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In this heartfelt episode of "Thoughts from the Couch," Kat reflects on the complexities of the holiday season, offering comfort and validation for anyone feeling overwhelmed or heavy-hearted. With her cats Lucy and Noodle by her side, Kat encourages listeners to honor their feelings, set boundaries, and find small moments of joy—whether it’s twinkle lights, furry companions, or quiet time alone. This episode is a gentle reminder that your feelings are valid, and finding your own joy is enough.
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Greetings and salutations.
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Welcome to, sorry.
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That's my inside voice.
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Thoughts from the couch.
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Well, I guess this time it's actually thoughts from the chair because I'm not sitting on the couch.
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Um, but I am sitting here with Lucy and Noodle and just reflecting on how thankful I am that this year is almost over, um, and how grateful I am to have these lovely kitties.
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Um, this is a hard time of year for a lot of people.
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You know, this is.
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Coming into what are typically family oriented holidays and religious things and all sorts of shit, and it gets overwhelming and it gets, can get sad and it feels hard and heavy and.
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I know that not all of you have access to a cat to pet.
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Um, and I'm very fortunate that I have access to three and I just, I've been thinking about you all the last couple of days, and this time of years is complicated and feelings about it are complicated and I just wanted to pop in and tell you.
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That whatever you're feeling is okay.
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I know I say it all the time, and I know you know it.
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Like some part of your core humanity knows it, but your feelings are valid, your frustrations, your anger, your rage, your sadness, it's all valid.
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It's all okay and sometimes you just need to shut it off.
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Or amp it up and all of that is okay.
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You know, the, there's this idea that the holidays, you're supposed to put on a, a happy face and pretend like everything's fine and make nice with people and put other people's comfort over your own.
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Sometimes your own comfort, sometimes your own happiness.
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And that's just not real.
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That's not real.
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That's not true.
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So, so what I want to say is this year give yourself permission to say, no, this doesn't serve me.
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No, this doesn't feel good for me.
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No, this.
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It doesn't make me happy and smiley or, no, I don't have the spoons to go and do this thing.
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No.
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Is a full, complete sentence, yes is a full, complete sentence, and you don't have to tell anyone the reasons for your yeses and your nos anytime during the year, but especially right now if, if all your.
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Spoons allow is for you to get up in the morning and feed your animals or feed yourself, take your meds and go back to bed.
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That's okay.
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There is no failing.
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There is no failing.
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You're not failure.
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You have not let anybody down.
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You're doing the things that you need to do to get through today, and today is hard.
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And this time of year is hard.
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You know, we have a lot of people, I say we, a lot of people have very bright and shiny memories from their childhoods of the holidays.
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Some people do not.
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Some people the holidays are not a bright and happy memory.
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And for those people, sometimes they just.
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They, they don't celebrate.
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They don't want to celebrate, or they're creating new memories and new celebrations.
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They're rewiring their brains every single day.
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So this year, be gentle to yourself.
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Be kind to yourself and remember that the way you show up is enough and the the ways that you're finding joy.
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Those are enough.
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You, the way you are right now is enough.
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And if, if you have to play that on repeat so you believe it or you just hear it from somebody outside of your own brain, please, for the love of everything cat shaped, do that.
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If you need to feto your house in every twinkle light that you can find, do that.
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If something bringing you joy is a little tiny Christmas tree that lights up a little dark corner of your house, do that.
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If you just wanna snuggle up with all of your squish melow that you have acquired, or a cat or a doggo, do that.
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But find something that brings you joy.
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Find something that you can do that helps to bring you peace.
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This time of year, because this time of year feels heavy for some people, this time of year feels chaotic.
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It feels so layered, and none of those feelings are bad.
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None of those feelings are wrong.
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All of your feelings are valid in you.
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Dear listener, you.
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Are a wonderful human and I'm glad that you're here.
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If the cats were paying attention instead of looking in a basket and possibly whacking each other in the face, uh, they would also say the same thing.
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And so that's my message today.
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That's what I got.
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It was sitting on my heart, and I just needed to say that out loud.
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For you and maybe for me too, that when it feels too heavy, find your joy.
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Currently Lucy's finding joy on some, um, packing paper that was in the chewy box that I opened today.
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Noodle is finding joy away from Lucy.
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Everyone has a little piece of joy that's tuck away and it's okay to pull it out every once in a while.
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You don't have to share it with anybody else.
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But you can pull it out just for you, and I hope that you give yourself the time to unwind and decompress and stare into the Christmas lights.
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If that is something you need to do for me, that is absolutely something I need to do.
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I set up a Christmas tree yesterday, 750 Christmas lights on it.
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Yes.
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750 lights, it still needs more lights.
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Um, but that's part of what I do to bring myself joy this time of year.
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So I hope that you're finding something that brings you joy.
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Um, I'm gonna post on the social medias, um, and ask how you're finding your joy this year.
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Is it Christmas lights?
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Is it hot chocolate?
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Is it hanging out with your fur babies?
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Is it.
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Is it decorating?
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Is it making cookies for other people?
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Is it just sitting in silence with a book?
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Whatever you're doing, I wanna know.
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I wanna celebrate the win with you.
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So with that, the cats and I are gonna go, we are sending our healing purrs and our good vibes to all of you, especially if you need them.
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Feel them extra.
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And we will talk to y'all soon.
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Bye.
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