Peddling Hope

10/08/2025

I got a lot of messages about my analogy from Thursday about taking little sips of Self-care. So this Self Care Sunday, we’re going to try this approach.

Because sometimes, self-care feels like another thing to check off your list. Like you need a whole afternoon to get it just right. And if you wait for everything to be just right, you’ll be waiting for a long time.

🌱 Today’s Exercise: Try the Little Sips Approach

Reflect:
Think about one area of your life that feels like too much lately. Where are you putting things off because they feel too big to start?

Journal Prompt:
What would a “little sip” look like here? What’s one small action you could take to make room for self-care in your day. Come up with a list of little things you can do in two minutes or less to find a little more time to cherish yourself.

You don’t need a full hour or a perfect routine. You just need a way back to yourself... one small moment at a time.

07/08/2025

When something feels too big, we tend to put it off. Drinking more water. Catching up with a friend. Taking care of ourselves.

We wait for the “right time” to give ourselves attention. But the truth is, that time often gets put off over and over so you can take care of others instead.

So what if we stopped waiting for the perfect moment, and started with something smaller?

I like to use the analogy of one of my clients wanting to start drinking more water as a step toward her self-care journey. She found herself struggling when trying to drink a full glass of water every hour, on the hour. And struggling more when she tried to chug down a huge bottle of water to make up for what she missed during the day.

I asked her to consider if it would be easier to just have water nearby as the goal. So she could take little sips throughout the day.

The concept of taking ‘little sips’ of self-care means you’re not trying to do it all perfectly, all at once.

It can look like:
A quick text to say, “Thinking of you” when you’ve lost touch with a friend.
A pre-made healthy meal from the store when you know you’re too tired to cook.
A hand on your partner’s back while you pass in the kitchen.
Two rounds of deep breaths before opening your inbox.

These little sips keep us from chasing perfection. Instead of aiming to get everything right, you can take a small sip. And then another.

Before you know it, you’ll be further along your journey than you thought you could be.

05/08/2025

Here’s a hot take that’s come up for some of my clients recently. You are allowed to say no, even to the people you love. You’re allowed to set boundaries that make it possible to find rest and recovery.

Sometimes, the best way to take care of a friendship is to take care of yourself first. Because when you’re tired, stretched too thin, or just need space to breathe, it’s okay to ask for time.

That doesn’t make you a bad friend. Resting doesn’t mean you’re pushing people away. It means you’re choosing to show up more fully later, instead of running on empty now.

The next time you’re struggling to set a healthy boundary, try saying, “I’m not available this week, but I’d love to reconnect soon.” Or, “I’m slowing things down to take care of myself right now.”

Boundaries protect your energy, your relationships, and your well-being. It’s okay to honour what you need.

03/08/2025

We often hear about the importance of finding balance. But what if chasing constant balance is adding more pressure than peace?

Life doesn’t always unfold evenly. Some seasons require more energy; others invite us to slow down. Real balance happens over time, not in every single moment.

🌿 Today’s Practice: Embrace the Ebb and Flow

In a journal, write out any of the areas of your life that you feel like you’re not doing ‘enough.’ And for each one, explore why you feel this way.

Maybe it’s external pressure, or expectations that you’ve been brought up with and have never challenged. Maybe you expected your life to look a specific way, and it looks different right now.

Sometimes naming the situations that are causing us to feel out of sync with the seasons of our life is the first step to finding more balance within the natural ebbs and flows.

What is one small shift you can make to take you from working against the current to flowing with it?

01/08/2025

The phrase “ebb and flow” reminds us that change is constant. That there is a rhythm to things.

Summer can be a powerful reminder to honour that rhythm; to seek balance, not just between work and rest, but within every aspect of our lives.

Moving more in tune with nature is great for our minds, bodies, and spirits. Yet, there can still be a reluctance around leaning into downtime. As if rest is not part of what it means to be productive.

In this week’s blog, I’m sharing a few thoughts on how these quieter times can create space for healing, reflection, and clarity. How they make the flow possible in the first place.

✨ Read it here:

In this post, we’re talking about the ebbs and flows of the season and how you can find rest and recovery even within the busy summer months.

30/07/2025

There are seasons in our lives that are filled with hustle and bustle and seasons that are quiet and filled with rest.

Take a garden, for example. During the summer, it’s bursting with colour and requires time every day to tend to it. You get to see the progress of your plants growing and feel like it’s a huge success every time you can collect a bouquet of fresh flowers or a bowl of crisp vegetables.

But during the winter it’s quiet. Dormant.

The garden doesn’t feel like it should be ‘doing more’ during it’s time of rest. It knows that those months of cold and snow are required to have those seasons of abundance.

These are the ebbs and flows in life that, when understood and harnessed properly, can contribute to a life well lived.

There are seasons in life that feel quieter. Slower. Not quite stuck, but not quite moving either.

In this week's blog and newsletter, I’m exploring those ebbs and flows.

If you’re not already on the list, I’d love to have you join me. You can sign up here:

Click here to join the newsletter and get monthly updates on how to thrive in the chaos of everyday life.

22/07/2025

What does it mean to be you?

Not the roles you play. Not the labels you’ve been handed. Not the expectations you’ve been carrying for years.

Who are you underneath all of that?

