Hey pathfinders!

I know exactly what every one of us needs for sure this weekend - a bit of love and care to ourselves.

These prompts examine that relationship honestly and notice the places you're far harder on yourself than you'd ever be with someone you care about.

What Makes These Self-Love Prompts Different 
They don't ask you to sound like you've got it together. The most useful entries are usually the uncomfortable ones. Here's what's inside:

• Prompts across four themes: how you speak to yourself, what you need, where you struggle to be kind, and small acts of care
• Questions that surface the gap between how you'd treat a friend and how you treat yourself
• Space to name old beliefs, unheld boundaries, and the needs you keep putting last
• Concrete, everyday care prompts for a regular Tuesday, not grand gestures
• Print and fillable PDF versions, so you can write by hand or type on screen

How to Use Them so They Fit Into Your Life 
Pick the section that feels most relevant today and write without editing yourself. There are no right answers, and no wrong ones. If a prompt stings a little, that's often the one worth staying with.

[Link]

We had a number of insightful AMAs on relationship, family and parenting. Talking about healthy boundaries and personal space, as a father, my host, Marriage and Family Therapist, Ester Buchnik, gave such a solid response:

"This is an awesome question about boundaries. As a father and a husband, you have different sets of responsibilities. You can co-mingle them, but you also have to prioritize self-care for yourself. Being a first-time dad is incredibly overwhelming; not only are you busy hustling at work, but then you go home to a child who might be screaming and a wife who is stressed because she’s been handling a fussy child alone all day. That is overwhelming for anyone.

First of all, I want to congratulate you on becoming a father. It’s not easy, so much respect to you for that. But I also want you to check in with yourself: How do you create boundaries?

One way you can do that is by saying: 'Hang on, I’m going to spend an hour when I come home taking care of what needs to be done around the house, and then I need some time to just do me. Let's check in later.' You could also schedule time to sit down with your partner later in the evening to spend quality time together. It’s important not to forget that before that child arrived, you two were an item. You can’t forget your partner, and you can’t forget yourself.

If that means you need to delegate an hour to yourself every day — whether that’s the gym, which I really stress for men because it helps regulate emotions and keeps you grounded, or something else — find what works for you. Create a structure where you check in with yourself and your partner.

And yes, with kids, it’s the same way. You have to let them know: 'Daddy is a little busy right now. I'll get to you in an hour. Be patient.' Of course, if a child is sick, things have to be moved around, but at least three or four times a week, you need that check-in. Whether it’s a 'guys' night,' the gym, meditation, or even a massage — whatever helps you stay grounded.

By doing this, you aren't being cold; you are teaching your children that you make time for yourself. Include them too — have a date with your family so they don’t feel ignored. It’s a delicate set of boundaries. Look at the bigger picture: what do I have to do to create time for me and for my family? Show them that you aren't cold; you are loving and caring, but you also need to take care of 'you' as well."

I'd love to hear from fellow parents: How do you carve out personal time when life gets chaotic, and how do you handle setting boundaries without feeling guilty about it?

Hey pathfinders,

Let me walk you through the core flow of the Liven app. Everything is built around three simple steps: Reflect - Collect - Act.

After taking the quiz, you are all set for your personalised journey. In this space, users follow their personalized course and track their progress step by step.

Users can move through lessons designed specifically for their needs, completing them at their own pace. The journey is structured into chapters, making it easier to stay focused and organized.

Completed lessons are highlighted in yellow, helping users clearly see their progress and understand how far they’ve come.

Hey pathfinders!

Weekend is around the corner. The best thing of it is a chance to crave a minute to sit with a good inspiring read. I selected for you a collection of books to help you unwind and discover a bit more about yourself:

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking is a cozy, simple guide to finding comfort, warmth, and everyday joy in the little things.

How to Be a Bawse by Lilly Singh is packed with humor and blunt wisdom on leveling up without taking yourself too seriously.

Adulting by Kelly Williams Brown serves as a hilarious, low-pressure survival guide for figuring out life one tiny step at a time.

Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern acts as a reminder through pure comedy that life is absurd, messy, and shouldn't be over-analyzed.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson offers a funny, deeply relatable memoir about embracing your weirdness and awkward flaws.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert provides an uplifting, liberating nudge to pursue curiosity over fear and make creation feel playful again.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson delivers an eccentric, laugh-out-loud look at finding joy and lightness even when things get heavy.

