327: Should I Take Medication For My Anxiety?

327: Should I Take Medication For My Anxiety?

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

“If I just find the right medication, then I’ll finally feel okay…” Does that thought sound familiar?

Obviously I’m not a doctor. So I’m not giving medical advice. And I would never, ever say you should stop taking your medication, or that it’s bad for you to take medication.

There is a time and place for medication, and especially if you can’t function and medication helps, use it. So many moms struggling with anxiety feel stuck in this cycle—believing that medication is their only option, yet still feeling like something is missing.

Today, we’re having an honest conversation about anxiety medication—what it can do, what it can’t do, and why healing anxiety at the root goes far beyond a prescription.

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand:

• Why medication alone isn’t the solution to healing anxiety.

• The real reason anxiety keeps coming back, even on medication.

• What you can do to actually heal at the root and find lasting peace.

The truth is, medication doesn’t fix anxiety—it only manages symptoms.

Healing anxiety at the root through subconscious reprogramming is the fastest, most effective way to experience true freedom. Medication is just a numbing source. The truth is, addressing anxiety with medication often merely alleviates symptoms rather than tackling the underlying issues. To truly heal anxiety, you need to identify and eliminate the root causes, which often lie in the unconscious mind, where your emotional triggers originate.

---

Let’s talk about some of the myths surrounding anxiety and medication

Myth #1: “I have a chemical imbalance, so I need medication.”

• This is one of the most widely accepted beliefs, but science has never actually proven that anxiety is caused by a “chemical imbalance.”

• Anxiety isn’t something that happens to you because your brain is broken—it’s a learned pattern, a response to trauma, stress, and subconscious beliefs that are keeping you stuck. Anxiety is not because of a chemical imbalance, but because of stored data that keeps the subconscious mind reading things as threatening and dangerous that are not threatening and dangerous. And no amount of medication is going to get the subconscious mind to change that data.

• Medication may alter brain chemistry temporarily, but it doesn’t address the subconscious wiring that created the anxiety in the first place. Like I said above, it will not touch the data and the way the subconscious mind is reading all the stored information that it keeps filtering out threats and dangers for you.

Myth #2: “Medication will make my anxiety go away.”

• Medication can numb the intensity of anxiety, but it doesn’t actually make it disappear. Something that people say over and over again when they are on medication, is they still feel anxiety. They are still anxious. And they use it to manage the anxiety. So medication doesn't’ take the anxiety away, it just kind of numbs it a bit and makes it tolerable. 

• Many moms find themselves needing higher doses over time, switching medications, or feeling like they’re still struggling—just in a slightly more manageable way.

• Imagine if instead of just coping with anxiety, you could actually rewire your brain so anxiety didn’t control your life anymore.

Myth #3: “If I stop taking medication, my anxiety will come back worse.”

• If you don’t address the root cause, then yes—stopping medication might make anxiety feel even stronger.

• This is because the subconscious patterns that create anxiety are still there, waiting to surface the moment medication is removed.

• But when you heal the root cause, anxiety doesn’t have a reason to “come back.”

1. Rewire the subconscious mind. Anxiety is a learned response, which means it can be unlearned.

2. Clear out stored trauma and old belief patterns. Your brain is holding onto past experiences that keep triggering anxiety. Releasing them creates freedom.

3. Retrain your nervous system. Your body has been stuck in survival mode. Healing allows it to return to a natural state of calm.

---

• If you’re tired of feeling like you need medication to function but still don’t feel free, there’s another way.

• I’m hosting a free class where I’ll walk you through exactly how to heal anxiety at the root level—so you don’t have to spend your life just managing it.
  
  If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

326: How Bending a Spoon Taught Me to Surrender

326: How bending a spoon taught to surrender

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

This may sound like a very weird podcast title. And it might be a weird or interesting episode. I’m going to share an experience I’ve had with spoon bending, and how it created my word for the year of surrender. 

I don’t know if you do a word of the year, but I love doing this word of the year, and each January I pick a word that’s my focus for the year. Last year my word was focus, this year my word is surrender.

So- spoon bending, what is it, and why am I even talking about it!

I went to a business conference where we did a spoon bending exercise. The first time I did it- I learned so much about myself during the process. I want to share my experience with both of these spoon bending times because I learned something new from each of them.

