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
205 episodes
Ep. 206 Death Isn’t Creepy: How Reflecting on Mortality Calms Midlife Anxiety & Stress
Why does reflecting on death feel so uncomfortable, yet hold surprising value for our mental wellness?You’re not alone if the thought makes you uneasy.In this episode, you’ll discover:Why most of us avoid t...
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Season 4
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Episode 206
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14:06
Ep. 205 Surprising Coping Skills You Can Learn From Toddlers To Dissolve Anxiety and Stress In Midlife
What if the surprising key to dissolving midlife anxiety and stress comes from the way toddlers move through the world?You’re not alone if stress and anxiety in midlife make calm feel out of reach.In this episode, you’ll disco...
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Season 4
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Episode 205
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12:50
Ep. 204 Feeling Anxious and Stressed? Your Best Midlife Coping Skill Is Already Inside You
What if your calm hasn’t disappeared — you’ve just stopped practicing how to return to it?Stress and anxiety in midlife don’t require more control — they require better connection with what’s already inside you.In this episode...
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Season 4
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Episode 203
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9:14
Ep. 203 — Why "Pushing Through" Midlife Anxiety Backfires and Coping Skills To Regain Energy & Calm
Do you pride yourself on powering through—but secretly feel drained and resentful?Pushing through anxiety and stress feels like the only option in midlife, but the truth is it often backfires.In this episode, you’ll discover:<...
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Season 4
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Episode 203
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13:58
Ep. 202 Top Coping Skills to Instantly Stop Bad Days in Their Tracks—And Reduce Midlife Anxiety & Stress
Have you ever had one of those days where the tiniest thing sets you off—like your partner’s chewing suddenly drives you nuts? That’s the science of a bad day at work in your brain and body.You don’t have to let one bad moment spiral...
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Season 4
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Episode 202
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12:37
Ep. 201 How Taylor Swift’s “Life of a Showgirl” Interview Can Help Midlife Listeners Cope with Holiday Stress, Anxiety & Chaos
Can Taylor Swift’s approach to calm help you manage midlife stress and anxiety this holiday season? (OMG, is she really talking about holidays???)You’re not alone — even the most grounded people feel the pull of pressure and expectat...
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8:00
Ep. 200 The Surprising Coping Skill Taylor Swift Reveals in Her “Life of a Showgirl” Interview To Ease Midlife Stress & Anxiety
What if one of the world’s most famous women just shared the secret to reducing anxiety in midlife?You’re not alone if endless scrolling leaves you feeling drained, distracted, and anxious.In this episode, you’ll discove...
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Season 4
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Episode 200
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7:59
Ep. 199 How to Banish Your Inner Critic in Midlife and Move From Anxiety and Stress to Calm and Self-Trust
Why does your inner critic keep pushing you harder even when you already know how to get things done in midlife?Your inner critic often hides behind “truth,” “motivation,” or “standards.”In this episode, you’ll discover:
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Season 4
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Episode 199
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11:01
Ep. 198 The Surprising Science Backed Coping Skill That Will Silence Your Inner Critic, Ease Midlife Anxiety & Calm Stress
Why do your efforts to silence your inner critic never seem to last?You’re not alone—midlife anxiety and stress often thrive when criticism becomes a daily habit.In this episode, you’ll discover:1. Why calming yo...
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Season 4
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Episode 198
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11:01
Ep. 197 Mel Robbins Says It Takes 200 Hours—Here’s Why Fifteen Seconds Can Ease Midlife Loneliness, Calm Anxiety, and Reduce Stress
Can fifteen brave seconds really be enough to move you out of loneliness in midlife?You’re not alone—many people feel stuck in midlife loneliness while also battling anxiety and stress.In this episode, you’ll discover:
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Season 4
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Episode 197
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10:17
Ep. 196 Essential Coping Skills for Midlife Loneliness: How to Ease Anxiety and Stress by Rebuilding Community.
Does your busyness cover up midlife loneliness without truly easing your anxiety and stress? You’re not alone—belonging often fades when school, church, or work communities disappear, leaving a quiet ache.In this episode, y...
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Season 4
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Episode 196
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9:50
Ep. 195 Science-Backed Coping Skills Using the Comfort of Fall to Reduce Midlife Stress and Anxiety
Do you know how the natural comfort of Fall can be used as a science-backed way to calm anxiety?You’re not alone—many in midlife overlook how the season itself can offer coping skills that reduce stress and restore resilience.In ...