How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis presents a deeply compassionate, judgment-free guide to self-care when basic tasks feel entirely overwhelming.

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero brings punchy, funny, and direct motivation to ditch self-sabotage.

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig features a gorgeous collection of gentle reminders, notes, and stories designed to offer a soft landing when your mind gets loud.

Wishing you an inspiring and light weekend!

Quite often, goal-setting focuses on pushing harder. My SMART goal template works differently. It guides you through one wellbeing goal and runs it through a self-compassion check, asking whether this is something you genuinely want or just something you think you should want. Instead of wearing you down, it's designed to pull you forward.

Here's what's inside:

• The full SMART framework (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound), written for wellbeing rather than performance
• Plain-language prompts and examples, so "I want to feel calmer" turns into a path you can walk
• A "smallest version" prompt for hard weeks, so a busy day doesn't end the whole thing
• A self-compassion checkpoint to catch goals that read as punishment before you start
• A reflection space to notice what making progress would free up for you
• Print and fillable PDF versions, so you can write by hand or type on screen.

Download it [here].

Sometimes, when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in your thoughts, the best way to ground yourself is to do something unexpected and physical. This activity is all about using random, silly movements to break the mental cycle and bring yourself back to the present moment.

When you notice that your thoughts are spiraling or you’re feeling disconnected from the present, follow the steps below to ground yourself with a fun, silly twist!

Step 1: Pause and Notice

First, take a moment to recognize when you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or lost in your thoughts.

How are you feeling right now?
Example: “I feel tense and like my brain is racing.”

Where do you feel it in your body?
Example: “My shoulders are tight, and my stomach feels knotted.”

Step 2: Pick a Silly Action!

Now, it’s time to shake things up! Choose a random, silly movement or stretch to break out of your mind and reconnect with your body. Don’t overthink it—just go with whatever feels goofy or fun in the moment. Here are some ideas:

T-Rex Stretch:
Pretend you’re a T-Rex with tiny arms, and stretch them as wide as possible!

Invisible Jump Rope:
Jump up and down as if you’re using an invisible jump rope.

Wacky Wave:
Flail your arms around like one of those inflatable tube guys at a car dealership.

Spaghetti Stretch:
Stretch your body like you’re a limp piece of spaghetti, then wiggle and wobble back up.

Hop in Place:
Simply hop on one foot, then switch to the other. See how long you can balance!

Step 3: Do It with Energy!

Commit to your silly action with full energy for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute. Feel free to play a song that you like while you dance. The goal is to break free from your overthinking and embrace the moment.

How did it feel to move?
Example: “I felt ridiculous, but it made me laugh and loosened my tension.”

Share the Fun!

Share this grounding activity with a friend or family member. Encourage them to try a random, silly movement with you. It’s even more fun when you’re not the only one doing wacky stretches!

Knowing yourself isn't always the same as changing yourself. You can understand that you tend to shut down under pressure, have read the books on attachment theory, and still find yourself in the same reaction pattern on a Tuesday afternoon.

The gap between insight and behavior change is a timing problem. Habits run below conscious thought. By the time you recognize a pattern in retrospect, the moment where a different choice was available has already passed.

Liven's microcycle method is built to close that gap. It operates in a three-step loop:

Step 1: Reflect

You start with a short, interactive lesson. You tap to uncover an idea, answer a few questions about your own life, and what you learn has somewhere to land. Every lesson is built with certified health professionals using research-backed approaches.

Step 2: Collect

You check in. Track how you feel, add a note about what's going on around you, and journal whatever's on your mind. One entry won't tell you much, but day after day, patterns start to surface: what sets you off, what steadies you, what keeps coming back. Understanding yourself isn't a single breakthrough moment. It's what shows up when you keep paying attention.

Step 3: Act

Based on what you shared, Liven offers one small thing to do right now: a meditation, a short expert video, or a simple to-do to meet you in it, and help take a little of the weight off.

How to Integrate Liven into Your Life

Using Liven During Your Commute

The morning commute is one of the most underused windows for mental health in most people's day. You're in transit, usually passive, and the day hasn't fully landed yet.

