Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up a daily dose of care designed to support you, cheer you on and remind you, always, just how wonderful you already are.

In Today’s Edition:

You are allowed to take up space, to rest, to shine, to be YOU.
Go smash f#^k out of life, in whatever way is right for you!

Psychologist and author Alan Downs writes that joy can be brief, subtle, and easy to miss, especially during difficult times. When life feels heavy, negativity bias and stress can narrow our ability to notice and receive joy, even when it exists alongside pain.

But joy isn’t something we either have or don’t have; it’s a skill we can practice. In his book The Velvet Rage, Downs suggests three parts to cultivating joy:
1) Making ourselves vulnerable to joy.
2) Noticing when we feel joy. And,
3) Repeating the behaviours that create it.

This doesn’t mean ignoring suffering. It means practicing the truth that pain and joy can coexist.

Ways to practice the three steps:

1) Make yourself vulnerable to joy
•🌿 Set an intention to notice small, gentle moments
•🧠 Remember that stress can blind us to beauty, and that can be softened
•✨ Explore tiny joys: warmth, music, nature, comfort, connection, small pleasures

2) Notice when you feel joy
•💛 During everyday moments, pause and ask: “Is there a flicker of joy here?”
•🌱 Let joy be brief; it doesn’t need to be big or lasting
•📓 Consider a joy journal, even starting with moments that could have held joy

3) Repeat what creates joy
•☕ If coffee brought a spark yesterday, drink it more intentionally today
•🎶 If music lifted you, return to it on purpose
•🕯️ Build small rituals around what nourishes you

Joy isn’t denial. It’s nourishment. It’s resistance. It’s permission to stay alive to what’s good.

✅ Action step: Today, notice one small moment of joy, and gently return to it again tomorrow.

^{Love, Lola Graham}

Your feet are the foundation for movement, and one of the most effective ways to improve foot strength and stability is a technique called “short foot.”

This exercise trains the small muscles that support your arch, improving balance, alignment, and force transfer through the ankles, knees, and hips. Stronger feet can reduce compensations in other areas, helping prevent knee pain, hip strain, and lower-back overload.

What “short foot” is: Gently lifting the arch by drawing the ball of your foot slightly toward your heel, without curling your toes. You’re almost thinking about trying to shorten your foot, hence the moniker “short foot.”

How to do it (cues): Keep toes relaxed, imagine “doming” the arch, and feel light tension through the midfoot.

When to use it: Practice it during warm-ups, then try to maintain it during squats, lunges, and standing exercises to improve stability and control.

Note: You might find it much easier to do and maintain “short foot” on one foot than the other. 

If it is challenging to do now, that is ok because, over time, it will become easier to do and to maintain. “Short foot” builds a stronger, more responsive foundation that supports better movement patterns. 

✅ Action step: Stand barefoot and hold a short foot contraction for 10 seconds per side, repeating 3 times. Notice if it is easier on one foot or the other.

Sources: PMID: 36231295 PMID: 41490170, PMID: 30860412

^{By: Joshua Graham}

^{A gentle invitation to integrate lived experience with kindness, perspective, and care.}

What’s one quiet way you showed strength recently, even if no one noticed?

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With love and care,

Lola & Joshua | The Living Well Team

^{Living Well Daily is for educational purposes only and is in no way a substitute for professional medical and mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a qualified professional for care unique to your needs.}

^{Remember: It’s okay to ask for help. Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (Canada & US).}