Emotional Clutter + The Mental Load Detox

Ever feel completely exhausted… but you can’t point to one big reason why?

In this episode, Katie and Meagan talk about emotional clutter — the invisible weight of unprocessed feelings, constant background stress, and mental load that builds up over time. Not because you’re failing, but because you’re doing a lot — often for everyone else.

This conversation isn’t about fixing your whole life or getting more disciplined. It’s about slowing down, taking an honest inventory of what you’re carrying, and learning how to set some of it down — even temporarily.

We unpack:

• what emotional clutter actually looks like in real life

• signs you’re emotionally exhausted (even if you didn’t realize it)

• the difference between supporting your kids’ emotions and absorbing them

• why over-functioning can quietly lead to burnout

• how family systems are affected when one person carries everyone’s feelings

We also share practical tools for a mental load detox:

• taking an emotional inventory

• closing the “open tabs” in your brain

• naming the invisible work you’re doing

• giving yourself permission to rest, disappoint people, and do things well enough

If everything feels heavy right now, this episode is a reminder:
you don’t need a full reset — you may just need to stop carrying more than your share.

This week, instead of asking “What should I do next?” try asking:
“What can I set down?”

Restarts aren’t just a January thing — they happen all year long. Coming back from break, starting a new season, returning to school after summer, re-engaging after a friendship conflict… even just getting back into routine after life gets off track.

In this episode, Katie and Meagan talk about why restarts can feel so big for kids (and for adults, too). We unpack the anxiety that shows up with “unknowns,” what stress does to the brain and nervous system, and why kids may look irritable, shut down, or emotionally “bigger” during transitions.

We also talk about the parent side of it — that intense urge to fix it, solve it, and take the discomfort away. And why one of the most powerful things we can do is learn to hold the hard with them, without rescuing them from it.

You’ll walk away with practical tools to support your child through restarts:

• prepping and talking about the transition ahead of time

• helping kids visualize what’s coming

• breaking big things into small steps

• using simple lists/checklists to reduce overwhelm and power struggles

• and “tapes” to play in your own head when your kid’s stress activates yours

If you’re in a season of restarting — big or small — this episode is a reminder that progress isn’t always linear, and struggle doesn’t mean failure. Every restart is practice… and every time your child moves through something hard with support, they build the confidence: this is hard, and I can do it.

The holidays are fun… until they’re over and real life hits hard.
In this episode, Katie and Meagan talk about the post-holiday routine crash — the sugar overload, the lack of sleep, the missing structure, and the pushback that shows up when it’s time to get back on track.

From a therapist’s perspective (and real-life parenting experience), we unpack what’s happening in kids’ bodies and brains when routines disappear — and why easing back in works better than flipping a switch.

We share practical, realistic ways to reset family routines gently, manage pushback without power struggles, and set expectations that actually support your kids and you.

If you’re navigating the transition back to school, work, or “normal life,” this episode is a reminder that slow resets are not only okay — they’re effective.

January comes with so much pressure — to start strong, fix what feels broken, and somehow reinvent ourselves overnight. In this episode of But the Years Are Short, Katie and Meagan talk about why that pressure feels especially heavy for parents — and why it so often backfires.

Instead of rigid resolutions, they explore the power of intentions: smaller, values-based shifts that actually fit real family life. Together, they unpack why resolutions usually fizzle by February, how perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking get in the way, and how self-compassion makes change more sustainable.

They also share practical ideas for reflecting on the past year, choosing intention words, and even creating a family intention — a simple, meaningful way to bring kids into the process without pressure or punishment.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by New Year expectations, this episode offers a calmer, kinder way forward.

• Why New Year “reset” pressure doesn’t match real life

• The most common reasons resolutions fail by February

• Resolutions vs intentions: what’s the difference?

• How bandwidth and life season matter more than motivation

• Why self-compassion is key to sustainable change

• How intention-setting models flexibility and emotional health for kids

• Simple ways to reflect on what worked — and what drained you — last year

• How to create a family intention (without guilt or pressure)

  
  

  We created a simple 2026 Intention Worksheet to help you reflect on last year, identify what you want to keep, and choose intentions that fit your real life.

  👉 Grab the Worksheet here!

  
  

The holidays are magical… and also kind of a dumpster fire. 😅
In this episode, Katie and Meagan talk about the comparison trap — that sneaky holiday spiral where it feels like everyone else is doing more, gifting better, decorating prettier, and making more “core memories”… while you’re over here wrapping a giant present with painter’s tape and holding on by a thread.

We get real about the pressure to “make it magical,” how social media fuels scarcity thinking, why kids don’t actually remember the perfect stuff, and how to build traditions that don’t burn you out. Plus: a simple (and powerful) idea for choosing a values word for the season — so you can experience the holidays the way you actually want to.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The holiday comparison trap and why it hits so hard this time of year

• The pressure to create “perfect” memories, gifts, photos, pajamas, and traditions

• How social media quietly steals joy, presence, and emotional bandwidth

• Scarcity thinking: “I’m not doing enough… I’m not enough”

• Why more gifts don’t equal more connection (and what kids remember instead)

• The difference between connection vs. performance (and how kids can feel it)

• Traditions that energize vs. traditions that drain

• “Forced family fun” and low-pressure ways to build holiday togetherness

• A practical reframe: setting expectations that fit your real family

• • Choosing a “values word” for the season (calm, connection, togetherness, etc.)

