The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy. But for a lot of us they also carry something heavier underneath. A missing. A quiet ache that does not go away just because the decorations are up and the music is playing.

In this episode Marilyn gets deeply personal about losing her mom on Christmas Eve morning and what the holidays have looked like in the years since. She talks honestly about why grief feels louder during the holidays, why it can rush back years later even when we thought we had found some peace, and why missing someone is not a sign that we have not healed. It is a sign that we loved deeply.

This episode is not about getting through the holidays. It is about giving ourselves permission to grieve and celebrate at the same time. Because both are allowed. And we do not have to choose.

In this episode:

• Why the holidays amplify grief in a way that almost nothing else does
• What the first holiday without someone we loved actually feels like
• Why grief can rush back years later and why that does not mean something is wrong with us
• Why grief and joy are not mutually exclusive and how to hold both at the same time
• How to use the bubble method when grief shows up unexpectedly in the middle of a celebration
• Six practical and specific ways to carry grief through the holidays with a little more grace

This week’s takeaway:

Missing someone during the holidays is not a sign that we have not healed. It is a sign that we loved them. Give yourself permission to grieve and celebrate at the same time. Feel it. Name it. Say their name. And know that the missing is just love with nowhere to go right now.

If you are struggling:

Grief can be heavy and you do not have to carry it alone. Please reach out to someone you trust. And if you are in crisis or feeling unsafe please reach out for help right away.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 anytime day or night. Free confidential support is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Come join the conversation:

You are always welcome in our free Facebook community Put it in a Bubble Private Bubble. Find us at MarilynBarker.com.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #HolidayGrief #GriefAndTheHolidays #YouAreNotAlone #MissingYou #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #GriefSupport #HolidayHealing #SayTheirName #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealth #PermissionToGrieve #BlowItAway

The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for a lot of us they come loaded with stress, complicated family dynamics, financial pressure, exhaustion, and a quiet grief for the people and moments we have lost along the way.

In this episode Marilyn gets honest about her own experience with holiday stress and shares the real practical strategies she uses to protect her peace when the holidays get complicated. Not generic advice. Actual tools you can put into action before, during, and after the hard moments.

Because how the holidays feel for you matters just as much as how they look to everyone else. And you are allowed to do things differently this year.

In this episode:

• Why the holidays are genuinely complicated for so many people and why that is okay to admit
• The reality of navigating difficult family dynamics and how to go in prepared
• The grief and longing that sit quietly underneath the holiday season for a lot of us
• The financial pressure of the holidays and why it is the thoughtfulness that matters not the price tag
• What to do when the holidays feel lonely even when you are surrounded by people
• How to use the bubble method when the pressure to make everything perfect feels like too much
• Seven specific and actionable coping tools including self talk, button pusher strategies, and exit planning

This week’s takeaway:

You have to do you. Protect your own mind and your own feelings because nobody else is going to do it for you. Go in prepared, have your strategies ready, and give yourself full permission to leave when you need to. How the holidays feel for you matters just as much as how they look to everyone else.

Come join the conversation:

Come talk about this one in our free Facebook community Put it in a Bubble Private Bubble. Find us at MarilynBarker.com.

If you are struggling:

You are not alone and you do not have to face this by yourself. If you are in crisis or feeling unsafe please reach out for help right away.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 anytime day or night. Free confidential support is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #HolidayStress #HolidayAnxiety #ProtectYourPeace #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #HolidaySurvivalGuide #RealTalk #FamilyDynamics #HolidayGrief #YouAreAllowed #GrowthMindset #DoTheHolidaysYourWay #BlowItAway

Most of us assume that what holds us back is the fear of failing. But for a lot of people the real fear runs deeper than that. It is the fear of what happens if we actually succeed. What if people expect more? What if we cannot sustain it? What if we do not deserve it?

In this episode Marilyn gets honest about one of the most common but least talked about things that keeps us playing small. The fear of our own potential. She walks us through why we self-sabotage, how procrastination and self-doubt show up right before a breakthrough, and what we can actually do to stop letting fear make every decision.

This is not about pretending fear does not exist. It is about learning to move forward anyway. Because playing small does not protect us. It just keeps us from the life we actually want.

