Dr. Becky Kennedy from Good Inside said, "Regulating difficult emotions is a prerequisite for happiness."

We have to learn how to navigate through our negative emotions and our negative experiences in order to discover a newfound joy. Suppressing it all is just distress avoidance, and that's not healthy for any of us in the long run.

I know this episode will speak to so many parents that are helping to coach their kids through meltdowns and hard days... but I have a feeling that this episode is going to speak to any adult... because adults have hard days too. Plus, not everyone learned how to handle the big emotions as a kid, and it's now evident in their adult life.

Drawing on research from Dr. Becky, insights from a course taught by Professor Laurie Santos, and inspiration through other timely conversations, join me as we discover how to sit on the benches in life that can feel really uncomfortable and sometimes lonely.

--

Course mentioned in this episode was The Science of Well-Being for Parents by Professor Laurie Santos

Song mentioned in this episode was written by Tawnee Kendall from @music_forlittles

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Have you ever wished you could play a "Just Say No!" card in the game of life when you were thrown a curveball or faced a setback? Have you ever wanted to play that "Skip" card on certain seasons of pain and delay?

Well, we've all been there. We've all had moments where we don't understand why we're facing certain circumstances or when we will be able to cross over into the Promised Land.

But God is so intentional in the way he walks with us and so intentional about the way that he works through us in those seasons of life. He's got a plan, even if we can't see it yet.

Here's the good news: God is still working miracles today. And I'm believing that your miracle is on its way.

So, let’s build a faith memorial.

Hope you enjoy this episode! 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

There are some songs that we absolutely love to hear on repeat at certain times of the year, because it touches our soul and our memories in some way.

Songs can mark milestones in our lives and bring us back to that very moment when we hear it again.

Songs can connect us to other people and actually bring hearts into alignment.

Singing songs on a bad day can sometimes be the only thing to turn the mood around and shift our perspective.

Why is that?

Well, God designed our brains with such intention, and in today’s episode I want to talk about the power of music through the lens of the Songs of Ascent which is a 15-song playlist found in the Book of Psalms.

Let this be a reminder that music can and should  be woven into our rhythm of repetition and our cycles of rest.

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Has someone ever told you to rest and you think, “I wish I could!”

Well, a tea bag label once told me, “When God made time, he made enough of it.” That convicted me then, and it continues to convict me today if I ever catch myself saying I don’t have enough time to rest. 

God was very intentional in showing us a weekly pattern or rhythm we can all follow — work for 6 days, then rest for 1. But it’s one of the Ten Commandments that we can very easily brush aside when our to-do list feels too long and the days feel too short.

In today’s episode, let me unpack the history of the Sabbath and what it means for us today as modern-day Christians. What is it? Why do I need it? And how do I do it? 

Let me talk to you about how it can be incorporated into your life. 

Let me have these few moments of your time… as you pause, listen, and lean in to see what God might whisper to you about the simplicity of the Sabbath. 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Have you found yourself feeling absolutely exhausted lately? Perhaps physically tired, because your kids woke up way too early or far too often throughout the night... Or maybe you feel emotionally tired, mentally overwhelmed, or spiritually depleted. 

This episode is for you, my friend. 

We don't just need a nap to feel rested... we need 7 types of rest to feel truly restored. Yes, SEVEN. 

And I reckon you probably have a "rest deficit" in a few of these 7 areas.

So, hit play, take notes, and then figure out what you need to do this week to find a sense of rest for your soul.

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Life isn’t meant to be a constant sprint... yet sometimes we find ourselves on a hamster wheel and feel like we can't get off to catch our breath.

On this episode, let's look at how nature teaches us that life is lived in rhythms — seasons that cycle and patterns that repeat. Perhaps embracing repetition, rest, and renewal is the very thing you need to bring balance to your life. Just as the earth pauses in winter and blooms again in spring, we too are designed for rhythms of work and rest, growth and reflection. 

Let's uncover why leaning into repetition in our everyday lives and our calendar years isn’t dull — it’s the very thing that restores and strengthens us. 

Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring the joy that's found in rest through a range of different lenses. I hope you enjoy it!

PS - It's my birthday week, so all poetry prints are only $5 this week! Check it out at the Buy Me a Coffee page linked below :) 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Ever felt like you were wrestling God? Have you ever gone to God with question after question in an attempt to understand the season you were in?

Today, let’s explore the book of Habakkuk together to understand how this man learned to both wrestle and embrace God. He knows what waiting on God feels like, and he wasn’t ashamed to enter into conversation with God about the struggles he was facing.

Carrying confetti can sometimes feel like a ‘wrestle and embrace’ too. It doesn’t erase the struggle, but it does remind us about the truth of God’s character as we grow in intimacy with him.

Holding onto the hope of a promise in an undefined waiting period is what can actually lead us to a stronger faith – a faith that isn’t phased by the storms that swirl around us or the unanswered questions that swirl within us.

So, my prayer is that by the end of this episode, you will be able to say, “Yet I will rejoice!” 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Welcome to a spontaneous bonus episode I felt to record after putting the kids to bed ☺️

Apologies for not being able to deliver my usual Monday episode! Thank you for your grace as I took a week break due to sickness and other circumstances... but I missed y'all... and I needed a pep talk, so I thought many of you might need it too. 

Let's be encouraged together to let faith rise within us, despite what we're going through. 

God bless you my friend! 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

We've made it to the final episode in our series on the aesthetics of joy, and I'm excited to bring you one that speaks to the notion of transcendence. Why do we long for a feeling of lightness and elevation? And where should we look to find it? 

Also, why is upwardness a metaphor for positivity? What effect does an upward motion have on our minds? 

Just like the enemy can try and distort our joy of wonder and joy of abundance, he's also relentlessly tried to distort the joy of transcendence.

So, let's talk about the biblical battle of 'high places' and why we should fix our eyes on heaven.

Thanks for coming on this journey to discover joy in our everyday reality. It's been fun!

Love,

Darcie

PS - The 20 recipients of special confetti mail for participating in the Joy Hunt are announced in this episode! ;) 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Hey y'all! Welcome to my first bonus episode, because it felt like the right week to sprinkle a little extra confetti... and a little extra joy found through freedom in Jesus Christ.

This message is one I recently spoke at Replenish Conference -- an annual women's conference we host at our local church, Elim Papakura. But this message is not just for women! Men, I know you're listening, and I promise you (hand on heart) this bonus episode is for you too. 

When I spoke it live, many women found freedom that night from spiritual forces of evil, and I pray that many listeners around the world would experience that same freedom from darkness... as you listen in your living room, in your car, while out walking, and in the comfort of your bedroom.

May darkness flee as you come into the light.

God bless you!

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti