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
298 episodes
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...
Ep. 283 How To Decrease Anxiety & Stress While Pumping Gas in Midlife
Could a routine stop at the gas station become an opportunity to feel calmer and more present?If your mind automatically races toward worries, stressors, and endless to-do lists, you're not alone.In this episode, you'll ...
Ep. 282 How to Help Without Rescuing So You Have More Energy and Less Stress in Midlife
What if the stress, anxiety, and exhaustion you’re feeling aren’t coming from helping others—but from carrying responsibilities that were never yours to carry?If you’ve spent years being the reliable one and feel depleted, you’...
Ep. 281 How Always Being Responsible Is Making You Stressed, Anxious & Exhausted In Midlife
Have you become so good at being the responsible one that you’ve stopped noticing what it’s costing you?Many midlife adults spend years carrying more than their share while quietly postponing their own needs, interests, rest, and dre...
Ep. 280 How Your Favorite Summer Activity Can Decrease Anxiety & Stress in Midlife
What if one small shift during your favorite summer activity could help decrease anxiety and stress?You're not alone if anxiety and stress leave you feeling narrowly focused and disconnected from the present moment.In th...
Ep. 279 The Surprising Way 4th of July Can Ease Anxiety & Stress More Than You Think
What if one of the most calming parts of the 4th of July has nothing to do with fireworks or celebration—but remembering how deeply connected we all are?If anxiety and stress have narrowed your perspective lately, you’re not alone—an...
Ep. 278 How Leaning into Summer Can Naturally Calm Your Midlife Anxiety & Stress
Have you become so distracted by life that you’ve stopped fully experiencing the calming moments summer naturally offers?You’re not alone. Many people move through summer physically present but mentally somewhere else.In this ...
Ep. 277 How Running Errands Can Decrease Your Stress & Anxiety in Midlife
What if some of the calm you're looking for is hiding inside the ordinary moments you're rushing through?You're not alone if errands feel like one more thing to check off an already full list.In this episode, you'll disc...
Ep. 276 How to Stop Self-Silencing and Reduce Anxiety Through Authentic Connection in Midlife
Have you become so distracted by life that you’ve stopped fully experiencing the calming moments summer naturally offers?You’re not alone. Many people move through summer physically present but mentally somewhere else.
Ep. 275 Why Anxiety In Midlife Makes You Disconnect From Your Identity & Stop Expressing Yourself In Relationships
Have you slowly stopped expressing parts of yourself just to keep relationships comfortable?You’re not alone—many midlife adults quietly lose connection with themselves while trying to avoid conflict, preserve harmony, and keep relat...