Hi, I'm Hyper Harris, and welcome to season six of the Untangled Mind podcast, where we mental clutter to help you untangle life's toughest challenges. I'm a data-driven mental health therapist in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in anxiety, trauma, and grief. Using Third Wave CBT, I offer practical, no-nonsense tools to untangle your mind and take meaningful action. On this episode, we're diving into something deeply personal and transformative: the power of self-advocacy. Together we'll explore how advocating for yourself can pull you out of the mental fog, build resilience, and create real momentum in your life. I'll even introduce you to the Advocate Framework, a step-by-step guide to help you take action with clarity and purpose. Let's get started. Hey there, welcome to season six. It is hard to believe that I have worked on this podcast for six years. It's followed me through when I was doing executive coaching, uh, some nutritional and behavioral coaching, and now ultimately as a mental health therapist. So, yay, six years. So before we get into today's topic, the psychology of advocacy, um, first I want to say you hear that humming in the background. I am recording from home and um I don't know what the humming is, so I apologize for that if it's driving you crazy. But first thing I want to say, did you know that this past Friday was National Quitter's Day? Yeah, you got that right. So basically, what uh we've learned um through watching kind of trends is that about two weeks into the new year, most people give up their new year's goals. Uh, it's or resolutions, those aren't really goals, and we can talk about that. But it's terrible, right? That most people we can only manage 14 days. And it's just those hard thought-out resolutions, but they don't last more than two weeks. It's just ouch, that doesn't feel good. So, anyway, thinking about Quitter's Day, I was really kind of considering what to kick off 2025 with. And what I want to say is that I have had many moments in my life, and I've seen it as well in my clients' lives, that we can move from self-pity to self-advocacy. So if you've given up those 2025 New Year's resolutions already, why don't you listen in? So let me start with a story where I uh was very concerned about advocating for myself. So recently, Susan, my business partner and I and director, um, had offered to me that a friend of hers was doing a podcast in an online event, and she had spoken to her friend about me highly, which is wonderful. She's always sharing who I am and what I do. And they were talking about that I would be a great fit for her friend's business endeavors. So this included a podcast and an online summit that she was doing. So as I listened to Susan, she was so excited to tell me about this. I felt this enormous pit in my stomach. And it it wasn't because what she was saying was wrong or bad or that the opportunity wasn't great. It was the opposite. It sounded really nice, it sounded great, but it did not fit into the plan that I created for 2025, meaning that I take a lot of time the last two weeks of the year, and I dedicate those two weeks to reflecting on the year previous. How did I reach my goals? If I didn't reach my goals, what were those things that got in my way? And one of those uh places that I found that really tripped me up in 2024 is that I didn't say enough no's. I just kind of said, okay, sure, I'll do it. And so that what that did was it's a time suck, and I could see there was no return on my investment of time. And I really had to be deliberate. And so that was one of those goals that I had created for 2025. So what I had told myself prior to speaking to Susan is that I would say no to anything that was 100% not fitting into those goals and expectations that I set for myself and for Untangled Mind in 2025. And I really didn't want to tell Susan this. I didn't want to hurt her feelings or leave a bad taste in her colleague's mouth about me. I was so concerned about being very deliberate in this doesn't align 100%. But I did recognize that if I didn't effectively advocate for myself, um, meaning that I just stated, hey, this isn't a great fit for me, and follow through on those goals that I'd set, I would be in a situation where I knew I wasn't in alignment with those values and this the boundaries that I set for the year. So I allowed my anxiety and that little what if monster roll around in my head. And if you uh followed me for a while, you can listen to some of the podcasts or read some of my blogs. I talk about the what if monster, the what-if monster is the little monster that's roaring at you, and you think it's so scary, and you turn around and he has no teeth. He's just gummin at you. So the what-if monster really gets into your head, what if this, what if that, and it really invokes anxiety. But then what I did, so I allowed myself the anxiety in the what-if monster for a limited amount of time, and then I said, Okay, I need to use my advocate framework to help me work through my anxiety of speaking up. And I will talk about my advocate framework