaries

Amy Morin