Welcome to Episode 12 of The Rise Room, the Season 1 finale, released on Christmas Day.

This episode is a moment to pause, reflect, and breathe. Instead of introducing a new topic, we’re tying together the themes that shaped this season, self-worth, boundaries, burnout, healing, and growth, and talking honestly about what comes next.

As the year winds down, this episode invites you to slow down, reflect on what you’ve learned, and honor the fact that rest is also part of the healing process. The Rise Room will be taking a short break and returning in early February, but the work of reflection continues.

References

Here are scholarly sources you can reference for this episode:

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.

Bianchi, R., Schonfeld, I. S., & Laurent, E. (2015). Burnout-depression overlap: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 36, 28–41.

Hobfoll, S. E., et al. (2018). Conservation of resources theory: Implications for stress and health. Applied Psychology, 67(3), 444–457.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Mindfulness-based interventions in context. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156.

Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72–S103.

Welcome to Episode 11 of The Rise Room. As we move closer to the end of Season 1, this episode invites a deeper, generational conversation, one about the emotional rooms we’re creating for those who come after us.

In The Rooms We Build for the Next Generation, we explore how our words, behaviors, healing, and even our avoidance shape emotional environments that are passed down quietly but powerfully. This episode is about legacy, not just what we teach, but what we model.

If you’ve ever reflected on how you were raised emotionally, or wondered how your healing (or lack of it) impacts others, this conversation is for you.

References

Here are scholarly sources you can reference for this episode:

Felitti, V. J., et al. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to adult health status. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258.

Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26.

Perry, B. D. (2006). Applying principles of neurodevelopment to clinical work with maltreated and traumatized children. Journal of Social Work Practice, 20(1), 65–77.

Shonkoff, J. P., et al. (2012). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics, 129(1), e232–e246.

Yehuda, R., et al. (2016). Holocaust exposure induced intergenerational effects on FKBP5 methylation. Biological Psychiatry, 80(5), 372–380.

Siegel, D. J. (2012). The Developing Mind. Guilford Press.

Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S. L. (2005). Child maltreatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 409–438.

Episode Highlights

“Enough is enough” moments aren’t dramatic, they’re often quiet warning signs from your mind and body.

Feeling constantly drained, unheard, or emotionally overloaded are signals that your limits are being pushed.

I share my personal experiences with staying in situations too long, and how choosing myself became a turning point toward emotional clarity.

Research shows that chronic stress, emotional overload, and ignoring your boundaries can increase anxiety, burnout, and symptoms of depression.

Your body reacts to emotional strain the same way it responds to physical stress, proving that boundaries aren’t optional for mental wellness.

Healing begins with pausing, naming your limits, and taking one aligned step toward peace.

You learn that choosing your boundaries is choosing your mental health, and it is never selfish.

References

Here are scholarly sources you can reference for the research on words and mental health discussed in this episode:

Bianchi, R., Schonfeld, I. S., & Laurent, E. (2015). Burnout-depression overlap: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 36, 28–41.

Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26.

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.

Miller, G. E., Chen, E., & Zhou, E. S. (2007). Chronic stress and the HPA axis in humans. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 25–45.

Schwartz, H. A., et al. (2022). Signs of emotional overload: Psychological and physiological markers of stress. Annual Review of Psychology, 73, 271–298.

Smith, M. M., & Jordan, C. H. (2015). Self-compassion and emotional well-being: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19(3), 234–258.

Teo, A. R., et al. (2018). Loneliness and mental health: Mechanisms and implications. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(3), 55.