This week, we’re having a real and honest conversation about burnout, emotional exhaustion, stress, self-care, boundaries, and what it means to be human even when you’re struggling. We talk about the pressure to keep going, the guilt that can come with slowing down, and why burnout is not a personal failure.

If you’ve been feeling weary, overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or disconnected from yourself, this episode is for you. We also explore how to move forward without toxic positivity, how to be honest about your limits, and why realistic self-care often looks different than the polished version we see online.

What is a process addiction — and how is it different from substance addiction?

In this episode of Deciphering Growth, Tiffany Graves, and Eric Stone explore behavioral addictions including gambling, gaming, social media, shopping, pornography, and work addiction.

We break down:

• The neuroscience of dopamine and reward circuitry• How trauma dysregulates the nervous system• Why unpredictable rewards hook the brain• The shame–stress–behavior cycle• How tolerance and withdrawal show up without substances• Why process addictions are often socially rewarded before they’re punished• The role of neuroplasticity in recovery

Process addictions aren’t moral failures. They are nervous systems trying to regulate. But when coping becomes compulsive, it can impact relationships, finances, identity, and mental health.

Trigger warning for discussion of gambling and behavioral addiction.

Subscribe for more trauma-informed mental health conversations and join our Patreon for early access and exclusive content.

Are you doomscrolling… or just staying informed?

In this episode of Deciphering Growth, Tiffany Graves, LPCC-S, and Eric Stone explore the psychology behind doomscrolling — what it is, why it happens, and how today’s algorithms are designed to keep you engaged far longer than you intended.

What starts as a quick check-in with the news or social media can quietly turn into emotional overload, nervous system activation, and hours lost in the scroll. And often, we don’t even notice the physiological stress response happening in our bodies.

In this conversation, we unpack:

• The clinical definition of doomscrolling• How algorithms, advertising, and parasocial relationships influence behavior• Why your nervous system reacts even when you think you’re “fine”• The connection between doomscrolling and process addiction• Trauma-informed concerns in digital spaces• Realistic digital boundaries (without going all-or-nothing)• How to evaluate whether social media is helping or harming your mental health

This episode isn’t about demonizing technology. Social media can offer connection, community, and education. But without awareness and boundaries, it can also impact mood, anxiety levels, focus, and emotional regulation.

If you’ve ever looked up from your phone feeling overwhelmed, tense, or unsure where the last hour went — this conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen now and join us next week as we dive deeper into process addictions and behavioral patterns in the digital age.

🚨 SPOILER ALERT 🚨

If you haven’t finished the latest Stranger Things finale, this episode will spoil it.

In this episode of Deciphering Growth, Tiffany Graves and Eric Stone go full nerd mode to unpack Stranger Things through a trauma-informed lens: nostalgia as comfort, why some wounds get processed (and some mutate), and what

Vecna represents when pain gets intellectualized instead of healed.

New year. Same pressure to “do better.”

In this episode of Deciphering Growth, we unpack why New Year’s resolutions often fall apart—and what actually helps change stick.

We talk about momentum over motivation, why setbacks are part of growth (not failure), and how treating mental health like a productivity checklist quietly fuels burnout and shame.

If you’ve felt behind, discouraged, or stuck restarting the same goals every year—this episode is for you.

New Year’s resolutions often fail—not because you lackdiscipline, but because shame and pressure don’t create sustainable change.

In this week’s episode of Deciphering Growth, we unpack why resolution culture burns people out, how all-or-nothing thinking keeps us stuck, and what actually supports long-term growth from a trauma-informed lens.

If you’re tired of “new year, new you” messaging and ready for realistic, nervous-system-safe change—this one’s for you.

The holidays don’t just bring joy — they can reactivate parentification, attachment patterns, and nervous-system survival responses we’ve carried since childhood.

In this season-ending episode of Deciphering Growth,we explore:• Why parentified children feel exhausted during family gatherings• How attachment styles show up under holiday stress• The neuroscience behind emotional labor, hypervigilance, and “keeping thepeace”• What it actually means to choose peace over performance

The holidays can be loud, overwhelming, and emotionallycomplicated — and that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

In this week’s episode of Deciphering Growth, we break down:• Why holiday stress hits your nervous system so hard• What doesn’t help (over-committing, people-pleasing, pushing through)• Practical, trauma-informed ways to protect your peace