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:

Your kindness matters.
Keep shining and being the change you want to see in this world ✨

When emotions pile up, they don’t always want to be analyzed or explained. Sometimes they just want movement, expression, and release. They need an outlet that doesn’t aim to “get it right” or “figure it out.” 

Creative and expressive processing allows emotions to move through you instead of staying stuck inside.

This is giving emotions a space to be heard, a space to let go, without trying to make sense, with the goal of release. 

This is great for when things feel like too much to hold. It’s great for when you find yourself saying “I’m fine” but know that answer is suppressing the truth. It’s effective for when you feel tongue-tied and just don’t know what you need to say or do. This is about letting go of the rules and letting the emotions flow through your chosen mode of creative, uncensored expression.

A little tip: after you use an expressive tool, take a moment to breathe deeply, appreciate yourself, and reconnect with your center. Your nervous system will have had a chance to release, and this is a great little reset at the end.

Gentle expressive tools for emotional overwhelm:

•✍️ Free writing (no censoring): Set a timer for 5–10 minutes and write without stopping. No grammar, no fixing, no rereading.

•🎙️ Voice note venting: Record yourself saying everything you don’t want to edit or soften. You can delete it after, the release still counts.

•🖍️ Scribble drawing: Let your hand move freely. Fast, slow, messy, tight, follow the emotion, not the outcome.

•🎶 Music & movement: Put on a song that matches your mood and let your body respond naturally.

These practices aren’t about creating something “good.” They’re about letting your nervous system exhale.

✅ Action step: Choose one expressive outlet this week and let yourself do it imperfectly.

^{Love, Lola Graham}

After I have a bad sleep, it feels like my brain is full of marbles, which can make simple tasks much more difficult. New research from MIT reveals why this happens.

During normal sleep, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows through the brain to help flush out metabolic waste, supporting long-term brain health. But when you are sleep-deprived, the brain appears to trigger this cleaning process while awake, and that’s when attention briefly fails.

In the study, moments of mental lapses were linked to CSF moving out of the brain, along with slower reaction times, reduced awareness, and changes in breathing, heart rate, and pupil size. 

This research suggests that the brain is trying to compensate for lost sleep by toggling between states of alertness and waste clearance during waking hours, and it comes at a cognitive cost.

Essentially, when you don’t sleep enough, your brain may start “cleaning” at the wrong time (when you are awake), and your focus then pays the price.

✅ Action step: Protect your brain by aiming for 7–9 hours of sleep tonight. Better sleep supports sharper attention and healthier brain maintenance.

Source: PMID: 41162627

^{By: Joshua Graham}

^{A mini-care practice for grounding, calming, and nervous system support.}

Gently unclench your jaw, soften your tongue, and relax your brow. Notice any shift.

Before you go, let us know what you thought of today’s edition and if there are any subjects you would like us to cover in the future reply to this email and let us know!

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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).}