Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up tips to help you live a joyful, healthier life.
In today’s edition:
😊Mental / Emotional Well-Being: Self-Validation: The Approval That Matters Most
💖Longevity & Wellness: How Much Protein is Enough?
🌱Trauma Healing: Reframing Triggers: From Overwhelm to Information (Day 1/5)
☀️Journal & Joy Prompts
🧠 Inner Reps: Mental & Emotional Well-Being Workout
👇 And more good stuff!
Today’s Edition
A beacon of light can help to guide one out of the storm. Storms may rage within you and around you, but we know you have a beautiful light inside that you can use to come out of the tumultuous times stronger. We believe in you and are so proud of you for being here!
Self-Validation: The Approval That Matters Most
Yes, we need community in our life that cheers us on; but, gorgeous, don’t get stuck waiting for others to recognize your effort, feelings, or worth. The truth is, you’re magical, enough, and worthy ALWAYS. So, it’s time to learn to validate yourself as a default. This means acknowledging your own emotions and progress so you can build inner stability while not holding back your shine. When you stop outsourcing validation, you become your own anchor.
Why it matters: builds self-trust and resilience while reducing reliance on external praise. Creates emotional strength and stability, while reducing your inner critic’s influence.
🌟 How to practice self-validation:
🪞 Pause and name your feelings: “It makes sense I feel __.”
📝 Acknowledge effort, not just results: “I worked hard on this.”
💬 Talk to yourself like a supportive friend would: put self-approval into words.
🌊 Pair validation with grounding: breathe and notice how it feels to affirm yourself.
✅ Action Step: Today, name one feeling you’ve had and validate it. Example: “Of course I feel anxious, this matters to me.” Bonus, now say something super kind to yourself.
How Much Protein is Enough?
The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, which is approximately 55 grams for a 150-pound person.
However, research shows that this baseline only prevents deficiency; it’s not enough to maintain or build lean muscle, especially as you age. Studies suggest that 1.2 – 1.6 grams per kilogram, 1.5-2x the RDA (roughly 80–110g for a 150 lb person), better supports muscle maintenance, metabolic health, and longevity.
Higher intakes become even more important if you’re physically active, actively working to lose weight, or over 40, since age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) accelerates as you get older.
It is a good idea to spread your protein intake across meals, approximately 25–35g per meal (depending on your weight), to maintain elevated muscle protein synthesis throughout the day.
✅Action Step: Track your intake for a day and see if you’re hitting at least 1.2 g/kg. Add lean meats, eggs, dairy, beans, or plant-based protein to fill the gap and protect your strength for life.
Reframing Triggers: From Overwhelm to Information
Triggers can feel like setbacks, but they’re not proof you’re broken, they’re signals from your nervous system. This week reframes triggers as information, giving you tools to respond with compassion and grounding instead of shame.
A trigger is a stimulus that acts like a reminder, activating trauma memories or body responses.
Activating trauma memories can mean the stimulus brings on a flashback which could be visual, mental, emotional, or sensory, as if the trauma event was still taking place (ex. in the case of PTSD).
Alternatively, being triggered is also used to refer to a heightened activation of the body’s warning system, where the body responds loudly to a (real or perceived) threat in the present moment, a pattern of response developed from past trauma. Either way, triggers are not signs of weakness.
🧠 A trigger is your nervous system reacting as if you’re in danger again.
🪞 It’s not a measure of your strength, but a desire for safety.
🫂 You’re not alone, naming triggers as normal responses is a powerful step toward healing.
In the days to come, you’ll learn techniques that can help make triggers less overwhelming and help you along the healing process.
Darling, don’t give up on yourself, you’re so worth it. Sending love 💕
Every night is a small ending; every morning, a new beginning, especially when you stop holding yourself hostage to yesterday.
📖Journal Prompt:
Building a Caring Relationship with Yourself
Think of a challenge you’re facing. What if it’s not a setback but a plot twist leading somewhere beautiful? What might that storyline be?
🌟Spark of Joy:
Let Little Things Move You
Have a spontaneous dance party… let a song work it’s way through your body, mind, and spirit, momentarily blocking out everything else so you can simple ride the waves of the tune.
Today’s Mental and Emotional Workout:
This workout will increase your ability to:
Tap into gratitude so you can lower stress and see the good in your life more easily
Notice your accomplishments so you can see how wonderful you truly are
Be mindful so you can center yourself in the here and now
In under 8 minutes, you’ll strengthen positive neural pathways for long-term well-being and end the workout feeling better than you started! (Click on the photo below to access the workout)benefit-driven line
Thank you for being here!
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).