Home Podcasts Calm AF | Overthinking, Anxiety & Nervous System Regulation
Calm AF | Overthinking, Anxiety & Nervous System Regulation

Calm AF | Overthinking, Anxiety & Nervous System Regulation

Kristen Finch 381 Episodes Aug 19, 2026

Calm AF is a podcast about overthinking, anxiety, and calming your nervous system when your brain won't shut off. Hosted by Kristen Finch, it explores what's happening beneath the surface—emotional triggers and patterns that keep capable people feeling unsettled. The show offers real conversations and honest insight, along with tools to help high performers stop overthinking and find calm.

Episodes

Q: Will I ever truly learn to love myself?
Q: Will I ever truly learn to love myself? Aug 19, 2026 07:57 "Will I ever truly learn to love myself? Logically I believe it — but I get so frustrated because I don't fully feel it." A client sent me that specific question this week, and the answer came to me so fast I knew it had to be an episode. Because it is probably NOT the answer you're expecting. The belief that self-love is a skill you have to study, practice, and eventually graduate from is the exa
Why Your Brain Always Assumes the Worst (And How to Get Out of Fight-or-Flight)
Why Your Brain Always Assumes the Worst (And How to Get Out of Fight-or-Flight) Aug 12, 2026 22:14 It's 11:07pm. You're staring at a text you sent three hours ago that still hasn't been answered — and your brain has already decided the relationship is over, they hate you, you're going to lose your job, and you'll end up alone and broke forever. If that spiral sounds familiar, it's not because you're dramatic or bad at life. It's because your nervous system flipped into fight-or-flight, and a pr
Why You're Exhausted All Day but Can't Sleep at Night
Why You're Exhausted All Day but Can't Sleep at Night Aug 5, 2026 17:32 You're wiped by 2pm. You count down the hours until you can finally lie down. And then you get into bed — and your brain wakes up. Heart racing a little. Running tomorrow's list. Rewriting the text you sent. Replaying a meeting from three days ago. Exhausted and buzzing at the exact same time. If you're dead tired all day but wide awake at night — and from the outside you look completely, totally
A Panic Attack in Costco (Why Your Nervous System Still Freaks Out Sometimes)
A Panic Attack in Costco (Why Your Nervous System Still Freaks Out Sometimes) Jul 22, 2026 12:41 You've been doing the work.  Learning how to regulate your nervous system. Feeling your feelings instead of trying to fix them. You're basically Calm AF....so why does an email still send you into a full-blown panic attack in the middle of Costco? In this episode, I'm sharing the story of a client who found herself asking the same question. She was so upset that after years of doing this would sti
Why Venting Makes You Feel Worse (Not Better)
Why Venting Makes You Feel Worse (Not Better) Jul 15, 2026 11:55 "I just needed to get that out." "I feel better once I verbally process it." If that's the story you tell yourself, this episode is going to poke holes in it. That habit is venting and it makes you feel worse, not better. At least not in any way that lasts. And it might be the exact thing keeping you stuck. Here's the thing about "getting it out": when you sit down to vent, you're not releasing an
Are You a Good Student or Are You Dysregulated? Why Doing Everything Right Still Isn't Calming Your Anxiety
Are You a Good Student or Are You Dysregulated? Why Doing Everything Right Still Isn't Calming Your Anxiety Jul 8, 2026 15:51 You've been doing everything right. Setting your intentions. Regulating on purpose. You didn't just listen to the episode on thought spirals — you listened to every episode, on 1.5 speed, because that's who you are. The A+ student. The gold star collector. The one who does the extra credit. And then it's 5:00 on a Thursday, your husband walks in in a mood, and everything you've been practicing f
Having More Time To Prepare Isn't Creating Certainty
Having More Time To Prepare Isn't Creating Certainty Jul 1, 2026 09:40 You Don't Need More Time to Prepare You tell yourself you just need to think about it a little more. Do one more pass. Get a little more clarity before you commit. It feels responsible. But what if it's not preparation?  What if it's actually a sneaky way your dysregulation shows upd In this episode, we're looking at one of the most socially acceptable forms of dysregulation — overpreparing
Why Working Harder Doesn't Solve the Problem
Why Working Harder Doesn't Solve the Problem Jun 24, 2026 09:36 Your whole life you've been told that when something feels bad, you should do something about it. Think harder. Work harder. Make a plan. Research the solution. Figure it out. But what if all that effort is the thing keeping you stuck? In this episode, I share a coaching conversation with a client who found herself angry after realizing how much she'd been carrying in her relationships. Like most
The Loneliness of Being "The One" (And How To Feel Like You Belong)
The Loneliness of Being "The One" (And How To Feel Like You Belong) Jun 17, 2026 15:15 Have you ever felt lonely in a room full of people who genuinely care about you? In this episode, I'm sharing a realization that completely changed the way I think about belonging. For years, I believed I just hadn't found "my people" yet. But after finding myself in a room that should have felt like home—and realizing I still felt like an outsider—I uncovered something much deeper. If you're the
Client Story: Energetic Integrity (And Why Your Energy Speaks Louder Than Your Words)
Client Story: Energetic Integrity (And Why Your Energy Speaks Louder Than Your Words) Jun 3, 2026 07:49 In Part 2 of my conversation with Courtney, we explore a powerful concept that most people have never been taught: energetic integrity. Have you ever told someone, "I'm fine," while every part of you knew you weren't? Or sensed that someone else's words didn't match the energy they were giving off? That's energetic integrity. In this episode, we talk about what happens when your words and your ene
Client Story: The Messy Middle of Transformation, Divorce, & Learning to Trust Yourself
Client Story: The Messy Middle of Transformation, Divorce, & Learning to Trust Yourself May 27, 2026 18:46 A few years ago, Courtney joined me on the podcast during the early stages of her Calm AF transformation. You can listen to that episode here. At the time, she had just returned from one of my retreats where she experienced a powerful future-self visualization that eventually led her to a completely different home and life. What we didn't fully talk about back then was that she also knew she need
People Pleasing and Burnout Are NOT Your Only Options
People Pleasing and Burnout Are NOT Your Only Options May 20, 2026 10:42 If you've spent your whole life making sure everyone else is okay before you even THINK about yourself…this episode is for youuuuu. Because somewhere along the way, you probably learned there were only two choices in life: either you become the person who shows up for everyone all the time no matter what it costs you…or you become an asshole. So naturally? You chose exhausted. In this episod

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