today. But ultimately, I was able to let Susan know that I thought it was awesome that she was taking part in her friends' endeavors. But for me, they didn't line up with my goals for the year ahead. And, you know, I don't think that she loved hearing this from me, but she does know me, she knows my character, she knows my values, and she knows that I've been working very hard toward making, you know, thoughtful decisions on um untangled mind. So let me ask you this: what about you? I'm sure you can recall a situation where you advocated for yourself, or maybe you didn't advocate for yourself. I've had had other times in my life too where I could have advocated for myself, or I hoped, or you know, I've I have those past situations where I was like, oh, I wish I would have spoken up. And what I can say is as a reformed people pleaser, I am a reformed people pleaser, um, this is something, the self-advocacy that I've had to practice over time. And that's why I was able to step into it recently with Susan and really embrace that self-advocacy, boundary setting, saying no, all of those things is absolutely a game changer. It's a game changer for not feeling pulled in a million directions and it doesn't, it's not in alignment with your values and goals, but it's also a game changer when it comes to resilience and grit. It really truly is. So CBT, uh cognitive behavioral therapy, teaches us about like this cognitive triad, okay? Our thoughts, our feelings, and our behaviors are interconnected. And when we don't advocate for ourselves, we often feel stuck and we stay stuck in this distorted thinking patterns. That's why self-advocacy and practicing this framework that I'll teach you later is so very important. So often we get stuck in those distorted thinking patterns. So it might be something like I'm powerless or nothing will ever change or it's not worth trying, or if I say no, they're going to hate me. So these thoughts create this feedback loop and it perpetuates these feelings of helplessness and inaction. But what self-advocacy does is it disrupts that loop. So when we take action, whether that's setting a boundary or asking for help or making a decision, it challenges those distorted thoughts. So suddenly this narrative shifts from I'm powerless to okay, I have some control. So much like when I was feeling that what if monster chasing me for speaking up and letting Susan know that I just can't step into this, rather than thinking, oh my gosh, she's gonna hate me, this is gonna ruin our business, this is you know, all the things, what I did is I stepped back and I said, Okay, she knows me, she knows my character, she's probably gonna have her feelings hurt a little bit, but I I do know this is in alignment with my goals, and I do know that she knows me. Does that make sense? So I reframed the what if monster from scaring me and keeping me paralyzed to okay, let's think through this logically and not allow feelings to distort or distorted thoughts to come into the equation. So another reason why there's so much power in the action of self-advocacy is where neurocyte comes into play. Okay, so when we advocate for ourselves, what we all do is we uh activate the prefrontal cortex. So this is just part of the brain that's responsible for decision making, problem solving, and it helps in part regulate our emotions. So at the same time, when we step into that power of action in self-advocacy, what we do is we start to reduce the activity in the amygdala. So that's your your brain's fear center. So with the untangled mind pathway, you can find this on my website, we really work from the bottom up. So we work to regulate and um the the amygdala, that fear center that, oh my gosh, they're they're gonna hate me. Oh my gosh, I can't do this. So what we do with the untangled mind framework and and pathway is that we work from the bottom up. We we calm that amygdala and we work up to that ability to reframe those distorted thoughts. So again, what you can do by using this advocate, this advocate framework I'll teach today, and using self-advocacy is that it allows you to reduce the activity in the amygdala that tells you that there's a bear chasing you, everybody's gonna hate you, and it allows you to step into more logical thinking in that prefrontal cortex. So if you're advocating for yourself, what happens is that even though you might feel overwhelmed, when we step into self-advocacy, we feel more empowered, and that calms our nervous system. So it really creates this physiological shift. It's literally rewiring our brains toward resilience and grit. So additionally, when you step out of kind of that self-pity, mud rolling, anxiety, what if monster stance? You're choosing that, you know. I really don't feel like stepping up and telling Susan how I'm feeling. Like this really is causing anxiety. When we step up against that, what we also do is we activate something called the anterior mid-singulate cortex. Woo! Okay, so we're just gonna call the AMCC. And so this is a region of the brain that's involved in decision making, emotional regulation, and error