Creating Midlife Calm: Coping Skills for Stress & Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships

What if some of the little things disrupting your calm aren’t worth giving your energy to?
Sometimes creating more calm begins by noticing what unnecessarily pulls you out of it.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How looking back at what disrupted your calm can help you practice letting go of what you can’t control.

 Take 4 minutes to notice what’s rocking your calm and practice letting it go—you’re worth it.

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About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What happens when anxiety has you feeling like you need to control everything just to feel okay?
When life feels out of control, overwhelm can quickly take over.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1.    How to recognize when anxiety is pulling you toward things you simply can’t control.
2.    A simple coping skill to help you sort through overwhelm and focus your energy where it can actually make a difference.
3.    Why trying to get other people to change so you can feel better rarely creates the calm you’re looking for.
 Take 10 minutes to step out of overwhelm and feel more in control of your own calm—you’re worth it.

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if feeling behind when fall begins isn’t only about your schedule—but about how your nervous system responds to change?
If the shift from summer to fall increases your stress and anxiety in midlife, you’re not alone.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why your nervous system becomes more alert when life changes rhythm.
2. How that alertness can leave you rushing, catastrophizing, and feeling behind before anything has gone wrong.
3. How noticing what your nervous system is experiencing can help you respond to fall stress with greater calm.

 Take 10 minutes to understand why fall feels so overwhelming and help your nervous system adjust to the change—you’re worth it.

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if the calm you’re searching for isn’t found in having the answers, but in taking one gentle breath?
If anxiety keeps pulling you into the future or back into the past, you’re not alone.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How your breath can become a simple anchor that gently brings you back to the present—even during life’s most difficult moments.

 Take 3 minutes to discover how one breath can help you return to calm—you’re worth it.

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if the people you love don’t need you to fix anything—they simply need your presence?
If you’ve ever found yourself worrying about the future instead of fully experiencing the moment you’re in, you’re not alone.
 
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1.    How one simple coping skill helps keep anxiety from quietly stealing connection with the people you love.
2.    Why choosing curiosity instead of trying to fix someone creates deeper, more meaningful conversations.
3.    How becoming emotionally present can turn ordinary moments into the memories you’ll treasure most.
 Take 7 minutes to discover the simple coping skill that helps keep anxiety from stealing connection with the people you love—you’re worth it.

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if anxiety isn’t just affecting how you feel but quietly stealing your attention from the people you love?
If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation wishing you’d been more present, you’re not alone.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How anxiety, stress, and overthinking can quietly redirect your attention toward self-protection.
2. Why this doesn’t mean you’re selfish—it means your nervous system is trying to protect you.
3. How noticing this pattern is the first step toward becoming more emotionally present with the people you love.

 Take 9 minutes to discover how noticing this hidden anxiety pattern can help you reconnect with the people who matter most—you’re worth it.

If you'd like to learn more about the Inner Challenge Master Class or bring it to your organization, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at; [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if the kind of rest you’re longing for is something a toddler already knows how to do?
If life has become one long list of responsibilities and expectations, you’re not alone.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. What watching a toddler taught me about leaving the world of doing behind and rediscovering the kind of rest that creates genuine calm.

 Take 3 minutes to rediscover the restful wisdom your two-year-old self never forgot—you’re worth it.

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if the reason more time to rest hasn’t eased your anxiety and stress is because no one ever taught you how to truly rest?
If you’ve ever found yourself longing for more downtime only to discover you still couldn’t relax, you’re not alone.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why more time to rest isn’t enough to calm anxiety and stress—and what your nervous system may actually need instead.
2. Why rest often feels uncomfortable before it feels restorative, especially when you’ve spent years living in constant motion.
3. How replacing self-criticism with curiosity can help you learn the coping skill of rest, one small step at a time.

 Take 13 minutes to discover why learning to rest—not just making time for it—can help you create more calm. You’re worth it.

If you'd like to learn more about the Inner Challenge Master Class or bring it to your organization, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at; [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if the key to sleeping better isn’t finding the perfect solution—but changing your relationship with sleep?
If changing sleep has become part of your midlife journey, you’re not alone. .
In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why changing your relationship with sleep may matter more than finding the perfect sleep solution.
2. How curiosity can become one of your greatest coping skills as your body changes during midlife.
3. Why caring for the body you have today creates more calm than trying to get back the body you had years ago.

 Take 13 minutes to discover a new way of thinking about sleep that can help you create more calm—you’re worth it.

If you'd like to learn more about the Inner Challenge Master Class or bring it to your organization, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at; [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support. 

What if the little things you keep avoiding are actually preparing you for the hard things in life?

We all have ordinary tasks we'd rather put off, but those everyday moments can become opportunities to build resilience and create calm.

In this  mini-episode, you'll discover:

1. How doing one small thing you'd rather avoid can strengthen your coping skills and make it easier to face life's bigger challenges.

🎧 Take 4 minutes to discover how an ordinary chore can become an extraordinary coping skill—you're worth it.

Send us Fan Mail

****

About the Host: 

MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities.

Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.