But first the spoon bending is weird, and it’s quite crazy, but it’s all about taking a metal spoon that you cannot bend, and then doing a meditation and feeling the energy in the spoon so that it gets more flexible and so you can bend it whichever way you want to. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve seen so many bent spoons bent into twisted up pieces and such, that it actually happens.

The first time I did it, I found that through meditation when it came time to bend my spoon, I could feel the spoon soften in my hands so I knew if I could bend it, my heart would start to pound. And then I couldn’t bend the spoon because I was so fearful. And I was afraid my spoon would actually bend. I went back and forth to this surrendering place, and then tried to bend the spoon and my heart would pound. I ended up bending the spoon twice back and forth, and what was so funny about it to me, was that I didn’t trust that I actually did it.

So I was bringing my spoon home to Justin, to ask him, did I actually bend this, or is the spoon just really bendable?

Here’s why this spoon bending exercise is so incredible. Because it’s a business workshop- we focused on what's going on in our minds that is preventing us from taking action or doing the things we need to do in our business, or what’s holding us back. 

It was so interesting hearing other peoples experiences with this as well, because there were people who wanted so badly to bend the spoon, and then because they wanted to so badly, they couldn’t bend the spoon. And people who were almost angry because they wanted to bend the spoon.

And what I realized in this, I actually didn’t have this like I am going to bend the spoon, I want to bend the spoon, I found that my heart was pounding afraid I would actually bend the spoon. And how this correlates to the business conference and the work I was doing was that I was terrified of success. If you were to logically say that, it wouldn’t make sense, like of course everyone would want success, especially if they are putting their time, energy and heart into a business. But I found that I was actually afraid of success. And I found that to be true as I noticed that when my business did really well, I would start to get afraid. I talk all the time about the subconscious mind and how we don’t always know what’s in our subconscious mind, and how it can not be aligned with our conscious mind. Like I can consciously say yes I want to be successful, but my subconscious mind is terrified of success, so everytime my business is doing well, I subconsciously make changes, do something different, to shift it because of that fear.

And then- I would also question anything that happened. If I had a good month, I would question how that happened, or if that really happened, or if that could happen again. In the same way with the spoon I questioned whether I actually bent it. I was wanting to ask Justin for him to prove to me that yes in fact I did bend the spoon- oh I didn’t say earlier, that I lost the spoon in my travels on my way home, so I never got to prove it to myself.

So clearing this fear was super helpful for me last year.

And then- this year at the conference with the spoon bending exercise, I knew I could bend the spoon. I've done it before, but last year because I only bent it twice and they were simple bends, I questioned it. I just forced it rather than bent the spoon. Like anyone could have just done that.

So this year, one thing that stood out to me was when the facilitator was doing the meditation, she talked about holding a baby bird in your hand. How you can’t clutch the bird, because you would hurt it, but you also can’t be too loose otherwise it will hop out. And how when you are holding a baby bird, you’re doing it gently but firmly.

And this vision of this made it so crystal clear to me of surrender. What does it mean to surrender? There’s been times in our lives when I have been in this complete surrender phase, and it feels so good.

Like when we were traveling in our school bus and we were planning on moving to mn in the fall, and we had no idea where we were going to live in mn, if we were going to rent or buy, if anything would be available for us. Nothing. And people would ask us, you don’t know where you’re going to live? You don’t know if you’re going to buy it? Like we were crazy. I guess I knew if there were no other option I could just stay in the bus and go south for the winter. But I just had this place of trust and surrender. That everything would work out. That God is in control of our lives, and whatever is meant to happen will. We were obviously taking steps towards whatever options, but when I would be grounded in this feeling of surrender, or maybe you can call it trust, I just knew that whatever happened was supposed to happen for us, and it was all going to work out exactly as it was supposed to. And it ended up working out well, we got a house, went and looked at houses for 1 day and bought a house and have been in it for over a year now.

But- going back to this spoon bending. This feeling of surrender- like I don't really care if I bend the spoon or not. Either way, it’s going to be fine, but I’m also going to try and see what happens. And I spun and twisted my spoon many times over and over again, so there’s no way I can question if I bent the spoon. There’s no way I could have just forced bending the spoon like that even if I wanted to.

So- I came to my word for the year, surrender. Because of how good it feels in my body to surrender. To give it to God. That he’s in control of my life, my business, my family, everything. We can make plans, I definitely have goals and dreams, and I work really hard towards things, but with this feeling of holding a little bird in my hand, not clutching to anything, not attached to how I think it should go or how it’s supposed to go, but it’s going to go exactly as it’s supposed to.