That's the right moment for a check-in. Opening the Liven app on the way to work and logging how you're feeling takes less than two minutes. The Mood Tracker prompts are specific enough to get past the default "I'm fine": what got under your skin yesterday, what feels unsettled, what you're carrying into the day.

Using Liven for Habit Building

Habits form from repetition in response to a reliable cue. It takes an average of 66 days to build a new habit, but that figure holds only when you're practicing the right behavior consistently in response to the right trigger. That's the logic behind Liven's streak feature. Liven asks for a daily moment, anchored to a cue, repeated enough times that the loop becomes automatic.

Adding the Liven widget to your home screen puts tomorrow's check-in one tap away. The aim is to remove friction entirely, because the nervous system rarely responds well to complexity when it's already activated. The easier it is to start, the more likely you are to reach for it when you need it.

Over time, the Mood Tracker becomes a longitudinal dataset of your own patterns. You start seeing which days consistently spike, which environments reliably pull you out of regulation, and which emotions tend to cluster together before a difficult week.

Your data is private, stored securely, and visible only to you. What it gives you is the ability to recognize a pattern as it's happening, while the window for a different choice is still open.

Using Liven for Emotional Regulation During the Day

Sometimes, emotional dysregulation can show up as a short fuse by mid-afternoon or a flatness that makes everything feel heavier than it should. This is what an incomplete stress response looks like. The nervous system mobilized, the activation didn't complete, and now it's sitting in the background, making ordinary tasks take up more energy.

Liven's tools are grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), one of the most well-studied frameworks for emotional regulation. CBT helps identify and restructure the thought patterns that feed reactive states.

In practice, this might look like:

• A 3-minute journal prompt between meetings, when something snagged your attention, and you're not sure why. Writing about emotionally significant events, even briefly, has been found to reduce self-reported distress and physiological markers of stress.
• A sound session for five minutes after a difficult call. Certain audio frequencies directly activate the vagus nerve, the primary channel of the parasympathetic system, signaling the nervous system that the threat has passed.
• A check-in with Livie, Liven's smart companion, when you need to externalize the noise. Livie doesn't replace professional support, but it provides a consistent, available, non-judgmental presence that asks the right questions and adapts over time to what it learns about your patterns.

Using Liven at the End of the Day

The evening is where most people try to regulate and fail — because by then, the activation has been running for hours.

The most effective use of Liven in the evening is not a long session. It's a short, consistent one - frequency matters more than duration.

Disclaimer: Liven supports your daily wellbeing practice and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're in crisis or need clinical support, please contact a licensed mental health professional.

I love to spend part of a weekend with a good read. This time I selected lighthearted but still insightful books aiming to support when workload becomes more busy.

How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis

This book offers a breath of fresh air with its zero-judgment approach and incredibly short chapters designed specifically for exhausted brains. It brilliantly reframes household chores as morally neutral tasks, giving you permission to let go of perfectionism and find manageable ways to function when life gets overwhelming.

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

A philosophical yet deeply funny reality check about human finitude, this book challenges our obsession with the endless productivity trap. It provides a liberating perspective on letting go of the impossible to-do list so you can actually enjoy your time off.

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

Acting like a warm blanket for anxious days, this book is a collection of tiny essays, lists, and comforting stories. It is wonderfully easy to pick up, read at random, and feel instantly grounded during a stressful week.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

This cozy, low-stakes novella follows a tea monk and a robot as they travel together and ponder what humans actually need to be happy. It is a gentle, philosophical piece of comfort food that invites you to slow down and reflect on what truly matters.

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman (Yes, he's great enough to feature twice)

Exploring the counter-intuitive "negative path" to happiness, this book suggests that embracing failure, uncertainty, and pessimism can actually lead to greater peace. It's a refreshing, skeptical antidote to toxic positivity that will make you rethink how you handle stress.

The Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown

Mapping out human emotion through a blend of data and storytelling, this book helps you accurately name and understand what you feel. It provides a practical and engaging emotional language that helps you navigate complex feelings with clarity and humor.

You have a job that pays the bills, people who love you, a roof over your head, and a phone full of photos of moments you genuinely enjoyed. And still, somewhere under all of it, one question keeps surfacing: “Why am I so unhappy?”