detection. But here's the cool thing about this part of the brain. This part of the brain lights up when we take purposeful action, when we're choosing to do something against what every fiber in our breeding says, I don't want to do this. So, especially in situations that require effort and perseverance. And what that does is again, it creates more and more resilience and grit. So advocating for yourself also promotes neuroplasticity. So basically, this means it's the brain's ability to create new pathways. So when we push past self-doubt and we take action, your brain starts wiring itself for confidence and problem solving. So every single time that you practice self-advocacy, these pathways strengthen and make it easier to repeat the behavior in the future. And that's why advocacy is more than just like this one-time act, it's a tool for our ongoing growth. So by engaging that AMCC and other decision-making areas, you're training your brain to you know face challenges rather than run away from them. So you're teaching yourself how to persevere, even in the face of adversity. And listen, adversity doesn't have to be these monumental mountains that you see that so many people are facing. For example, what's going on in our nation right now with the fires in California, the adversity that these individuals are facing is tremendous. Now you might say, but Piper, I'm not in California, so is this even going to work for me? Yes, adversity comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. When it comes to mental resilience and the practices that you put in place, it is not an all, you know, one size fits all kind of thing. Everybody is different. We all have different challenges and adversity that we're facing, whether it be a physical adversity like the fires in California, or a physical disability, possibly you've recently had a stroke, or I have a client that's having some pretty significant issues with her ear. Um, or is it an adversity of you are just so stuck in this anxious thought and you feel paralyzed? Is the adversity overcoming your trauma? Is the adversity that you've lost a loved one? Adversity when we face it, when we challenge that adversity and say, I'm gonna step out of this and not fall prey to this, that is when we start really building those resilience and grit muscles. So we can build grit, perseverance through self-advocacy and through self-mastery. So Angela Duckworth, um, if you've heard of her, she's a leading researcher on grit grit, excuse me, and she describes it as this combination of passion and perseverance. So self-advocacy is really a critical part of this equation because it helps you achieve like small wins which build mastery over time. So each time you advocate for yourself, whether it's saying no to an obligation that might drain you or standing up for your needs in like say a relationship, you reinforce this sense of agency. So these small moments accumulate over time and create a foundation for perseverance. And I just taught you what happens in the brain. So the more and more and more we advocate for ourselves, we it reinforces a sense of agency that I have control of this, we reinforce passion and perseverance and we build our brain. It's fantastic. So let's talk about um what makes someone more prone to take taking action, right? So, like action begets action. I want to talk about my my advocate framework, but and so have your pen and paper handy, but first I want to talk about some of the personality traits that really are more prone to stepping into this action. Now, this is what I want to stay state with this caveat. You might not have these personality traits, and that's okay. Remember, creating a mental attitude of fortitude, perseverance, and grit and overcoming, you don't have to have these personality traits. But what you can do, and why I love the the actions of CBT, is that you can create new thought patterns and actions in your life, even if you don't have these personality traits. So I just want to uh share that little caveat with you. So there are certain personality traits that are strongly associated with propensity to take action. Now, again, if you practice my advocate framework and you practice reframing distorted thinking, this can be you outside of these personality traits. Okay, so number one is extroversion. So extroverts they tend to be more action-oriented. Um, so this can be due to their high energy or their desire for stimulation. They often feel comfortable in dynamic environments, so ever-evolving environments, because it encourages activity and decision making. Okay. Number two is something called conscientiousness. So people with high conscientiousness are driven by a sense of duty, discipline, and goal orientation. I can tell you I'm very high in this area personally. I like goals, I like black and white, I like going for them. But what I will say is that can sometimes bite me in the butt. So again, these aspects of personality, it's like two sides of a coin. Sometimes they're great, sometimes they're not so great. Okay, so for people with high conscientiousness, they