10 MINUTES TO LESS SUFFERING

Allison Carmen
  • 4.9 (163)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Feeling stressed or anxious? 10 Minutes to Less Suffering is your quick daily boost for emotional relief and peace of mind.Each episode delivers practical mindfulness techniques, effective stress management tools, and compassionate insights to help you navigate life's challenges. Whether you're facing anxiety, uncertainty, overwhelm, or everyday pressures, these short, inspiring episodes fit effortlessly into your busiest days. Ideal for busy professionals, parents, young adults, and anyone seeking mental wellness without the time commitment. Start your journey to less suffering today. Hosted by Allison Carmen, bestselling author, life strategist, business consultant, and coach.

  1. Where Is Your Happy Hour? How To Stop Worrying About The Future

    3D AGO

    Where Is Your Happy Hour? How To Stop Worrying About The Future

    In this episode, we explore a powerful question. Where is your happy hour? Why do we place our peace and joy in a time to come? After the promotion. After the approval. After the uncertainty clears. If you struggle with anxiety about the future, overthinking, or feeling like you are just getting through the day, this episode is for you. You will learn: How we give our joy away to future fears How to stay present even when life feels uncertain A simple maybe practice to calm anxiety How to create more peace in everyday life You do not need to know what will happen next. You need to be here. If you have been worrying about work, AI, relationships, money, or the unknown, this conversation will help you come back to your inner garden and create more happy hours now. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    11 min
  2. When Avoiding The News Doesn't Bring You Peace

    FEB 6

    When Avoiding The News Doesn't Bring You Peace

    Many people stop watching the news in hopes of finding peace, relief, or emotional balance. But does turning away from world events actually reduce suffering, or does it quietly create new forms of stress and inner conflict? This episode explores a familiar modern response to overwhelm: avoiding the news as a way to cope. Rather than telling listeners what they should or should not watch, the conversation looks at the emotional difference between healthy boundaries and avoidance, and how ignoring what feels disturbing can remain active beneath the surface. Through reflection and awareness, the episode invites listeners to look more honestly at their relationship with attention and responsibility. It explores how peace does not necessarily come from disengaging, but from noticing what is being avoided and why. By bringing presence to discomfort rather than pushing it away, conscious choice can begin to replace automatic avoidance, allowing engagement with the world without becoming overwhelmed by fear or constant information. This episode is for people who want to stay engaged with the world but feel overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty, and for those who have tried avoiding the news and found it does not bring the peace they hoped for. This is a repeat episode, shared again because the topic remains timely and deeply important. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    11 min
  3. When Problems Show Up, It Doesn't Mean Life Is Falling Apart

    JAN 30

    When Problems Show Up, It Doesn't Mean Life Is Falling Apart

    When problems show up in your life, it is easy to believe that everything is going in the wrong direction. Stress builds, anxiety takes over, and suddenly it feels like life is falling apart, even when many things are actually working. In this episode of 10 Minutes to Less Suffering, I talk about why having problems does not mean your life is bad or broken. We explore why problems are often unrelated, how negative thinking creates stress and exhaustion, and why focusing only on what is wrong can cause us to miss what is right. I also walk you through simple ways to separate your problems, recognize what is working in your life, and use the maybe practice to soften fear and reopen possibility. Problems come and go. Life is always changing. Even when things do not resolve the way we expect, there are many ways to be okay. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious about where your life is headed, this episode offers perspective, grounding, and relief. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    10 min
  4. How To Stop Losing Yourself

    JAN 23

    How To Stop Losing Yourself

    This episode of Ten Minutes to Less Suffering explores the concept of coherence and what it means to move through life with beliefs, emotions, and actions working together rather than in conflict. It looks at how everyday responsibilities, relationships, and values can create inner fragmentation when different needs pull in opposing directions. Through a real life example, this episode examines how acknowledging the true cost of a decision can reduce resentment and help people remain participants in their choices rather than victims of them. Coherence does not eliminate difficult decisions or inner conflict, but awareness can soften the experience and reduce emotional exhaustion. Listeners are invited to reflect on how coherence or its absence shows up in work, family life, creativity, boundaries, and communication. A simple reflective practice is offered to help maintain self respect, clarity, and steadiness during demanding moments. This episode is for anyone navigating responsibility, burnout, people pleasing, or the challenge of caring for others without losing connection to themselves. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    11 min
  5. Decision Anxiety: How To Stop Fearing The Wrong Decision

