The holiday season can be a time of strong emotional reactions, and not just because of the usual religious overtones. Feelings of disconnection and loneliness can be experienced due to the pressure of traditions and social expectations, even when around loved ones. In this RfRx we’ll discuss how holidays affect us, from personal and social influences, and steps to take to stay connected to ourselves and others despite differences.
As an educator and trainer for health providers and other professionals, David Teachout also has a private practice helping adults and couples with learning resiliency skills related to relationship difficulties and trauma. He maintains a podcast, “Humanity’s Values,” and a blog related to mental health topics. David has worked in mental health care for 15 years, and holds a master’s in both forensic and counseling psychology, as well as currently working towards a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. He’s also worked in community mental health, social work, criminal justice, elder care, and child advocacy.  Hosted by Eric Wells, the RfR Support Group Director and Kara Griffin, RfR Helpline Agent.  
Recorded on September 20, 2021. 
For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. 
Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada +3 4505 2402 in Australia +20 3856 8791 in the UK +27 11 043 5323 in South Africa Peer support is also available through local support groups. These groups offer monthly in-person meetings as a place to express doubts, fears, emotions & concerns about religion you wouldn't normally feel comfortable expressing in a religious community. Find your nearest support group at https://www.meetup.com/pro/recovering-from-religion If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. RfR has an immense collection of well-curated resources available as you go through your journey, including resources for mental and physical crises, working with relationships, issues stemming from specific religions, coming out stories, and much more. Head to https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/resources for these helpful resources. Subscribe to the RfR Blog: https://medium.com/excommunications