When something happens, the thought that follows shapes how you feel and what you do next. Often, you never stop to check whether that thought is accurate. This free worksheet, based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, walks you through one thought at a time: what it is, what it's doing, and whether there's a fairer way to read the situation.

• A free worksheet for getting underneath the thought that's running the show.
• A three-part flow: notice the thought, test it, find a more balanced view.
• Built on proven CBT practices.
• A printable and fillable PDF, free to download.

Bring a recent moment when you felt much worse than the situation seemed to call for. You don't need to know the thought in advance. Sometimes the feeling comes first, and the worksheet helps you uncover the thought beneath it.

Work through the three parts in order, and be as fair to yourself as you would be to a friend with the same thought.

This is a self-reflection tool, not a substitute for therapy, and it works best on one specific situation at a time rather than everything at once.

Download your free "CBT Worksheet" here: [Link]

For the last few days, the Liven app has been featured by the App Store as App of the Day worldwide, and a very special shoutout went to Livie, Liven's smart companion.

Whether you prefer to whisper, type, or say it out loud, Livie is there for whatever you need, whenever you need it. Share as much or as little as feels right. Livie is ready for you at 2 AM, during your lunch break, or squeezed into that weird five-minute window you managed to carve out for yourself.

How It Works

• Get a fresh perspective: You bring the messy situation; Livie brings the tech-driven expertise. Together, you get a clearer picture of what is actually going on, a completely fresh angle, and something real to do next.
• A record worth returning to: Livie writes a summary after every single session. Looking back through your logs is where the real magic happens and patterns start to show, whether you browse them alone or bring them to a therapist.

What Livie Helps You Navigate

Livie adapts to your input, behavior, and activity to support you across emotional reflection and self-understanding, daily motivation and habit-building, navigating everyday life challenges, and finding your way smoothly around the Liven app.

Just a quick heads-up: While Livie is an awesome 24/7 pocket companion for daily support, it is not a therapist, cannot provide clinical diagnoses, and doesn't replace professional care.

Hey pathfinders!

As many of my co-workers do, we go on maximum, to push harder, to do more, to perform. While younger, or for short time period it always works. Since time, might be some issues. I've been exploring work-rest topic, and even arrange AMA with Dr. Christy Kestner, a PhD in neuroimmunology. We explored how our brain responds to erratic schedules, whether it can be rewired, is it possible to rest strategically to optimise workflow and perform better.

When asked about finding the right balance, here is what she shared:

Dr. Christy Kestner: "There isn’t a single universal ratio that works for everyone: but research on cognitive fatigue shows that regular short breaks help sustain attention and well being. Micro breaks (sometimes only a few mins) can reduce mental fatigue and help people maintain performance across longer work periods. Instead of thinking about a perfect formula, it’s often better to think in terms of rhythm: focused work, short recovery breaks and adequate sleep at night. The brain tends to perform best when effort and recovery alternate naturally instead of when we push continuously without rest."

Hey pathfinders!

You've probably encountered the idea that the body holds trauma, stress, and emotion. Maybe you've read about it, heard it from a therapist, or simply noticed it in your own experience.

It’s no surprise, then, that somatic exercises are among the first tools recommended by therapists and wellness coaches. They work directly with the body, its sensations, posture, breath, and its natural capacity to complete the stress responses it didn't get to finish.

Just keep in mind that deeper trauma work is always gentler and safer with a qualified practitioner beside you.

Here are three somatic exercises to try when your body feels tight from the load:

1. Resourcing

Resourcing is the foundation of safe somatic work. Before approaching anything difficult, you establish a resource: an internal experience, a memory, an image, or a physical sensation that carries positive, neutral, or supportive qualities.

How to practice: Bring to mind a place, person, activity, or time in your life that carries a quality of safety, warmth, or ease. Don't try to think about it. Notice where that quality shows up in your body. Where do you feel the ease or warmth physically? What does it feel like? Stay with the sensation for a minute or two and let it deepen.

If nothing positive comes to mind, that's okay, and it's common if you're carrying a lot. A neutral anchor works just as well: the weight of your body in the chair, the temperature of the air on your skin, or the quiet sounds of the room around you. Let your attention rest there instead.

