We have exciting news, that you may have seen over the last few days. Listeners On Call is now Kindly Human, and we are so excited to share what that means for our Members!

Welcome to Kindly Human.

Starting today, you will be able to experience the new Kindly Human connection. With Kindly Human you are in control of how you connect, when you connect, how long you connect, and how often you connect.

The most important thing is human connection!

Every day the human brain averages over 70,000 thoughts. That is a lot to process and manage. Building a healthy relationship with your thoughts enables you to know when to embrace, when to release. Trying to navigate this alone though can often cause a mental traffic jam and an unhealthy chain of events. This week Dr. Jada Jackson Hill is sharing tips on how to have a healthy relationship with thought and how to navigate the full array of thoughts that can happen each day.

February 11th is National Make a Friend Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the importance of human connection and the positive impact it has on our overall health and happiness. Research has shown that strong social connections can have a significant impact on physical and mental well-being.

Human connection is a fundamental need for all of us. It provides us with a sense of belonging, validation, and support. However, despite this inherent desire for connection, many of us find ourselves feeling isolated and disconnected. This can have a detrimental effect on our mental well-being, leading to feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

Sometimes, processing challenging emotions comes from hearing ourselves relay the events of our lives in story form. When we begin to notice where we place details of importance during a conversation, we can grasp a better understanding of where our head is at and how we mentally engage with the memory of that time in our lives. Even when we just need to talk about ourselves, having an engaged and empathetic sounding board to bounce ideas off of can make a world of difference to our mental integrity.

Sometimes it feels like we are running toward the end of a year with plenty of steam to propel us into the new year with confidence. Other times it feels like we barely made it through the past year’s challenges and we are just hoping the next will be more gentle. No matter what describes your entrance into 2023, it is important to have a healthy mindset kicking off the year. This week Dr. Jada Jackson Hill is sharing some positive strategies to help you start on the right foot.

Confidence can carry us through uncertainties when employed with intention and care. Taking care of ourselves mentally is a necessary part of total body wellness and feeds the forward momentum of our goals. Our Vice President of Well-being, Dr. Jada Jackson Hill, knows how being stalled can propel alienation. She says “individuals who are struggling are more at risk of feeling isolated by their perceived lack of success, and this alienation can obscure their paths of advancement.”

How many holiday parties, performances, and events have you been to this month? Are you starting to lose count? We get it! And sometimes it feels impossible to politely decline invitations. But did you know that during the holidays stress levels are reported to rise by 38%? So it is important to be mindful of your stress and prioritize your well-being. This week Listener Bob is sharing a personal reflection on how he deals with the holidays or end-of-the-year stress as well as how he keeps personal wellness a priority?

Each day has the ability to bring us opportunities and challenges, but how we approach those events has a great impact on our overall health and happiness. During the holidays it can feel like challenges are coming at us at double the normal speed, so it is important to take a moment to really focus on how we are approaching things. This week Dr. Jada Jackson Hill is talking to us about the impact that mentality and approach can have on your holiday season and beyond.

During this busy season, it can be easy to deprioritize ourselves in favor of making the holidays bright for the ones we love. When we mentally resurface next year, however, the time we spent taking care of everyone else can manifest into discomfort and burnout for us. Instead of being a time for celebration, the holidays can quickly turn into a chore.

When you think about your year do you weigh it as good or bad? The success of a year often isn’t as clean-cut as this. As humans, we will have times when we fall short of our own expectations, but it is important to give ourselves grace and take a moment to appreciate the full picture. This week we are hearing from Listener Oscar as he shares how he approaches the conclusion of one year and appreciates both the highs and lows.

This time of year is a great time to embrace the positives of the year while also shucking off the weight of the challenges. You may naturally be a positive person that enters this time of the year only focusing on the wins, or maybe you are naturally inclined to focus on what you wish you had accomplished. It is ok to make space for both, but it is most important to make room for what you learned this year. This week Dr. Jada is sharing some tips on how to process, appreciate and grow from 2022.

It has been a truly eventful year. As it comes to a close, our minds can often wander to solutions that will encourage the future to be brighter. It can be difficult, however, to imagine the future when our minds are feeling the fatigue of reconciling with the past.

Do you feel like stress sneaks up on you or do you feel like you can see it coming as your task, events and requirements are starting to pill up? It is important to be proactive regarding your mental well-being when you are entering a stressful season. The sooner you address stressors, the easier they are to manage and address. This week we are hearing from Listener Lori as she shares insights on how she manages a busy holiday season along with some of her go-to strategies for self-care.

We have all been told the phrase more isn’t always better, but at times we don’t apply that logic to our schedule. This is never more true than the end of the year with the fun Fall events, special gatherings and the holiday trips. These activities are fun and can bring joy, but they can also make it hard to focus on your needs as you fill your calendar with “just one more” commitment. This week Dr. Jada is sharing some tips on how to prioritize your needs, set holiday boundaries and maintain you mental well-being throughout the season.

The holidays are almost here! Life around the home and office sees a gradual change around this time of year as families begin to discuss travel plans for the next three months and regular schedules may begin to feel that shift. With everything on the cusp of that flux, it can be difficult to identify how to prepare for the next three very busy months. After all, it’s not just our schedules we have to think about. Co-workers, family and friends are all running on their independent availabilities, and it can be daunting to try and keep up.

A report done by Zillow recently found that the home buying process is so stressful to potential buyers that “With prices high and inventory tight, 50% of homebuyers said they cried at least once during the process of purchasing a house, with the stress on par with… being fired.” Because of the personal nature of both selecting a home and the financial details surrounding home buying, it can feel extremely isolating to try and venture out into finding a home.

When you are going through a stressful time or a life change sometimes you just want to talk to someone who gets it! When someone has experienced your same feelings, challenges or opportunities they naturally relate and a connection is formed. This can immediately relieve stress and give you a space to feel understood without concern or hesitation. This week we are hearing from Listener Tracy as she shares a time in her life when connecting with someone who had walked her path previously gave her the support and courage she was seeking.

Strengthening your connection with self can change your life. A healthy emotional relationship with oneself demonstrates strength, resilience, and a positive self-concept. During my career as a therapist working with executives, parents, and athletes, I’ve realized the most important relationship we have is with ourselves.