Less Stress, More Fun

“I’m feeling so overwhelmed…!” Sometimes, our minds simply feel like they can only deal well with so much. Yet have you noticed that sometimes you’re overwhelmed and sometimes you can handle it all…what accounts for the difference?

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The surprising causes of overwhelm
• Incredibly effective suggestions for handling overwhelm

Resources mentioned:

• “Why the modern world is bad for your brain” (The Guardian, Jan 2015)
• “Making Sure Emotional Flooding Doesn’t Capsize Your Relationship” (The Gottman Institute)
• “A Scientist's Guide to Surviving Information Overload” (STEMCELL Technologies)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re going to talk about electronic communications from the “less stress, more fun” perspective. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• A brief history of electronic, “anytime, all the time” communication
• Connecting to why electronic communication can be biologically stressful
• Suggestions for developing electronic communication habits to amplify you joy and performance

Resources mentioned:

• “Become Your Own Attention Engineer: How to Hack Bad Digital Habits with Behavior Design” (Tech Detox, Jan 2022)
• “Text anxiety: why too many messages make us want to throw our phones at the wall” (The Guardian, Nov 2021)
• “Emojis and Visual Literacy: A Guide for Lawyers” (Bloomberg Law, June 2021)
• “How texting makes stress worse” (BBC, Feb 2021)
• “Is instant messaging at work stressing us out?” (Yahoo! Finance, Jan 2020)
• “Email is officially middle-aged!” (history of email infographic ReachMail.com, Jan 2015)
• “The text message turns 20: A brief history of SMS” (The Week, Jan 2015)
• “Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study shows” (Stanford University, 2009)
• Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian on Netflix (2022)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The topic of friendship has been on my mind for the past few months, especially with changes in my own friendships as the result of the pandemic. How you think about friendships can have a big impact on how you feel about your life…so let’s explore it!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How the state of friendships has changed in the past few decades
• Three types of friendship styles
• Deciding how you want to show up as a friend
• Deciding what you want from friendships

Resources mentioned: 

• “The state of American friendship: Change, challenges, and loss” (June 2021, Survey Center on American Life)
• “Friend” (Better Help, Dec 2021)
• “10.2: Stages and Types of Friendships” (Social Science, Libre Texts, Sept 2021)
• “What Is Friendship?” (How Stuff Works, Apr 2021)
• “Loneliness and Social Isolation Linked to Serious Health Conditions” (CDC, Apr 2021)
• “How Understanding Middle School Friendships Can Help Students With Ups and Downs” (PBS station KQED serving Northern California, Nov 2020)
• “A Linguist Breaks Down What We Really Mean When We Call Our Friends ‘Close’” (The Cut, May 2017)
• Book: “Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond”, Lydia Denworth, Jan 2020

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who are your role models for a fun, playful life? I often talk about managing stress as a path to a more fun life. But today’s episode is focused on FUN, specifically your models for a fun life.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How you think about the phrase “fun life”
• What to consider when choosing your role models for “fun”
• Practical ways to choose more fun every day

Resources mentioned: 

• “I’m Too Sexy” (Right Said Fred video on YouTube)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few weeks ago, I became reacquainted with a childhood favorite artist. As I explored his works again, I was curious about the man and the habits behind such a prolific career.

This week, I’ll be sharing my observations about the artist Richard Scarry and the worlds he created.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How the world of Richard Scarry came onto my radar in 2022
• What I notice about the work of Richard Scarry
• What I learned from getting to know the author

Resources mentioned: 

