Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC

Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC Joanna Hardis, LISW-S, is a licensed therapist, author and speaker who helps people do hard things.

Her second book, “Just Do Nothing (for Parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less,” guides parents on building distress tolerance.

Some of these may look small from the outside. Checking, leaving, solving, scanning, waiting until you feel ready, and s...
08/27/2026

Some of these may look small from the outside. Checking, leaving, solving, scanning, waiting until you feel ready, and sometimes those choices make sense.

But if the main goal is to get rid of discomfort as quickly as possible, it may be worth noticing the urge before you follow it. ⏸️

Just Do Nothing™ is not about ignoring what matters, it’s about practicing not responding to every uncomfortable feeling like it needs immediate action.

08/25/2026

We spend a lot of time trying to make our emotions more logical, more appropriate, or easier to explain.

But feelings do not always arrive one at a time, and they do not have to make perfect sense.

Acceptance does not mean liking what is happening or giving up on changing it. It means letting the experience be true before immediately trying to correct it.

Sometimes two conflicting feelings can both be honest. And making room for both is often more helpful than deciding which one you are “supposed” to feel.

For so many of us 🙋‍♀️, being hard on ourselves is such a habit that we may not even be aware when we’re doing it.But th...
08/20/2026

For so many of us 🙋‍♀️, being hard on ourselves is such a habit that we may not even be aware when we’re doing it.

But there is a difference between a self-critical thought: “I suck.”

And the pile on: “Why do I always do this? I should know better by now, but I still keep making the same mistakes. Am I even capable of changing? Why is it so much easier for everyone else?”

When we get better at mindful awareness, we get better at noticing when this is happening and choosing a different response. Can you notice the self-criticism without adding to it?

This is the thing most people don’t fully believe, even when they’ve heard it. Anxiety is not inherently bad. In fact, i...
08/18/2026

This is the thing most people don’t fully believe, even when they’ve heard it. Anxiety is not inherently bad. In fact, it’s a universal human emotion, just like happiness or sadness.

The fact that you’re experiencing it….doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you broken. It makes you human.

Our internal commentary can be brutal and it can happen so automatically that we never question it. And you'd NEVER spea...
08/13/2026

Our internal commentary can be brutal and it can happen so automatically that we never question it. And you'd NEVER speak to anyone else the way you speak to yourself. It's often just aing onto an already difficult situation, more noise on top of whatever was already happening.

Learning how to be easier on yourself is a skill. And by easier on yourself, I mean less harsh, less critical, less judgmental.

It’s something we learn through practice. And lots and lots of it.

08/11/2026

Lately, I’ve been practicing making friends with discomfort.

Not by ignoring it or pretending everything is fine, but by just allowing difficult feelings to be there without assuming they will consume me.

It’s been a helpful reminder that even the hardest emotions eventually pass. 🌊

For me, training my mind is as important as training my body. When I stop using the skills that help me stay mentally fi...
08/06/2026

For me, training my mind is as important as training my body.

When I stop using the skills that help me stay mentally fit, I can slip back into old habits really easily.

That doesn’t mean I’m back at square one or that "I've failed at recovery." It means I need to return to the practices that help me.

Your non-negotiables may look different than mine, but the question is the same. What helps you stay mentally fit? 🧠💪

When our threat detection system gets activated, the brain’s focus shifts to survival. ⚠️That can make every thought fee...
08/04/2026

When our threat detection system gets activated, the brain’s focus shifts to survival. ⚠️

That can make every thought feel urgent, important, and like something bad will happen if you don’t address it immediately. But intensity is not the same thing as accuracy.

The more emotional you feel, the more helpful it to pause before treating every thought as true.

07/28/2026

Mental health content can be helpful.

It can give you language for what you’re feeling, ideas to try, and tools you may not have had before.

But a reel, post, or podcast clip can’t know the full context of your life.

It doesn’t know your history, your responsibilities, your relationships, your nervous system, your support system, or everything you’ve already tried.

So if you’ve ever watched something about anxiety, boundaries, parenting, mindfulness, or healing and thought, “Why does this seem so much easier for everyone else?” please remember:

You’re not seeing the full story, you’re seeing the part someone chose to share.

Summer can be tough for parents for so many reasons. But then there's the added pressure some put on themselves with exp...
07/23/2026

Summer can be tough for parents for so many reasons.

But then there's the added pressure some put on themselves with expectations that it should be fun and meaningful because it goes by so fast. Not only should it be amazing but everyone should be happy and enjoying themselves too because of all the planning and money that's gone into making it happen.

With all that pressure on having a good outcome, you can imagine what happens when reality hits. Disappointment, judging ourselves for not doing it differently, comparing your situation with other families, etc.

Learning to accept the moment you're in, as it is, without adding to it by fighting it, is one of the most valuable skills you can learn.

Address

2460 Fairmount Boulevard Suite 320
Cleveland Heights, OH
44106

Telephone

+12166008696

Website

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