Navigating the Holidays with Compassion, Connection, and Calm
Somehow we made it to the final month of 2025!
As we wrap up this year, I wanted to pop into your inbox briefly to offer a handful of helpful resources. Below you’ll find a smattering of content I’m loving around talking with kids about AI and technology use, coping with the holidays, and practicing lovingkindness as a family.
And a gentle reminder to be where you are.
A Permission Slip for This Season
If you are not feeling festive, that’s ok.
If you’re feeling too rushed and need to take something off the calendar, that’s ok.
If you need to say no to an invitation to give your child one-on-one quality attention, that’s ok.
If you don’t have time to reflect, that’s ok.
Here is your permission slip to give yourself some grace this holiday season.
When Kids and Families Are Out of Routine
Since this time of year involves many festivities, recitals, and travel, here are a few reminders (and small, doable steps) to help kids and families stay steadier:
1. Hold onto a few “normal” anchors
Pick 1–2 things that stay the same most days—bedtime-ish, breakfast, a quick snuggle, a walk with the dog.
Predictability supports children’s nervous systems and helps everyone feel grounded.
2. Give kids a job, not just a script
Let them choose napkin colors, put out name cards, cue up the playlist, or welcome people at the door.
Having a role builds pride, increases cooperation, and lowers acting-out behaviors.
3. Preview transitions like a GPS
Use simple heads-up warnings:
• “Five more minutes, then coats.”
• “After dessert, we’ll say goodbye to Grandma.”
Knowing what’s next prevents explosive transitions and supports emotional regulation.
4. Right-size expectations
Assume there will be sugar, fatigue, overstimulation, and at least one meltdown.
That’s not failure—that’s data.
Aim for moments of connection, not a flawless holiday highlight reel.
5. Protect pockets of quiet
Screens-off play, reading, drawing, or simply flopping on the couch help everyone reset.
Even 10–15 minutes can re-regulate the brain and body.
6. Model the kind of reset you want to see
Narrate your own coping:
“I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’m going to take a breath and start again.”
Kids learn more from this than from any calm-down script we give them.
👉 Want tools like this to support your child’s emotional wellbeing?
Check out our monthly newsletter where I share wellness tips, evidence-based CBT tools, and helpful resources for you: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/ergg2A1
We’re here if you need support.
Wishing you and yours some cheer — and the centeredness to go along with what comes.
Dr. Rachel and the Well Brain Team
Helpful Guides for Parents & Caregivers
How to Think About AI
A useful guide (7th-grade reading level) from two friends explaining:
– How AI functions
– What to watch for in AI behavior
– What to watch for in our behavior
– How to take care of ourselves while using AI
Taking the Stress Out of Holidays
A Child Mind Institute guide with tips to help kids be at their best — and have fun too.
Raising Resilient Kids in a Digital Age
By Anne Marie Albano, PhD — my postdoc mentor!
TEDMED podcast episode:
https://www.tedmed.com/conversations-podcast/raising-resilient-kids-in-a-digital-age/
What We’re upto
What We're Reading
Sharon Salzberg’s first children’s book!
Kind Karl: A Little Crocodile with Big Feelings arrives December 9th.
This playful picture book (ages 4–8), written with Jason Gruhl, introduces lovingkindness to young readers through sweet animal characters.
It’s a wonderful way to bring compassion into family life.
Check it out!
What We’re Watching
On this week’s Thriving Kids episode, Dr. Kimberly Alexander joins Dr. Dave Anderson to talk about what it really means to “run the gauntlet” of the holiday season. Topics include:
How to set structure when school is out
What to do when social-media-perfect families make you feel like you’re falling short
Why “Know thy child” might be the best holiday mantra
How to handle tricky family dynamics — from picky eaters to relatives who take your boundaries personally
What We’re Listening To
For this podcast series, Sharon speaks with educators, caregivers, and researchers about how meditation, mindfulness, and lovingkindness support children of all ages — and the family systems around them.
Highlighted episodes: