Kristen D Boice, LMFT

Kristen D Boice, LMFT Psychotherapist, Coach, Speaker, Close the Chapter Podcast Host + Facilitator helping you to close th

There are seasons when the weight feels constant and the nervous system stays on high alert. During those times, forcing...
01/13/2026

There are seasons when the weight feels constant and the nervous system stays on high alert.

During those times, forcing positivity or meaning often creates more pressure.

What tends to help instead is noticing what is already offering support, even in subtle ways.

When attention gently shifts toward what is holding you whether that’s a person, a pause in the day, or a moment of rest, the nervous system gains a little more room to breathe.

❤️The heaviness may still be present, but it no longer has to be carried alone.

This kind of reflection allows the body to register safety without denying pain.

Even short moments of grounding can interrupt survival mode and create space for regulation.

If you’re moving through a difficult season, my free guided journal offers gentle prompts to help you notice what supports you when things feel heavy.

You can download it through the link in the bio or at www.kristendboice.com/freeresources.

01/12/2026

Have you ever noticed how quickly a new year arrives, and how little space we give ourselves to truly check in?

As we step into 2026, I’m inviting you to slow down and reconnect with you. Not through pressure or fixing, but through reflection and intention.

Each year, I choose one word. I spend time journaling, praying, and sitting with it, noticing how it feels. I let the word come to me, and it becomes something I return to when life feels heavy or overwhelming.

This practice has supported my nervous system in ways resolutions never have.

🎧 In Close the Chapter Podcast Episode 351, I share how choosing one word can serve as a mental and emotional reset, and I hope it will be helpful as you reflect on what you need most as you move into this next chapter.

You can listen here:
https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode351

📓 And if you’d like extra support, you can download my free Close the Chapter Journal at
www.kristendboice.com/freeresources
It’s a gentle companion to help you slow down, check in with yourself, and deepen this process.

01/11/2026

You’re not locked into one word for the entire year.

In this episode, I talk about choosing a word that truly resonates in your body and spirit and giving yourself permission to pivot if it stops feeling supportive.

Your word can change, evolve, or even become a phrase or image; there’s no wrong way to do this.💗

What word or feeling does your body keep coming back to right now?

Don’t forget to tune in to the full episode here https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode351

Growth often happens more easily when it’s not done alone. 🌱When someone shares what they’re reflecting on with people w...
01/10/2026

Growth often happens more easily when it’s not done alone. 🌱

When someone shares what they’re reflecting on with people who feel safe, the process becomes less internal and more relational.

💖There’s more honesty, more self-awareness, and often a deeper sense of connection.

This isn’t about accountability or having anyone tell you what to do but it’s being seen without judgment, being listened to without fixing.

Letting your experience exist in the presence of others.

Safe relationships help the nervous system settle.

And when the body feels more settled, reflection becomes clearer and less overwhelming.

Who in your life feels safe enough to hear what you’re working through right now?

You don’t have to answer here. Simply notice 💛

01/10/2026

What if the thing holding many of us back in 2026 isn’t a lack of discipline rather a pattern we haven’t slowed down enough to notice?

With a new year starting, many of us jump straight into planning and goal-setting without pausing to see what keeps repeating.

Patterns like saying yes when we mean no, over-accommodatin, or getting stuck in the same emotional cycles.

These patterns are learned ways of coping and staying connected.

🎧 In Close the Chapter Podcast Episode 351, I’m inviting you to try something different. Instead of resolutions, this episode offers a simple but powerful shift that can help you relate differently to old patterns as you move into the new year.

✨ If you’ve ever felt stuck repeating the same cycles, this conversation may open a door you didn’t know was there.

Listen here:
https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode351

In this New Year, what word do you think would help you feel supported right now?So often, people pick words that quietl...
01/09/2026

In this New Year, what word do you think would help you feel supported right now?

So often, people pick words that quietly activate pressure, perfectionism, or self-criticism.

The intention might be growth, but the nervous system hears demand.

When that happens, change becomes something to force instead of something that can unfold naturally.

Before committing to a word, it can be helpful to pause and notice how it feels in your body.

Does it regulate or activate?

Does it bring steadiness or pressure?

The body often knows before the mind does.

If you want support in slowing this process down, reflecting gently, and choosing a word that truly anchors your nervous system, my free guided journal can help you do just that.

You can download it through the link in the bio or at www.kristendboice.com/freeresources.

01/09/2026

Not every word chosen for the year supports growth, some may quietly reinforce pressure or the need to prove worth.

A supportive word creates felt safety and helps the nervous system settle rather than stay in overdrive.

In this episode, I walk through how reflecting on the emotions that showed up most last year can guide you toward a word that supports expansion instead of keeping you stuck.

