The Bonnies talk about healthy boundaries and why saying yes too quickly can lead to stress, resentment, and over-commitment. They discuss the value of pausing before agreeing to requests, checking whether guilt or obligation is driving our decisions, and thinking through time and energy demands.

Each share examples of setting and missing boundaries, including turning down an unpaid, high-stress therapy role and realizing that staying up late for fireworks was not worth the loss of sleep. They also talk about boundaries with themselves, such as protecting sleep, noticing when plans no longer fit what we need, and treating mistakes as learning opportunities.

They also cover practical ways to make boundary-setting easier, including listing what gives us energy and what drains us, paying attention to body and mood cues, and reviewing commitments with fresh eyes. They also note that this applies across work, friendships, family obligations, and traditions, and that practicing saying no can make it easier over time.

HIGHLIGHTS:

0:48 Healthy Boundaries

4:14 Sleep Boundary Mistakes

10:23 July Fourth Decisions

13:31 Energy Audit Exercise

18:46 Boundary Practice Tips

22:36 Protecting Your Well-Being

24:17 Make a Boundary List

mentioned in episode

Vibrate Higher Daily: https://a.co/d/0iRfappV

CONNECT WITH THE BONNIE ZUCKERS:

Bonnie Zucker Ph.D.(west)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerphd.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://bonnie-zucker-ph-d.kit.com/d44b57fcdf

Books by Bonnie West: https://a.co/d/04aNJFDZ

Bonnie Zucker Psy.D. (east)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerandassociates.com

Books by Bonnie East: https://shorturl.at/MxvRZ

The content of Anxiety Matters Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute mental health or medical advice, nor is it a substitute for professional mental health or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call emergency services or a local crisis line.

Bonnie and Bonnie talk about death and dying through the lens of anxiety, and discuss how direct, clear language can help make the topic less frightening. They also share how avoiding words like “died” can increase fear, especially for children, and why early, honest conversations about death matter.

The two speak with Penny Smith, a recently retired hospice and palliative care nurse, author of *Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living*, and social media educator known as Hospice Nurse Penny.

Penny shares her personal history, including addiction, jail, and becoming a nurse at 40 and explains that learning about death and working in hospice helped reduce her own death anxiety and gave her a sense of service and purpose.

She describes what dying can look like in hospice, including transitioning, body changes, and deathbed visions. Penny explains that these experiences are often comforting, are not the same as hallucinations, and are part of what she considers normal at the end of life.

They discuss acceptance as a major part of reducing fear of death. Penny says that talking about death, seeing dying as a natural process, and educating families can reduce anxiety and help people focus more on living than on worrying about dying.

HIGHLIGHTS:

3:17 Meet Hospice Nurse Penny

6:04 From Addiction to Hospice

9:54 Talking Death With Kids

14:16 Normalizing the Dying Process

18:27 Deathbed Visions and Acceptance

21:52 Personal Encounters With Death

28:05 What Dying People See

33:29 Hallucinations or Visions?

36:44 The Nun’s Final Insight

40:09 TikTok and the Ripple Effect

connect with Hospice Nurse Penny

website: https://www.hospicenursepenny.com

Influencing Death: https://www.hospicenursepenny.com/book

mentioned in this episode

Book by Bonnie Zucker - Something Very Sad Happened: https://a.co/d/0dkKVH0V

CONNECT WITH THE BONNIE ZUCKERS:

Bonnie Zucker Ph.D.(west)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerphd.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://bonnie-zucker-ph-d.kit.com/d44b57fcdf

Books by Bonnie West: https://a.co/d/04aNJFDZ

Bonnie Zucker Psy.D. (east)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerandassociates.com

Books by Bonnie East: https://shorturl.at/MxvRZ

The content of Anxiety Matters Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute mental health or medical advice, nor is it a substitute for professional mental health or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call emergency services or a local crisis line.

In this episode, BZW and BZE talk about travel anxiety and the different forms it can take. They discuss fear of flying, worry about being far from home, concern about leaving a house unattended, and anxiety about pets, work, or access to medical care while away.

They also talk about how anticipatory anxiety can build before a trip and how it can affect decisions about whether to go, how long to stay, and how far to travel. They suggest identifying the specific root of the fear so it can be addressed directly.

A major theme is using a values-driven approach rather than letting fear make the decision. The Bonnies talk about remembering why we are traveling, such as spending time with family, taking a break, and experiencing new places and cultures.

They also discuss practical coping strategies, including checking in with other people to compare worries, arranging care for pets and the house, and using graded exposure when possible. For fear of flying, they suggest, if possible, starting with shorter flights or, if needed, using a simulated long-flight exercise.

HIGHLIGHTS:

2:11 Why Travel Feels Scary

4:45 Finding The Positive

7:35 Root Causes And Reframes

10:38 Graded Exposure For Flying

14:37 My Travel Scam Story

18:46 Pets And Trip Planning

22:37 Vacation Advice

CONNECT WITH THE BONNIE ZUCKERS:

Bonnie Zucker Ph.D.(west)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerphd.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://bonnie-zucker-ph-d.kit.com/d44b57fcdf

Books by Bonnie West: https://a.co/d/04aNJFDZ

Bonnie Zucker Psy.D. (east)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerandassociates.com

Books by Bonnie East: https://shorturl.at/MxvRZ

The content of Anxiety Matters Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute mental health or medical advice, nor is it a substitute for professional mental health or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call emergency services or a local crisis line.