Claim OwnershipCreating Midlife Calm: Coping Skills for Stress & Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships
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Coping Skills for Midlife Stress and Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships
Forget the midlife crisis—how about creating midlife calm? The anxiety and stress of this life stage can drain your energy, fuel overthinking, and make it hard to enjoy what should be the best years of your life. This podcast offers practical coping skills to help you reduce anxiety, manage stress, and rediscover a calmer, more confident version of yourself.
In Creating Midlife Calm, you’ll discover how to:
- Be happier, more present, and more effective at home and work.
- Transform stress and anxiety into powerful tools that boost your clarity, energy, and confidence.
- Cultivate calm and joy through practical, affordable coping skills that help you handle life’s daily challenges.
Join MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, a seasoned therapist with over 50,000 hours of clinical experience and 32 years teaching mental wellness, as she guides you to reclaim your inner calm. Learn to stay grounded in the present, navigate midlife transitions with clarity, and build emotional resilience using proven coping tools.
Every Monday, MJ dives into real stories and science-backed insights to help you shift from anxious to centered—ending each episode with an “Inner Challenge” you can practice right away. Then, on Thursdays, she shares a brief follow-up episode that connects, deepens, or expands the week’s topic, helping you apply these skills in real life.
Let’s evolve from crisis to calm—and make midlife your most balanced and fulfilling chapter yet.
🎧 Start with listener favorite Ep. 138 to feel the difference calm can make.
217 Episodes
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Are you a couch potato? A Sofa Spud? Does your critical voice constantly call you lazy? Do you plan on working out but don’t follow through? Someone looking to stop the weight gain as you juggle all the demands of midlife which leave little time for the gym? This is the episode for you!!!! We all know the stats: working out is essential for the wellness of our body, spirit and mind. But, what to do if you’re a GOOD person but can’t get yourself to exercise? Maybe you’re are...
Do you ever wonder why you say yes when you want to say no—only to feel anxious, resentful, or even angry afterward? You’re not alone—people-pleasing is one of the most common hidden drivers of midlife anxiety and stress. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. What people-pleasing (or fawning) really is, and why it’s more than just “being nice.” 2. Why it silently fuels midlife anxiety, stress, and anger—damaging both your self-respect and your relationship...
Do you ever feel like you’re either doing everything—or nothing at all—because stress and anxiety keep hijacking your balance? Midlife often pulls you between over-functioning and under-functioning, but your nervous system holds the key to calm. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. How to engage your vagus nerve—your body’s built-in calm system—to regulate anxiety and stress. 2. Three easy-to-use coping skills to help you restore steadiness in minutes. 3. ...
Are you constantly doing too much—or pulling back because you feel too drained to care? These midlife stress patterns are your body’s natural way of managing anxiety, not personal flaws. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. What it truly means to over-function or under-function when anxiety and stress take over. 2. Why these patterns are nervous-system responses—not fixed personality traits. 3. How to recognize your own pattern so you can begin moving to...
What if the secret to a peaceful Thanksgiving isn’t in what you plan—but in what you accept? You’re not alone if the holidays bring a mix of love, pressure, and unrealistic expectations. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why disappointment hits harder in midlife—and how to soften it with self-awareness. 2. The one ingredient that transforms stress into calm (no gratitude list required). 3. A simple coping skill that keeps connection strong, even when ...
What if the secret to a calmer, happier holiday isn't what you add—but what you leave out? You’re not alone if holiday gatherings bring stress, distraction, and midlife anxiety instead of the peace you crave. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. The one “ingredient” that quietly steals connection at the holiday table 2. Why small boundaries create huge relief for midlife stress and anxiety 3. A simple, science-backed coping skill that restores laughter, ...
Have you ever felt that mix of anger and self-pity when life—or family—doesn’t go the way you hoped? You’re not alone. Those emotions you try to hide aren’t weakness—they’re signals that something inside you needs care. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why anger and self-pity are your nervous system’s natural way of asking for protection and calm. 2. How to recognize when these emotions become traps that feed midlife stress, anxiety, and disconnection. 3. &...
Have you ever looked at the holiday table and felt the quiet ache of someone missing? You’re not alone — and it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your love is remembering. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. The science of why your brain links memory, belonging, and emotion so powerfully this time of year. 2. Why noticing your “missing” is the key to transforming midlife anxiety into calm and clarity. 3. Three simple coping skills to ground yourself, reconnect, and fi...
