Wellness Podcast

In this episode, I talk about reflection and how it can help us to recall/remember information, rethink our failures to learn from them, change our attitudes (like how I decided that I would enjoy summer this time around, and I did!), and really, change our brains.

In this episode, I talk about our fear of failure and how actually, it is the greatest gift that we can give ourselves and others, and how it is the way that we learn. The only way we really fail is if we cannot and do not look back on the experience later and figure out what we could have done differently and what we will do differently the next time. I also talk about Brene Brown's book, Daring...

Welcome back from the break everyone and thank you for coming back! In this week's episode, I talk about the word grace and what it means. I give an example of giving myself grace when I made a silly mistake this week coming back to campus for the first time in 18 months, and my action item is- give yourself a break this week. Transitions are tough, have a great week!

In this episode, I talk about how we can ask for help when we are overwhelmed, in big and small ways, instead of just getting more and more overwhelmed. We do not have to do all the things all the time, really. I also talk about how I am going to take a break for the rest of the summer. See you in the fall!

In this episode, I talk about everything I know and can remember about anger, including that anger is a secondary emotion (so there is an underlying emotion underneath it), more anger makes you more angry, etc., and all the tricks I have learned to help with anger.

In this episode, I define fitting in and belonging using Brene Brown's definitions, give some examples of both of these situations in my own life, and give a few ideas for action items for people of different ages (including loving yourself, just as you are right now) to at least pay attention to where you feel belonging vs fitting in in your life.

In this episode, I talk about how I "hate" summer, but I really want to try to not hate it this year, and enjoy each season for what it is (not for what I wish it could be). This applies to actual seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall) of the year and also to seasons in our lives, from anything from when our kids are little to grieving the death of a loved one. Also, I reiterate the importance of...

In this episode, I talk about HOW to figure out which things actually help you to replenish your mental/emotional and physical stores of energy. Sometimes, what we think is filling our cup is actually just stuffing down our feelings instead. The key is to think about what you are feeling during and after, to determine whether the thing you are doing is actually helping you or not.

In this episode, I talk about the Default Mode Network (DMN) and how we can use it to help us rest, be more creative, and less anxious. I talk about 2 books I've read, the Burnout book by Emily and Amelia Nagoski that I've talked about before and a book called Unwinding Anxiety, by Dr. Judson Brewer, and how both mention the DMN but in different ways. Also Magic Eye (if you want to lose a few minu...

In this episode, I focus on the end of the semester and graduation, but also on how we can accept that we are feeling grief even when someone hasn't died. I talk about some of the things I feel like I am grieving right now (including changes due to the "beginning of the end?" of the pandemic at least in the US) and this video from the Holderness Family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U74wUO54Sdg....

In this week's episode, I talk about Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly, about how everyone is just doing the best we can with the resources we have, and Gretchen Rubin's quote that "perfect is the enemy of good." Action item for the week: try to change your brain (story you are telling yourself about someone/something) or try to change your actions, based on the knowledge that you will NEVER be pe...

In this episode, I talk about 1) what transitions are 2) how ALL transitions are hard and 3) what we can do to make them easier on us. I also mention Katherine May's book, Wintering, which is about the seasons (a type of transition), which I highly recommend, and Brene Brown's FFTs (Effing First Times) which are also important to transitions. Let's all be extra good to ourselves in the next few we...

In this episode, I zoom out to WHY we would want to cultivate calm in our lives, and a bit on how to do so including communicating about your feelings. The sources I cited were Brene Brown's 10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living from The Gifts of Imperfection and zenhabits.net -https://zenhabits.net/calm/, Leo Babauta. And the book Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain by David Ea...

This week, I talk about intentionally taking time to not work or think about work, and how your worth is not defined by how much you get done in a day (work or errands or cleaning or whatever).

In this episode, I talk about my experience getting the vaccine and how it has helped my mental health (and vastly improved my "vaxhole" status, defined as "one who has been fully vaccinated against the covid19 virus and brags about it"). I also want to help to de-bunk myths and whatnot about the vaccine, but as I am not a doctor or otherwise a healthcare professional, I am mostly including links...

In this episode, I talk about trying to use some of your vacation time (or at the very least, 1 full day of your weekend) as a time to rest and recharge. You can watch Netflix all day or go for walks or go to bed early or whatever helps you feel rested, but rather than using vacation time to just "do all the things," or "see all the places," try to use it for rest.

In this episode, I talk about listening to our bodies. We really are taught from a young age to NOT listen to our bodies (clean your plate, have another bite, etc.) but it is actually very important. If you are hungry, eat (something healthy, if you can), if you are tired, go to sleep early, if you are thirsty, go get a glass of water, etc. It seems very obvious but we just do not do it (at least,...

This week's episode is about the Danish word, hygge (pronounced hoo-ga or hyu-ga). It is close to the word "cosy" in English but can also happen outside or with other people, not only in your house. But think about things that bring you calm and well-being, and those things are very hygge. I talk about the book I am reading, called "The Little Book of Hygge" by Meik Wiking and the Facebook page, H...

In this week's episode, I talk about how this week, 1 year from when we began quarantining from covid, it is so important to pause, reflect, and grieve. To think about the past year, and what we have lost and how we have changed. Action item: what is your "theme" from the past year? Mine is "learning."

In this episode, I talk about my 2-4 week cycle of the past few months of feeling OK and then like everything is horrible. I talk about normalizing NOT being OK, that we are all not OK maybe, and that we should not normalize the pandemic and act like everything is/should be OK or like the only way it's OK is if we have learned 1,000 things during the pandemic. If all you did was survive, that is O...

This episode is about not over-planning your days and not giving up your self-care 2 dos list when you find that your work 2 dos list has exploded. Instead, KEEP doing your self-care things and think about what you can push back and do another week, and what has to be done now. Work on your calendar before the following week (I do mine every Friday) and actually schedule the things you need to do...

In this episode, I talk about how journaling has helped me during the pandemic, including through the 2 sentence gratitude journal, journaling when I am feeling strong emotions, and using journaling to help me feel better and like this will really be over and I will be there for it. Here is the article I refer to, about journaling being therapeutic: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/writing...

This episode is about thinking about now rather than the future, but also about making some low stakes specific plans for post-pandemic times (even if you have to cancel/change them later). Like, we are not talking buying plane tickets here, guys. And also about thinking about what you do NOT want to change if/when the pandemic is over (for me, it's walking/running and taking care of my mental hea...

In this episode, I talk about how we can use habits to help us keep our decision making bucket more full during the day, which helps both physical and mental health. There is a whole book on habits by Gretchen Rubin called "Better than Before" and I highly recommend it! Also, Lucky Charms for dessert.

In this episode, I talk about just liking what you like and disliking what you dislike and not apologizing for it. Also, I like Taylor Swift. I forgot to say that I also love reading children's literature, so if you do too, that's cool. Also, you are awesome. Have a great week!