Ep 98: How To Feel Better: Processing Triggers And Heavy Emotions

In this episode of Joyful Love, I share with you how I'm choosing to embrace Perimenopause and listen to my own needs right now.

During my 4-month hiatus,  I've had so many benefits of hitting the "pause" button on a few things in life.

Slowing down has helped me prevent burnout, make clearer decisions, and deepen my relationships. But it also gave me a little surprise that I'll tell you about in this episode ... a welcome surprise! 

Tune in to hear how I'm approaching my own midlife awakening, what I've created along the way, and how you can join me in what's to come! 

Listen to the end to hear all about the Have A Better Marriage By Friday Challenge coming up and how to register! 


For full show notes and transcript, go to: https://rachaelcunningham.com/podcast/ep_104/

In this episode, we dive deeper into the concept of planned rests and intentional breaks, exploring how they act as crucial periods of healing and growth. Drawing inspiration from nature's cyclical rhythms, we examine the necessity for rest in our lives, especially amidst our busy routines in womanhood, motherhood, career pursuits, and relationships.

Episode Insight:

• Understanding the significance of planned rests as essential for healing and growth.
• Exploring the parallels between nature's seasonal rest and our own need for rejuvenation.
• Overcoming societal pressures and patriarchal ideologies about constant productivity to embrace the transformative power of intentional breaks.

What You'll Learn:

• How planned rests contribute to increased energy, creativity, and peace.
• Identifying areas in your life that would benefit from a break and how to approach this transition.
• The art of trusting yourself in taking a break and its positive impact on personal and relational well-being.
• How embracing rest serves as a catalyst for personal growth and the cultivation of joyful living.

Listen now to discover just how productive rest can be - for your life and relationship. 

To learn more and take a free class on better connection, go to rachaelcunningham.com

For more info and to join Stoked: The Marriage Mastermind For Women, go to : https://www.stokedmarriage.com/smm-01

As the holiday season approaches, the desire to create lasting memories for our families often clashes with the need for personal rest and relaxation. In this episode, we explore how to strike a balance between nurturing our own well-being and ensuring joyful experiences for loved ones.

What you'll learn: 

1. Striking a Balance: Learn how to harmonize personal rest with family holiday activities without reaching the breaking point.

2. Client Stories: Here a few real-life examples of clients who managed to honor their need for rest while creating memorable moments for their families. 

3. Preventing Overwhelm: Practical steps to avoid overwhelming situations during the Holiday season and what self-respect has to do with it.

4. The Power of Emotions: Embrace both positive and challenging emotions to create space for joy and peace during the holidays.

Get ahead of the game this season! A peaceful, joyful, and connected Holiday begins with This episode, a pen, and a piece of paper! 

Grab your pen and paper and listen on! 

For more information, check out https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

In this episode of "Joyful Love," I tell you exactly how to deal with a defensive partner.

We've all been there, attempting to address issues or seek improvements in our relationships, only to have our partners become defensive. This episode explores why this happens and provides practical strategies to foster a deeper connection and open communication with your spouse.

You'll hear how my client, Sarah had success in helping her husband feel comfortable in conversations about making change. And I'll tell you the five tools she adopted to help her do so.

You'll learn how to create understanding, validate emotions, and work collaboratively to resolve issues, ultimately leading to a more harmonious and supportive partnership.

Here's what you'll learn:

1. Discover the root causes of partner defensiveness, including fear, insecurity, and past experiences.

2. Gain insights from a client's success story in transforming a defensive dynamic into a more peaceful and connected relationship.

3. Learn the five essential steps to effectively respond to your partner's defensiveness, including active listening, validation, perspective exploration, and collaboration.

4. Understand that improving your relationship goes beyond surface-level issues; it's about building confidence in yourself to navigate and manage both solvable and unsolvable problems in your partnership.

Tune in to "Joyful Love" and equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to foster healthier, more satisfying relationships.

For full show notes, visit https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

Can you believe it? The Joyful Love Podcast has hit 100 episodes of inspiration, stories, and relationship wisdom!

To celebrate this journey, I've got something special in store for you.

In this episode, I'll share my most embarrassing moment as an entrepreneur yet! And then I get to what you really want to know about - the newest, most accessible way to work with me yet - the brand-new membership program!

