TMIT 56: Psychological Flexibility (or How Not to Lose Your Sh*t)

Whether it's the back-to-school reality check or the fact that Q4 is packed with everyone's birthdays and holidays, we’ve found ourselves reacting to absolutely everything lately. When everything is getting on your nerves, how do you keep from spiraling?

This week, we’re digging into a topic that is highly necessary for our family right now: psychological flexibility (aka the art of not losing your sh*t each time something bothers you). It’s not about controlling what you feel; it's about choosing how you respond.

In Episode 56, we take stock of our own stress levels and share the tools we are learning to help us choose our actions based on our values, rather than our momentary outrage.

• The Co-Rumination Trap: Why joining forces with your partner to vent and do "laps" around an injustice feels like gaining clarity, when you are actually just gaining intensity.
• The 5-Step ACT Model: We break down the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework (Notice, Name, Allow, Orient, Choose) and how we are using it to calm the brain's fight-or-flight response.
• Fiery vs. Avoidant: Danielle discusses her tendency to immediately speak up when triggered, while Greg unpacks his tendency to "park" difficult conversations for later (sometimes a decade later).
• Redefining "Unbothered": We clarify one of our core family values. Being unbothered doesn't mean you don't care; it means your actions can stay unbothered even when your internal emotions are deeply bothered.

How do you and your partner keep from spiraling into co-rumination when stress peaks? Let us know!

Listen to TMIT 56 wherever you get your podcasts.