It’s a beautiful feeling for me…to take action as I can, but also let it be how it is.

The spoon bending may sound weird, but it definitely brings to the surface the stuff that’s going on inside of your mind that’s holding you back or helps you realize different things that can be really useful.

As the facilitator said many times, it’s not even about bending the spoon, but what the process does for you.

I’m not sure why I shared this with you, except that I wanted to share, and maybe it’s interesting to you, maybe not. Maybe the takeaway is number one how powerful our subconscious mind is, and also, where can you surrender in your life? Where have you been clutching so hard on to something, where you are hurting the bird? Where can you let go, or release some attachment or resistance to something.

There’s a huge difference between desiring something with a surrendered feeling, vs. desiring something with a clutching feeling.

And it feels so much better to be in a feeling of surrender.

What do you think?

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

325: Teaching Kids Investing with Annaline Dinkelmann

325: teaching kids investing with annaline dinkelmann

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Teaching kids about investing is more than just managing money—it's about empowering them with the tools to build a secure and fulfilling future. My journey into this began with a passion for financial literacy and a desire to help the next generation develop patience, discipline, and confidence around money. Investing matters because it opens doors to financial independence and teaches lifelong lessons about growth, risk, and decision-making. You don’t need a lot of money to start—just a willingness to learn and take small, consistent steps. For families with debt, it's essential to prioritize high-interest debt while exploring ways to save and invest responsibly.

To get started, encourage kids to learn the basics of budgeting, saving, and understanding how investments grow over time. Start small, perhaps with a custodial account or apps designed for beginners. One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey is seeing the lightbulb moments when kids realize their financial potential. From this experience, I've learned that anyone can cultivate a mindset of growth and abundance with the right guidance. To follow along or connect with Annaline, feel free to reach out on Instagram—she would love to help you and your kids start this exciting journey!

Explore more by visiting her website, Teach Me Wall Street.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

324: Connecting With Your Kids

324: Connecting with your kids

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

This episode explores how to foster deep connections with children in a large family setting. The host, Megan, who is currently pregnant with her ninth child, reflects on the challenges of ensuring quality one-on-one time with each child when parenting multiple kids. She and her husband, Justin, have developed meaningful traditions that help them connect with each child individually, demonstrating their love and attention in personalized ways.

One of their most cherished traditions is "one-on-one nights," where each child gets dedicated time with their parents. Initially, this was a weekly routine while living in a bus, but now that they are back in Minnesota, it alternates with date nights. These special nights involve games, snacks, or outings to places like Dairy Queen or a golf simulator. The goal is to provide undivided attention to each child, allowing their personalities to shine and strengthening parent-child bonds.

Another simple yet impactful daily tradition is asking their kids, “What was your hard thing and what was your good thing today?” during bedtime. This encourages open communication and reflection while allowing parents to understand their children’s emotions better. Birthdays also follow a structured approach—big celebrations at ages 6, 8, and 10, while other years are marked by a simpler family gathering. Once a child turns 12 (or nearly 13), they get a special trip of their choice with their parents, making for a memorable coming-of-age experience.

Ultimately, this episode highlights the importance of intentional parenting and creating meaningful moments amidst the chaos of raising a large family. Whether through structured traditions or spontaneous moments of connection, these small efforts make a lasting impact on children, reinforcing love, support, and familial bonds.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

323: 3 Tips to Stop Anxiety or Panic Attacks

323: 3 tips to stop anxiety or panic attacks

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

3 Tips to Calm Down When You Are in Fight or Flight

Do you know that feeling when you feel so completely out of control? And like your body and mind are completely going nuts, your system is completely overwhelmed and you have no clue what is up from down and you are just in a state of pure survival? Well, I do too, and today I’m going to give you some tips to calm your body down when your body gets in that state.

Because it’s so terrible to be in that state it can even be hard to think what to do, or the panic about being in that state can increase and just make things worse. So I will give you 3 tips. If you like these 3 tips and want to have an even better resource to help you, I created a RESET  mini program that gives you all these resources plus more when you are experiencing a panic attack or anxiety attack at the moment. For example, instead of just knowing about a breathing exercise, and having to try to remember, you can just go inside of the program, press play, and listen to the exercise to help you calm down and ground.

