Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC

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Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC

Joanna Hardis, LISW-S, is a licensed therapist, author and speaker who helps people do hard things.

Her second book, “Just Do Nothing (for Parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less,” guides parents on building distress tolerance.

01/16/2026

When your nervous system is stuck in overdrive, it can sound the alarm even when nothing’s actually wrong. Anxiety, OCD, and other disorders can make your body react as if you’re in danger, even when you’re not.

It’s confusing and uncomfortable, but it’s not a sign that you’re “broken.”

The work is learning not to treat every body cue like a threat. Instead of reacting automatically, we can learn to pause, notice, and gather information.

Not everything your body says needs a response. Sometimes, it just needs to be acknowledged.

01/14/2026

Distress tolerance is not the same as endurance.

It’s not about forcing yourself to “just deal with it.”

It’s not about gritting your teeth forever, it’s about building capacity over time.

What’s one way you’ve noticed your capacity growing, even a little? Comment below so we can celebrate the real progress. 🧠

01/12/2026

If January feels heavy, flat, or low-energy, you're not alone. Winter may be part of what’s going on. Shorter days, colder temps, and less sunlight affect a lot of us.

But it’s not just the weather.

Sometimes, what makes it harder is how we respond to winter:
❄️Complaining about how cold it is
❄️ Wishing it were different
❄️ Fantasizing about how much better you'd feel somewhere else
❄️ Putting life on pause until it warms up
❄️ Judging yourself for disliking it in the first place

The goal isn’t to love winter, it’s to notice how you’re resisting it, and then practice allowing those thoughts and feelings without letting them derail you.

You don’t have to wait for spring (or relocate to Costa Rica) to start living. You can move toward what matters now, even with discomfort in the mix.

What’s one thing you’re doing this winter that aligns with your values?

01/08/2026

When you feel anxious or out of control, do you find yourself trying to control more? If so, January may be a tricky month.

Between being off your schedule, indulging more in everything and the constant noise of "New Year, New You," there’s so much pressure to track everything (steps, sleep, food, mood). For some people, it's helpful but for others, especially those with anxious brains, tracking becomes another way to manage feeling uncomfortable and it can quickly get compulsive.

In these situations, the real growth might be in stepping back and asking yourself if all your tracking is moving you toward or away from what's important.

Just because it works for someone else doesn't mean it works for you and that's ok. Acknowledging this, without judgement, is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

That’s where Just Do Nothing comes in. It’s not about doing nothing forever, it’s about learning to pause long enough to see what’s driving the urge to act.

Because meaningful change doesn’t always show up in a spreadsheet. Sometimes it looks like letting things be for just a moment longer than you did yesterday.

👉 What’s one area where you could track a little less and notice a little more?

01/06/2026

You didn’t get a new brain for the new year. Let’s stop expecting overnight transformation.

The calendar changed, but your patterns didn’t disappear. Same urges. Same discomfort. Same sticky thoughts.

And that’s not a personal failure, that’s how brains work.

Change doesn’t come from waking up motivated or getting it “right” this time. It comes from being willing to let the discomfort be there and still take the next step toward what matters.

To pause, to just do nothing, and to let it pass without letting it decide what you do next.

What’s your next step going to be?

12/29/2025

You’ve probably heard the advice: “Let them.”

Let them be late. Let them make the mistake. Let them feel their feelings.

I’m not weighing in on the theory itself, but I will say this:
It’s not that simple.

Because when we let them, we’re likely to feel anxious, worried, guilty or some other challenging feeling that leads to the urge to jump in and fix. That discomfort doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it means you a need a skill set to move through the feelings.

This is where learning how to Just Do Nothing comes in. It’s the skill of not acting on those urges, of building your distress tolerance so you can feel the wave, without letting it take you under.

Letting them might be the concept, but Just Do Nothing is the skilll to make it happen.

12/23/2025

Parenting is hard. It just is. And most of the advice out there assumes we already have the skills to stay calm and grounded while our kids are melting down in the cereal aisle.

But what if the real issue isn’t the tantrum... it’s our own discomfort?

When we don’t know how to tolerate our distress, we end up reacting instead of responding. We give in, we over-explain, we jump in to fix. Not because we don’t know what to do, but because we’re overwhelmed.

That’s where my new book comes in.

It’s not another list of parenting strategies. It’s about building the capacity to use the ones you already know, especially when it’s hard.

Whether your kids are little, grown, or somewhere in between, this book is for you.

Because you don’t need to be perfect, you need to be present... even when it’s uncomfortable.

👉 Get your copy of Just Do Nothing (for parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less here:https://www.amazon.com/Just-Do-Nothing-Parents-Parent/dp/B0FV3Q1CSV/

12/18/2025

Repeat after me: You don’t have to feel calm to act calmly.

You can be flooded with frustration and still hold a boundary. You can feel the urge to yell and still speak with a steady tone.

That’s what the PAUSEing helps you do. It reminds us to pause before we act. It's 5 skills that can be used together, separately or in any combination that someone needs, and those needs will change depending on the moment.

It doesn’t erase the discomfort. It gives you the skill set to stay with it without letting it take the wheel.

Because parenting from values means:
💥 Holding the line even when you're exhausted
💥 Responding kindly even when you're irritated
💥 Choosing your behavior instead of reacting from panic
We’re not aiming for perfection. We’re building capacity.

Want to learn how to make that space between trigger and response? Start by PAUSEing (full breakdown in the blog—https://joannahardis.com/2025/12/01/how-to-stop-getting-so-mad-so-easily-pause/).

12/16/2025

Holidays can be especially hard if you’re grieving or feeling lonely this time of year.

When I was newly divorced, I would dread the time between Christmas and the New Year. I still don’t like it though I’ve come to make new traditions to get through it.

Make sure you check on your friends, colleagues and acquaintances that may be alone and feeling lonely. ❤️

12/11/2025

Your nervous system can’t tell the difference between:
🚨 “My kid is yelling at me” and
🚨 “A bear is chasing me.”

Both trigger the same fight-or-flight response.

This is why you explode over bedtime. Or homework. Or the 6th snack request.

The solution? Learning to PAUSE and remind yourself: “I’m not in danger. I’m just uncomfortable.”

It sounds simple, but this shift is powerful. Because when you stop treating discomfort like danger, you can respond from your values, not your panic.
Want a tool that helps you do this in the moment?

Get your copy of Just Do Nothing (for Parents) here: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Do-Nothing-Parents-Parent/dp/B0FV3Q1CSV/

12/09/2025

This one’s for the parents, usually us moms.

This time of year, the urge to make things perfect for our kids can be strong (including their moods!)

When we’re so focused on making sure everything’s perfect and everyone’s happy, we can slip into control mode—micromanaging, oversteering, missing the moment right in front of us.

What would happen if you gave yourself permission to go from "perfect" to "good enough?"

12/05/2025

There’s a voice in your head that says you should be doing more. More wrapping, more reaching out, more showing up, more self-improvement before the ball drops.

Let’s challenge that. 🗣️

Not engaging with the urge to do more does not mean you're lazy, wasting time, or falling behind. In fact, it may give you the opportunity to slow down and connect with what's really important.

Rest isn’t something you earn by pushing yourself to the edge, it’s part of being human. It’s how we take care of ourselves so we can keep showing up.

What helps you actually rest this time of year? Share in the comments, it might just give someone else permission to do the same.

Address

2460 Fairmount Boulevard Suite 320
Cleveland Heights, OH
44106

Telephone

+12166008696

Website

http://joannahardis.com/

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