How To Dream

In this final summer bonus episode of How to Dream, therapist and author Deedee Cummings brings the journaling series home with a simple 30-day journaling plan to help you protect your hope, clear your mind, and take real and meaningful steps toward the life you want to build. This episode turns journaling into a practical hope practice with prompts for clarity, emotional wellness, self-reflection, boundaries, and forward motion. You'll be guided through a "Dream in Motion" journaling exercise to get crystal clear on the life you are moving toward, the truth you need to admit, what you need to protect, what keeps pulling you off track, and the one practical step you can take in the next seven days.
How to Dream will return with Season 2 in September. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you'll be notified automatically when new episodes are released. You can also download the first chapter of How to Dream right here in the show notes and be on the lookout for Deedee's next book coming this fall: Journaling for Hope.
 
Get your free first chapter of How to Dream for free here: How to Dream Free Chapter

If you feel drained, overextended, resentful, or like everyone but you has access to your time and energy, this short bonus episode of How to Dream will help you pause and come back to yourself. In this episode, Deedee Cummings shares gentle, practical journal prompts for boundaries to help you identify where you feel depleted, what you may need to stop saying yes to, and what boundary would help protect your peace. You'll be guided through a "Boundary Check-In" journaling practice designed to support emotional wellness, self-care, mental clarity, and healthier relationships. This episode is for anyone learning how to say no, stop overexplaining, protect their energy, and build a life that respects what you need without any of the guilt.

If you've been saying, "I don't know what I want," this short bonus episode of How to Dream will help you slow down, quiet the noise, and hear yourself again. In this episode, therapist and author Deedee Cummings shares simple, practical journal prompts for clarity to help you separate fear from truth, identify what you really want, and take one doable next step. You'll be guided through a "Clarity Session" journaling practice designed to help you identify what you want, what you keep downplaying, what fear has been controlling, and what it may be costing you to stay exactly where you are. This episode is perfect for anyone feeling stuck, overwhelmed, uncertain, burned out, or ready for a new chapter but unsure where to begin.

This short bonus episode of How to Dream is for the heavy days. The days when you feel emotionally tired, overwhelmed, discouraged, or like you're carrying too much. In this episode, Deedee Cummings shares gentle, practical, and easy to follow journal prompts specifically designed for grief, burnout, and stress to help you identify what you're carrying, calm the mental storm, and support yourself without forcing positivity. You'll be guided through a "Heavy Day Support" journaling practice designed to help you process emotions, reduce overwhelm, and choose one small, kind step for the next 24 hours. If you've been trying to hold it together, this episode gives the heaviness you've been holding on to a safe place to land.

If your mind has been racing, spiraling, or stuck in "what if" mode, this short bonus episode of How to Dream is your reset. In this episode, Deedee Cummings shares simple, practical journal prompts for anxiety and overthinking to help you get the mental noise out of your head and onto paper—so you can calm your nervous system, separate fear from facts, and regain clarity. You'll be guided through an Anxiety Reset journaling practice that helps you name what your anxiety is saying, identify what's actually true right now, sort what you can control vs. what you can't, and choose one small step that helps you feel steadier today. Perfect for anxiety support, emotional overwhelm, stress, and the moments when your thoughts won't stop flooding your mind and your spirit.
 
Get your first free chapter of How to Dream here.

Journaling doesn't have to be long, deep, or perfect to be powerful. In this summer bonus episode of How to Dream, Deedee Cummings teaches a simple 3-minute journaling practice designed to reduce mental clutter, calm overwhelm, and bring clarity when your mind feels crowded. If journaling has felt intimidating, time-consuming, or like "too much work," this episode will help you finally make it doable. You'll be guided through four simple lines you can use daily: Right now, I feel... / The real reason is... / One thing that would help by 1% is... / Today, I will...—so you can clear the fog, protect your peace, and keep your dreams moving one small step at a time.

Your mind isn't "too much". It's overloaded. In this Summer Bonus Series episode of How to Dream, Deedee Cummings explains why so many of us feel mentally crowded, distracted, and unable to get clear: we're carrying too many open "tabs" in our minds—stress, responsibilities, fear, overthinking, to-do lists, old conversations, and what-ifs. This short episode illustrates why journaling is one of the simplest tools for mental clarity, stress relief, and emotional regulation. You'll learn how writing helps quiet mental noise, organize your thoughts, and reduce overwhelm—without needing to write perfectly or write a lot. This episode includes a quick guided "journal with me" practice with simple prompts you can use anytime you feel anxious, overwhelmed, stuck, or unable to focus.

In this short bonus episode of How to Dream, Deedee Cummings breaks down what journaling actually is, why it's one of the most powerful tools for emotional wellness, and how writing helps you get clarity when your mind feels crowded. If journaling has ever felt intimidating, overwhelming, or like "too much work," this episode will change your approach. You'll learn why you don't need organized thoughts before you write (the clarity comes through writing), why many of us associate writing with school instead of self-care, and how a simple journaling practice can reduce stress, support nervous system calm, and help you hear your own thoughts again. This episode includes a short "journal with me" moment and easy prompts you can use anytime you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure what's next.

Therapy isn't something you wait on until you're already in a crisis. In this summer bonus episode of How to Dream, Deedee Cummings explains how to know when you need a therapist, why it's wise to start therapy before things fall apart, and how to treat mental health the same way you treat physical health. Just like you establish a relationship with a primary care doctor (PCP) and get annual physicals, you can establish a relationship with a therapist and do a simple yearly mental health check-in.
This episode is for anyone feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, burned out, emotionally tired, stuck, or numb—and also for people who aren't in crisis but want clarity, support, growth, and prevention. You'll learn the common signs it's time to seek support, how to choose a therapist, what to expect in a first session, and why getting help is not "crazy"—it's good for you.

If your mind is loud and your nervous system is tired, press play. If your thoughts are racing, your body feels tense, or you've been stuck in constant "go mode," this short bonus episode is your reset. In this guided practice, Deedee Cummings leads you through the 4-7-8 breathing technique to help calm your nervous system, reduce stress, and bring you back to a steady sense of safety. Use this anytime you feel anxious, overwhelmed, overstimulated, or when you're having trouble settling down for sleep. (If you feel lightheaded, return to normal breathing and keep it gentle.)