What if your biggest triggers are actually your best teachers? You’re not broken—you’re human, and your nervous system is simply trying to protect you. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. How to use a simple coping skill to move through triggers in real time 2. Why tending to your inner world (not controlling the outer one) is the real path to calm 3. How using this science-backed coping skill helps you become less triggered over time by rewiring ...
Have you ever wondered why you suddenly feel triggered by something small? You’re not broken—your brain is simply reacting faster than your awareness can catch up. In this episode, you’ll discover: What’s really happening in your brain and body when you’re triggered.The science behind why a small moment in the present can activate big feelings from the past.Three ways to recognize when stress and anxiety have hijacked your calm—and how to start restoring self-trust. Take 11 minutes to un...
Are you taking care of everyone else and forgetting yourself? You’re not alone — midlife often turns self-care into an afterthought, In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why micro self-care shifts work better than big resolutions for midlife stress and anxiety. 2. Four simple, science-backed coping skills that take no extra time and cost nothing. 3. How to notice when caring for others starts to eclipse caring for yourself — and what to do about it. &nbs...
Feeling more tired, anxious and stressed as the days get shorter? You’re not alone—your body and mind are simply responding to less daylight and seasonal change. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why fall is the most psychologically powerful season to reset habits that decrease anxiety and stress. 2. How light therapy and full-spectrum lighting help restore your energy, mood, and calm. 3. Simple daily coping skills to work with your biology—not ...
What if thinking about death could actually teach you how to live with more peace, presence, and perspective? You don’t have to explore this alone. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why practicing small acts of letting go builds resilience for life’s biggest transitions.How the body “knows how to die” and what that means for reducing fear and blame.A simple yoga pose that can shift how you approach mortality and daily anxiety adding meaning and clarity to your life. Take 20 minutes...
Why does reflecting on death feel so uncomfortable, yet hold surprising value for our mental wellness? You’re not alone if the thought makes you uneasy. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why most of us avoid thoughts of mortality—and the hidden costs of that avoidance.How reflecting on death, even briefly, can shift daily stress and anxiety.What hospice work and mindfulness practices reveal about living with greater calm and clarity. Take 20 minutes to see how reflecting on death can fr...
What if the surprising key to dissolving midlife anxiety and stress comes from the way toddlers move through the world? You’re not alone if stress and anxiety in midlife make calm feel out of reach. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why eliminating outside stressors rarely creates lasting calm 2. How toddlers teach powerful lessons about coping with midlife anxiety and stress 3. Right-brain practices that reconnect you to the calm already inside of yo...
What if your calm hasn’t disappeared — you’ve just stopped practicing how to return to it? Stress and anxiety in midlife don’t require more control — they require better connection with what’s already inside you. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. How to reconnect with natural calm using everyday moments 2. Why giving anxiety too much attention increases suffering 3. Simple coping skills to reset your nervous system in real time Take 10 minutes to list...
Do you pride yourself on powering through—but secretly feel drained and resentful? Pushing through anxiety and stress feels like the only option in midlife, but the truth is it often backfires. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why pushing through actually keeps the stress cycle open and makes anxiety worse 2. The hidden costs of the “push-through mode” in midlife 3. How to use RESET coping skills to calm anxiety, conserve energy, and reconnect ...
Have you ever had one of those days where the tiniest thing sets you off—like your partner’s chewing suddenly drives you nuts? That’s the science of a bad day at work in your brain and body. You don’t have to let one bad moment spiral into a bad day, or worse, a bad week. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why midlife stress and anxiety are wired into your brain and body 2. How to use the RESET coping skill 3. How to build your own reset ritual so you...
What if one of the world’s most famous women just shared the secret to reducing anxiety in midlife? You’re not alone if endless scrolling leaves you feeling drained, distracted, and anxious. In this episode, you’ll discover: The conscious choices Taylor Swift makes to protect her peace and reduce stress.How attention, not time, may be your most valuable coping skill in midlife.Why less scrolling and more creativity can transform anxiety into calm.🎧 Take 9 minutes to reclaim your calm and refo...
Why does your inner critic keep pushing you harder even when you already know how to get things done in midlife? Your inner critic often hides behind “truth,” “motivation,” or “standards.” In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. Why tracing the roots of your inner critic matter and how giving it a midlife update can free you to trust yourself and enjoy your life 2. How self-criticism wires your body for stress and anxiety—and what you can do to shift into calm 3. A simple, sci...
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