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

MJ Murray Vachon LCSW
  • 5.0 (24)
  • 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. 1D AGO

    Ep. 243 How To FINALLY Feel Relaxed Again in Midlife, As Anxiety and Stress Take Over

    What if relaxing at night feels hard because your body never had a chance to slow down during the day? If this sounds familiar, you’re not doing anything wrong — your nervous system just needs a different kind of support. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.    Why trying to relax on command often backfires when anxiety and stress have created ongoing urgency 2.    How reducing urgency while you’re still busy helps your nervous system feel safer and less exhausted 3.    Simple, realistic coping skills you can use throughout the day to make rest and relaxation more accessible at night  Take 9 minutes to learn how easing urgency during the day can help your body relax again — you’re worth it. Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    10 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Ep. 242 Why Your Midlife Busyness Is Hiding Your Stress & Anxiety

    What if the reason you stay busy isn’t because life is demanding but because slowing down feels unsettling? If this resonates, you’re not broken — and there is a constructive, meaningful way forward. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.    How anxiety and stress often masquerade as productivity and constant motion in midlife 2.    Why busyness can feel regulating to your nervous system even when it quietly drains you 3.    How simple awareness of your relationship with activity becomes a powerful coping skill that restores calm  Take 10 minutes to understand why slowing down feels hard and begin retraining your nervous system for real rest — you’re worth it. Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    10 min

  3. FEB 26

    Ep. 241 When Work Demands Too Much You Can Finding Relief Through Coping Skills for Midlife Stress and Anxiety

    Do you feel exhausted by work even though you may still like your job? If your energy is gone and anxiety is rising, it may not be a motivation problem—it may be a capacity problem. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why chronic over-demand and constant availability keep your nervous system stuck in stress and anxietyHow invisible multitasking quietly drains energy and what to change to protect your nervous systemHow using facts instead of emotions with leadership can reduce anxiety and restore steadiness at work Take 13 minutes to protect your energy and calm midlife stress and anxiety—you’re worth it. Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    13 min

  4. FEB 23

    Ep. 240 2 Effective Coping Skills to Ease Stress and Anxiety Around Career Disappointment in Midlife

    Does your career feel disappointing in midlife—and leave you questioning your worth? You’re not alone, and this quiet kind of stress is far more common than people admit. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.    Why career disappointment in midlife often turns into anxiety, stress, and self-doubt—even when nothing is “wrong” on the surface 2.    How internalizing or constantly venting about work both keep your nervous system stuck 3.    Why naming the truth about your job—without fixing or quitting—can restore steadiness and self-worth  Take 12 minutes to understand your career disappointment and calm anxiety—you’re worth it. Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    13 min

  5. FEB 19

    Ep. 239 How to Stay with Meditation When Anxiety Flares—and the Coping Skills That Help You Heal (Part 2)

    What happens when meditation brings up discomfort instead of calm—and you’re tempted to quit? If you’ve ever worried that meditation is making things worse, you’re having a very human experience—and you’re not alone. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.    Why anxiety, overthinking, and old hurts often surface after you begin meditating in midlife 2.    How learning to “heel” your mind—rather than avoid it—builds real coping skills for anxiety that lead to calm 3.    Why staying with the practice gently transforms your relationship with your mind, body, and emotions  Take 17 minutes to understand what healing actually looks like in midlife—you’re worth it. Phyllis Coletta, JD Learn to train your wild puppy mind... The Book: How to Be a Good Dog Apple Podcast: Sit, Stay, Heal Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    17 min

  6. FEB 16

    Ep. 238 Why Meditation Feels So Hard For Anxious Midlife Minds and the Coping Skill That Makes It Possible (Part 1)

    Why does meditation feel so frustrating when you’re already anxious and overwhelmed in midlife? If you’ve tried meditation and quit—more than once—you’re not broken, and you’re not alone. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.    Why anxious midlife minds resist traditional meditation—and how understanding this reduces self-blame 2.    How a simple, compassionate coping skill can calm anxiety without forcing your mind to be quiet 3.    Why learning to “sit” with your mind differently can gradually retrain your nervous system and restore calm  Take 16 minutes to relate to your mind with more compassion and ease—you’re worth it. Phyllis Coletta, JD Learn to train your wild puppy mind... The Book: How to Be a Good Dog Apple Podcast: Sit, Stay, Heal Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    16 min

  7. FEB 12

    Ep. 237 When Love Feels Hard in Midlife Try This Coping Skill to Calm Anxiety and Stress

    Why does love sometimes feel harder in midlife—even when you care deeply and want connection? If relationships feel more complicated than you expected, you’re not failing—you’re encountering the real work of love. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why anxiety and stress often rise when relationships move into disharmony—and why that’s normal in midlifeHow learning to stay present through discomfort becomes a powerful coping skill for connectionWhy love grows through repair, not perfection, and how that understanding can calm stress and deepen intimacy🎧 Take 12 minutes to learn the coping skill that helps you move through disharmony and build real connection—right where you are—you’re worth it.   Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    13 min

  8. FEB 9

    Ep. 236 How Your Attachment Style Influences Anxiety and Stress in Midlife Relationships

    Why does Valentine’s Day bring up anxiety and stress in midlife—even when love is present? If this week feels complicated, you’re not broken—your nervous system is responding to real relational patterns. In this episode, you’ll discover: 1.     How attachment styles shape anxiety, stress, and emotional safety in relationships 2.     Why love is one of the most powerful coping skills for calming anxiety and stress 3.     How understanding your attachment patterns helps you give and receive love with more ease and agency 🎧 Take 13 minutes to understand your attachment patterns and build coping skills that support calm, connection, and self-trust—you’re worth it. Send a text **** About the Host: MJ Murray Vachon LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 48,000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching her Mental Wellness curriculum, Inner Challenge. Four years ago she overcame her fear of technology to create a podcast that integrated her vast clinical experience and practical wisdom of cultivating mental wellness using the latest information from neuroscience. MJ was Social Worker of the Year in 2011 for Region 2/IN. 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.

    14 min
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5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

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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