    JAN 16

    Decision Anxiety: How To Stop Fearing The Wrong Decision

    Do you feel paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision? Decision anxiety can make even small choices feel permanent, risky, and overwhelming. In this episode, you will learn why the mind treats decisions as threats, how fear of uncertainty keeps you stuck, and why most choices are not traps but opportunities for clarity. This episode explores how to stop overthinking decisions, how to recognize the difference between a truly limiting decision and an adjustable one, and why movement, not certainty, leads to alignment and confidence. You will also be guided through a simple reflection exercise to help you move forward without needing guarantees. If you are struggling with career decisions, relationship choices, or fear of change, this episode offers practical insight, reassurance, and a gentler way to trust yourself again. Topics include: • Decision anxiety and overthinking • Fear of making the wrong choice • How to stop feeling stuck • Trusting yourself in uncertainty • Why clarity comes after movement • Letting go of perfection and certainty Listen now and remember, most decisions give you information, not a verdict on your future. Poem: Decisions Decisions are not often standing at the edge of ruin. Decisions usually stand at the edge of movement. Our fear tells us this step is final, that one choice will close every other door, that if we get it wrong, we will never recover. But life does not move in straight lines. It bends. It pauses. It circles back with new information. Our decisions are not verdicts. They are not definitions of who we are. They are simply conversations with the unknown. We are allowed to learn. We are allowed to change our minds. We are allowed to arrive somewhere and discover it is not where we want to stay. There is no single moment where everything is decided. There is only the next step and the courage to take it. And if this choice does not become what we hoped it would be, there is still the hope and possibility that we can have the life we want from this day forward. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    10 min
  6. Emotional Balance Under Pressure: Capacity and Choice

    JAN 9

    Emotional Balance Under Pressure: Capacity and Choice

    Feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or under constant pressure? This episode of Ten Minutes to Less Suffering explores how to stay emotionally balanced when life feels heavy, uncertain, and nonstop. The focus is on stress, anxiety, emotional overload, and the way the nervous system struggles when there is no time to recover. The episode introduces the idea of capacity, meaning how much inner space is available to think, feel, pause, and respond instead of react. When that space disappears, even small decisions can feel exhausting. Through mindfulness-based insights and simple awareness practices, the episode highlights how emotional pressure builds quietly over time and how creating even a small amount of inner room can reduce suffering. Key themes include calming the nervous system, reducing anxiety, letting go of self blame, and separating personal identity from current life experiences. The episode also explores how acceptance, compassion, and emotional awareness can restore balance, clarity, and resilience during stressful periods. This episode is for anyone experiencing stress, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, burnout, or mental exhaustion. It is especially helpful for people navigating uncertainty, carrying unresolved emotional weight, feeling stuck, or seeking mindfulness tools for emotional healing, nervous system regulation, and inner peace. Poem: The Weight of Holding There is a weight that does not come from pain, but from holding. Holding the past after it is long gone. Holding the future before it arrives. Holding ourselves to stories that say this moment should be different from what it is. But today we can set something down. Not the whole burden, just one unnecessary thought. One quiet argument with reality. One belief that this moment defines us. And in that small opening, maybe something shifts. Breath can return. The nervous system can soften. Our hearts can remember they were never meant to carry everything at once. We are not what is happening. We are the space where it is happening. And for now, that can be enough room for less suffering. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    10 min
  7. The Key To Finding More Joy in 2026: Right Sizing Our Problems

