#14: The New Year Self-Help Spiral (and How I Found More Space Instead)

January has a way of turning us into projects.Fix your habits.Fix your body.Fix your mindset.Fix your life.In this episode, Stacey reflects on the familiar New Year self-help spiral—and why, after decades of goal-setting, optimizing, and trying to become “better,” she’s choosing something different.Through a deeply personal New Year ritual, a surprising realization, and one tiny experiment that changed how she experiences time, Stacey explores what it actually means to create more space in your life—without forcing change, quitting your phone, or becoming someone new.This is a conversation about presence, nervous system safety, and learning how to enjoy the life you’ve already worked so hard to build.In this episode, we talk about:Why January can feel so aggressive for self-help-prone womenThe difference between fixing yourself and listening to yourselfHow constant phone consumption quietly steals our sense of time and spaceA simple, ordinary practice that brought Stacey back to herselfWhy small, embodied rituals can be more powerful than big New Year resolutions✨ Mentioned in this episode:Stacey’s Substack, where she shares a deeper reflection on the tooth-brushing practice and explores creating more space and joy through everyday rituals Episode #3: Why You Should Listen to Fewer Podcasts—Including This One Want to drop a note to Stacey? Email her at [email protected] If you’re tired of feeling like a before-version of yourself—and ready to experience your life instead of constantly trying to improve it—this episode is for you.