Wellness Podcast

In this episode, I talk about the idea that we don't need to have just one friend (or partner, or parent, or child, or whatever) who is all things to us. Instead, we can diversify and have work friends, and friends from our childhoods, and friends who are the parents of our kids' friends. We can have friends who love bike riding and friends who love going to the movies and we don't have to force the bike riding friend to go to the movies or vice versa. We can have friends who are young and old and even our partners who hate coffee don't have to come on coffee runs with us if they don't want to, and that can be good for all parties, too. Action item: think about the friendships in your life and how you can play to the strengths of each one, rather than expecting one or two people to do everything to make you happy.

In this week's episode, I talk about my top 5 favorite study tips! If you aren't a student but just having a busy week, these can be useful for you as well. 1) Consider spaced rather than massed studying (spread out your studying rather than studying all at once) 2) Plan out your breaks 3) Eat healthy 4) Exercise (and don't beat yourself up if it's like 10 minutes a day) and 5) Study smarter, not harder! Listen for my tips and the app I was talking about where you grow trees is called the Forest app! Happy studying!

In this episode, I talk about how there are actually 3 components of real self-care, not just pedicures and baths. 1) solitary self-care (like pedicures and baths) but keeping in mind what actually helps YOU personally, not what you think you "should" be doing. 2) Social activities and volunteering (even in your own job) and keeping in mind that people generally like us more than we think they do (from the Happiness Lab by Dr. Laurie Santos) 3) setting boundaries and not doing things unless they are something you have to do, you want to do or you want to do to help someone you love. (This third one relates to capitalism and hustle culture, see We Can Do Hard Things for details) and 4) Coming up with a reasonable to do's list each week and where relevant, discussing it with a partner, roommate, your parents, etc. And remembering that your value is not determined by how much you do/check off your list each week! I forgot to mention the action item but it is: Write down 1 thing from parts 1, 2 and 3 that you can (or cannot) do this week, and work on your 2 do's list with a partner, roommate, or just your own list for yourself, keeping in mind what is possible and appreciating that you will never (ever) get "everything" done!

In this week's episode, I talk about The Book of Delights and The Book of (More) Delights by Ross Gay, and the practice of searching for delights each day in our lives. I also over-use the word "delight" many, many times, for which I do not apologize (OK maybe a little bit). I define delights (anything that brings us joy or pleasure), and give some examples of my own delights including many apple and peach related things, and many neighbor/community-related things. Delight "rules": when one finds a delight, one must pause, thrust one's finger up in the air and happily exclaim, "De-light". Action item: take a few times this week to pause and find delights in your own life. Write them down if you like, but even just pausing to mention them to yourself or others can make you feel much better.

In this episode, I talk about healthy ways to express our anger, from a book I recently read called Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields. This book explains that anger is an energy that moves through us, and we have to express it but in healthier, less destructive ways. The 5 ways I talk about, from Raising Good Humans, are 1) walk away 2) talk yourself down 3) shake it out 4) strike a pose and 5) breathe! Action item: the next time you are angry, pick one of the above and practice it. The Brene Brown book I mention in this episode is called Atlas of the Heart. Also, the Complete the Stress Cycle episode is from Week 12.

In this episode, I talk about my family's weekly tradition of Friday night movie night. I explain what we do and how it helps me to stay grounded and feel safe even in this crazy world we are living in these days. Action item: find an activity that can be YOUR Friday night movie night, with the following characteristics: 1) tradition/stability (something you do routinely at the same time/day etc. each week) and 2) bonding/community/connection (ie preferably something you do with other people). For extra credit, it can also involve 3) sharing/turn taking (switch off hosting a dinner, or whose house you go to, where you walk, etc.). I've noticed that I keep coming back to traditions on this podcast, and I really think they are important to help us feel stable, safe and well in the increasingly stressful, on the go, anxiety-filled world in which we live.

In this week's episode, I talk about a book I read over sabbatical, called The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, by Catherine Price. I define "fun" using Catherine Price's definition of playful, connected flow, give some examples of events in my life that were "so fun", and of some of my own "fun magnets" (family, friends, adventure, being outdoors, learning new things). The action item for this week is to make your own list of things that have been "so fun" in your own life, making your own list of "fun magnets" and then finding ways to easily add more true fun to your life and forget about things that OTHER people think are fun that you do not (I am NOT going to attend more parties this year)!

In this episode, I talk about the 3 things I did over my sabbatical that were not work and how we can apply them to our everyday lives! First, I got through a backlog of a ton of non-work to do's in my life (painting, getting a new air conditioner and furnace installed, etc.)- what you can do in everyday life is Power Hour! From the author Gretchen Rubin. The second thing was do more of what you love and less of what you hate. This is easier said than done but also can easily be done in small segments- go out and do that thing you've been wanting to do forever, and do it now! It will be worth it, I promise! The third thing was to REST but in ways that were restful to me, not watching TV or sleeping but painting and going for walks with my neighbor and gardening, for example. I realized that rest doesn't just mean sleep, but means stepping away physically and mentally from work and doing something that makes you feel refreshed, calm and not burned out!

Welcome back everyone! I'm back from sabbatical and here to talk about enjoying the little things in life. In this episode, I talk about my summer and how I (finally!) got the chance to enjoy the summer, for the first time since I was a kid. My kids and I partly used this list from Generation Wild: https://www.generationwild.com/the-list but also just made up our own fun things to do. Often cheap or free (like going to the pool or the library or riding bikes or picking apples from our tree), we just enjoyed the small things near and far, and this week, I want you all to try to do this as well! You don't need to make a list or even cross things off the list, the action item is simply: take a minute to enjoy something this week. You can write it down in a gratitude journal, or not. Today, I made friends with a random neighborhood cat and enjoyed some freshly brewed tea NOT from a microwave. Until next week!

In this episode, I talk about why it is important to say no (particularly at this time of year, when the holidays are upon us, as well as finals/end of the semester if you are in the academic or teaching world). I talk about Brene Brown's phrase, "clear is kind, unclear is unkind" and how we think that saying yes when we mean no (or just don't have time) is kind when really the opposite is true. If you know you are going to say no later, just say no now, it is better for you AND the person you are saying no to! I also mention the idea of future you (from both Glennon Doyle and Dr. Laurie Santos from the Happiness Lab), that when you are saying yes, think of future you as the same as current you- that is, not way smarter, faster at working, with a ton more energy- and if you wouldn't say yes to the thing today, don't say yes to it next week or next year! Action item: go through your schedule for the week and if there is something you know you can't do, say no now rather than waiting for later! Finally, I am going on sabbatical next spring, so this will be my last episode until Fall 2024 when I have students again!