    JAN 2

    The Key To Finding More Joy in 2026: Right Sizing Our Problems

    Every year brings challenges, uncertainty, and problems that can feel overwhelming. While it is not possible to control how many problems arise, it is possible to change how much space they take up in daily life. This episode explores the practice of right sizing problems and placing them back into their true proportion so they do not drown out peace, clarity, and joy. Through a personal story and practical reflection, listeners are guided to recognize how fear, uncertainty, and discomfort can quietly expand suffering even when much of life is still working. Listeners will learn simple mindfulness techniques to reduce stress, quiet mental noise, and regain perspective during difficult times. This episode offers tools for self improvement, emotional resilience, and navigating uncertainty with greater calm without toxic positivity or denial. A grounding listen for anyone seeking less stress, less suffering, and more emotional balance in 2026.  A Poem: The Root of the Problem Problems arrive demanding space, noisy and persistent, echoes of repetition. They lodge with a sense of permanence  Yet time moves anyway, a force beyond even a problem's grasp, guiding change, softening urgency, leaving without notice. What remains, often, is not what demanded attention. It is the love that stayed. The heart that kept beating. The steadiness that did not announce itself. Life held together in the quiet nature of the moment. Remembering often arrives late, the quiet recognition that what felt consuming was temporary, and what felt ordinary was doing the real work. Problems pass. What roots us does not. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    11 min
  8. Manifesting Our Dreams In 2026: Reducing Fear, Stress, and Self Doubt In The New Year

    12/26/2025

    Manifesting Our Dreams In 2026: Reducing Fear, Stress, and Self Doubt In The New Year

    How can you manifest your dreams in 2026 while reducing stress and anxiety? This episode of Ten Minutes to Less Suffering offers a grounded self help approach to manifestation that focuses on mindfulness, intuition, gratitude, and emotional resilience. Listeners explore how fear, uncertainty, and the need for control can increase suffering and block clarity. The episode explains how pausing, listening to inner guidance, and staying present can support better decision making and personal growth. A simple "maybe" practice is shared to help quiet self doubt, reduce anxiety, and restore hope during times of uncertainty. This episode is ideal for anyone seeking stress relief, mindfulness, emotional balance, and a healthier way to hold goals related to relationships, career, money, and overall well being in 2026. Guided Affirmation for 2026 I take a gentle breath. I allow my body to settle. There is nothing I need to fix right now. I bring to mind something I hope for in 2026. I do not need to force it. I simply acknowledge that it matters to me. I trust myself. I trust life. I release the need for certainty. I release the pressure to have all the answers. I listen to the wisdom of this moment. I allow clarity to come when it is ready. I do not need to push. I do not need to resist. I am open to guidance. I am open to possibility. I remember what is already working in my life. I remember my resources and support. I hold my dreams with openness and gratitude. I allow them to unfold in their own time. Maybe more is possible than I can imagine. Maybe things are already moving in my favor. Maybe everything will be okay. I take another gentle breath. I let these words settle. I move into this year with trust, presence, and hope. What I seek is seeking me. Lastly, you can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are interested in my work, please check out my books, The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times (including a new audiobook), A Year Without Men: A 12 Point Guide To Inspire and Empower Women and my new Audiobook,  Maybe Everything Is Okay, A Parent's Guide To Less Stress and Worry. Also you can check out my new Maybe Cards: A Path to Stress-Free Living or my new digital Maybe Journal. Above all, my heartfelt hope is that this podcast has supported your journey of personal growth, helped shift your mindset, reduce stress, built emotional resilience, and brought you less suffering and more joy, clarity, and peace.

    11 min
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4.9
out of 5
163 Ratings

About

Feeling stressed or anxious? 10 Minutes to Less Suffering is your quick daily boost for emotional relief and peace of mind.Each episode delivers practical mindfulness techniques, effective stress management tools, and compassionate insights to help you navigate life's challenges. Whether you're facing anxiety, uncertainty, overwhelm, or everyday pressures, these short, inspiring episodes fit effortlessly into your busiest days. Ideal for busy professionals, parents, young adults, and anyone seeking mental wellness without the time commitment. Start your journey to less suffering today. Hosted by Allison Carmen, bestselling author, life strategist, business consultant, and coach.

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