Creating Midlife Calm: Coping Skills for Stress & Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships
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.
Episodes
307 episodes
Ep. 308 Is Trying to Fix Everyone Else’s Problems Making Anxiety & Overwhelm Worse in Midlife?
Could the quick fixes you use to help yourself or someone you love actually be making everyone’s anxiety and overwhelm worse?Wanting to quickly fix someone’s distress can sometimes create more stress for everyone even you!In t...
Ep. 307 The Most Effective Coping Skill for Overwhelm Didn't Come From a Therapist
What if one of your most powerful coping skills for anxiety, stress & overwhelm isn’t something you do alone?If you’ve been trying to calm yourself through willpower alone, you’re not the only one.In this episo...
Ep. 306 3 Coping Skills When Overwhelm Hijacks Your Brain in Midlife So You Don’t Lose Your Day
Has overwhelm ever hijacked your brain and suddenly taken over the rest of your day?You’re not the only one who can go from handling life just fine to feeling completely overwhelmed.In this episode, you’ll discover:<...
Ep. 305 Why You Feel Overwhelmed When Others Don’t During Midlife
Do you ever wonder why you feel overwhelmed when your life doesn't seem any more demanding than everyone else's?There may be more happening beneath your overwhelm than how much you have to do.In this episode, you’ll disc...
Ep. 304 Two Simple Words That Can Decrease Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm in Midlife
What if some of your everyday stress comes not from what you have to do but from fighting the fact that you have to do it?Sometimes we create extra stress by fighting what needs to happen.In this episode, you’ll discover:<...
Ep. 303 Use this 1 Question To Instantly Diffuse Anxiety, & Stress When Your Brain Gets Stuck In Overwhelm During Midlife
Does your mind keep replaying the same story even though you know it isn’t helping you feel better?Anxiety, stress, and overwhelm can leave your mind stuck but noticing what your mind is doing can help you find your way back.I...
Ep. 302 The Hidden Mental Pattern That Emotionally Ruins Your Day During Midlife, and How Your Anxiety Is Driving It
When your day gets emotionally hijacked, what is anxiety quietly trying to do?You’re not weak or overreacting—anxiety may be trying to protect you in a way that’s actually keeping you emotionally stuck.In this episode, you’ll dis...
Ep. 301 The Surprising Way You May Be Disrupting Your Own Calm and Increasing Anxiety & Stress in Midlife
What if some of the little things disrupting your calm aren’t worth giving your energy to?Sometimes creating more calm begins by noticing what unnecessarily pulls you out of it.In this episode, you’ll discover:...
Ep. 300 How to Calm Anxiety and Overwhelm in Midlife When So Much Feels Out of Your Control
What happens when anxiety has you feeling like you need to control everything just to feel okay?When life feels out of control, overwhelm can quickly take over.In this episode, you’ll discover:1. How to re...
Ep. 299 Why You Feel Behind When Fall Begins and How It Affects Your Nervous System, Stress & Anxiety
What if feeling behind when fall begins isn’t only about your schedule—but about how your nervous system responds to change?If the shift from summer to fall increases your stress and anxiety in midlife, you’re not alone.In thi...
Ep. 298 Anxiety Wants Answers—Calm Begins With One Breath
What if the calm you’re searching for isn’t found in having the answers, but in taking one gentle breath?If anxiety keeps pulling you into the future or back into the past, you’re not alone.In this episode, you’ll discover:
Ep. 297 The Simple Coping Skill That Keeps Anxiety From Stealing Connection With the People You Love in Midlife
What if the people you love don’t need you to fix anything—they simply need your presence?If you’ve ever found yourself worrying about the future instead of fully experiencing the moment you’re in, you’re not alone. <...
Ep. 296 How Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm Quietly Steal Your Attention From the People You Love in Midlife
What if anxiety isn’t just affecting how you feel but quietly stealing your attention from the people you love?If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation wishing you’d been more present, you’re not alone.In this episode, y...
Ep. 295 Unexpected Lessons A Toddler Taught Me About Rest, Anxiety & Coping Skills in Midlife
What if the kind of rest you’re longing for is something a toddler already knows how to do?If life has become one long list of responsibilities and expectations, you’re not alone.In this episode, you’ll discover:What ...
Ep. 294 Why Resting More Will Never Calm Your Anxiety & Stress-- And What Actually Helps
What if the reason more time to rest hasn’t eased your anxiety and stress is because no one ever taught you how to truly rest?If you’ve ever found yourself longing for more downtime only to discover you still couldn’t relax, you’re n...
Ep. 293 Why Changing Your Relationship with Sleep Is One of the Most Powerful Coping Skills for Anxiety & Stress in Midlife
What if the key to sleeping better isn’t finding the perfect solution—but changing your relationship with sleep?If changing sleep has become part of your midlife journey, you’re not alone. .In this episode, you’ll discover:
Ep. 292 What Pulling Weeds Taught Me About Facing What I'd Rather Avoid
What if the little things you keep avoiding are actually preparing you for the hard things in life?We all have ordinary tasks we'd rather put off, but those everyday moments can become opportunities to build resilience and create ...
Ep. 291 What To Do When Anxiety Becomes Overwhelm and You Can't Think Clearly
Have you ever become so overwhelmed that you couldn’t think clearly, even though part of you knew you were overreacting?Overwhelm can quietly take over your nervous system, making fear feel like reality and leaving you unsure what to...
EP. 290 How Anxiety & Overwhelm Can Lead You To Avoid What Matters Most in Midlife
What if the biggest problem isn’t your anxiety—but what anxiety is convincing you not to do?If you’ve been putting off a conversation, avoiding a decision, or looking away from something that feels overwhelming, you’re not alone....
Ep. 289 How Watching A T-Ball Game Can Decrease Anxiety & Stress
What if the secret to feeling calmer is remembering that you're still learning?If you've been frustrated with yourself for not handling life perfectly, you're not alone.In this episode, you'll discover:Ho...
Ep. 288 Why the Midlife Trap of Thinking You Should Have It All Figured Out Fuels Stress & Anxiety
Have you ever felt like by now you should have life figured out?If so, you’re not alone. Many of us carry quiet expectations about where our careers, relationships, finances, or sense of purpose should be by this stage of life.
Ep. 287 What Your Irritation & Frustration May Be Trying To Tell You About Anxiety & Stress in Midlife
Have you noticed that little things seem to irritate or frustrate you more than they used to?If so, you’re not alone. Many people in midlife assume they’re becoming impatient, negative, or difficult when something deeper may actually...
Ep. 286 How a Pest Control Salesman Increased My Anxiety, Stress & Isolation in Midlife
Could the interruptions that irritate you most actually be telling you something important about yourself?If you've ever felt more frustrated than a situation seemed to warrant, you're not alone.In this episode, you'll disc...
Ep. 285 When Anxiety Says Stay Away—but Connection Is What You Want Most in Midlife
Have you ever known exactly what you wanted to say to someone—and still stayed silent?If so, you’re not alone. Anxiety can sometimes convince you to pull back from the very moments that could help you feel more connected, understood,...
EP. 284 Why You Feel Lonely In Midlife, Even When You're Surrounded by People You Care About
Have you ever felt lonely even while spending time with people you genuinely care about?If so, you’re not alone. Many people discover in midlife that being surrounded by others doesn’t automatically create the sense of connection the...