"Beyond Thank You: Four Truths About Gratitude from an Unexpected Vista," Episode #166, November 21, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
What follows is the Weekly Wellness Column we send by email each Friday, based on the same topic as the podcast episode for that week. You can sign up for the Weekly Wellness Column . Beyond Thank You: Four Truths About Gratitude from an Unexpected Vista The two of us went on a hike the other day. It was a beautiful late Wisconsin fall day. We had chosen a large state protected area we'd never explored before, and as we switchbacked up a ridge, we had no idea we were about to experience gratitude in its truest form. Turned around at the top, we were overwhelmed with the unexpected view...
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"Awe, Mystery, and the Northern Lights: Nature's Gift to Our Well-Being" Episode #165, November 14, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
What follows is the Weekly Wellness Column we send by email each Friday, based on the same topic as the podcast episode for that week. You can sign up for the Weekly Wellness Column Awe, Mystery, and the Northern Lights: Nature's Gift to Our Well-Being This week, something extraordinary happened. People across the Northern Hemisphere stopped in their tracks, looked up at the night sky, and collectively whispered, "Whoa." The Northern Lights danced across skies where they rarely appear, and for a few precious moments, we remembered what it means to be truly awestruck. The aurora...
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"Taking Time to Reset," Episode #164, November 6, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
What follows is the Weekly Wellness Column we send by email each Friday, based on the same topic as the podcast episode for that week. You can sign up for the Weekly Wellness Column Taking Time to Reset Having just reset our clocks this week, we know that this simple adjustment—moving backward by a single hour—can change our entire rhythm. For some, the change was not a big deal; for others, it is still affecting their sleep schedules (or those of their kids or pets). But here's the good news: within a few days, most of us recalibrate and adapt. This semi-annual ritual reminds us...
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"What the Day of the Dead Teaches Us About Emotional and Family Wellness," Episode #163, Oct. 31, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
This episode finds Holly and Scott exploring lessons from Day of the Dead celebrations and how they can support our inidividual and family well-being. What follows here is the column they send out by email each week that is always on the same theme as the weekly podcast. You can signt up for the weekly email column . What the Day of the Dead Teaches Us About Emotional and Family Wellness While Americans are having fun celebrating Halloween this week, other countries around the world, especially in Mexico and Latin America, will be celebrating El Día de los Muertos (Day of the...
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"Making the Problem the Problem, Not the Person," Episode #162, October 24, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
(Click on the player at the top to listen to this ten-minute episode) What follows is the weekly column we email every Friday that is a companion to this weekly podcast. This podcast episode expands on the content of the column. You can subscribe to the weekly column . Making the Problem the Problem, Not the Person We've all been there: a conflict starts small—maybe it's about whose turn it is to handle the dishes or a disagreement about something important you're planning together—and suddenly you're no longer discussing the actual issue. Instead, you're blaming each other for...
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"Our Need for Different Kinds of Rest," Episode #161, October 17, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
(Click on the player at the top to listen to this ten-minute episode) What follows is the weekly column we email every Friday that is a companion to this weekly podcast. This podcast episode expands on the content of the column. You can subscribe to the weekly column . Our Need for Different Kinds of Rest Our Wellness Compass Initiative is a holistic approach to wellness. With that in mind, we offer four "Compass Points" that speak to multiple dimensions of rest, as well as help us become aware of our inner attitudes about the role of rest in our lives. Let’s all be...
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Transcending the Limits of Either-Or Thinking," Episode #160, October 10, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
What follows is the Weekly Wellness Column that we email out each Friday morning. Our weekly podcast is an expansion for the column. You can sign up for the Weekly Wellness Column . Transcending the Limits of Either-Or Thinking In our counseling practices, we often hear clients express their struggles in absolute terms. “I’m either a complete success or a total failure.” “My relationship is either perfect or it’s over.” “I’m either productive or I’m lazy.” This pattern, known as either-or thinking, can significantly impact our emotional, relational, and...
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"Four Quotes to Inspire Us From Dr. Jane Goodall," Episode #159, October 3, 2025
The Wellness Compass Podcast
What follows is the Weekly Wellness Compass Column which is emailed each Friday morning-the content of our column and podcast are always related. You can find our columns at: https://www.wellnesscompass.org/column A Few Things We Can Learn From Dr. Jane Goodall Each of our four Wellness Compass Points this week is a quote from scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away this week at the age of ninety-one. She will be remembered for many things, but probably most often for the way her scientific curiosity and her work with chimpanzees in the forests of Gombe remind us of the interconnectedness...
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"Wellness Wisdom for Everyone from the Twelve Steps: Celebrating Recovery Month," Episode #157"
The Wellness Compass Podcast
In recognition of September being National Recovery Month, we are pleased to share four Wellness Compass Points that offer wellness wisdom for everyone, drawing on the traditions of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step recovery groups. Wellness Wisdom for Everyone from the Twelve Steps: Celebrating Recovery Month Four Wellness Compass Points & Three Questions 1. Whether dealing with addiction, excessive worrying, perfectionism, or any self-limiting set of behaviors, the wisdom of the Twelve Steps teaches us that some challenges cannot be solved alone....
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Emotional Flooding: Four Wellness Compass Points & Three Questions
The Wellness Compass Podcast
Emotional Flooding: Four Wellness Compass Points and Three Questions Psychologist and author John Gottman describes emotional flooding as “a sensation of feeling psychologically and physically overwhelmed during conflict, making it virtually impossible to have a productive, problem-solving discussion.” Here are Four Compass Points to help guide us when this happens. 1. Everyone gets emotionally flooded from time to time, so it's essential to recognize the warning signs when this is happening to us. Pay attention to physical cues like rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, muscle...
info_outlineWhat follows is the Wellness Compass Weekly Column--a companion column to this podcast.
Relationship Hydration
While the topic of New Year’s resolutions is complicated, and it’s often difficult to know where to start, we have one very simple suggestion—a small resolution that is almost 100% guaranteed to succeed, and that will benefit not only yourself but also those around you as well.
Choose one relationship that is important to you. Make it a priority to nurture that relationship with positive thoughts, positive words, and positive actions. Offer encouragement, praise, and gratitude. Water the other person’s self-esteem. Put some air in their tires. Tell them how important they are to you. Prioritize spending time with them. If you do this regularly, you will undoubtedly see a growth in positivity and connection in that relationship.
A friend shared with us this week that their resolution for the new year after having learned from their doctor that they were chronically dehydrated was to drink more water. The doctor explained that a simple act of drinking more water would have enormous health benefits and would actually make them feel more perky and energetic as well. Thinking in analogies, as we tend to do, we thought of how relationships can also be energized or perked up when we give them more attention or “water them.” All living things need water to grow and flourish, and relationships are certainly living things, growing or wilting, depending on their environment.
Don’t just take our word for it. Try watering a relationship and see if it makes a difference. We are confident it will and that everyone involved will appreciate the difference your efforts will make.
In our Wellness Compass podcast, a companion offering to this column, we discuss some specific things we can do to rehydrate a relationship.