Maybe you’ve been called the strong one. The fixer. The caregiver. The one who always keeps it together. Maybe you’ve been told you're too sensitive. Too emotional. Too much.

But what if you could shake those off even for a moment? What would be left?

This is the work of healing: Not becoming someone new. But remembering who you were before the world or your situations told you who to be.

So today, just pause. Ask yourself: What does it mean to be me?

And listen for the answer that rises when everything else gets quiet.

20/07/2025

When something happens, we are SO quick to judge ourselves.

When you’re dysregulated…
When you snap at someone you love…
When you feel stuck in a loop of “What’s wrong with me?”

What if, instead of judging yourself, you got curious?

✨ How to cultivate curiosity:
- Notice your tone. Can you replace criticism with kindness?
- Get specific. “What’s this feeling trying to tell me?”
- Listen without interrupting yourself. Let the answer come slowly.
- Swap “why am I like this?” for “what do I need right now?”
- Let discomfort be a doorway, not a dead end.

This Self Care Sunday, focus on cultivating curiosity in your life instead of judgment. What’s one small change you can make?

17/07/2025

Sometimes we need gentle reminders.

To breathe. To rest. To come back to ourselves.

That’s what my newsletter is for.

It’s a space where I share reflections on healing, nervous system care, mindfulness, and real-life tools to support your journey. No overwhelm. Just small, meaningful steps toward feeling more like you again.

If you’re craving calm in your inbox, sign up and join me there.

💙 Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/michellemalloy/newsletter-sign-up

Let’s walk this path together.

15/07/2025

One of the most common ways of coping is by staying within our circle of control. Today, let’s draw your circle of control.

The circle of control is a way to understand what you can and cannot influence in your life. It’s often used in therapy to help reduce anxiety and support nervous system regulation.

Draw three circles inside each other, like a target. Then fill them out with the things that influence your feelings.

1. Circle of Control - The circle in the center of the target. These are the things you have direct power over. They include:
- Your actions and behaviors
- Your breath and body
- Your words and how you respond
- How you care for yourself
- The boundaries you set
- What you focus on or give your energy to

Focusing here brings a sense of safety and agency. It's where we’re most empowered.

2. Circle of Influence - the next ring in your circle. These are things you can’t control, but you can affect in some way. This includes:
- How your child navigates a challenge
- A friend’s decision-making
- A workplace dynamic

You can offer support, communicate clearly, and advocate. But you can’t control the outcome.

3. Circle of Concern - the outer ring. These are things that affect you but are entirely outside your control. They might include:
- The economy
- The weather
- Other people’s thoughts or feelings
- World events

Spending too much energy here in the circle of concern can lead to overwhelm, helplessness, or anxiety.

That’s why part of healing is learning to notice when you're stuck in this outer circle and gently bring your focus back to what’s within reach.

Keep this circle with you for the next week and pull it out when you need to bring yourself back to what you CAN control.

13/07/2025

Intrusive thoughts are unexpected, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that pop into your mind without warning.

They often feel out of character, distressing, or even disturbing. And because they’re so jarring, they can lead to anxiety, shame, or confusion.

Examples might include:
- Violent or aggressive thoughts (e.g., hurting someone you love)
- Sexual thoughts that feel uncomfortable or inappropriate
- Fear-based thoughts (e.g., “What if I lose control?” or “What if something terrible happens?”)
- Thoughts that go against your values or beliefs

Intrusive thoughts are often a sign of an overwhelmed nervous system: your brain trying to make sense of stress, fear, or past pain.

Here are a few ways to keep intrusive thoughts at bay:

✨ Name them. “That’s an intrusive thought.” It’s just a sentence. Not a truth. Not a prediction.
✨ Ground in the present. Notice five things you can see. Four you can touch. Three you can hear. Come back to your body.
✨ Breathe slowly. A longer exhale tells your nervous system: it’s safe to calm down.
✨ Limit spirals. Try saying, “I see you, but I’m not following you today.”
✨ Do something rhythmic. A walk. Dishes. Gentle movement. It helps discharge nervous energy.
✨ Talk to someone safe. You don’t have to carry it alone. You’re allowed to be supported.

From a nervous system perspective, these thoughts often show up when the brain is in a heightened state of alert. Your body’s stress response is activated, and your mind is scanning for threat even if no danger is present.

Intrusive thoughts can be the brain’s maladaptive way of trying to stay prepared or in control. This Self Care Sunday, let’s focus on noticing and moving past them.

10/07/2025

When I talk about burnout, we’re not talking about just ‘feeling tired.’ Being burned out is a whole body and whole self experience of depletion. Mentally, emotionally, physically.

It can feel like:
- Your brain feels foggy or slow.
- Concentration is hard.
- Even simple decisions feel overwhelming.
- You might forget things, lose your train of thought, or zone out during conversations.
- You feel numb. Or overly emotional. Sometimes both. There’s often a quiet voice saying, “I just don’t care anymore.”
- Your body aches or feels heavy. Sleep doesn’t feel restorative.

Burnout can come from caregiving, chronic stress, unprocessed trauma, or emotional labour. It’s common in therapists, parents, teachers, and anyone living with high expectations and little support.

The good news? Burnout can be reversed. This free guide can help.

Download it here: https://mailchi.mp/michellemalloy/overcoming-burnout-guide