So let’s dive into the things I’m going to share with you today…number one:

1. Different types of breathing exercises are amazing for calming down your body and mind. If you think about it- if you are in a state of panic, what is your breath probably like? It’s probably short, shallow, quick breaths. This communicates in a loop to your brain that there is danger, and along with other things that are going on, this can continue to increase the whole cycle of panic or anxiety. So intentionally slowing your breath down, taking long deep slow breaths, and longer exhales than inhales. So one of my favorites is the 4-7-8 breathing technique. You breathe in for 4, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. I have actually found that it can be hard to hold my breath for that long and breathe out for that long, so you can shorten a bit if you want to like 3-6-7 or 4-5-7. Let’s do a round or two together so you can get practice for it. 

2. Shock your system. When your body is in a state of panic or fight or flight, it can feel like everything is out of control, and your body is just going on autopilot. Do something to shock your system. Do something to create a pattern to interrupt or break the fight or flight cycle that is going on. An example of this could be taking a really cold shower, getting ice-cold water on your face, or something of that nature. Just changing the state of what your body is experiencing can be enough to get your body out of that state.

3. Do something outside of your body and mind. Focusing on the sensations that are going on in your body and getting more worked about them actually increases the panic and anxiety that you are already experiencing. So bring your awareness to things outside of you. Noticing details, colors, textures, and sounds, of things in the room around you. Even going through some of your favorite places love in your mind, that bring you peace and comfort. The sensations in your body are not going to kill you if they are from an anxiety or panic attack, and the more you can ignore them, not care about them, and focus on other things, the more your body and mind will get that there’s actually no big deal and nothing needs to be going on.

So this episode is pretty short with these ideas, but I want to give you some tangible, tactile things you could do immediately to stop a panic or anxiety attack. If you want everything all in one place with easy-to-listen audio, where you don’t have to try to think or remember anything, you can join RESET for just $17 by going to RESET.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

322: Helping Your Kids Be More Confident

322: helping your kids be more confident

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode, it is going to be meaningful to me, as a mother, Michelle and I are talking about fostering a growth mindset in children—teaching them that abilities and intelligence can develop through effort—sets the foundation for resilience, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning. Parents play a crucial role in this journey, but common pitfalls such as overpraising abilities, rescuing too quickly, or comparing children to others can unintentionally hinder their confidence. Instead, focus on praising effort, guiding problem-solving, and celebrating individual progress. 

Growth mindset strategies are best introduced during calm, receptive moments, while emotional regulation should be prioritized when children feel overwhelmed. Recognizing early signs of dysregulation, such as irritability or physical tension, allows parents to support their child with calming techniques and validation. Additionally, maintaining emotional balance as a parent is key to avoiding the “stress energy exchange,” where children absorb and mirror parental anxiety. By staying calm and supportive, parents can create a positive environment for their child’s growth and well-being.

Before we wrap up, if you'd like to connect with Michelle to learn more or discuss strategies, feel free to reach out through Michelle's page and Instagram.

Together, we can empower the next generation to thrive! 

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

321: Using Visualization to Achieve Your Dreams

321: Using Visualization TO Achieve YOur Dreams

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

I want to share a tool I’ve been using for my own life that maybe you want to try using. Maybe it sounds weird to you, maybe it seems fake or whatever, but it’s been incredibly helpful for me, and I will explain a few reasons why, my own experience with visualization, but also, how the brain works, and so why this is such a powerful tool to use.

Okay, what is visualization? It’s a way of playing a video in your mind of sorts , usually of a future event that you want to live, or a dream you have, or even a reaction or response you want to have to a situation, you play it in your mind.

And maybe you’re thinking, I can’t visualize. You know what…I can’t really either. I don’t clearly see a video of pictures in my mind like I know other people can. Instead you focus more on what comes more naturally for you. For me, it’s the feelings I want to have in my body, and then it’s like a narrative or a story in my mind. So instead of clearly seeing pictures, I hear words, and then have a feeling.

Okay, so why visualization? And what does it do?

It’s a way of living something as if it’s already happened. You live something a thousand times in your mind, and then it becomes reality. You see it, you feel it, you become it, and then it becomes you. And here’s why this works within the subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind does not know what is real or not real. It only knows what it sees, and it believes what you think as real. So if you want to respond a certain way to your kids, or to a certain situation, you can go through a visualization process where you already responded and acted in the way that you wanted to in the situation. And then, your mind believes it’s already done. You already did that, and it gathers details for this is how we do it.

