Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up tips to help you live a healthier, happier life.
In today’s edition:
😊Mental / Emotional Well-Being: Overstimulation: When Life Feels Too Loud
💖Longevity & Wellness: Gut Check
🧠 Inner Reps: Self-Compassion Guided Meditation
☀️Self-Care & Connection
🌱Trauma Healing: Self Soothing (Day 3/5)
👇 And more good stuff!
Today’s Edition
You’re awesome! It's true, so it's about time to accept that you are awesomeness incarnated into human form.
Overstimulation: When Life Feels Too Loud
We live in a world full of noise: constant notifications, bright lights, background chatter, and endless to-do lists. While some stimulation is normal, overstimulation happens when your brain and nervous system have too much to process, leaving you feeling mentally and emotionally drained. This can lead to us feeling irritated, anxious, etc. at others, or ourselves when the real culprit may be sound and/or too much in-put: what a crazy ‘ah-ha!’ this can be, one that we can easily work with when we know.
Signs you might be overstimulated:
😣 Irritability or snapping over small things
🌀 Difficulty focusing or feeling mentally “foggy”
😵 Heightened anxiety or feeling “on edge”
💤 Sudden fatigue or desire to withdraw
🔊 Sensitivity to sounds, lights, smells, or textures
Common causes:
📱 Constant digital input (notifications, social media, screens)
🗣 Busy or noisy environments
🗓 Overpacked schedules with no downtime
🔄 Multitasking for long periods
😴 Lack of rest or recovery time
How to practice reducing overstimulation:
⏸ Take a sensory break: use noise cancelling headphones or other sound dampening products, turn off devices, dim the lights, and sit quietly.
🌿 Get outside: nature offers restorative, low-stimulation environments.
🧘 Try grounding techniques: deep breaths, progressive muscle relaxation, or noticing five things you can see/hear/feel.
📅 Build in “white space” (low stimulation time) in your calendar between commitments.
✅ Action Step: Schedule one 15-minute break today where you intentionally reduce sensory input (no screens, no noise) just breathing room.
Gut Check
Did you know that your gut is home to trillions of bacteria? It is known as the microbiome, and it quietly influences almost every part of your health.
A balanced, diverse microbiome helps control inflammation, supports your immune system, aids digestion, and even boosts mood. Research shows that people with healthier, more diverse gut bacteria tend to age better and live longer, while imbalances are linked to issues like heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline.
The good news? You can strengthen your gut health with simple daily choices:
🥕 Eat a variety of fiber rich whole foods throughout the week like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains as these help feed the good bacteria in your gut.
🦠Eat fermented foods which contain beneficial bacteria like yogurt, kefir, or sauerkraut to help keep your microbiome thriving.
✅ Action Step: Add one new plant-based food to your meals this week, something you don’t normally eat (like lentils, kiwi, or red cabbage) to help your gut will flourish!
Today’s Guided Meditation:
Let self-compassion surround you with kind healing energy.
Courage doesn’t always feel loud; sometimes it’s a whisper that says, “try again.” Sometimes, courage walks hand in hand with fear.
📖Journal Prompt:
What’s one small risk I’d like to take for the life I want to live and why? Am I willing and if so, what first step do I take?
🌟Spark of Joy:
Take a slow sip of water — like when it feels like exactly what your body has been craving.
🦋Weekly Connection & Kindness Challenge:
💬Ask a Thoughtful Question
Go beyond “How are you?” and really listen.
Self-Soothing Strategies: Calming Tools for Different Environments
Self-soothing is the act of calming your emotional distress, helping regulate your nervous system, especially when trauma responses are on overdrive.
Day 3: At Work or in Public
These subtle tools can be used anywhere. This is so helpful especially when a trigger catches you off guard.
🌳Ground through your feet: notice them pressing into the floor.
🫁Breathe slowly and lengthen your exhale. (Try counting in for 4 and out for 6).
🗨️Repeat a calming phrase silently and take in your surroundings (“I see I’m safe in this moment”).
👌Use a soothing self-touch like gently running your tumb across your fingers, arm, or leg. You can also try deliberately touching a piece of jewelry, glasses, or clothing.
Practice in feel-good moments too so you strengthen your ability to connect to these tools in tough moments.
Darling, don’t give up on yourself, you’re so worth it. Sending love 💕
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!
What did you think of today's edition?
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).