A Psychologist's Guide to Holiday Boundaries & Burnout: Live Workshop
A 90-minute psychologist-led workshop to help you navigate holiday stress, family dynamics, emotional triggers, overwhelm, burnout, and boundary-setting, so you can move through the season with more ease, clarity, and self-trust.
I’m Dr. Katie Carhart, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in burnout, nervous system regulation, and helping people feel more grounded and connected. I was recently featured in Real Simple in an article on holiday stress and what can help, as well as in Newsweek on why Christmas does not feel as magical for adults. The holidays are emotionally complex for many people, and this workshop was created to support you through it.
The what...
The holidays bring joy, but they also bring: family tension, old patterns, overstimulation, grief, exhaustion, pressure to “be on,” and the emotional hangover that hits in January.
This 90-minute live workshop is designed to help you move through the holiday season with more grounding, boundaries, and nervous system steadiness.
You’ll learn practical skills for:
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Protecting your energy during a season that often demands more than it gives
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Identifying what truly lights you up vs. what drains you, so you can say “yes” with intention and “no” without guilt
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Using your emotions as information rather than feeling overwhelmed or hijacked by them
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Navigating complicated family dynamics with more clarity and self-trust
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Responding instead of reacting when you feel stressed, activated, or overstimulated
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Preventing burnout by understanding your personal patterns and pressure points
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Regulating your nervous system before, during, and after gatherings
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Staying connected to your values instead of slipping back into old roles, expectations, or patterns
You’ll walk away with a personalized “Holiday Coping Plan” you can use immediately.
Includes a guided nervous system practice, takeaway worksheets to reference, and optional Q&A.
The who?
This workshop is for you if:
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You feel excited about the holidays, but every year you end up burned out, overwhelmed, and crashing by January.
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You love your family but still find gatherings emotionally draining, overstimulating, or triggering.
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You want to set boundaries but guilt, pressure to keep the peace, or old family roles make it difficult.
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You tend to get overstimulated by noise, chaos, expectations, hosting, travel, or being “on” too long.
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You often overcommit, overfunction, or prioritize others’ needs before your own.
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You experience an emotional “holiday hangover” that lingers well into the new year.
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You notice your body shift into survival mode around certain people or events.
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You feel pressure to make the holidays “perfect,” which adds stress and tension.
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You dread certain conversations, comments, or interactions and want tools to navigate them with more ease.
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You lose your grounding rituals or routines during the holidays and want support staying regulated.
When?
Thursday, December 11th
4-5:30 PM PST
5-6:30 PM MST
6-7:30 PM CST
7-8:30 PM EST
Downloadable workbook will be available immediately upon purchase. (Sent via confirmation e-mail).
Guided Nervous System Practice Audio will be available the day of the workshop. (Sent via reminder e-mail).
Zoom replay will be available December 12th until December 21st.
Investment
The live workshop is offered at $47, with an early-bird rate of $37 for those who register early. (There are limited spaces available). This is a low-barrier, high-value experience designed to be accessible during a busy season.
Early Bird Pricing ends 12p EST Wednesday November 26th.
What's Included
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Live 90-minute Zoom workshop led by Dr. Katie Carhart
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Replay access for 10 days
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Downloadable PDF workbook to help you personalize what you learn
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Guided nervous system regulation audio for use throughout the holidays
Scope
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This workshop is designed for education and skill-building only.
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It is not therapy and does not include individualized assessment, diagnosis, or treatment.
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Our Q&A will focus on general concepts (rather than personal clinical concerns), as this is a workshop for education (not treatment). Participation does not establish a therapist–client relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this therapy?
No; this is a live, educational workshop grounded in nervous-system science and trauma-informed care. It’s not therapy and doesn’t replace individual treatment.
Do I have to attend live?
No. A full replay is included, so you can watch on your own time if needed.
Do I have to be on camera or talk?
No! Not at all. Attendees do not have to be on camera or speak at all. You'll be given the opportunity to ask questions in the chat, but only if you want to.
Who is this workshop best for?
This workshop is for adults experiencing burnout, emotional overload, boundary fatigue, people-pleasing, caregiving stress, or nervous-system overwhelm.
What will I walk away with?
You’ll leave with:
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Practical nervous-system regulation tools
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A personalized holiday coping framework
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A burnout reduction workbook
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A guided regulation audio you can reuse
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A clearer understanding of why burnout happens and how to interrupt it
What if I’m already totally exhausted- will this be too much?
No. This workshop is designed specifically for people who feel depleted. Nothing about it requires “pushing” or high energy. You can attend live or watch the replay, you can use the workbook at your pace. The goal is to meet you where you're at, and give you some extra tools to make the holidays more enjoyable.
What if I’ve tried burnout tools before and they didn’t work?
This workshop focuses on how your nervous system works, not just mindset tips. Many people find this approach works when other tools haven’t.
Is this only for moms / caregivers?
Not at all. While many attendees are caregivers, this workshop is for any adult carrying emotional or mental loadduring the holidays.
What if I’m on the fence?
That’s okay. If something in you is curious but hesitant, that’s actually very normal, especially when burnout is involved, because by nature burnout makes it hard for us to try something new.
A last note from me.
There were many holiday seasons that completely flattened me. I remember rushing around doing all the things I thought would make extended family happy and my kids happy, and would start January in a burned out funk. These are the exact tools that I used to feel more at peace during the season and the same tools I share with clients as well.
Taking some time now at the start of the season for yourself, to center,
to get clear on what matters most, and to resource yourself to manage
stress can be an absolute game changer.
You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You just have to be willing to take one small step toward feeling steadier.
If this page stirred something in you, that’s enough to begin.
Join the workshop below!