plan and they execute tasks with perseverance, persistence, um, and they make them, it makes them more likely to step into this instead of procrastinate for long bouts at a time. Number three, they're open to experience. So this is openness. So those with high openness are very curious and they're willing to explore new opportunities. So their willingness to try something new leads them to take action, especially in novel situations. Novel situations just means new situations. And by the way, the brain loves novelty, loves novelty. So, for example, if you're stuck in procrastination, if you're you're really stuck there, then do something novel. So I suggest this to clients a lot when they really are just stuck. They've um life really has thrown them a lot of punches. And so what we do is we look at how can we feed the brain and make the brain a little more happy. So I want you to step into a novel situation. So for one client, that meant she joined a um uh canoeing group, and she was newly single out of a really difficult divorce, and she recognized she was kind of stuck in a funk when it came to getting out there, making new relationships. Not that they needed to be intimate, just she needed community connection. So she joined a local group that met and they went canoeing. Um, and so she really enjoyed doing that and meeting new people, and that was novelty for her brain. She's like, I've never done this before. And so it really stretched her, and her brain repaid her and loved it. So um the next area is locus of control. So individuals that have an internal locus of control, that what they that means is that they believe that they have power over their circumstances, so it makes them more likely to act. So, in contrast, people that have an external locus of control, they typically feel powerless and they are more likely not to step into action. So, this is a big thing as well in therapy when I'm hearing clients constantly talk about, well, this person did this or this is what's going on with this, and what I'm hearing is they are putting every bit of control outside of themselves. It's everybody else, it's the environment's problem, this is what's going on. That's external locus of control, and I'm telling you, you're not going to get anywhere if that's what you're focused on. So, what we do is we navigate shifting those distorted thoughts and um actions to a more internal locus of control, which increases their intrinsic motivation or their intrinsic, their internal worth system. Okay. Lastly, uh uh aspect of personality is proactivity. So proactivity in that personality trait, basically, they are um they have a tendency to identify opportunities and they take initiative. So even though there might be some um negativity, they persist because they really do believe that meaningful change occurs when they're proactive. So um these people, the proactive um personality traits are really predictive of action taking. They're like, okay, I I hit a roadblock, how do I move past this? Um, I've talked about in other um podcasts a lot about this this proactivity or this ability just to persevere. So next thing up is there are um when we're thinking about someone that self-advocates or someone that doesn't, we need to talk about additionally what this person looks like. And again, this is not to shame you if you feel like I don't have these things, Piper. These are if you think that I don't have these things, Piper, you're in that external locus of control. When you're hearing this, what I want you to reflect on is how can I shift in ways my thought process and my behaviors toward more of these um predictors to having um an action mindset and resilience and grit. Okay, so several psychological mechanisms also play a role in determining whether someone takes action. So the next one is self-efficacy. So this is again um ties into that internal locus of control. So, what self-efficacy is is a belief that you have the ability to achieve certain goals. So people with high self-efficacy are more likely to take action because they trust their capability to influence outcomes, so they approach challenges with confidence rather than fear. Self-efficacy is one of those muscles that you have to work out over and over and over time. Okay, additionally, um, there's a delay in discounting. So individuals that prioritize long term rewards over immediate gratification or more likely to act toward meaningful goals. And so this is often tied into that conscientiousness. And also emotional regulation. So if you've ever heard about the marshmallow, I don't want to say test, but what it was is it was really cute. And you can look this up online. So what it was, they used marshmallows with this group of kids, and they were testing can they hold off and what happens with them for gratification? If they can hold off or if they have to have immediate gratification. And what they kind of were trying to tie it into is if you have to have immediate gratification and that follows you over the lifespan, then we're going to see more higher levels of anxiety, that sort of thing. But