The Family Business with The Alessis: A Christian Parenting and Marriage Podcast · Steve and Mary Alessi | Pastors | Christian Parenting and Marriage Mentors

Unhappy Holidays? How to Maintain Your Mental Health When the Christmas Season Causes Stress

·50 min·3 clips

There's only so much of us to be down, and boundaries are necessary.

Steve Alessi opens by welcoming the audience and thanking listeners for helping the show grow. He notes that the series is in season eight, has well over 200 episodes recorded, and has passed one million views on YouTube. Lauren Alessi is in the booth with him, along with guest Ryan Landau. The conversation centers on the emotional pressure that rises during the holidays and at the end of the year. Steve says people should not automatically treat every low feeling as sadness or failure. He frames much of it as seasonal stress and the normal strain of trying to get everything done. The panel then turns to loneliness. One speaker makes the point that a person can have a massive family and still feel very alone. That idea becomes a thread through the rest of the discussion. They talk about being intentional with the conversations you have and the community you already have. The dinner table comes up as a place where serious conversation can matter. The group remembers how those talks can feel uncomfortable and still be valuable. One speaker says that young people need to feel like they are part of something. Ryan Landau is then asked to speak to the person who says they are lonely. He pushes back against the idea that a person has no agency. He names the drama triangle, or victim's triangle, as a pattern people can get stuck in. He says growth includes recognizing that you have options. He also says that if someone has lived that way for years, change can feel like moving a mountain. The answer is to start with one step. Steve brings in his own fix-it temperament and jokes that fix-it people are not always fun people. That self-awareness keeps the conversation light even while it stays serious. The panel keeps returning to the idea that movement matters more than passivity. The closing section widens the frame from holiday stress to the year ahead. Steve encourages listeners to treat the hard parts of 2025 as lessons. He says the hits, the failures, and the moments of losing composure can still teach something useful. The episode ends with a blessing and a simple sendoff into the season. The final note is hopeful, practical, and family-centered.

As heard by us

A holiday-season conversation about stress, loneliness, and small steps toward connection.

The episode looks at the strain that can pile up at the end of the year and treats it as something seasonal, not a personal failure. Steve Alessi talks with Lauren Alessi and Ryan Landau about loneliness, making space for honest conversation, and the odd fact that a large family…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

When the holidays feel crowded, tense, and quietly lonely at once.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Family Business with The Alessis: A Christian Parenting and Marriage Podcast