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Season 4
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Episode 195
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13:57
Ep. 194 The Surprising Way You Can Turn the Comfort of Fall into Coping Skills to Reduce Midlife Stress and Anxiety
Are you overlooking the comfort of fall that could become a powerful coping skill for midlife stress and anxiety? You’re not alone—many people miss how seasonal routines and autumn comforts can ease anxiety and strengthen resilience....
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Season 4
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Episode 194
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10:37
Ep. 193 Break Free From Stress & Anxiety For GOOD Using This Science Backed Midlife Coping Skill
What if science could show you a way to finally get free from anxiety in midlife?You’re not alone—so many believe anxiety is something they just have to manage, but research and real-life practice prove otherwise.In this episo...
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Season 4
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Episode 193
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13:28
Ep. 192 Why Your Brain Makes Midlife Anxiety Worse—and 3 Coping Skills to Calm Stress
Have you ever acted on anxiety, only to find out later your brain got it wrong? You’re not alone — your brain’s alarm system can misinform, and knowing how to respond changes everything.In this episode, you’ll discover:...
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Season 4
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Episode 192
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13:21
Ep. 191 Empty Nest Messy Middle — Coping Skills to Support Your Kids and Reduce Midlife Anxiety and Stress
Do you feel like your nest is empty… but your kids still need you just as much?You’re not alone — this “in-between” stage is one of the most emotionally confusing seasons of midlife.In this episode, you’ll discover:
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Season 4
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Episode 191
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13:13
Ep. 190: Why the Empty Nest Triggers Unexpected Anxiety and Stress in Midlife- and How to Move Through It With Ease
Does your “empty nest” still feel full of emotions, memories, and a surprising amount of daily connection? You’re not alone if this shift feels more complicated than you imagined. In this episode, you’ll discover:1....
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Season 4
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Episode 190
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10:21
Ep. 189: How To Immediately Reduce Your Midlife Stress & Anxiety With These Easy & Fundamental Coping Skills
Ever feel like your mind is spiraling but your body can’t catch up?You’re not alone—midlife anxiety and stress often demand more than just logic or positive thinking.In this episode, you’ll discover:Why your five sens...
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Season 4
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Episode 188
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10:36
EMERGENCY EPISODE: From Shock to Steady Ground — Coping Skills to Calm Anxiety & Stress After a School Shooting
How do you begin to feel safe and steady again after experiencing a shooting?You don’t have to have all the answers, and you don’t have to go through this alone.In this episode, you’ll discover:The most i...
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10:47
Ep. 188 2 Proven Coping Skills to Interrupt Midlife Anxiety Before It Spirals
Is your anxiety hijacking your mind before you even notice it? You’re not alone—and you don’t have to stay stuck in the cycle.In this episode, you’ll discover:1. How to identify your unique anxiety si...
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Season 4
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Episode 187
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11:33
Ep. 187 How This Simple 60-Second Coping Skill Eased One Listener’s Midlife Stress & How It'll Reduce Yours Too
Can imagining success actually reduce stress in midlife—or is that just wishful thinking?You’re not the only one who doubts simple coping skills when stress feels overwhelming.In this episode, you’ll discover:1. &...
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Season 4
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Episode 186
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15:34
Ep. 186: Turn Stress Into Action & Get More Done Using This Secret Hack For Midlife Anxiety
Is midlife stress making even simple tasks feel overwhelming? There’s a powerful, brain-based coping skill that can help you stop avoiding and start doing—with more calm and clarity.In this episode, you’ll discover:...
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Season 4
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Episode 185
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10:05
Ep. 184 EMERGENCY EPISODE: From Shock to Steady Ground — Coping Skills to Calm Anxiety & Stress After a Shooting
How do you begin to feel safe and steady again after experiencing a shooting?You don’t have to have all the answers, and you don’t have to go through this alone.In this episode, you’ll discover:The most i...
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Season 4
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Episode 184
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11:36
Ep. 183 How Daily Chores in Midlife Fuel Stress & Anxiety & the Free Coping Skill That Helps
Are daily chores leaving you overwhelmed and anxious in midlife?There’s a free tool that can feel like a coping skill when life starts to pile up.In this episode, you’ll discover:How to use one simple, free too...
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Season 4
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Episode 183
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12:40
Ep. 182 Create a Peaceful Morning Routine to Decrease Midlife Stress and Anxiety & Reduce Family Chaos With THESE Proven Coping Skills
Are your mornings setting the tone for anxiety—or for calm? Peaceful mornings aren’t a personality trait—they’re a midlife leadership skill you can learn and teach.In this episode, you’ll discover:1. ...
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Season 4
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Episode 182
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14:33