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: Well-Being Isn’t All-or-Nothing: The PERMA Model
💖Longevity & Wellness: Why You Need Morning Light
🌱Trauma Healing: Releasing Shame: Loosening Trauma’s Grip (Day 3/5)
☀️Journal & Joy Prompts
🧠 Guided Meditation: Somatic Release (#2)
👇 And more good stuff!
Today’s Edition
Do you hear that?... That is the sound of your haters quieting down because they realize they were 1000% wrong - you are awesome!
Well-Being Isn’t All-or-Nothing: The PERMA Model
Well-being doesn’t mean everything in life is perfect all at once. It also doesn’t mean that we need to ‘master positive emotion.’ These kinds of thoughts are reductive and hold us back from experiencing well-being as a more nuanced experience. Martin Seligman’s PERMA model shows us five pillars of well-being that we can lean on: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. When one area feels low, you can draw strength from the others, creating balance instead of pressure for perfection.
✨ Why it matters: offers multiple pathways to feel better, encourages holistic well-being, eliminates all-or-nothing approach to well-being
🌟 Examples of ways to practice PERMA
😊 Positive Emotion: Savor small joys, practice gratitude, find reasons to laugh.
🎨 Engagement: Do something that makes you lose track of time, step into flow, embrace creativity, get lost in something.
🤝 Relationships: Connect meaningfully with someone you trust, engage with community online or in person, journal to get to know yourself more, do a hobby in a group setting.
🧭 Meaning: Do one thing aligned with your values, get involved with activism, bring your authentic self to a daily activity, read something moving.
🏆 Accomplishment: Celebrate even tiny wins, make a list of past accomplishments, notice little things you complete instead of waiting for grand achievements
✅ Action Step: Choose one PERMA area today and give it attention: call a friend, savor a meal, or celebrate a small success.
Bonus: journal about the areas of PERMA to learn about yourself and well-being from a greater perspective. Are you being called to make more time or space for one? Which comes easiest? Etc.
Why You Need Morning Light 🌞
A free, simple and powerful longevity habit is to step outside in the morning. Research shows (Christine Blume, et al. 2019) that early bright light exposure helps set your circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that governs sleep, energy, hormone release, and even metabolism.
When your circadian system is aligned, your body performs vital repair processes more efficiently, which may reduce the risk of age-related conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline.
Morning sunlight also signals the body to lower melatonin (your sleep hormone) and increase cortisol in a healthy rhythm, giving you energy and focus for the day. At the same time, it boosts serotonin, a mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter that later converts to melatonin at night, improving sleep quality. This daily cycle of energy and rest is central to healthy aging and resilience.
✅ Action Step: Within an hour of waking, step outside for 5–15 minutes of natural light. No sunglasses or windows in between. The goal is to let the light reach your eyes (without staring at the sun). This still works even if it is cloudy outside. If you want even more benefits, then pair it with a short walk or stretch.
Releasing Shame: Loosening Trauma’s Grip
Shame convinces us that we are the problem, when in truth the harm never belonged to us. This week, we’ll gently challenge shame’s grip and begin to reclaim your worth and truth.
Day 3: Externalizing Shame
Shame grows when it feels personal. Let’s recognize where it actually comes from.
🌍 Ask: “Who or what taught me this?” Harm do-ers, culture, family, and/or systems often pass on shame.
🏛️ Consider how oppressive systems (patriarchy, victim-blaming, capitalism) profit from your shame.
🛑 Reminder: their voice does not equal your truth.
🌟 Each time you spot its source, you take a step toward releasing it from your identity.
Darling, don’t give up on yourself, you’re so worth it. Sending love 💕
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You don’t have to carry it all. Put something down today. Even just for a moment.
📖Journal Prompt:
Building a Caring Relationship with Yourself
What is a reminder that you would like to tell yourself next time you are in a downward spiral?
🌟Spark of Joy:
Let Little Things Move You
Swing your arms as you walk… like when you feel light and free without a care.
Guided Meditation: Somatic Release
This meditation helps you release tension from your body so you can feel your best.
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).