Ep. 150 Coping Skills to Ease Anxiety When a Crisis Shakes Your Midlife Calm
04/21/25 • 12 min
What do you do when everything falls apart?
Shifting from a reactive to a reflective mindset can make all the difference.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1. A step-by-step process to ground yourself during emotional shock using body-based coping skills
2. The “tend and befriend” mindset that helps you move through pain and anger with compassion
3. Real-life stories showing how vulnerability—not anger—builds lasting strength in midlife
Feeling like everything is crumbling?
Tune in now to learn how to hold yourself with care, calm, and clarity when life hits hardest.
****
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.
What do you do when everything falls apart?
Shifting from a reactive to a reflective mindset can make all the difference.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1. A step-by-step process to ground yourself during emotional shock using body-based coping skills
2. The “tend and befriend” mindset that helps you move through pain and anger with compassion
3. Real-life stories showing how vulnerability—not anger—builds lasting strength in midlife
Feeling like everything is crumbling?
Tune in now to learn how to hold yourself with care, calm, and clarity when life hits hardest.
****
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.
Previous Episode
Ep. 149 Trump’s Tariffs Spiked One Midlife Listener’s Anxiety and 3 Coping Skills Helped
Is your anxiety spiking every time Trump’s tariffs make headlines?
You’re not alone—and it’s not just about politics, it’s about your nervous system.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- How to shift from news-induced anxiety to calm by using this 2 simple technique.
- How guided meditation can help to reduce anxiety around world events, like Trump's tariffs
- The brain science behind this 1 essential hack to physically reduce anxiety🎙️
Tune in now to learn simple, science-backed ways to reclaim your calm in midlife—even when the world feels chaotic.
Try this meditation:
Our Mindful Nature: Nurture by Nature Meditation for Anxiety
https://www.merylarnett.com/podcast/nurtured-by-nature-meditation-for-anxiety
****
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.
Next Episode
Ep. 151 Practical Coping Skills to Ease Emotional and Physical Fatigue During a Crisis in Midlife
Are you blaming yourself for being too tired in a crisis?
Loss, illness, or major life upheaval can leave you emotionally raw and physically depleted.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- Why exhaustion hits so hard during crisis and doable ways to get more energy.
- Simple but effective coping skills to regulate your nervous system to improve your sleep and stay grounded.
- How to find strength in receiving care from others — even if that’s uncomfortable for you
This is your permission slip to stop pretending you’re fine.
Listen now to reclaim your energy, your mindset, and your midlife calm.
Resources Mentioned in Episode! (Enjoy!!)
Andrew Huberman Meditation: Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) Meditation: https://www.hubermanlab.com/nsdr#practice-nsdr
Tara Brach Meditation: Reducing Anxiety and Getting to Sleep
https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-anxiety-sleep-18min/
****
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.
Creating Midlife Calm: Coping Skills for Stress & Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships - Ep. 150 Coping Skills to Ease Anxiety When a Crisis Shakes Your Midlife Calm
Transcript
In this episode, you'll discover how to stay grounded when life falls apart. Welcome to Creating Midlife Calm, a podcast dedicated to empowering midlife minds to overcome anxiety, stop feeling like crap and become more present with your family, all while achieving greater success at work. I'm MJ Murray Vachon, a licensed clinical social worker with over 48, 000 hours of therapy sessions and 31 years of experience teaching mental wel
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