The holidays are marketed as “the happiest time of the year”… but for so many people, they’re the most emotionally overwhelming.
In this episode, I’m joined by Danielle Zilg, MFT-in-training and host of The Feeling & Healing Podcast, for a deep, compassionate conversation about navigating anxiety, depression, grief, and family triggers during the holiday season.

Together, we explore:

✨ Why the holidays often activate dread instead of joy—and what your nervous system is actually responding to.
✨ How family gatherings trigger old attachment wounds, emotional regression, and childhood roles you thought you’d outgrown.
✨ A moment in Danielle’s life when her own holiday anxiety hit a breaking point—and what it revealed about what she truly needed.
✨ Real stories of people shifting from shutdown or panic to grounded safety with somatic tools.
✨ How to navigate dysfunctional parents, toxic family patterns, and resurfacing shame during holiday events.
✨ What to do if you’re walking into a gathering already activated (step-by-step somatic support you can use immediately).
✨ How to cope with the pain of seeing happy couples when you’re healing from a recent breakup or abusive relationship.
✨ What Danielle wants anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, or grief this holiday season to know—and the message she wishes she heard years ago.

This is a gentle, validating, nervous-system–informed episode for anyone who feels heavy, triggered, or emotionally exhausted this time of year.
If the holidays don’t feel merry to you… you’re not alone, and there’s nothing wrong with you.

Connect with Danielle on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/danielle.z.mft/

Check out Danielle's Website here: https://www.daniellezmft.com/

Check out last week's episode I recorded with Danielle: The Hidden Roots Of Anxious Attachment: Adoption, Preverbal Wounds, & Somatic Healing: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3z0WfkQAeTgTjoI45R36X9?si=5OFn6DrlRHqQQr7K3Js5DA

Connect with Valerie on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/healwithval/

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