Surviving the Holidays as a Caregiver:Stress, Support & Simple Ways to Find Peace

I’d love to hear from you- send a text!

The holidays can feel especially overwhelming for family caregivers, midlife women, and anyone juggling aging parents, dementia care, chronic illness, or nonstop emotional labor. In this heart-centered episode, therapist and coach Vicki Gardiner, LPC shares practical tools and compassionate support to help caregivers reduce stress, prevent burnout, and find peace during the busiest time of the year.

You’ll learn how to simplify holiday expectations, manage caregiving responsibilities with more confidence, and create healthier boundaries that protect your mental and emotional well-being. Vicki also offers a gentle guided reflection, real-life strategies for coping with holiday overwhelm, and self-care practices specifically designed for midlife caregivers who are stretched thin.

Whether you’re caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s or dementia, supporting a spouse with medical needs, or navigating the “sandwich generation” life, this episode will help you breathe deeper, stay grounded, and rediscover moments of joy this season.

Topics include:
• Holiday stress for caregivers
• Midlife burnout + emotional overload
• Caring for aging parents or loved ones with dementia
• Setting boundaries with family during the holidays
• Reducing caregiver overwhelm
• Practical self-care for midlife women
• How to stay organized and calm during December
• Managing guilt, exhaustion, and expectations
• Prioritizing your mental health as a caregiver
• A short caregiver’s prayer and grounding moment

Plus — Vicki shares her most requested resource:
✨ The Caregiver’s Survival Guide — Binder + Digital Edition
Your complete caregiving organization system to reduce stress, track important details, and support your emotional well-being.

This episode is a must-listen for caregivers, midlife women, dementia caregivers, and anyone navigating the emotional load of caring for a loved one.

Thanks so much for joining me today on Life of Joy & Purpose. If this episode spoke to you, I’d love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a friend who’s on the journey too.

You can connect with me on Instagram @_vickigardiner_. Sign up for my monthly newsletter filled with encouragement, practical tools, and soul-aligned inspiration for midlife women who are ready to live with clarity, joy, and purpose. Click here to sign up!

Until next time—take a deep breath, stay true to yourself, and remember: joy and purpose are already within you. You’re just uncovering it—one step at a time.

🎧 If you loved this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone you love.

Join my free Facebook Group and be a part of our community of women!

Click here for all the links!