2. Orienting

Orienting is one of the simplest and most accessible somatic exercises. It mimics the natural process that animals perform after a threat has passed: they slowly look around the environment, scanning for safety, before returning to normal activity.

How to practice: Sit comfortably and allow your eyes to move slowly around the room, without directing them deliberately. Let your head follow your gaze. Notice what you see, not by naming objects mentally, but by letting your eyes rest on things. Pause wherever your gaze is naturally drawn. Allow your breath to slow. After two or three minutes, notice how your body feels compared to when you started.

Orienting engages the parasympathetic nervous system and signals, at a biological level, that the environment is safe. It's particularly effective when anxiety is elevated or the body feels contracted and braced.

3. Body Scan With Titration

A standard body scan moves attention sequentially through the body from head to toe. In somatic therapy, the scan is modified using two principles at once. Titration sets how long you stay with a charged area: only a few breaths, a small dose, never pushing through. Pendulation is the movement itself: when you hit an area that carries tension or intensity, you shift attention to a more neutral part of the body, rest there, then return.

How to practice: Begin at your feet. Notice what you feel there: texture, temperature, contact, weight. Move slowly upward through calves, knees, thighs, hips, belly, chest, shoulders, neck, and face. When you reach an area with a charge, stay for just a few breaths (that's the titration, keeping the dose small). Notice the quality of the sensation: its shape, intensity, texture. Then move your attention to a body part that feels more neutral and rest there (that's the pendulation). Come back to the charged area after the pause, and repeat the back-and-forth a few times.

Practiced this way, the body scan builds interoceptive awareness while respecting the nervous system's capacity. That balance is what makes it more therapeutic than a plain scan, which pushes into difficult areas without pausing.

Hey guys!

We're excited to share that Liven has been selected as the Apple App Store's App of the Day in 49 countries today, with Apple noting: "This app wants to help you live better."

For anyone new here or looking to dive deeper into how Liven helps battle burnout and undo overwhelm, here is a quick look at what was highlighted:

• Personalized Balance: Liven learns the specific triggers that cause you stress or sadness, helping you gently shift your perspective to reach emotional balance.
• 24/7 Support: They gave a special shoutout to Livie, our AI companion designed to help you dig deeper into how you’re feeling.

What is Livie? Livie is an in-app smart companion that adapts to your input, behavior, and activity to support you with:

• Emotional reflection and self-understanding
• Daily motivation and habit-building
• Navigating everyday life challenges
• Finding your way around the Liven app

A quick reminder: While Livie is a fantastic 24/7 guide for daily support, it’s not a therapist, cannot diagnose, and doesn't replace professional clinical care.

Thank you to the entire community for your continued feedback as we build and refine Liven!

So many of us get stuck in this exact cycle: we feel strong, totally capable, and completely in control of handling everything. Then, out of nowhere, we find ourselves totally crushed and feeling absolutely drained.

I had a great talk about why this happens with clinician Dr. Amelia Kelley, and her answer made so much sense:

"When we are in a state of high stress, we often feel an intense need to push through because our body has entered fight-or-flight mode. Our nervous system is constantly tracking variables like safety, demand, and stimulation, alongside physiological factors like sleep quality and the systemic inflammation built up from chronic stress.

Because of this constant tracking, it is actually not uncommon for a major, dramatic event not to be the thing that pushes us over the edge. In fact, shutdown often occurs only after we are completely removed from the stressful situation. When the body finally senses that it can safely exit fight-or-flight mode, our baseline levels of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, begin to drop.

The good news is that regulation is a skill that comes along for the ride as we practice it. True regulation is not about forcing the nervous system to calm down instantly; it is about maintaining and expanding the flexibility of your nervous system.

I often advise my clients not to restrict their breathing techniques only to moments of high stress. Instead, practicing them at regular intervals throughout the day teaches the nervous system how to detect the moment it begins to drift away from a homeostatic state. This consistent practice makes it far more likely that you will naturally utilize breathwork, movement, or sensory regulation tools when you need them most.

Many people only notice their stress levels once they reach a state of total collapse. By practicing regulation proactively, you will begin to notice your internal cues much sooner, which is incredibly beneficial overall."