it's really, really cute. You see these kids, you know, like the person comes in and says, Here's a marshmallow. I'm going to sit here, and if you can hold off, you can have two marshmallows, not just one marshmallow. And you watch these little kids stare at this marshmallow and they're because the person walks out of the room and they're like dying. Like, I want this marshmallow. It's adorable. Anyway, so delay discounting is really, really important. So you prioritize long-term rewards over immediate gratification. The next thing is that I kind of touched on is emotional regulation. So remember before I talked about the amygdala, this is our fear center. This is a thing that just sets us off and we're not thinking rationally. So with emotional regulation, what that means is you can manage your emotions effectively. So you're minimizing fear or anxiety, and it can help you overcome that hesitation to take the first step. Now that's not to say you won't have fear or anxiety, because right when I wanted to talk to Susan about, oh my gosh, I just don't think there's an alignment with me, I had anxiety. I had anxiety, but I was able to step into those emotional regulation tools to be able to overcome that hesitation and take that step towards speaking toward. Lastly, is decision-making style. So action-oriented individuals, they often are more decisive, intuitive, and they're analytical in their decision making rather than highly avoidant. So those people that are paralyzed or they overthink or they have a fear of failure, those things really get in the way. And again, decision-making style, this is not something that you're born with. This is something that you practice. You have to practice being decisive, listening to your intuition. You find your decision-making model, whether it's highly analytical, or even if it's like me, like, okay, here's the goals for 2025. If it doesn't follow into these, then I can't make this does is an alignment. So it helps me make a decision. It's my decision-making model. So also what neuroscience reveals it's fascinating insights to the brain and mechanisms that support or inhibit action. So we talked a little bit about the prefrontal cortex, right? So this is the top of our brain, and that is responsible for executive functioning. So planning, decision-making, and self-regulation. All of this ties in together when it comes to self-advocacy. I'm I'm really wanting to teach more and more about how your brain and your body and your emotions and your feelings and your actions all tie together. So that's why I'm kind of repeating these things. Um, so again, when we see people that have a strong prefrontal cortex, they're pretty good at weighing consequences, setting goals, and following through with actions. And again, your prefrontal cortex might not be strong right now, but it can get strong. That's why I love therapy. That's why I love what I do, that's why I love CBT, is that um it embraces this hopefulness that you and me working on these things, you listening to this podcast right now is rewiring your brain. It's a plastic brain. You're growing new networks. And isn't that hope-giving? I just to evoke that kind of change on our brain, it's hope. And I just, oh, it makes me so happy. So another thing that happens when we practice these things and we we work on advocacy is um it actually affects our dopamine system. So this is kind of what they call like the motivation molecule, not really, um, it's a neurotransmitter, but what it is, it's it's influenced by um reward-seeking behavior. So what that means is the reward um comes from effort, but it has to be concerted effort, it can't be fake effort or minimal effort that doesn't influence the dopamine system. So basically, remember what the brain likes, novel activity. So by stepping into even this advocate framework that I'm going to teach you, that's gonna take concerted effort because it hits a lot of different areas of your life and your brain, but your brain's gonna like it and it's gonna say, hey Sue, thank you for that. Hey, Joe, thank you for that, and it's going to influence that dopamine center. And so people with more active dopamine system are more likely to take action because it's associated with potential rewards. Now, where this dopamine center um reward system can get on the fritz is when it comes to addiction, addictive behaviors, um, and we can talk about that another time. We talked about uh the AMCC. Now, same thing with the the Cortex. What it does is that when it engages, it encourages people to act in response to challenges and unmet goals. And so it aligns with values and outcomes. Okay, so we feed it more with novel, we feed it more with things we don't want to do, and it says thank you very much. And again, to repeat the amygdala, it helps us um slow that fear and anxiety response. And it also what helps is it helps us to help with impulse control is enabling those thoughtful-oriented, goal-oriented actions rather than impulsivity and avoidance. Okay, so serotonin helps with that. Additionally, okay, before we get into the framework, I'm