Not all unhealthy relationships are loud or obvious. Some feel confusing, draining, or heavy over time — even when there’s love involved. In this bonus episode, Marilyn gently explores the difference between healthy and harmful relationship dynamics through a calm, parent-style lens focused on awareness, not judgment.

This episode helps listeners recognize warning signals in relationships, understand controlling and manipulative behaviors, and learn how to trust their internal cues without rushing into decisions. The focus is on patterns, impact, and emotional safety — not labels or blame.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. Why “red flags” are better understood as signals
2. What healthy relationships typically feel like
3. Common signs of controlling behavior
4. Subtle forms of emotional manipulation
5. How guilt and confusion show up in unhealthy dynamics
6. A gentle Bubble Method check-in for relationships

Reflection Questions:

1. How do I feel before, during, and after time with this person?
2. Do I feel more like myself — or less — in this relationship?
3. Am I choosing freely, or adjusting to avoid consequences?

Listener Reminder:

Someone can love you and still not be healthy for you.

You don’t have to label or decide anything today — noticing is enough.

How This Episode Can Help:

This conversation is meant to support awareness, self-trust, and emotional clarity. It is not about diagnosing or assigning blame, but about helping you understand what feels safe, respectful, and sustainable in your relationships.

#PutItInABubble #HealthyRelationships #EmotionalBoundaries #RelationshipAwareness #SelfTrust #EmotionalWellbeing

If this episode raised concerns or questions about a relationship, confidential support is available:

1. National Domestic Violence Hotline
2. Call or text 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) | thehotline.org
3. Love Is Respect
4. Text LOVEIS to 22522 | loveisrespect.org
5. RAINN
6. rainn.org

Support can be quiet, confidential, and taken at your own pace.

Setting boundaries doesn’t have to feel cold, confrontational, or guilt-ridden. In this episode, Marilyn explores how to create boundaries that protect your energy while still honoring who you are. This conversation reframes boundaries as acts of self-respect—not rejection—and offers gentle, realistic ways to set limits without over-explaining or shutting people out.

If you’ve ever avoided boundaries because you didn’t want to disappoint others or create conflict, this episode offers a calmer, more sustainable approach.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. Why boundaries often feel uncomfortable or “harsh”
2. The difference between walls and healthy boundaries
3. How unclear boundaries lead to resentment and burnout
4. Recognizing where you’re stretching past your capacity
5. Quiet, compassionate ways to protect your energy

Reflection Questions:

1. Where in my life do I feel most drained right now?
2. What am I giving too much of without realizing it?
3. What small boundary could support me this week?

Listener Reminder:

Boundaries don’t make you difficult.

They make you sustainable.

When you’re emotionally tired, even simple decisions can feel overwhelming and big choices made in that state often lead to regret. In this episode, Marilyn talks about decision fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and how to pause choices without falling behind.

This episode offers permission to slow down, protect yourself from burnout decisions, and recognize when rest, not action is the most responsible next step.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. What emotional decision fatigue really looks like
2. Why tired minds struggle with clarity
3. The difference between urgency and pressure
4. How to pause decisions without avoiding responsibility
5. Simple questions to guide choices when energy is low

Reflection Questions:

1. What decisions feel heavy right now?
2. Which choices can wait until I feel more rested?
3. What would it look like to pause without guilt?

Listener Reminder:

You don’t have to decide everything today.

Clarity comes more easily when you’re rested.

Many of us feel an unspoken pressure to say we’re “fine” — even when we’re tired, overwhelmed, or unsure. In this episode, Marilyn explores where that pressure comes from, why pretending to be okay can be exhausting, and how to be honest without overexposing yourself.

This conversation is about removing the emotional mask, recognizing the difference between privacy and pretending, and learning language that protects your energy while staying true to yourself.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. Why we feel pressure to appear “okay”
2. How minimizing your feelings adds to emotional exhaustion
3. The difference between being private and pretending
4. Gentle ways to be honest without opening heavy conversations
5. A simple writing practice to release internal pressure

Reflection Questions:

1. Where do I feel pressure to be okay?
2. Who do I automatically reassure instead of myself?
3. What might it feel like to answer honestly — even quietly?

Listener Reminder:

You don’t owe anyone a performance of wellness.

Being honest doesn’t have to be loud to be real.

When everything starts to feel heavy, overwhelming, and just plain too much, it’s often not because one thing is wrong — it’s because too many things are being carried at the same time. In this episode, Marilyn talks about emotional overload, why it builds quietly, and how to recognize the signs before it spills over.

