Creating Midlife Calm: Coping Skills for Stress & Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships

MJ Murray Vachon LCSW | Midlife Stress & Anxiety Therapist
  • 5.0 (31)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Semiweekly

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.      

  1. 5h ago

    Ep. 320 Why You Can Handle Stress One Day and Feel Completely Overwhelmed By It the Next & How Your Nervous System Is Actually To Blame

    Why can something you normally handle pretty well suddenly leave you feeling anxious, stressed or completely overwhelmed? Understanding your nervous system can help you make sense of your reaction and respond differently. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why being calm all the time isn’t the goal and what it actually means to have a flexible, regulated nervous system.How to recognize what’s happening inside you when anxiety, stress or overwhelm make it harder to think clearly and respond the way you want to.Why your ability to handle the same problem can change from one day to the next and how noticing what you’re already carrying can help you understand your reaction without immediately trying to change it. Take 10 minutes to understand why stress can overwhelm you one day and not the next—you’re worth it. FREE ONE-PAGE GUIDE: Use my Window of Tolerance guide to help you recognize what’s happening when you feel anxious, stressed or overwhelmed. Email: mj@mjmurrayvachon.com Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  2. 3d ago

    Ep. 319 How to Calm Anxiety & Overwhelm When You Can’t Stop Worrying About Someone You Love

    Worrying about someone you love can create a lot of anxiety and overwhelm, especially when you’ve done what you can and the situation is still out of your hands In this episode, you’ll discover: A simple coping skill to help you feel your worry without getting stuck in it,  and gently move your attention back toward the parts of your own life where you have agency. Take a 5 minutes to make room for your worry and then move toward what’s next—you’re worth it. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  3. 4d ago

    Ep. 318 How to Use Your Superpower of Being the Reliable One to Reduce Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm in Midlife

    What if being overly responsible isn’t something you need to get rid of, but a superpower you need to use differently? Being the person everyone counts on can feel good until carrying too much leaves you anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. In this episode, you’ll discover: How to recognize which responsibilities give you energy and which ones leave you depleted or resentful.Why anxiety can make it easier to keep doing something you resent than to tolerate the discomfort of doing it differently.Two simple coping skills to help you decide what to keep carrying and what you’re ready to change. Take 12 minutes to learn how to use your superpower of being responsible with more intention—so you can feel less anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  4. Sep 28

    Ep. 317 Why Being So Reliable Is Secretly Your Biggest Source of Anxiety & Stress For People In Midlife

    How can being the person everyone counts on make you feel capable and successful—and also anxious, stressed and overwhelmed? Being the reliable one may be one of your greatest strengths, but in midlife, carrying so much can begin to cost more than it once did. In this episode, you’ll discover: How being capable and reliable can become part of your identity through years of practice, praise and success.Why a role that has given you confidence, opportunity and stability can also leave you depleted, resentful and anxious about stepping back.How to begin noticing when you automatically become the responsible one without rejecting a part of yourself that has served you well. Take 12 minutes to understand why being the responsible one can feel both like your superpower and your burden—and begin creating more choice in how you use it. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  5. Sep 25

    Ep. 316 Sometimes the Best Coping Skill for Stress & Anxiety in Midlife Is to Stop Trying

    Have you ever noticed how anxiety can keep you trying to solve a problem even when there’s nothing more you can actually do? Persistence is a strength, but in midlife it can sometimes fuel anxiety and keep you searching, clicking and trying long after you’ve reached your limit. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.    How to recognize when problem-solving has shifted into anxious, compulsive trying so you can step away, reconnect with your body and create more calm.  Take 3 minutes to stop feeding anxiety with endless trying and create more calm in the wild—you’re worth it. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  6. Sep 24

    Ep. 315 Use This Simple Coping Skill to Lighten the Stress of Unresolved Problems Even When You’re Still Responsible for Them

    Do insurance, financial and other unresolved problems keep taking up space in your head and suck energy from your day? When you’re still responsible for a problem you can’t resolve, it can quietly drain your time, energy and calm. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why unresolved problems keep popping back into your mind even when there’s nothing more you can do today.A simple brain-based coping skill that helps you put the problem down until it’s time to deal with it again.How being the capable one can leave you carrying too much responsibility and how to begin lightening that load.Take 11 minutes to learn how to stay responsible for what needs your attention without carrying it around all day. You’re worth it. Want to learn more about my Inner Challenge Master Class on Mental Wellness? Email me at mj@mjmurrayvachon.com. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  7. Sep 21

    Ep. 314 Is Handling Insurance, Finances & Everyday Problems Stealing Your Time and Increasing Your Stress & Overwhelm?

    Are unresolved  admin problems with insurance, pharmacies, credit cards, airlines, or other companies taking more time and energy than you realize? What looks like an everyday annoyance can become a real source of stress when you’re responsible for solving the problem. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why problems you may dismiss as annoyances can actually be real sources of stress and overwhelm.How unresolved problems can steal your time and leave you responsible for an outcome you can influence but can’t control.How to recognize the hidden weight you may be carrying long after you’ve hung up the phone or walked away from the problem.Take 11 minutes to recognize the unresolved stress you may be carrying and give yourself a little more compassion. You’re worth it. Want to learn more about my Inner Challenge Master Class on Mental Wellness? Email me at mj@mjmurrayvachon.com. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

  8. Sep 18

    Ep. 313 Why Being Unproductive May Ease Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm in Midlife

    Could doing something completely unproductive actually help you feel less stressed, anxious and overwhelmed? When life is full, the answer may not always be doing less. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1. How purposeless activity may help you experience less internal resistance—even when you have more to do than usual.    Take 3 minutes to discover how making room for purposeless play might help your busy life feel a little easier—you’re worth it. Send us Fan Mail **** About the Host:  MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician, educator, and host of the podcast Creating Midlife Calm, recognized by Maria Shriver as a “Listen of the Week.” Over the past 40 years, MJ has led more than 50,000 therapy sessions and developed the Inner Challenge mental wellness program and the Inner Challenge Master Class, practical tools for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience taught for more than 30 years in junior high schools and at the University of Notre Dame for freshman football players. Through her podcast, teaching, and coaching, MJ helps people build calmer lives, stronger relationships, and healthier communities. Creating Midlife Calm is a podcast designed to guide you through the challenges of midlife, tackling issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unworthy, procrastination, and isolation, while offering strategies for improving relationships, family support, emotional wellbeing, mental wellness, and parenting, with a focus on mindfulness, stress management, coping skills, and personal growth to stop rumination, overthinking, and increase confidence through self-care, emotional healing, and mental health support.

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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.      

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