almost there. I hope you have your pen and paper handy. There are some really significant environmental and situational influences when you're stepping into this. So, number one is social support. Encouragement for others can really increase the likelihood of action, especially for individuals that um value their relationships. So that would be like high agreeableness when it comes to personality influences. If you feel like you don't have the social support, then you seek it. You seek it. It is proven over and over again we are social beings and we need that social support. Uh, number two, sorry if you hear that thumping, number two is mindset priming. So this is the growth mindset. I have um podcasts and blogs on this, so make sure you check out untangled mind.net. But this is a growth mindset, really, is the believing that abilities and circumstances can improve with effort. And it's lead it's linked to greater willingness to take action. So this is the what if, or this is not yet, excuse me, not if, what if. Um so what we're saying here is that rather than saying I'm never gonna get there, you can say I'm not there yet. That's what a growth mindset really is. So it's it's priming that mindset. And finally, um, there's perceived urgency or stress. When we're under moderate stress, it actually can motivate us into action. So it whereas excessive stress, it inhibits it, and if there's nothing going on, we're lumps on a log. So they call something you stress, so it's like kind of in the middle that we need a little bit of stress. So stepping into an advocate framework, stepping into actual goals, not yours newer's resolutions that you've ever given already given up. That perception of urgency or stress actually feeds the brain and it promotes us into action. Okay, so pen and paper, get ready, let's talk about this. So here is the practical application using my advocate framework. And this is one that I used to help me when I was feeling kind of stuck with Susan. I've practiced this for many, many years. So this takes me moments to go through because again, these tools, all based in CBT, are something that I've been practicing starting in 1998. Whew! I'm making myself sound old. But you have to practice these things. And so, this advocate frame framework, the more and more you practice it, you can punch through this really fast. So the advocate um framework is a step-by-step tool for action. So, to help you take action, um, what we're gonna do is we're gonna, I'm gonna delineate what this framework is and you can download this, okay? So get ready. A in the advocate frame framework. Yes, it's an acronym. We love our acronyms in the mental health space. So A in the advocate framework stands for assess your situation. So before you can even begin to advocate for yourself and build that resilience in grit, you need to find clarity. So ask yourself, what's happening right now? And what do I need to feel supported or regain control? Okay, what's happening right now is key, not what am I feeling about what's happening right now, because that's the problem. If you go straight to feelings, you are not gonna, you're it's it's not gonna help you. Um, I've talked about this before too. Feelings aren't facts, they're an indication of something. But what I want you to do when you start with A for assess, you have got to step out of it as if you're an observer, not a participant. So what's actually happening right now? Not how am I feeling about this, what's actually happening right now, okay? D for define your goals, D for define your goals. So I want you to identify what you want to achieve through this process of advocacy, okay? Is it setting a boundary? Is it asking for help? Or is it making a decision? So you need to be very specific and intentional with defining this. Very specific and intentional. Smart goals are a really good way to go about this, okay? V. V is validate your worth. So advocating for yourself requires confidence. And you might say, Piper, I have zero confidence. I understand, but you have to find something somewhere. So novel situations, internal locus of control, talking to a loved one, practicing new skills, all of those things will build your confidence. So remind yourself that your needs and voice matter. So self-advocacy isn't selfish, it's essential for well-being. So that is again where that internal locus of control comes into effect. If you only look on the outside of yourself, your valuing your worth is going to be very, very difficult. Okay. All right. Oh, for advocate. Outline your plan. So you need to break down your advocacy, your self-advocacy, into actionable steps. So, for example, if you you need to have a difficult conversation, plan what you'll say and how you'll approach it. So, for my situation with Susan, I had already laid the groundwork when I had created my vision and mission and yearly goals for 2025. I knew what my framework was. So I was able to step into that conversation. C is communicate clearly. C is communicate clearly. So effective advocacy relies on clear, direct communication. You use I statements to