How to Navigate Grief, Gatherings, and Expectations During the Holidays

Send us Fan MailThe holiday season can feel impossibly heavy when you’re grieving. Whether this is your first December without your person - or the fifth, or the tenth - this time of year can bring emotional landmines, painful contrasts, and overwhelm that others don’t always see.In episode 29a, Johanna walks beside you to explore:🌿 Why holiday “firsts” (and seconds… and thirds…) hit so hard🌿 The emotional, sensory, and social triggers unique to this season🌿 Anticipatory grief and why the lead-up is sometimes worse than the day itself🌿 How grief affects your brain and nervous system (hello, “87 browser tabs” energy)🌿 Boundaries, expectations, and how to stop performing the “holiday mask”🌿 Grounding tools, sensory resets, and strategies to honour your needs🌿 A full permission slip to do the holidays your way — no guilt attachedThis episode is part of a four-part holiday grief support series, with two mini-episodes releasing this week and more in-depth conversations coming over the next two Mondays.✨ Free grief resources: • Insights for Navigating Grief • Essential Grief Toolkit Download at Johanna’s Resilience Toolboxes💛 Your support helps keep the podcast going: https://buymeacoffee.com/transformativejourneysPodcast music is ‘Back Roads’ by Will Harrison from Epidemic Sound. 🛑 Disclaimer: Johanna is not a therapist — just a human with a mic and lived experience. This podcast is informational only and not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.