The Adult Chair Podcast with Michelle Chalfant

Episode Summary
Feeling stuck can feel overwhelming, hopeless, and frustrating, but you are more powerful than you think.
I'm sharing six simple tools to help you get unstuck and begin creating real movement in your life. Whether you feel stuck in a relationship, a job, a friendship, a pattern, or the way you feel about yourself, these steps can help you shift your energy, change your thoughts, and start moving toward the life you truly want.
I talk about the importance of accepting where you are right now, not because you like it or want it to stay that way, but because acceptance creates movement. When we stop avoiding what is right in front of us, we can begin to make new choices.
I also share how to get clear on where you want to go, how to stop giving energy to what you do not want, and why your thoughts and spoken words are so powerful. We talk about gratitude, journaling, emotional release, and the choice we all have between staying in the victim seat or stepping into empowerment.
Key Takeaways
Accepting your current reality does not mean you like it, approve of it, or want it to stay the same
Avoiding what is happening in your life takes a lot of energy
Getting clear on what you want helps you move toward a new reality
Visualization and feeling into your future self can help you create change
Your thoughts are powerful, but your spoken words are even more powerful
Talking constantly about what is wrong can keep you anchored in the reality you want to change
Gratitude helps shift your energy and move you from stuckness toward possibility
Journaling is a powerful way to purge thoughts, emotions, and energy from the body
You can choose the victim path or the empowered path
Intentional thoughts and conscious choices help you reclaim your power
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Have you ever wondered if you are an empath, a highly sensitive person, or both?
I'm breaking down the difference between an empath and an HSP, which stands for highly sensitive person. I explain what empathy is, what makes someone an empath, and how empaths often absorb the emotions and energy of people, groups, and places. When we do not understand this about ourselves, it can lead to overwhelm, fatigue, anxiety, depression, mood swings, and the feeling that something is wrong with us when really, we are picking up on energy that may not even belong to us.
I also share common traits of empaths, including sensitivity to light, sound, crowds, other people's emotions, nature, animals, and authenticity. Then, I explain how highly sensitive people are similar to empaths, but with one key difference: HSPs may sense and feel deeply, but they do not absorb other people's emotions in the same way an empath does.
Key Takeaways
Empathy is the ability to feel with another person, but being an empath takes this sensitivity to another level
Empaths are deeply attuned to the energy and emotions of people, groups, and places
Many empaths do not realize they are absorbing emotions that are not their own
Unaware empaths may experience overwhelm, fatigue, anxiety, depression, or mood instability
Empaths often feel deeply connected to nature and animals
Crowds, noise, bright lights, television, news, and chaotic environments can feel overwhelming to an empath's nervous system
People are often naturally drawn to empaths and may share deeply personal things with them
Empaths can often sense when someone is being inauthentic or hiding behind a mask
Alone time, or "cave time," helps empaths recharge
Self-care, nature, grounding, boundaries, and micro moments of peace are essential for empaths
Highly sensitive people and empaths share many traits, but HSPs do not absorb other people's emotions in the same way
You can be both an empath and a highly sensitive person
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

In this episode, I'm talking about what a healthy relationship actually looks like.
After hearing from so many people about narcissism, gaslighting, and unhealthy relationship patterns, I wanted to talk about the other side: how do we know when a relationship is healthy? Whether it is with a partner, parent, sibling, friend, child, or anyone else in your life, healthy relationships have certain qualities that help us feel safe, respected, heard, and connected.
I share eight qualities of healthy relationships, including mutual respect, healthy apologies, enjoying each other's company, respecting boundaries, thoughtfulness, honoring each other's needs, listening with presence, and having open, honest communication.
I also talk about why communication is one of the most important parts of a healthy relationship. So many of us expect others to know what we feel or need, but it is our job to share our reality. When we speak from "I," express what is happening inside of us, and ask for what we need without blame or shame, relationships can begin to change.
Key Takeaways
Healthy relationships are built on mutual respect, even when two people do not agree
A healthy apology means owning the hurt we caused, even if it was unintentional
Enjoying someone's company, feeling relaxed around them, and looking forward to seeing them are signs of a healthy connection
Respectful boundaries are essential in healthy relationships
Thoughtfulness does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as checking in, offering kind words, or remembering what someone needs
People in healthy relationships want to know and honor each other's needs
Listening with presence helps the other person feel seen, heard, and valued
Open and honest communication is one of the most important qualities of a healthy relationship
Using "I" statements helps us share our reality without blaming or putting the other person on defense
Healthy relationships require regular check-ins, intentional connection, and a willingness to talk about what is really going on
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Anxiety can feel overwhelming, but when we understand what is really underneath it, we can begin to take our power back.
In this episode, I'm talking about how to end anxiety and become empowered. In The Adult Chair®, I define anxiety as the physical manifestation of unfelt emotions. Anxiety often shows up in the body through symptoms like shortness of breath, tightness in the throat, knots in the stomach, racing thoughts, or a rattled nervous system. But underneath those physical symptoms, there are usually emotions that need our attention.
When we are anxious, the ego often tells us to do more, fix more, think more, or keep pushing. But that only keeps us on the treadmill. The way out is to slow down, turn inward, and begin noticing what is happening emotionally and physically inside of us.
I walk you through two simple steps and five tools to help calm anxiety and bring you back into your Adult Chair®. These tools include mindfulness, deep belly breathing, time in nature, meditation, and journaling. Each one helps regulate the nervous system, move emotions through the body, and reconnect you with your power.
Key Takeaways
In The Adult Chair®, anxiety is defined as the physical manifestation of unfelt emotions
Anxiety often shows up through physical symptoms in the body
Thoughts can direct us into the past or future, which can create emotions that rattle the nervous system
Becoming aware of what anxiety really is helps us step back into our power
Feeling emotions is one of the most important steps in calming anxiety
The ego often tells us to do more, but the real healing begins when we slow down
Mindfulness helps bring us into the present moment and back into the Adult Chair
Slow belly breathing helps regulate the nervous system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system
Nature can help calm the body, mind, and energy field
Meditation teaches us to observe thoughts without reacting to them
Journaling helps move stuck thoughts and emotions out of the body and onto paper
Taking action is what helps us feel empowered
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Your true self is the authentic, pure essence of who you were before the world taught you to become someone else.
Today, I'm talking about what the true self really is and how we can begin reconnecting with it. When we are born, we come in with our true essence. But as we grow up, we begin adapting, changing, and creating a false self so we can feel loved, accepted, safe, and like we belong.
Over time, this false self can cover up the truth of who we really are. We may lose touch with what we feel, what we need, what nourishes us, and what helps us feel connected to ourselves. But the good news is that anyone can begin to rediscover and live from their true self.
In this episode, I'm sharing five simple ways to reconnect with your true self: getting in touch with your emotions, tuning into your needs, practicing self-care, using breathwork, and journaling. These practices help us slow down, listen inward, and begin claiming the parts of ourselves we may have hidden, forgotten, or pushed away.
Key Takeaways
The true self is your authentic self, the pure essence of who you were born as
The false self develops as we adapt to feel safe, loved, accepted, and like we belong
Many of us disconnect from our emotions because we were never taught how to feel them
Reconnecting with your emotions helps you access deeper parts of yourself
Your needs are different from your wants, and learning to identify them is essential
Asking for what you need is part of living from your true self
Self-care is not selfish. It is self-loving
Practicing self-care supports self-worth and helps you reconnect with who you really are
Breathwork can help release stuck emotions and take you deeper into yourself
Journaling helps you access your unconscious mind, higher self, and deeper inner wisdom
Rediscovering your true self happens through awareness, validation, and small daily practices
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant