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:

🥰Well-Being & Self-Care: Why Joy Can Feel Vulnerable Sometimes
💖Longevity & Wellness: Eccentrics as Exercise
✨Daily Affirmation & Daily Prompt

We hope you are scared today, in a good way.
It can be scary to take a step in the direction of your hopes and dreams
Bravery isn’t bravery unless there is fear to step through.
You can do it, be brave and take that step!

We often think of vulnerability in relation to difficult emotions like sadness, fear, or grief. But joy can feel vulnerable too.

To fully experience joy requires presence. Openness. Softness. It asks us to let ourselves feel something good without immediately bracing for it to disappear.

And for many people (especially those who’ve experienced chronic stress, disappointment, trauma, instability, or emotional hurt) that openness can feel risky.

Sometimes we hold back joy without realizing it. We downplay excitement. Stay emotionally guarded. Wait for something bad to happen. Struggle to fully enjoy good moments because part of us is preparing for loss.

This isn’t because something is wrong with you. It’s often a protective response.

But over time, gently allowing yourself to experience moments of joy, pleasure, connection, beauty, or excitement can become part of healing too.

Ways to practice letting joy in:

•💛 Notice when you minimize or shut down good feelings
•🌱 Let small moments matter instead of dismissing them
•🧠 Remind yourself that joy is not naïve or irresponsible
•🎶 Stay present with positive experiences for a few extra seconds
•🫶 Allow yourself to enjoy something without needing to “earn” it first

Joy does not betray your pain, your awareness, or your depth. You are allowed to experience goodness too.

✅ Action step: When something good happens today, even something small, pause for 10 extra seconds and let yourself fully feel it.

^{Love, Lola Graham}

Professor Ken Nosaka, Director of Exercise and Sports Science at ECU, has been studying a type of movement called eccentric exercise, and the results are encouraging for anyone who finds traditional workouts intimidating or unsustainable.

Eccentric exercise focuses on the lengthening phase of a muscle movement (ie, the lowering part), like bringing a dumbbell down, walking downstairs, or slowly lowering into a chair. Your muscles actually produce more force during this phase while using less energy than during the lifting or pushing phase. More output, less effort.

The research shows that just five minutes a day of eccentric movements can lead to meaningful improvements in strength and overall health. You do not need a gym, you do not need equipment, and you do not need to feel wrecked afterward to see results. Examples include slow chair squats, heel drops, and wall push-ups, movements that already mirror what you do in daily life.

However, eccentric exercise does not challenge the heart and lungs to the same extent as doing the contraction phase too. But it can be good for older adults or beginners. 

✅ Action Step: Try a slow eccentric squat today, lower yourself into a chair over 4 to 5 seconds, controlling the descent the whole way down.

^{By: Joshua Graham | Source: PMID: 41571183}

^{A gentle prompt to help you create small feel good moments of beauty, appreciation, and delight.}

^{A reflective journaling prompt to explore learning, self-awareness, and becoming.}

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

^{A supportive prompt to build health, nourishment, and long-term wellness.}

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

prompt 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).}