In this episode:

• Why fear is normal and even helpful in some situations but destructive when it runs unchecked
• The real reason so many of us play small and why it is often not about failure at all
• How self-sabotage shows up in our personal lives and our careers without us realizing it
• Why procrastination is avoidance not laziness and what to do about it
• How to use the bubble method when self-doubt shows up right before a breakthrough
• Six practical ways to stop letting fear of your own potential hold you back

This week's takeaway:

The next time we catch ourselves pulling back ask one honest question. Am I afraid of failing or am I afraid of what happens if this actually works? Then take one step in the direction of what we actually want. Just one.

Come join the conversation:

Come talk about this one in our free Facebook community Put it in a Bubble Private Bubble. Find us at MarilynBarker.com.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #FearOfSuccess #StopPlayingSmall #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #ImposterSyndrome #PersonalGrowth #OwnYourPotential #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealth #YouAreCapable #LetItGo #StopSabotaging #BlowItAway

Last episode we talked about the highlight reel side of social media and how comparison quietly steals our joy. Today we are flipping that coin over. Because there is another side to social media and to life in general. And that is the negativity side.

In this episode Marilyn gets honest about the difference between someone being real about a hard season and chronic negativity that consistently pulls everyone around it down. She talks about doom scrolling, the people in our lives who drain our energy, and why negativity affects us so deeply even when we do not want it to.

This is not about cutting everyone off or unplugging from the world. It is about getting intentional about what we let in and learning that protecting our peace is not selfish. It is necessary.

In this episode:

• The important difference between honest vulnerability and chronic negativity
• Why social media algorithms actually reward negative content and what that means for us
• What doom scrolling actually does to our mood and mindset over time
• A real look at what it feels like to have a consistently negative person in our circle
• The difference between holding space for someone and being pulled into their storm
• How to use the bubble method to release negativity that was never yours to carry
• Six practical ways to protect your mental and emotional space from negativity

This week's takeaway:

After you scroll check in. After you spend time with someone check in. Ask yourself honestly, how do I actually feel right now? That answer tells you everything you need to know about what needs to change.

Come join the conversation:

Come talk about this one in our free Facebook community Put it in a Bubble Private Bubble. Find us at MarilynBarker.com.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #WhenNegativityIsAllAroundYou #ProtectYourPeace #DoomScrolling #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #CurateYourFeed #PersonalGrowth #EnergyDrains #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealth #YouGetToDecide #LetItGo #BlowItAway

The Comparison Trap

Have you ever scrolled through social media and immediately felt like you were somehow behind in your own life? Like everyone else has it together and you are still figuring things out? In this episode Marilyn gets honest about one of the quietest ways we steal joy from ourselves. Comparison.

And here is the thing. Social media only shows us what people want us to see. The highlights. The wins. The best moments. Sometimes with a little exaggeration mixed in. And when we compare our real unfiltered everyday life to someone else's carefully curated highlight reel we are setting ourselves up to always feel like we are falling short. That is not a fair comparison. And today we are talking about why.

This episode is not about putting your phone down forever. It is about learning to run your own race and stop measuring your journey against everyone else's.

In this episode:

• Why social media comparison is never a fair fight and what we are actually comparing ourselves to
• What the real life comparison trap looks like with the people right around us
• The important difference between being inspired by someone and being consumed by comparison to them
• How to use the bubble method when feelings of inadequacy start to take over
• Six practical ways to break free from the comparison trap and come back to your own lane

This week's takeaway:

The next time we catch ourselves in the comparison trap ask one honest question. Am I running my race or am I watching someone else run theirs? Because we cannot do both at the same time. And our race is the only one that actually matters.

Come join the conversation:

This episode hits close to home for a lot of us. Come talk about it in our free Facebook community, Put it in a Bubble Private Bubble. Find us at MarilynBarker.com.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #TheComparisonTrap #RunYourOwnRace #YouAreEnough #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #SocialMediaAndMentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #StopComparing #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealth #YouAreNotBehind #BeYourself #BlowItAway

Episode Title: Life Gets Heavy. Let's Talk About It.

Episode Description:

Sometimes life just gets heavy. Not for any one big reason. Just the accumulation of everything we carry every single day. And in this episode Marilyn gets real and off the cuff about exactly that.