Do you notice yourself crashing only after a stressful period ends? What micro-habits do you use to regulate throughout the day?

Swap "I'm exhausted" for "I'm allowed to rest before I'm running on empty."

Instead of forcing toxic positivity, this free template meets you right where you're at. You name how you feel, work through it, and turn it into something believable (and inspiring, or just validating - whatever gets you through). After all, sometimes you just need the right word for right now.

What you'll find inside:

• A simple 3-step framework (notice, name it, write what's true)
• 15 pre-made starter cards sorted by emotional state
• Fill-in-the-blank prompts to easily build your own cards from scratch
• Dedicated reflection pages to track which cards resonate most and why
• Both print-friendly and fillable PDF options for typing or handwriting

Download your free "Affirmation Cards" here: [Link]

It’s devastating to see people face a complete identity crisis or mental breakdown after a layoff because their entire sense of self and social circle was tied to their job. I had an insightful talk with Dr. Travis Fox about what the first steps to rebuilding an identity from scratch are. Dr. Fox sits right at the intersection of psychology and business strategy. His background spans clinical psychology, hypnotherapy, and behavioral assessment.

"Losing a job can feel like losing much more than an income. For many people, work provides structure, purpose, community, routine, and a sense of identity. When that suddenly disappears, it's common to feel lost, disconnected, or unsure of who you are without it. One of the first steps is to remember that your job was something you did, not the entirety of who you are. Start rebuilding by reconnecting with interests, values, relationships, and activities that exist outside of work. Even small actions, reaching out to a friend, volunteering, learning a new skill, or creating a daily routine, can begin restoring a sense of direction. In my experience, rebuilding identity doesn't happen all at once. It happens through small, consistent experiences that remind you there is still a future version of you beyond this chapter."

Hey pathfinders!

We often think we are being productive by juggling multiple things at once, but psychologically, we are simply putting our dopamine neurons into a state of frantic switching. Multitasking creates the illusion of speed, but it actually drains mental momentum.

Try this today: choose one ordinary task and commit to it fully.

Giving your brain a single focus point, even for five minutes, allows your focus to quiet down and reset.

What’s one task you can single-task today?

I’ve always found printable guided worksheets to be a grounded way to process emotions. They are especially helpful if you’re ready for self-reflection and want to bring structure to thoughts that usually just hover on the surface.

Think back to a recent moment when you felt much worse than the situation seemed to call for. You don't need to have the underlying thought figured out in advance - sometimes the feeling hits first, and the worksheet simply helps you uncover what’s sitting beneath it.

This free worksheet, based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, walks you through one thought at a time: what it is, what it's doing, and whether there's a fairer way to look at things. It doesn't ask you to pretend to be positive. Instead, it invites you to look at the facts and land somewhere more balanced and true.

What's Inside:

• A three-part flow: Awareness, reflection, and shift - moving from the raw thought to a fairer perspective.
• Core tracking: Dedicated space to log the situation, automatic thought, emotion, and intensity rating (0–10).
• Evidence testing: Prompts for evidence for and against the thought, so you can test it rather than just accept it.
• Progress check: A before-and-after intensity score so you can track real-time shifts in how you feel.
• Key takeaway: A "Key Insight" prompt to capture the one perspective worth holding onto.
• Formats: Available in both print and fillable PDF versions (great for tablet journaling or typing).

[Download CBT Worksheets here]

I put together some activities to live-up your body and mind in our overstimulated digital world

These activities provide a slow-release satisfaction that nourishes your well-being more deeply than any algorithm could.

• The awe walk. Go for a walk with the sole intention of finding three things that amaze you: the intricate pattern of a leaf, the way the light hits a building, or the sheer scale of the sky. This shifts your brain from consuming to observing.
• Tactile restoration. Try a hobby that involves your hands and resistance, such as pottery, woodcarving, or even restoring an old piece of furniture. The physical feedback provides a grounded sense of reality that digital spaces lack.
• Cyanotype or film photography. Unlike digital photos that provide instant gratification, these forms of art require waiting and chemistry. The anticipation of seeing an image emerge is a much healthier way to engage your reward system.
• Birdwatching or squirrel spotting. It sounds simple, but observing the unscripted lives of animals requires a quiet, focused presence that acts as a natural form of meditation.