I use some visualization techniques to help people with phobias, or fear of driving, social anxiety,  or things of that nature, where they get to play out in their mind situations and create either funniness around it, silliness, or just feel what it feels like to already be over this struggle and problem.

But you can use visualization to achieve your dreams. I know this, because I’ve done it. Our bus is a great example. Every single night for probably a year, I visualized driving down the driveway in our bus. By the time we actually drove down the driveway in real life, it felt so surreal. I’ve already lived it so many times…but now it was real, and it felt crazy but also absolutely normal.

The same way with our sauna. I wanted a sauna forever, so I started visualizing having a sauna, taking a sauna, feeling what  it feels like to be in the sauna and enjoying the sauna ... .I did this for probably 6 months, and what do you know, we have a sauna. And it is different from how I thought we would get a sauna and how I pictured it coming about, but it’s perfect for us right now, and it’s the best thing to have a sauna.

Here are some tips for visualization

-first, remember it doesn’t have to be just pictures, it can be a feeling, words, scents, whatever feels best for you

-second, get very clear on the vision or goal you want to achieve. You can even take a moment to write it down. But when you write it down, you write it in present tense, as if it already happened. When you are visualizing it, you are seeing it as if it’s happening right now, or as if the goal is already down. Who are you when you have that? What does it feel like to have or be that? What does it look like? Sound like?

-Third, you can use a guided meditation process like I have in my program Cleared. Or you can just visualize in your own mind, see the start to the finish of you already living your dream as if it’s already done. Not wishing it were, or anything like that. As if it already happened. That’s the key to all of this, because then when the subconscious sees it as if it’s already happened, your subconscious mind starts working towards that automatically. There is so much that happens within the subconscious that’s pretty incredible, and if you start feeding your subconscious mind things you want and where you want to go, it will work with you to get you there.

-fourth, notice the feelings you get in your body. When you think of a goal that you want, and you ask yourself why do you want this goal? Do this with me right. Think of a specific thing you desire in your life. And if I were to ask you why do you want that? What will that give you? For example, I want to be able to respond to my kids when they are screaming instead of reacting and screaming myself. If I were to ask you why do you want that? You might say because I want to be a better mom…then why? Why do you want to be a better mom? Then you might say, I want more connection and love with my kids. And so the value you have is the feeling. The love and connection.

So when we think about what this goal or vision will give you, it will ultimately give you a feeling in your life. And so when you do this visualization, notice what that feeling is, and feel the feeling already. Enjoy that feeling now. You don’t have to have this happen already to feel it. Feel it as if it has already happened and you get to enjoy this feeling ever more.

Okay, so I’m curious what your thoughts are on this. I have found this to be an incredible tool for many reasons, but also to just stay focused on the  dreams or goals that you have. It’s so easy to get distracted, to get burnt out, or whatever, but when you see the vision, and when you feel it in your body, it brings you back into focus, and brings you back to being right here, right now, and gives that energy or motivation maybe you were looking for to take that one step one thing you need to do to get to that goal.

Alright my friends, I am still hosting live trainings every single week, they are so so fun, and if you are living with anxiety and trauma, you do not want to miss it, you can get so many questions answered like what’s happening in your body with anxiety and trauma, and what you need to do in order to actually heal it!

Go to www.meganhillukka.com and click on the pink button and it will take you to the page to get registered!Or you can just go to my IG account megan_hillukka and the link to join is in my bio!

Alright my friends, I hope you start to implement visualization into your life and see what happens! If you’re skeptical, just try it and see, you never know until you try!

Take care, until next week!

I have a free class that I am currently hosting where you will learn the secret to healing anxiety and trauma. If you really want some relief from the triggers and anxiety that are keeping you stuck, come join me. You can go to my website, www.meganhillukka.com and you will see the bright pink button there that will bring you to the page to join!


If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

320: Gluten Free Baking, Motherhood, and Making Cooking Easier with Katy Davis

320: Gluten-Free Baking, and Making Cooking Easier in Motherhood With Katy Davis

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

I have a free class that I am currently hosting where you will learn the secret to healing anxiety and trauma. If you really want some relief from the triggers and anxiety that are keeping you stuck, come join me. You can go to my website, www.meganhillukka.com and you will see the bright pink button there that will bring you to the page to join!


If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.