  
  

  You’ll walk away with:

  • Permission to simplify (without guilt)

  • A clear filter for “Is this for connection or for performance?”

  • A reminder that kids remember presence, not perfection

  • A way to pick traditions that feel sustainable (not exhausting)

  • A simple intention-setting practice to guide the next two weeks

    Download the worksheet here: https://awesome-unit-60406.myflodesk.com/nslacwby3e

    
    

    📲 Hang out with us on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/buttheyearsareshortpodcast/

    🌐 Learn more about the podcast:
    https://buttheyearsareshortpodcast.com/

    👋 Work with us:

    • Meagan’s counseling practice: https://meaganjacksoncounseling.com/

    • Katie’s consulting & counseling work: https://www.katiezconsulting.com/

The holidays are supposed to feel magical… so why does everyone melt down by 4 p.m.? 🎄
In this episode, Katie and Meagan talk about the joys and the madness of the holiday season — why kids (and adults) get overwhelmed, what “overstimulation” really looks like, and how to protect everyone’s nervous system so you can actually enjoy the good stuff.

We’re talking real-life stories (including Thanksgiving football drama and a three-day Christmas bender ending in tears), practical strategies, and a gentle reminder that your worth as a parent is not measured in perfectly curated memories.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why big feelings spike around the holidays (for kids and parents)

• How disrupted routines, sugar, noise, and excitement overload kids’ nervous systems

• What “overstimulation” actually feels like in your body as a grown-up

• The idea of a “window of tolerance” and how to gently stretch yours during busy seasons

• How to spot the early signs that your kid is nearing a meltdown

• Simple, kind ways to offer kids a break without shaming or embarrassing them

• Realistic expectations for travel, multiple events, and seeing all the extended family

• Building in downtime on purpose (instead of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best)

• The “ungrateful kids” narrative — what’s actually going on underneath it

• How our kids learn what to expect from us… and why that isn’t their fault

• • Shaping gratitude without shaming, labeling, or calling kids “selfish” or “ungrateful”

  
  

  🎧 Listen to “But The Years Are Short” on your favorite platform:

  
  

  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/but-the-years-are-short/id1836480974

  
  

  📲 Hang out with us on Instagram:
  https://www.instagram.com/buttheyearsareshortpodcast/

  
  

  🌐 Learn more about the podcast:
  https://buttheyearsareshortpodcast.com/

  
  

  👋 Work with us:

  Meagan’s counseling practice: https://meaganjacksoncounseling.com/

  Katie’s consulting & counseling work: https://www.katiezconsulting.com/

  
  

Navigating the holidays across two homes is a lot — schedules, feelings, traditions, extended family, and the pressure to “make it magical” for your kids. If you’re parenting after separation or divorce, this episode is for you. 💛

Today we’re talking about how to make the holidays gentler for your kids and for you — without overexplaining, oversharing, or over-functioning.

In this episode, we dig into:

• 🗓️ Holiday schedules that kids can actually understandVisual calendars, color-coding, and how to keep both homes on the same page so kids feel grounded instead of confused.

• 😊 Making room for mixed feelingsHow to respond when your child is happy and missing their other parent at the same time — without taking it personally or shutting it down.

• 🎄 Traditions that can travel between homesSimple rituals (like ornaments, pajamas, game nights, Elf on the Shelf, etc.) that help kids feel like “one family, two homes” instead of two separate lives.

• 🧠 Protecting kids from adult stressWhy your sadness, grief, or loneliness around the holidays is valid — and why your kids are not the ones who should be carrying it.

• ⏳ Letting go of “making up for lost time”Why kids don’t count overnights the way adults do, and how chasing “fair” time can actually increase stress for everyone.

• 👵 Extended family & the confused relative factorHow to explain the schedule ahead of time, ask for support, and set boundaries with kindness so your kids aren’t caught in the middle.

  
  

  This episode is for you if…

  • You’re co-parenting after separation or divorce and the holidays feel complicated.

  • You’re worried your kids will feel torn, guilty, or responsible for everyone’s feelings.

  • You’re feeling lonely or raw about sharing time and don’t want that to spill onto your kids.

• • You want concrete ideas (not just platitudes) for making this season calmer and more connected.

  Timestamps

  (approximate – feel free to adjust for your final edit)

  0:00 – Welcome & why holidays across two homes feel so tender
  1:40 – Holiday schedules: helping kids understand the plan
  4:20 – Visual calendars & keeping both homes consistent
  7:10 – First holidays after separation vs. a few years in
  8:40 – Holding space for “happy here AND missing the other parent”
  10:40 – Why it stings as a parent (and what to do with your own grief)
  12:15 – Traditions that can travel between homes
  18:10 – Adult stress, loneliness & getting your own support
  22:40 – “I want to model coping” vs. oversharing with kids
  27:50 – The pressure to “make up for lost time” & counting overnights
  32:40 – Talking to extended family & protecting kids from side commentary

  
  

  #parenting #coparenting #holidaymagic #gentleparenting #parentingskills

  
  

In this episode, Meagan and Katie get real about a tough but universal part of parenting: when our kids are mean to us. They unpack why kids sometimes lash out at the people they feel safest with, what’s happening underneath those big reactions, and how we as parents can hold boundaries without losing connection. Through honest stories and practical insight, they explore how to stay grounded, support emotional growth, and take care of ourselves in the moments that really sting.

For Children's Counseling and Parenting:

https://meaganjacksoncounseling.com/