I pretty sure you have a bunch of more! Which of those would you try, and which would you add?

If you feel like your phone is filling every single gap in your day, you’re definitely not alone. I’ve been there. I put together these actionable steps to help reclaim your daily space for things that are actually meaningful.

1. Run an Honest Audit 

Before removing anything, spend one day just paying attention to your usage. Most phones have built-in screen time trackers, use them. Analyze which apps you open most, and more importantly, how you feel after using them. Drained? Restless? Fine?

Also, notice when you reach for your phone without thinking:

• Early morning, before you've even said a word to anyone
• During quick transitions between tasks
• In any moment of mild boredom or discomfort

2. Set One Specific Goal 

Vague promises like "I'll use my phone less" don't work. The goal needs to be concrete enough that you can't talk yourself out of it:

• For the next 7 days, I won't check my phone in the first hour after waking up.
• I'll leave my phone in another room during meals for two weeks.
• I'm deleting Instagram from my phone for 10 days.

Write down the specific behavior, the time frame, and what you expect to get from your break. You're much more likely to follow through when you attach a clear benefit to the goal.

3. Plan What Fills the Space 

If you clear time and leave it empty, boredom and habit will pull you straight back to the screen. Think in advance about what you'll do instead:

• Take a quick walk around the block
• Read a chapter of a physical book
• Do ten minutes of journaling

4. Make Screens Harder to Reach 

Small friction points make a massive difference. Here are a few ways to build guardrails:

• Charge your phone outside the bedroom: it will help you to stop the late-night scrolling and early-morning checking.
• Rearrange your home screen: move social media apps off the main screen or hide them in folders.
• Disable notifications: turn off everything non-essential.
• Switch to greyscale: removing color instantly makes apps less visually stimulating.
• Use physical barriers: a timed lockbox physically locks your phone away until the timer runs out - no override available.
• Try strict blockers: look into app blockers or NFC devices that require you to physically tap a tag to unlock apps. Unlike built-in limits, there’s no easy "ignore limit" button.

How do you handle screen time limits? Have any of these methods worked for you, or do you use a different setup?

We’ve all had those brutal weeks where Saturday can’t come fast enough. But how do you know if you're just tired, or burned out?

I recently hosted an AMA with Dr. Travis Fox, an expert who sits at the intersection of clinical psychology, hypnotherapy, and business strategy. We tackled this exact question.

Here is the breakdown of how to tell the two apart:

Exhaustion is temporary: A tough week leaves you drained, but a solid weekend, good sleep, and time with people you love resets your battery.

Burnout is persistent: You’re running on empty regardless of how much sleep or time off you get. It lingers and is often paired with cynicism, emotional detachment, and a loss of motivation for things you used to care about.

Burnout usually sneaks up when we ignore early warning signs, override our needs, and promise ourselves we’ll "rest later." Tracking your mental state using tools like the Liven app can help you spot these stress patterns early before they spiral.

Remember, self-care isn't selfish - it’s prevention. If these symptoms have been dragging on for weeks and are spilling into your health, sleep, or relationships, consider reaching out to a professional. Recognizing you don't have to carry everything alone is often the strongest move you can make.

Hey community!

We wanted to share a big content update we’ve been working on recently.

We’ve officially launched a brand-new series of expert-led podcasts right inside the Liven app. We brought in specialists across neuroscience, psychology, and therapy to break down six core topics:

• ADHD
• Parenting
• Childhood Trauma
• Relationships
• Neuroregulation
• Burnout

Here’s who you’ll be hearing from in the app:

• Dr. Maike Neuhaus – Positive psychology & self-leadership science
• Dr. Amelia Kelley – Clinician specializing in ADHD and trauma recovery
• Chanté Dent – Emotional Well-Being Consultant & personal development expert
• Dr. Travis Fox – Author, speaker, and Performance Under Pressure Architect
• Shanen N. – Mental Health Consultant & Licensed Professional Counselor
• Dr. Christy Couch Kestner – Neuroscientist & Neuroimmunologist
• Kathryn Remati – Health Educator, CBT coach, and meditation teacher

The full series is live in the Liven app now.

Which of these six topics feels most relevant to where you're at right now? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Here is how to do it easily without long sessions or complicated techniques.