Listen to the full episode of Close the Chapter on your favorite podcast app or at https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode351 and reflect with me: which emotions defined last year for you?

Your nervous system is responding to cues of danger and safety all day long, often without your awareness.Swipe through ...
01/06/2026

Your nervous system is responding to cues of danger and safety all day long, often without your awareness.

Swipe through to understand how naming those cues supports regulation and creates choice.

Don’t forget to listen to the full Close the Chapter episode for a deeper conversation on nervous system cues and returning to safety with Deb Dana, LCSW.

🎧Available on all platforms and at https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode350. You don’t want to miss this!

Here’s something many of us need to hear especially on challenging days.In this episode, Deb Dana helps make sense of w...
01/05/2026

Here’s something many of us need to hear especially on challenging days.

In this episode, Deb Dana helps make sense of why our nervous systems respond the way it does.

So often we think the goal is to stay calm, steady, and regulated all the time.

But that’s not realistic and it’s not how the nervous system works.

There are moments of frustration, anxiety, urgency, or shutdown. That movement is normal.

The trouble starts when the nervous system gets stuck when it can’t find its way back to safety.

That’s when things begin to feel heavier, both emotionally and physically.

This reframe matters.

💞It softens the self-judgment so many people carry and reminds us that healing isn’t about being regulated all the time. It’s about learning how to come back to safety.

Looking for support between episodes?

My free guided journal can help you slow down, track your nervous system patterns, and return to yourself with more clarity.

Tap the link on bio or get it here at www.kristendboice.com/freeresources.

The New Year has a way of making us believe we need to try harder. Set better goals. Be more disciplined. Fix what didn’...
01/04/2026

The New Year has a way of making us believe we need to try harder. Set better goals. Be more disciplined. Fix what didn’t work last year.

But so often, the goals that fall away aren’t about motivation at all.

They’re about a nervous system that’s been living under stress, pressure, and emotional load for a long time.

Reflection gives you a different entry point. It helps you notice why certain patterns keep showing up and what your body has been responding to beneath the surface.

When goals come from safety instead of pressure, they feel more doable.

They grow from clarity, not force.

🎧 Swipe through, then tune into this week’s Close the Chapter Podcast Episode 350 for a conversation on regulation, safety, and connection as you move into the New Year.

👉 https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode350.

And if reflection feels supportive right now, you can download the free Close the Chapter Journal at www.kristendboice.com/freeresources.

If you feel stuck repeating the same reactions, this may be the pattern you’re missing.Your nervous system is constantly...
01/03/2026

If you feel stuck repeating the same reactions, this may be the pattern you’re missing.

Your nervous system is constantly responding to stress, triggers, other people’s moods, and the pace of your life.

When it’s overwhelmed or dysregulated, even small things can feel unmanageable.

Clarity shrinks. Patience disappears. Confidence drops.

As regulation increases, something important shifts. You feel more grounded.
More choice becomes available.
Decisions feel clearer.

And you’re more able to come back to yourself.

This is why nervous system awareness is so empowering.

It moves the work out of self-blame and into understanding.

What patterns might start to change if you focused less on fixing yourself and more on supporting your nervous system?

01/02/2026

So many of the patterns people want to change each year aren’t mindset problems.

They’re nervous system patterns.

Your body is responding to overwhelm, pressure, and emotional load the only way it knows how.

And as the New Year arrives, that matters. Because you don’t magically reset on January 1. You carry your nervous system with you into the next chapter.

When you begin to reflect on what your body has been responding to all year, something softens. There’s less self-blame. More compassion. And a clearer path back to calm when things feel like too much.

This week, I’m replaying Close the Chapter Podcast Episode 350, my conversation with Deb Dana about regulation, safety, and connection as we move into the New Year.

✨ Tune in to the full episode here https://kristendboice.com/podcastepisode350 or wherever you get your podcasts

You don’t need to push yourself into a new year.

You’re allowed to arrive slowly.

Wishing you a grounded, gentle start to the New Year. 🤍

Address

Noblesville, IN

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kristen D Boice, LMFT posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Welcome!

My name is Kristen Boice,

a psychotherapist (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist -- LMFT), motivational speaker, workshop presenter and trainer, and Close the Chapter podcast host who specializes in getting people unstuck—and that’s exactly what I help people like you do every day.

Through my speaking, Close the Chapter podcast, group coaching work, retreats, and free resources, I help people move forward to close the chapter on things that no longer serve them (like toxic relationships, negative behaviors and patterns, and old beliefs), and step into a different way of being.

Translation? If you’re in a period of transition, or have felt trapped where you are for too long, we’ll peel back the layers of your doubts and fears, and uncover the essence of truth already within you—so you can open the door to an incredible new phase of your life, no longer bogged down from the negativity holding you back.