Gentle, somatic support for navigating grief, change, and family dynamics

The holidays carry a strange duality. Thanksgiving, especially, tends to arrive wrapped in expectation: joy, gratitude, gathering, tradition. And yet—for so many of us navigating loss, change, or life transitions—it can also bring pressure, emotional labor, travel logistics, unspoken family roles, grief flare-ups, and a level of overstimulation that feels like too much for a tender nervous system.

If you’re experiencing Thanksgiving stress, you’re not alone. Whether you’re moving through your first Christmas without a loved one, coping with the cumulative weight of grief during the holidays, or simply noticing how family dynamics activate old patterns, this season can stir emotions that don’t always fit into tidy holiday narratives.

This community is filled with people who have always been the strong one—the caregivers, teachers, helpers, healers—who are now seeking spaces that honor the whole of their experience. If you’re longing for gentle, body-based ways to feel grounded, connected, and supported, these tips are designed with you in mind.

A cozy reading nook with soft blankets and warm light, symbolizing rest and recovery during the holiday season. — You don’t have to earn your rest.
Before and after the holiday, let yourself lean into softness, quiet, and the restoration your body has been asking for. 🧡

1. Set Expectations Ahead of Time

Clarity is an act of kindness—to yourself and others.

Holiday stress often grows from unspoken assumptions: What time will you arrive? How long will you stay? Will you participate in the cooking, host, or keep certain traditions going?

When you’re grieving or navigating a major life shift—retirement, a relationship ending, caregiving burnout, relocation, identity change—your emotional and physical energy may look different this year. Naming your needs ahead of time can dramatically reduce anxiety.

Consider sharing:

What you're willing to participate in
What you’re not available for this year
How long you plan to stay
Any emotional or sensory limits you want to honor

Setting expectations doesn’t make you difficult—it makes you resourced. It also helps those around you understand how to support you instead of guessing or defaulting to old patterns.

This is a key part of trauma-informed grief support: creating safety through clarity, choice, and consent.

2. Have a Grounding Strategy

Your body is your safest place to return to.

The nervous system often needs extra support during holiday gatherings, family conversations, and crowded or noisy environments. A grounding plan can help you stay centered, present, and connected to yourself.

Try a few somatic practices to regulate your emotions:

60-second deep breathing (longer exhales calm the vagus nerve)
Stepping outside for air or natural light
Placing a hand on your chest and noticing your breath
Feeling your feet on the floor or holding a warm mug
Repeating a grounding prompt, like: “Right now, I am safe enough.”

These are the same tools we use inside my somatic grief healing and body-based grief support sessions, online workshops, and Zoom grief support groups. They help the body shift out of survival mode and into a steadier, more regulated state.

3. Limit Over-Commitment

People-pleasing is often a grief response—and it leads to burnout.

For many in midlife and beyond—especially women, caregivers, and those who have always been the dependable one—saying “yes” when your body needs “no” can feel automatic. But over-commitment is one of the biggest drivers of holiday mental health struggles.

It’s okay if:

You don’t want to attend multiple gatherings.
You need a shorter visit.
You ask others to host or to share responsibilities.
You skip traditions that feel overwhelming this year.

Remember: Rest is not something to earn. It’s something your grief and your nervous system genuinely require.

4. Prepare for Emotional Triggers

Old family roles can resurface quickly—especially when grief is present.

The holidays can activate parts of us we haven’t met in years. You might notice:

Pressure to hold everything together
Feeling responsible for others’ emotions
Grief spikes when someone is missing
Memories surfacing unexpectedly
Long-standing tension resurfacing

Instead of bracing against these triggers, try approaching them with gentle awareness:

Name what’s happening internally
Pause before responding
Ground through breath or sensation
Step away when you need space
Give yourself permission not to perform old roles

This is grief wisdom. This is grief and trauma healing in real time. These micro-moments of awareness and choice are small acts of self-protection that build long-term resilience.

5. Prioritize Rest Before and After the Holiday

Recovery time is not optional—it’s essential.

Even if the day goes smoothly, your system may feel the impact of travel, conversation, stimulation, or emotional processing. Fatigue after Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you did anything wrong—it means you’re human, and you’re carrying a lot.

Before the holiday, build in:

Early nights
Quiet mornings
Extra hydration
Gentle movement
Time to emotionally prepare

After the holiday, give yourself at least one day (or even a few hours) of:

Rest
Blank space
Softness
Reflection
Comforting routines

Rest is a core element of somatic grief healing. It creates the conditions for integration, especially when navigating the tender terrain of grief during the holidays or the first Christmas without a loved one.

Final Thoughts

There is no “right” way to feel during Thanksgiving. Grief doesn’t follow the calendar, and neither does your healing. If this season brings joy, heaviness, numbness, longing, or all of the above—you’re not doing anything wrong.

You deserve tools, support, and spaces that help you feel grounded and held. You deserve gentleness.

✨ Ready for Support Before the Holidays?

If you’d like help navigating family dynamics, anxiety, boundaries, or emotional overwhelm this season, I’d be honored to walk with you.

You can schedule a free 20-minute discovery consultation to explore whether trauma-informed grief support might support you right now.

This is a space where your story is honored, your nervous system is considered, and your grief has room to breathe.

→ Click here to schedule your discovery consult before the holidays.

Portrait of Dawn Geoppinger, grief educator and somatic practitioner, offering gentle grief support and embodied healing. — Dawn M. Geoppinger, Trauma-Informed Grief & Embodiment Coach

Dawn M. Geoppinger is a Trauma-Informed Grief & Embodiment Coach based in Portland, Oregon, with a strong foundation of over two decades of professional experience in public administration, education, and the nonprofit sector. She specializes in grief education, somatic movement, breathwork, and mindfulness, integrating evidence-based approaches such as somatic practices, post-traumatic growth and woman-centered principles to help clients reconnect with themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and honor the full spectrum of loss and healing. Through her practice, *The Embodied Grief Journey™, Dawn provides compassionate, expert support both in person and online—creating safe, nurturing spaces for individuals to explore grief, resilience, and embodied healing.*

If the stress of Thanksgiving—family expectations, old patterns, or emotional overwhelm—is weighing on you, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

You’re invited to schedule a free 20-minute discovery consultation to explore whether trauma-informed, body-based grief support might help you feel steadier this season.

This is a space where your experience is honored, your nervous system is supported, and you can move at a pace that feels safe.

→ Click here to schedule your discovery consult before the holiday pressure builds.

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