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Creating Midlife Calm: Coping Skills for Stress & Anxiety in Family, Work & Relationships — Health & Fitness
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.

Copyright: © 2024 Inner Challenge Podcast with MJ Murray Vachon LCSW

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 326 Why In Midlife You Feel So Limited by Your Partner—Even in a Good Relationship Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever wondered why a good relationship can still leave you feeling stressed, overwhelmed or limited by the person you love?
Sometimes the tension isn’t a sign that something is wrong with your relationship—it may be what happens when two full lives run into the limits of one shared life.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1. Why two capable people who love and support each other can still begin to feel limited by one another.
2. Why you may see your own compromises more clearly than your partner’s—and how both of you can sincerely believe you’ve given up more.
3. One simple question to help you see what may actually be underneath the stress and overwhelm you’re feeling toward your partner.
Take 10 minutes to understand what may really be underneath the stress and overwhelm in your relationship—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.

Ep. 325 The 5 Minute Coping Skill To Reduce Anxiety & Allow You To Enjoy The Present Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Does anxiety about a problem keep taking over your thoughts even when you want to be present for what’s happening right in front of you?
You don’t have to solve every problem before you can bring your attention back to your life.
In this mini episode, you’ll discover:

A surprisingly easy coping skill to keep an anxious problem from taking over your thoughts and pulling you away from the present.

Take 3 minutes to discover a simple way to calm your anxiety and come back to the moment you’re actually in.

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.

Ep. 324: How to Stop Feeling Pulled in Too Many Directions To Decrease Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm in Midlife Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Do you ever feel like work, family, relationships and responsibilities are all competing for your attention—even when you’re trying to focus on just one thing?
You don’t need to give up the roles that matter to you to feel less pulled in too many directions.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

How to bring your attention back to where you actually are when another part of your life starts pulling at your mind.
How to move from one role to another without carrying the stress of the last one with you.
How to get more comfortable letting something important wait without feeling like you’re dropping the ball.

Listen now for practical coping skills to decrease anxiety, stress and overwhelm when everything seems to need your attention at once.

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.

Ep. 323 Why Wearing So Many Hats Can Leave You Feeling Anxious, Overwhelmed and Never in the Right Place Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Do you wear a lot of hats in midlife and still feel like you’re always behind?
You’re not alone, and there may be a reason it feels so hard to keep up.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1. Why the many roles you carry in midlife can increase anxiety, stress and overwhelm even when they’re roles you value.
2. Why you can feel constantly behind and drained even when you’ve been getting things done all day.
3. One helpful coping skill to help you better understand your overwhelm instead of assuming you simply can’t keep up anymore.
Take 10 minutes to better understand why your many roles can leave you feeling anxious, overwhelmed and behind—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.

Ep. 322 How To Cope With Tragedy & Trauma, So You Can Ease Anxiety & Stop Feeling Overwhelmed, Even When There's Nothing You Can Do To Fix The Situation Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

When something painful and tragic happens that you can’t fix, anxiety, stress and overwhelm can show up in ways you don’t expect.
Learning to notice what you need can help you move through the experience without demanding that you feel differently.
In this mini episode, you’ll discover:

How staying with yourself when tragedy feels overwhelming can help you move through difficult thoughts and feelings with greater connection and compassion.

Take a few minutes to discover what coping with tragedy can look like when there’s nothing you can fix—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.

Ep. 321 How To Regulate Your Nervous System When Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm Take Over, So You Can Breathe Again Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Anxiety, stress and overwhelm can affect your nervous system in very different ways.
Knowing whether you’re becoming more activated or starting to shut down can help you choose the coping skill your nervous system needs.
In this episode, you’ll discover:

How to recognize whether anxiety, stress or overwhelm is pushing your nervous system up into activation or down toward shutting down.
The 2 coping skills that can help you respond to what your nervous system needs and get back to thinking more clearly.
How to know when you have enough capacity to respond instead of simply reacting in the moment.

Take 10 minutes to learn how to work with your nervous system when anxiety, stress or overwhelm takes over—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.

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 Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

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.

Ep. 319 How to Calm Anxiety & Overwhelm When You Can’t Stop Worrying About Someone You Love Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

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.

Ep. 318 How to Use Your Superpower of Being the Reliable One to Reduce Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm in Midlife Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

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.

Ep. 317 Why Being So Reliable Is Secretly Your Biggest Source of Anxiety & Stress For People In Midlife Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

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.

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