No script. No perfectly planned talking points. Just an honest conversation about what it feels like when life weighs on us and why talking about it matters more than we think.

Because one of the most powerful things we can do when life feels heavy is stop carrying it alone. And that is exactly why Marilyn is launching a free Facebook community where we can do just that. Come as you are. Talk about what is real. And find people who get it.

In this episode:

• An honest and unscripted conversation about the weight of everyday life
• Why talking about what we are carrying makes it lighter
• An invitation to join a growing community of people who are done pretending everything is fine

Come join the conversation:

Life is better when we do not have to figure it out alone. Find Marilyn on social media or visit MarilynBarker.com to join the Put it in a Bubble Private Bubble, a free Facebook community where real conversations happen, and nobody has to carry it alone.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #LifeGetsHeavy #CommunityHeals #YouAreNotAlone #MentalWellness #RealTalk #LetsTalkAboutIt #FindYourPeople #MindsetShift #GrowthMindset #FreeCommunity #BlowItAway #PutItInABubblePrivateBubble #ShowUp

Most of us do not think about our mental health until something forces us to. We push through the small warning signs, tell ourselves we are fine, and wait until we hit a wall before we finally stop. But by then we are in recovery mode instead of maintenance mode. And recovery is so much harder than prevention.

In this episode Marilyn talks about what it actually looks like to take care of our mental health before things fall apart. Not in a heavy or overwhelming way. In a simple, practical, and completely doable way that fits into real everyday life.

This episode is for anyone who has been running on low for so long that low feels normal. And it is a gentle reminder that we do not have to earn rest by reaching our limit. We are allowed to take care of ourselves now. Before the crisis. Before the wall. Before we have no choice.

In this episode:

• Why so many of us wait until we hit a wall before we pay attention to our mental health
• The quiet warning signs our mind and body send us that are easy to miss or ignore
• What it looks like when someone pushes through the signals until they hit a breaking point
• What it looks like when someone catches the signs early and shifts before things get heavy
• Six simple everyday ways to take care of our mental health proactively
• How to use the bubble method as a daily maintenance tool not just a crisis response

This week's takeaway:

Every day ask yourself one honest question. How am I actually doing today? And then do one small thing in response to whatever that answer is. One question. One small response. Every single day. That is maintenance mode. And that is enough.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarkerspeaks.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #TakeCareOfYourself #MaintenanceMode #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #PreventiveMentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #YouDeserveMore #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealth #YouAreWorthIt #SelfCare #BlowItAway

Have you ever noticed that a relationship that used to feel easy and natural now feels heavy and draining? Not because anything went wrong. Not because anyone did anything hurtful. Just because somewhere along the way you changed and the relationship did not change with you.

In this episode Marilyn talks honestly about one of the most human and least discussed experiences we go through. Outgrowing people we love. She walks us through the guilt and grief that come with it, what our options actually are when we find ourselves here, and how to navigate it all with honesty and compassion for everyone involved.

This episode is not about cutting people off or deciding someone is not good enough. It is about giving ourselves permission to keep growing even when it is complicated. And about finding the courage to be honest about where we are.

In this episode:

• Why outgrowing someone is not a betrayal and what it actually is
• The guilt and grief that come with outgrowing a relationship and why both deserve to be acknowledged
• A real look at what this feels like in a longtime friendship when one person grows and the other stays the same
• What happens when growth disrupts a long established family dynamic
• Four honest options for what to do when we realize we have outgrown someone
• How to use the bubble method for the guilt and grief of letting a relationship shift
• Six practical ways to navigate outgrowing someone with grace and compassion

This week's takeaway:

We cannot grow and stay the same at the same time. The most loving thing we can do for ourselves and for the people we are outgrowing is to be honest about where we are. Outgrowing someone is not a betrayal. It is a sign that we are becoming. And becoming is always worth honoring.

Connect with Marilyn:

www.MarilynBarker.com

Hashtags:

#PutItInABubble #MentalHealth #WhenYouOutgrowPeople #PersonalGrowth #LetItGo #MindsetShift #MentalWellness #Relationships #GrowthMindset #OutgrowingRelationships #BecomingYourself #SelfDiscovery #EmotionalHealth #YouDeserveMore #BlowItAway