This conversation isn’t about fixing or pushing through. It’s about slowing down, sorting what you’re carrying, and creating space to breathe. Through a gentle bubble practice and simple reflection, listeners are invited to notice what truly needs their attention — and what can be set down, even temporarily.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. What emotional overload really looks like
2. Why feeling overwhelmed is not a personal failure
3. How emotional weight builds over time
4. A simple bubble practice to sort what you’re carrying
5. Writing as a tool to release pressure without solving everything

Reflection Questions:

1. What feels heaviest for me right now?
2. What am I carrying that can wait?
3. What doesn’t actually belong to me to carry?

Listener Reminder:

Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re incapable.

It means you’ve been capable for a long time without enough space to rest.

#PutItInABubble #EmotionalOverload #OverwhelmSupport #MindsetPodcast #SelfCompassion #EmotionalWellbeing #Season3

When your body is tired, but your mind won’t stop racing, it can feel frustrating, exhausting, and hard to explain. In this episode, Marilyn explores why racing thoughts happen, especially during quiet moments, and why it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.

You’ll learn gentle, practical ways to calm your nervous system, including how writing things down can help your mind feel safe enough to rest. This episode is about softening, not fixing — and giving yourself permission to slow down without pressure.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. Why racing thoughts often show up when things finally get quiet
2. The connection between a busy mind and an overloaded nervous system
3. Why calming the body matters more than controlling thoughts
4. How writing things down helps reduce mental overload
5. Simple ways to give your mind a place to rest

Practices Shared in This Episode:

1. A gentle breathing and grounding exercise
2. The “mental parking lot” writing practice
3. Using the Bubble Method to contain looping thoughts
4. Letting go of the need to solve everything at once

Reflection Questions:

1. When does my mind tend to get the loudest?
2. What might my body need in those moments?
3. What can safely wait until tomorrow?

Listener Reminder:

A racing mind doesn’t mean you’re failing at rest.

It usually means you’ve been carrying more than you realize.

#PutItInABubble #RacingThoughts #MentalOverload #MindsetSupport #EmotionalWellness #Season3

The beginning of a new year often comes with pressure — to set goals, make changes, and become a “better” version of ourselves. In this opening episode of Season 3, Marilyn invites listeners to step away from that noise and start the year gently instead.

This episode is about slowing down, releasing expectations, and giving yourself permission to begin where you are. Through reflection and a calming bubble practice, Marilyn encourages listeners to notice what they’re carrying into the new year and decide — without judgment — what truly belongs with them right now.

This is not about reinvention.

It’s about intention, clarity, and breathing room.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

1. The pressure that often comes with a new year
2. Why you don’t need to reinvent yourself to move forward
3. How to notice emotional and mental weight without fixing it
4. A gentle New Year Bubble practice for reflection
5. Starting the year with clarity instead of overwhelm

Reflection Questions:

1. What am I still carrying from last year?
2. What feels heavy that may not belong to me anymore?
3. What would feel supportive right now?

Listener Reminder:

You don’t have to rush into this year.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

A gentle start is still a powerful start.

Connect & Learn More:

🌐 Website: www.PutItInABubble.com

🎧 Subscribe & Listen on your favorite podcast platform

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #GentleStart #NewYearMindset #EmotionalWellness #IntentionalLiving #MindsetSupport #Season3

The holidays can be beautiful—and overwhelming. In this episode, we talk about setting kind, clear boundaries that protect your time, energy, budget, and peace. You’ll get simple scripts you can use word-for-word, a 3-step boundary framework, micro-habits that reduce stress, and a short guided exercise to define your non-negotiables.

• A simple 3-step framework: Notice → Name → Negotiate
• Word-for-word scripts for time, money, food/body talk, travel, hosting, hot topics, and last-minute requests
• Micro-boundaries that prevent overwhelm (calendar buffers, two-yes rule, “leave while happy”)
• A quick Guilt Detox reframe to stop second-guessing
• A 5-minute Holiday Non-Negotiables exercise you can repeat all season

• Free One-Pager: Holiday Boundary Script Sheet — copy/paste scripts, plus the Non-Negotiables template.
• Share this episode with a friend who needs permission to choose peace over perfection.

• Subscribe to Put It in a Bubble for weekly mindset tools.
• Connect with Marilyn on social for episode updates and prompts.

#PutItInABubble #HolidayBoundaries #MindfulLiving #StressLess #MentalWellness #PositiveMindset #SimplifyTheSeason