We're not bringing habits that don't serve us into 2024! I repeat, WE'RE NOT BRINGING HABITS THAT DON'T SERVE US INTO 2024! I ended 2023 sick in the ER and covered in a rash because my body was telling me I was burning myself out. I was literally sick to my stomach with stress. Burnout symptoms like frequent illness, changes in sleep, fatigue, and stomach issues are easily ignored or we just add a shot of espresso to push through it. Not in 2024. We're making this year more manageable with realistic goals. How do we do that? Let's talk about it.

Who would've thought we'd make it this far? Not me. We're at episode 100 and this has been better than anything I could've imagined when I started it in 2022. But, it almost didn't happen. I had decided in June of 2021 that I wanted to start a podcast so I started thinking about the title and logo and all the details. But I became so determined on finding the "perfect" everything that I kept pushing back the launch date. It took almost losing a loved one to finally kick my ass into taking action. Was my first episode perfect? Absolutely not. But it got us to here and that makes it perfect. Next year, we're not letting the little details stop us!

A wild year right? From ongoing pandemic to a genocide to the normal chaos of day-to-day life, this year has been tough on many levels for a lot of people. This is the time where many reflect on the goals they set in January and beat themselves they didn’t end world hunger or become a NY Times best-selling author. If all you did by the 11:59pm on December 31st is survive, you've made it my friend. I think this year really put a lot of things into perspective for me and I hope the world, so I hope we keep that going into 2024!

Families change, which means traditions around the holidays do too. It can be tough to navigate how or where you spend the holidays, whether you're in a new relationship or just lost a loved one. Keeping family traditions alive can be a way for many to honor their loved ones or share their culture, but how do you do that while respecting and being open to new traditions? Well it takes time and communication. Let's talk about it.

Holidays family gatherings can be stressful because we all have that one family member who wants to talk politics. The harsh reality is that you might not ever see eye to eye with some family on politics, but how do you still enjoy the holidays together? Here are some tips on how to handle politics and family over the holidays. And remember, you're doing your best and whatever you have to do to protect your peace and mental health, do it!

Delayed flights, stopped traffic, lost luggage—traveling can be tough! Traveling for the holidays can stressful for anyone, but for someone who lives with anxiety like I do, it can be 10x worse! I've had panic attacks on planes, had my car break down at 3am in the middle of Ohio, and have ran from stalkers on a Greyhound. Traveling can truly suck, especially traveling alone as a woman, but it's unavoidable nowadays. It's taken a few years to figure out how to manage my anxiety when I'm traveling so here are my tips for traveling this holiday season!

For more tips on travel anxiety, check out this resource: https://www.centerforanxietydisorders.com/13-ways-overcome-travel-anxiety/

Anyone else feel like they're on an emotional rollercoaster every day? It's exhausting. Emotional overload is when you're overwhelmed by how many feelings you're having or even how big your feelings can be. With the state of the world right now, going through a pandemic on top of the normal chaos that life brings, it's understandable that we'd be feeling a whole mess of emotions. But when all these emotions, big and small, impact our ability to live our best lives, that's when we need to learn how to handle emotional overload. Today I'll share the 5 steps I'm taking to handle my emotional overload and what you can do too.

I've also found these resources that I've loved! Sesame Street has this great resource hub about big feelings which many adults can also benefit from. And Mental Health America also has some great tips about navigating big and heavy feelings. Check them out!

https://sesameworkshop.org/resources/big-feelings-in-my-body/

https://mhanational.org/im-feeling-too-much-once-dealing-emotional-overload

Oh the weather outside is frightful and my mood is not delightful, I wonder what it could be, is it possible that it's S-A-D? Yep. With the shorter daylight during fall and winter months, many of us can struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a type of depression that can be triggered by less daylight, leading to changes in the chemicals in our brains. But how do you know if you have SAD or what do you do about it? Well, that's exactly what we're talking about today!

For more info on SAD, check out bit.ly/SADresource. If you need someone to talk or help, you can always reach out to the crisis line by calling or texting 9-8-8. You're not alone.

What does it mean to be healthy? Well it means different things for different people. For me, it means still living with a chronic illness. Even on my best days where I eat balanced nutritious meals, drink all my water and even get 8 hours of sleep, I still live with diabetes. It can be frustrating to know that my "healthy" is still a chronic illness. Let's talk about it!