• “How Americans feel about the satisfactions and stresses of modern life” (Pew Research Center, Feb 2020)
• “Why you feel busy all the time (when you’re actually not)” (BBC, Sept 2016)
• “Lowly Worm Is Back! Richard Scarry Jr. Brings Dad's Manuscript To Life” (NPR Weekend Edition, Aug 2014)
• Richard Scarry’s official web site
• “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” (book, Oliver Burkeman)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you put the words “freedom” and “control” together in your mind’s eye, what thoughts come up? Some of my clients have shared a desire for “freedom” which, upon excavation, is a word that describes a desire for control, or at least self-control and autonomy. Let’s explore these concepts in this week’s episode!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• My perspective on control and freedom, and why I think humans crave it
• Why revealing your thoughts about what “control” and “freedom” mean to you can reduce stress and be a path to genuine playfulness
• How you can use decisive decision making to boost your sense of freedom and control

Resources mentioned: 

• “Why Losing Control Can Make You Happier” (Greater Good magazine by UC-Berkeley, Sept 2016)
• “People Want Power Because They Want Autonomy” (The Atlantic, March 2016)
• Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies website
• “I’m Free” by the Soup Dragons (YouTube) 

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is for you, whether you crave or avoid being in the spotlight. Today we’ll talk about the concept of being ‘the center of attention” and how your preferences connect you with your practiced feelings. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Ways to explore your beliefs about visibility and self-trust
• What it means to be admired, respected, leave a legacy and other forms of measuring your contribution
• How to set up a mix of self-validation and external feedback that supports you in creating a “less stress, more fun” life

Resources mentioned: 

• “Move over, millennials! This generation is even more obsessed with fame and fortune” (MarketWatch, June 2019)
• “One In Four Millennials Would Quit Their Job To Be Famous” (Forbes, Jan 2017)
• Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous (TV show from 2013)
• “Applause” by Lady Gaga (official music video on YouTube)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of my greatest joys as a coach is helping people redefine their relationship to time, which is a wonderful way to improve your relationship with yourself. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Commonly held assumptions about time
• Suggestions for seeing your own thoughts and beliefs about time
• Ways to appreciate time the “less stress, more fun” way

Resources mentioned: 

• “The Tail End” (Wait But Why, Dec 2015)
• “Time is NOT money. Time is time. Money is money.” (Pocket of Money, April 2021)
• “Learn the Many Ways Cultures Around the World Measure Time” (Nerdist, Oct 2020)
• “What we get wrong about time” (BBC, Dec 2019)
• “How Different Cultures Understand Time” (Business Insider, June 2014)
• “Why Time isn't Money” (Psychology Today, July 2010)
• “Time (Clock of the Heart)” by Culture Club (official video on YouTube)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My inner life has evolved from having a mean inner critic to having a calm, fair judge. 

This technique has stopped ruminating and otherwise “wasteful” thinking in its tracks, and today I bring it to you!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How having an inner judge can be a wonderful way to use your eager-to-please mind
• How to raise OBJECTIONS, your honor
• Suggestions for when to SUSTAIN your objections
• Suggestions for when to OVERRULE your objections

Resources mentioned: 

• “Visuals increase attention; now science explains why” (Science Daily, Dec 2021)
• “Our eyes and brain work together to create a ‘pipeline’ of meaning” (Science Daily, Sept 2021)
• “Many People Have a Vivid ‘Mind’s Eye,’ While Others Have None at All” (New York Times, June 2021)

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part of the “Less Stress, More Fun” lifestyle is to connect to your physical self. In this episode, we’ll talk about our default thoughts about clothing. Is learning to play with how you dress yourself a path to more fun in your life, without adding more stress?

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Ways to unpack your thoughts about clothes/fashion (pun intended)
• How the way you prefer to dress uncovers thoughts in your mind (pun totally intended)
• How to connect to the decisions you want to make to dress the “less stress, more fun” way that suits you best! (pun definitely intended)

Resources mentioned: 

• Judith Gaton, style coach
• Kara Loewentheil, feminist coach
• Tonya Leigh, self-image coach
• “Sharp Dressed Man” ZZ Top’s official video on YouTube

Free & awesome mini-class! "3 Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY"

Visit the Lisa Schwaller Coaching Website to learn more, sign up for my email list, or get links to follow me around the internet.

© 2023 Lisa Schwaller

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.