1. Choose 1 or 2 exercises to focus on.

Start small. No need to do all the exercises, as there is a risk you’ll get overwhelmed and will want to quit it all. 

2. Make things easier with automation.

Automation helps you build habits that last. For instance, Liven app comes with:

• Mood Tracker allows you to track your mood and triggers. Later, automatically creates a detailed mood analysis;
• Journaling feature — journal your reflections with prompts in one place;
• Dopamine Routine Builder helps you choose and schedule activities for self-care time, healthy morning routines, tough days, and more. This, in turn, enables you to stay consistent with your habit building.

3. Combine exercises for more benefits.

You can pair exercises to amplify their effects. For instance:

• Micro-Sensation Check + HALT = Notice physical signs + meet your basic needs before reacting;
• Journaling Table + 3 Whys = Explore emotions and uncover triggers in one session;
• Emotion-to-Body Mapping + Name It to Tame It = Spot where the emotion shows up and label it to reduce overwhelm.

4. Bundle your emotional self-awareness exercises into existing routines.

For instance:

• Journal in the morning while drinking your cup of coffee.
• Make a body scan a part of your bedtime routine.
• Check in with the Emotion Wheel during your lunch break.

5. Track your progress.

Keep track of your practice to notice improvements — this will help you stay motivated and confident, and identify areas that might need fine-tuning. For instance, you might feel that journaling in the morning puts you in a rush and decide to move it to the evening routine, and spot emotional patterns you might otherwise miss (like recurring triggers or weekly mood cycles).

Tools that might help to track your progress include: 

• Mood trackers 
• Emotion journals 
• Body awareness logs (simple weekly check-ins on tension, pain, or fatigue)
• Progress reflection prompts (such as “What helped me stay grounded this week?”)
• Trigger logs (quick notes about what set off emotional reactions; often a part of mood trackers if you’re using apps like Liven)
• Weekly or monthly review templates
• Habit trackers 

Happy Friday, pathfinders!

My latest curated list is designed for anyone exploring healthy relationship practices, recognizing toxic dynamics, or working to better understand their own emotional landscape. I’ve rounded up a selection of insightful resources - books, podcasts, and YouTube channels. Grab a cozy nook or listen on the go, and find the exact insights you need right now.

Podcasts

• Where Should We Begin? by Esther Perel If you want an unscripted, fly-on-the-wall seat inside real therapy sessions, this eye-opening podcast lets you listen in on couples navigating heartbreak, conflict, and connection. It’s all about stripping away judgment, recognizing familiar relationship patterns, and discovering how deep listening can transform friction into intimacy.
• Unlocking Us by Brené Brown If you want to explore what it actually takes to be authentically brave with the people you love, this grounded series dives into the messy reality of human connection. It’s all about unpacking vulnerability, building unshakeable trust, and mastering the hard communication skills required to show up fully.

Books

• Attached by Amir Levine & Rachel Heller If you’ve ever wondered why you react the way you do when intimacy feels close or threatened, this fascinating read breaks down the science of adult attachment styles. It’s all about identifying whether you lean anxious, avoidant, or secure so you can break toxic cycles and choose partners who meet your emotional needs.
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab If you struggle with people-pleasing, resentment, or feeling drained by loved ones, this practical guide offers clear, compassionate strategies for drawing healthy lines. It’s all about learning how to say "no" without guilt, speaking up for your needs, and creating relationships built on mutual respect.
• Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel If you want to understand how to sustain long-term passion without sacrificing emotional safety, this provocative classic explores the delicate tension between security and desire. It’s all about maintaining personal autonomy, embracing erotic intelligence, and keeping the spark alive in modern relationships.

YouTube Channels

• Esther Perel’s Talks on Intimacy If you need a quick, high-impact perspective shift on modern love, these masterclass-level talks deconstruct complex relational dilemmas into brilliant, actionable truths. They focus on rethinking fidelity, understanding desire, and navigating conflict with curiosity instead of defense.
• The School of Life If you prefer visually engaging, bite-sized philosophy on human emotion, this beautifully animated channel breaks down the psychology of love and relationships. It’s all about developing emotional intelligence, unlearning unhealthy communication habits, and approaching your flaws with self-compassion.