Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up tips to help you live a joyful, healthier life.

In today’s edition:

You’re here today. You’ve made it through good days, and downright awful ones, too. We are proud of you for being here, for your fortitude and grit. Keep being you, you amazing, physical manifestation of awesomeness! 

Sometimes, anxiety takes the shape of planning, managing, anticipating, and trying to “keep everything together.” This form of hypervigilant control can feel like safety, but it can also keep the nervous system in a state of constant watchfulness and drain our energy as we prepare for many eventualities that aren’t actually likely to happen. It is important to feel like we have control in our life but consistent anticipatory worry drains more than it helps. 

When we feel this constant anxious need for control and worry, we can see it as an invitation to step into self-trust. This trust is not a belief that things will go perfectly but that you will figure out how to handle what comes your way, even if it’s not always pleasant. Control tries to prevent life. Trust lets you live it.

🌟 Ways to release the grip of control

✅ Action Step: Identify one area where you’re gripping tightly. Loosen it a little. Notice the breath that returns.

We have been talking about core training this month for Fitness Friday. In week 1, we talked about core stability, week 2 was core flexion, and this week is core extension. 

When most people think of their core, they think of their abs, which is part of the core, but so is the back. If you want a healthy core, then you need to focus on this too. 

Bringing your chest away from your belly button, like you are trying to arch your back, is core extension. Core extension helps strengthen the muscles that run along your spine, as well as your glutes and deep core stabilizers. These muscles keep you upright, supported, and pain-free in daily life. 

When the back of your core is weak, the front muscles and hip flexors can often take over, leading to slouching, low back discomfort, and poor movement mechanics. Training extension helps restore balance, improves posture, reduces strain on the lower back, and supports more powerful and efficient lifting, walking, and running.

Some effective core extension exercises are:

✅ Action step: Do 2 to 3 sets of core extension each week to help keep your back and core strong and healthy

After trauma we can get stuck searching for what we “should have done” in an effort to make sense of our pain. This week is about loosening that weight and remembering what is real: you were not at fault.

Letting go of blame is a gradual, layered process. It is not about forgetting what happened, it’s about refusing to abandon yourself in the aftermath. Each time you turn toward yourself with gentleness, you break the cycle of internalized harm and create space for your own relief, dignity, and peace.

• 🌞 When self-blame arises, gently say: “This is not mine to hold.”
• 🌱 Celebrate moments of self-care as acts of reclaiming your life.
• 🪴 Speak your truth to someone safe: “It wasn’t my fault.”
• 🧡 You deserve a life that is bigger than what happened to you.

^{Darling, don’t give up on yourself, you’re so worth it. Sending love} 💕

Where in your body are you holding tension right now? If that part of you could speak, what would it say?

Admire the sky… its colors, its depth, its vastness, a cathedral of gentle infinity overhead.

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).}