Holiday overwhelm is real, and choosing presence over perfection can feel harder than it sounds. In this episode, we share three simple steps to reduce holiday stress and make the season feel lighter: breathe and simplify, protect your peace, and practice daily renewal.

As a faith based therapist serving Texas and Florida, Elly brings the emotional wellness lens, while Isa brings the real life, down to earth perspective listeners love. Together we talk about setting gentle boundaries, navigating blended family expectations, making space for grief, and letting traditions adjust with your season of life. We also explore daily renewal through rest, prayer, movement, and creativity. These small rhythms help your nervous system settle.

If you’re craving a calmer, more connected holiday season, these steps can help you slow down and enjoy what matters most. Save this episode, share it with a friend, and tell us what you’re choosing to let go of this year.

🌿 Free Resources:
• Take the Shame Quiz to see how shame might be showing up in your life
www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie
• Download the A Better Way Guide and learn Elly’s 6-step BETTER Framework for healing www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

Ever feel like you’re walking on eggshells with a friend? In this episode of A Better Way to Heal: Where Faith Meets Therapy, Elly, a faith based therapist in Central Texas, and co-host Isa explore what it means to be caught in a one sided friendship—and how to move toward healthier, more balanced connections.

They unpack texting misunderstandings, anxious attachment, people pleasing, and mismatched seasons of life, then share a simple Notice Name Nurture framework to help you set boundaries, guard your peace, and repair relationships without cutting everyone off.

In this episode:
• Signs of one sided or emotionally draining friendships
• How texting slips and silence fuel conflict
• Recognizing anxious attachment and people pleasing
• Healthy confrontation and honest repair
• Boundaries around gossip, time, and emotional labor
• Honoring different friendship styles and seasons

If this message resonates, share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode.

🌿 Free Resources:
• Take the Shame Quiz to see how shame might be showing up in your life
www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie
• Download the A Better Way Guide and learn Elly’s 6-step BETTER Framework for healing
www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

In Part 2 of Healing Holiday Relationships, Elly and Isa continue the conversation about what it really takes to find peace and connection during the holidays.

This episode dives into how to adjust expectations, build small safe connections, and recognize when it’s time to gracefully step away. You’ll hear real stories and faith-filled insights about setting boundaries, extending grace, and protecting your peace when family dynamics get complicated.

Together, they explore how faith and therapy work hand in hand to reduce holiday stress, heal shame patterns, and create healthy relationships built on understanding rather than assumptions.

✨ In this episode:
• Adjust expectations with grace and self-awareness
• Build small connections that nurture belonging
• Redirect difficult conversations with compassion
• Know when to pause or step away without guilt
• Understand how shame and unmet expectations overlap
• Learn how active listening builds deeper connection

A Better Way to Heal: Where Faith Meets Therapy is hosted by Eleanor L. Brown, LPC, a Central Texas trauma therapist integrating Christian counseling and evidence-based tools to help you move from simply surviving to thriving, with co-host Isamary Nieves Banks.

🌿 Free Resources:
• Take the Shame Quiz to see how shame might be showing up in your life

• Download the A Better Way Guide and learn Elly’s 6-step BETTER Framework for healing

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store