Ever reach the end of the day and realize you barely lived it?
You checked all the boxes - lunches packed, emails sent, bedtime done - but somehow, it feels like you weren’t really there.
In honor of World Mental Health Day, this episode invites you to pause the endless doing and reconnect with the life happening right in front of you. Vanessa shares how living on autopilot quietly affects your mental health, why awareness is the first step toward peace, and how simple daily practices can help you slow down, breathe, and come home to yourself.
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
- What “autopilot living” really looks like in everyday mom life
- How constant productivity can become emotional burnout in disguise
- The connection between autopilot, stress, and declining mental health (with 2024 data to prove it)
- How the Mindful Living Framework — Awareness · Presence · Intentional Action — helps you break the cycle
- Gentle, realistic ways to bring mindfulness into ordinary moments
TUNE IN TO LEARN
- How to recognize when you’ve slipped into autopilot
- What happens when we ignore our mental and emotional signals
- Simple daily check-ins to boost awareness and presence
- Ways to set boundaries and choose connection over perfection
- How mindful coaching can help you shift from survival mode to calm, confident living
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE
You don’t have to wait for a crisis to start caring for your mental health.
Even the smallest moments of awareness - a breath, a pause, a “no” that honors your peace - can begin to pull you out of autopilot and back into the life you’re meant to feel.
Listen in, and remember… you are always free to be mindful.
DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.
120 COPING SKILLS
https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills
CULTIVATE CALM CHALLENGE
https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-cultivatingcalmchallenge
1:1 PRIVATE COACHING FOR MOMS
https://www.amigamoms.com/coaching
WATCH THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/@counselorvdejesus
GET THE MUSE HEADBAND AT A DISCOUNT!
https://choosemuse.com/freetobemindful
Use this link to get 15% off your total when you purchase the amazing brain sensing headband that tells you when you're in a meditative state and guides you to improve your practice.
STAY CONNECTED:
Show Hashtag: #freetobemindfulpodcast
Website: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
All Social Channels: @counselorvdejesus
DISCLAIMER:
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.