Monthly Collection - January

Written By Patricia J-V

This month, I’m sharing:

Something to listen to
A podcast that offers perspective or a reminder that we’re not alone in what we’re navigating.

Relational: #1 Conversation Every Couple Should Have Before it’s Too Late (On Purpose with Jay Shetty)

Personal: Understanding Hypervigilance: Grounding Techniques When You Don’t Feel Safe (Normalize Therapy)

Something to read
I found this beautiful poem in preparation for one of my yoga classes. It reminds us that we’re not meant to be fixed, just understood more kindly.

I thought becoming myself

was improving each part

piece by piece

But it was finding

a hidden wholeness

seeing the fractures

as the design

~ Brianna Wiest

Something to nourish

Can You Beat Depression with Food?
In this piece, Dr. Mark Hyman reminds us that mood isn’t just psychological and that it’s also deeply biological. What we eat influences brain chemistry, inflammation, and blood sugar, all of which can shape how anxious, low, steady, or clear we feel. Rather than framing food as another thing to control, he invites a compassionate view of nourishment as support for emotional balance.

Gentle takeaways to try:

  • Aim for steadiness: Eat regularly spaced meals (approx. every 3 hours) with protein and healthy fats to help stabilize mood and energy.

  • Notice without judgment: Gently observe how certain foods affect your mood, focus, or anxiety. Log your meals and approach your intake with curiosity over restriction.

  • Nourish, don’t punish: Choose foods that help you feel supported and grounded, not “perfect.”

Something to try
An invitation to a simple practice that you can take into your day if it feels right.

  • Stop and Check-In: Set an alarm on your phone to check in with how you’re feeling once or twice per day. Pause, place a hand on your heart, and ask yourself:

    • What am I feeling?

    • What do I need?

Drawing from Mark Brackett’s work, emotional self-attunement begins with noticing and naming what you’re feeling, without judgment or urgency to change it. When we pause to recognize emotions with curiosity and compassion, we create space between the feeling and our reaction, which supports regulation and choice. This kind of emotional awareness helps us respond to ourselves, and others, with greater clarity, care, and connection.

Patricia J-V
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