express your needs without blame or defensiveness. So, for example, um, I need some interrupted time to focus on this project. Okay, that's an option. Or for me, Susan, this is awesome, and your friend sounds found, you know, fantastic, but I have placed a boundary for myself to say no to opportunities that don't 100% align with my goals for the year. Okay. So C is communicate clearly. The next A is align with your values. You must make sure that your actions align with what's important to you. Advocacy feels more empowering when it's rooted in your values and long-term goals. I value openness that Susan and I have. I also value that I've worked hard every year to prepare a plan for Untangled Mind. So I hold to it firmly. I believe in the commitment and steadfastment of these goals that I've set for best outcomes. Here's the thing, too, that I I recognize a lot in session with clients is that I don't know what my values are, Piper. I have no idea what I value. And often they start with external. Well, I value my house. Well, I value my car. I'm like, oop, okay, that's valuing a material position, but what are your values? Those things that drive your life, those things that drive your thought processes. And we have to walk through, you know, what do you value? Most people don't think about this, and it's so key to your your growth. It really is. All right, T, take the first step. Yep. The hardest part of self-advocacy is often starting. Okay. So remember, action creates momentum. You take one step and let it build from there. And remember what I said, I'm a reformed people pleaser. This took me years and years and years of work to speak up, hold fast, and not worry about someone's reaction to me. I can't. You can't. Their reaction is not about me, it's about them. And that's taking the first step. Okay. And E, finally, evaluate and adjust. You can't do this advocate framework one time. This is constant, consistent effort. So after taking action, you reflect on the outcome. You ask yourself, what worked? What could I do differently? Excuse me, next time. So this reflection strengthens your ability to advocate effectively in the future. So that's the framework. Advocate stands for A, assess your situation, D. Define your goals, V validate your worth. O, outline your plan. C communicate clearly. A align with your values. T take the first step. And Evaluate and adjust. So advocacy is more than just a tool for problem solving, really. It's a mechanism for rewiring your brain. Remember, I just have so much hope in the work I do and you listening. You are rewiring your brain just simply by listening, but don't stop there. When you advocate for yourself, you disrupt those negative thinking patterns, like I'm powerless or I'm nothing, nothing will ever change. And each act of self-advocacy creates a positive feedback loop between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It's reinforcing that sense of control and confidence. Okay. So if you're feeling stuck, start small. Use the advocate framework to identify one area where you could take action. And remember that advocacy isn't about these giant gestures, it's about consistently showing up for yourself and practicing this, even in the little things. Okay. So to wrap up, I want to leave you with this. Self-advocacy is definitely a form of self-respect. It is a declaration that your needs and voice matter. And when you advocate for yourself, you're not just surviving, you're building a life rooted in strength and resilience. Okay. When you advocate for yourself, you're not just surviving. I know so many of you are just surviving, and I want so much more. When you advocate for yourself, you're building a life rooted in strength and resilience. So if you'd like that advocate framework, excuse me, head on over to my down my website at untangledmind.net slash advocate dash framework, and you'll find it on there and you can download it. So thanks so much for joining me today. I really hope that you may have given up those 2025 New Year's resolutions, but we're only two days from there, from the National Quitters Day. I hope you can say to yourself, you know what? I'm going to pick myself up. I'm going to start utilizing this framework. I'm going to take my control back for 2025. Stop giving up. If you practice this advocate framework, if you understand what's happening with your brain, if you understand what's happening with practicing things that are outside of your norm, you are building those resilience and grit muscles, and I know you can do it. That's it for today's episode. Thanks for tuning in. I hope you're walking away with tools and insights to untangle your mind and take meaningful steps in your life. If you're ready to work with me on anxiety, trauma, or grief, please visit my website at untingledmind.net to learn more and connect. If you found this episode helpful, I'd love for you to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform and share it with those who might benefit. Thanks so much for listening to Untangled Mind Podcast. I'm Piper Harris, and I'll catch you next time.