Finding Joy in the Hard
Finding Joy in the Hard is a weekly podcast about how we meet life when it stretches us — in grief and growth, in ordinary struggles and unexpected turns.
In short minisodes, I share honest reflections, gentle nervous system awareness, and simple embodied practices to help you steady yourself when things feel uncertain.
From time to time, I sit down with guests who have walked through difficulty and found light in the dark and joy in the hard.
I’m your host, Suzanne Andora Barron — yoga and meditation teacher, Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, and writer. Through breath, awareness, and simple practices, I help people ease tension and reconnect to their inner steadiness.
Finding Joy in the Hard
#151 When you give yourself 2 choices
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, I share a real-life moment from a cold winter morning — a missed phone call, unexpected traffic, and the familiar urge to spiral. Instead of bracing, I practiced something different: breathing, noticing, and staying in the moment.
This episode explores:
- How the body often braces before the mind starts spiraling
- Why familiar patterns of worry and fear feel so automatic
- How to interrupt the loop by returning to breath and sensation
- What it looks like to choose presence, even when you can’t close your eyes
- A simple Jin Shin Jyutsu hold (the thumb) to calm worry
- How tiny shifts open the door to clarity, steadiness, and possibility
I also share surprising insights from a blindingly bright sunrise — and why that moment became an anchor for staying open instead of contracting.
If you’ve ever been pulled into future-tripping, tension, or “what if” thinking, this episode gives you a grounded way back to yourself.
Resources Mentioned:
- Jin Shin Jyutsu thumb hold
- Breathwork: inhale / long slow exhale
- Process What You Feel to Heal Monthly Membership (now open)
You can learn more about the membership here
And I'd love to connect with you on Instagram. You can reach me here
The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe for any medical or psychological condition, nor to prevent, treat, mitigate or cure any such conditions.