This membership is going to be your opportunity to get all the coaching and support you need to create a marriage and life you're stoked to be in! 

Tune in to hear the details and how you can be a Founding Member!

For more information, go to https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

Resentment normally turns to anger and disconnection in a marriage. But what if we could flip the script and use this feeling FOR our connection instead? 

In today’s episode, "How To Turn Resentment Into Emotional Connection," you'll discover practical strategies for transforming feelings of resentment into emotional intimacy.

What You'll Learn:

• The nature of resentment and how it can silently affect your relationships.

• The importance of recognizing and acknowledging resentment to regain personal power.

• Why expecting a perfect 50/50 balance in relationships can lead to more stress.

• Three key questions to ask yourself when you feel resentment, including how to communicate your needs to your partner.

• How expressing gratitude and appreciation can be an antidote to resentment

• The importance of self-awareness in resolving resentment and building emotional intimacy.

Don't miss this episode if you want to learn how to turn resentment into an opportunity for growth, connection, and a thriving marriage

For more information and show notes, go to https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

If you ignore or avoid your emotions ... eventually you'll POP!  I've been there and I'm sure you have too.

So today, I'm showing you exactly what to do with your triggers and emotions.

You know how sometimes we get so busy with our daily lives that we forget to pay attention to how we feel inside?

When we barrel through our emotions and try to avoid them, we do ourselves no favors. And when we feel triggered, we think something is so wrong that we feel paralyzed and stuck in that feeling.

This happens becasue we don't know how to process our feelings. 

 In this episode, I show you how to fully process your emotions, even the not-so-fun ones, and how doing this can actually make us wiser, more decisive, and have more joy and peace in life.

 You'll learn how to stop avoiding your feelings and start tapping into the wisdom of your body.

If you want to stop ignoring your emotions, listen on! 

For more information and full show notes, and a free class on better connection, head to https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

Difficult conversations are part of marriage. And it can be uncomfortable to start one.  Your nervous system goes on overload. You feel tense, stressed, and like you want to RUN!

This is why we often avoid hard talks and simply hold in our feelings and let them fester.

But If you hold in your frustration or confusion, it’ll come out eventually … often with passive-aggressive anger.

Let’s change that!

In this episode, you’ll learn how to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. You’ll reach solutions to your marriage problems more quickly - while you stay connected!

Tune in and learn:

• How to be aware of your emotions in the moment and remain present with your partner.

• Why you don’t have to be right!

• How To listen to your partner’s perspective so YOU can be heard too.

• 4 Steps to help difficult conversations flow and reach better solutions

Listen now and have better conversations tonight! 

For more information go to https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

Communication with two different people who live all of life together can get tricky at times. Our decisions affect each other. And the way we talk to each other matters. 

Often we're married to someone who is opposite from us in communication styles.  One can be an internal processor, where they need time and space on their own to think about decisions.

And the other can be more external. The external processor needs to verbally express their thoughts and opinions. 

If we don't understand these different needs, it's easy to take offense at your partners communication style. 

How do you not feel ignored when your partner is quiet?

How do you not feel bombarded when your partner expresses all of their stress out loud? 

If you've ever been confused by how you or your partner respond and communicate, tune in to this episode. 

You'll learn the difference between the two communication styles and how to use them for the good of your relationship instead of against it. 

You'll learn to hold space for each other's hearts and to trust that you and your partner are on the same team. You're kicking the ball to the same goal ... even if you have a different route of getting there!

If you'd like more information or to get on my newsletter, go to https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/

If you're married to a difficult partner, you don't have to live a life of frustration and confusion.

There's a better way to approach your relationship that doesn't include suffering and discontentment.

You may need to adjust your expectations or you may need to set some powerful boundaries.

In today's episode you'll learn:
* To own your decision to stay married or complete the relationship
* To step into your power and love from your strengths.
* To see and value your partner's perspective
* To focus on what you can control
* To be present with the good in your partner and your relationship
* How to set a boundary if needed.

And you'll learn 5 Questions to ask yourself to get you unstuck!

Only YOU can decide if you want to stay in your marriage or not .... but if you choose to stay married to someone who is extra challenging ... get the help you need ... starting with this episode. 

For Full Show notes, go to https://www.rachaelcunningham.com/category/podcast/