Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.
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Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.
The Mental Load Trap That’s Quietly Breaking Your Connection: How the Holidays Turn You Into Roommates
Dear Dr. Tracy
41 minutes
3 days ago
The Mental Load Trap That’s Quietly Breaking Your Connection: How the Holidays Turn You Into Roommates
In this episode, Dr. Tracy and Greg explore what really happens to couples during the holiday season—the mental load, the invisible labour, the unspoken assumptions, and those moments when partners suddenly realize they feel more like roommates than a connected team. Dr. Tracy explains why the holidays create the perfect storm for disconnection, how stress triggers negative sentiment override, and why small moments like “Where’s the tape?” can feel disproportionately heavy on an already overloaded nervous system.
They walk listeners through the stories couples often fall into, the strain of increased emotional labour, and the cycle many partners get stuck in: one person carrying the invisible work, the other withdrawing, both feeling unseen. From there, they shift into what actually helps. They share their 10-minute daily connection ritual, the questions that foster emotional attunement, and how small, intentional actions can rebuild a sense of partnership.
If you’re moving through the holidays feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or like two ships passing in the night, this episode offers clarity on the deeper patterns at play—and practical, realistic steps to help you reconnect without needing more time.
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Calm: Save 40% off at calm.com/Tracy
NativePath: Special Bundle deal at getnativepath.com/Tracy
Rula: Get the support you need with rula.com/Tracy
KiwiCo: Save 50% off with code TRACY KiwiCo.Com
Vionic Shoes: Use code TRACY for 15% off at https://www.vionicshoes.com
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Dear Dr. Tracy
Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.
