Navigating Loneliness During the Holidays With Dr. Jody Carrington

Live Happy Now

Live Happy LLC

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Health & Fitness:mental Health

4.7 • 522 Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The holidays are a time for togetherness — so why do so many people feel lonely during this time of year? This week, host Paula Felps sits down with psychologist and author Dr. Jody Carrington to talk about why loneliness feels worse during the holiday season, the role modern technology plays in increasing loneliness, and how we can navigate holiday loneliness and rediscover joy through authentic connection. You’ll also learn about the Live Happy Holiday Loneliness Toolkit, filled with resources to support anyone who is navigating feelings of isolation during the holiday season. In this episode, you'll learn: Why loneliness is not just a mental health issue but a human epidemic shaped by modern life. How emotional regulation practices — like simple body cues — can help restore connection and reduce stress. Practical ways to build depth in relationships, embrace chosen family, and find community during the holidays.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Thank you for joining us for episode 549 of Live Happy Now.
0:08.3	The holidays are a time for getting together with family and friends, but for some people,
0:12.7	they're a reminder of what's missing.
0:15.4	I'm your host, Paula Phelps, and this week we are digging into the challenge of loneliness
0:19.3	during the holiday season.
0:21.1	To kick things off, let's hear from Live Happy social media manager Michelle Jones,
0:25.0	who's here to talk about how we're tackling holiday loneliness here at Live Happy.
0:29.2	Michelle, welcome back.
0:30.8	Hey, Paula. Great to be here. I am not sure why you keep inviting me on, but I am sure glad that you do.
0:36.9	Question for you, Do you have your
0:38.2	tree up yet and have your dogs knocked it over already? They have not knocked it over because I do
0:43.6	not have it up. We're not going to be around much this holiday season, so we aren't putting a tree up.
0:48.9	And besides, Josie thinks a Christmas tree skirt is just like another blanket. And so it's kind of an ongoing
0:56.2	holiday battle if we do that. So no, we haven't done it. How about you? Is your tree up?
1:02.0	Not yet. We have also been doing some traveling and have not gotten to it. The dogs is a challenge.
1:09.5	The toddler is a challenge. I think we're going to have to put a gate around the tree this year. We'll see how it goes.
1:16.0	And put all the ornaments like four feet or taller. Yes, it's a look.
1:21.8	So, Michelle, we have talked a lot about how loneliness is impacting our society. You know, it's, it's been an ongoing
1:28.4	theme for the last couple of years on episodes that we've done here at Live Happy Now, but the holidays
1:34.2	really do add another dimension to it. And, you know, I think we've all had years where we're grieving
1:40.4	a loss or maybe we're just feeling left out from the alleged joy around us. So I wanted to bring you on and get your perspective about it. Yeah, alleged joy, huh, Paula? That is a phrase. Yeah, that doesn't make it into the Christmas carols. I don't know why. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe we should start adding that in. Well, I will say that one of the things I notice every year
2:01.2	is how many people share that the holidays feel isolating. Even if they have family and friends
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Live Happy LLC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Live Happy LLC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.