Joanna Hardis, LISW, LLC

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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.

02/10/2026

🗣 Emotions and feelings are information, not facts or immediate calls to action.

Valentine’s Day has a way of turning emotions up and, when that happens, it's easy to assume your thoughts are true.

You heighten your expectations, find yourself making more comparisons, and disappointment feels more personal.

When that happens, it is easy to assume something is wrong. With your partner. With your relationship. With you.

Often, it is just a spike.

Let's treat Valentine's Day as a day to practice noticing and allowing a range of feelings without reacting to them. Just get curious about them as you take them with you today. 💘💌🌹

02/06/2026

Most people try to change in “level 10” moments. Big emotions, high stakes, lots of pressure. 🎆

But lasting change is built in the small discomforts you feel every day.

Maybe it’s a text you want to answer immediately, or the urge you have to lift your kid’s bad mood.

Those are your 4-6 pound weights. 🏋️‍♀️

If you can practice Just Do Nothing™️ there, you build the capacity to stay steady when it actually matters.

Pick one level 4-5 moment today and treat it like a rep. Not a test, just practice. 💪🏼

02/04/2026

When you’re worried you may have upset or offended someone, the urge to fix it right now can be so strong.

The urge to seek reassurance, replay the situation over and over, compulsively apologize can all be behaviors to to fix the feeling and mitigate the distress.

This is where it can be helpful to PAUSE. ⏸️

Not to act or react, but to wait long enough to choose what comes next.

This is what it looks like to Just Do Nothing™️ in practice.

01/29/2026

Just Do Nothing™ isn’t about inaction, it’s about intention.

It’s choosing not to react on autopilot. It’s noticing the urgency… and not obeying it. You don’t have to prove, fix, or escape right away.

You can pause.
You can wait.
You can choose to not respond to the urge.
You can choose to be uncomfortable and let the feelings pass.

Which one of these moments feels most familiar to you?

01/27/2026

Doing nothing doesn’t mean actually doing nothing or doing whatever you want. It means not reacting to internal urges that pull you away from your values.

It’s noticing the urge without letting it take over, pausing when every part of you wants to react, and making space between what shows up and what you do next.

That’s the work.

What does your version of “Just Do Nothing™” look like right now?

01/22/2026

Before you fill your calendar with new habits, fresh routines, and five different self-help programs… PAUSE.

Not because change is bad, but because urgency can disguise itself as motivation. Sometimes we chase change because we're trying to escape pain or discomfort.

Slowing down to understand what's driving our behavior can be key to unlocking meaningful change.

01/20/2026

Change doesn’t require a complete overhaul.

It happens through small, tolerable steps, especially when everything in you wants to avoid or escape.

What’s one choice you can make that’s uncomfortable but doable?

That’s your starting point. That’s what moves you forward.

01/16/2026

When your nervous system is stuck in overdrive, it can sound the alarm even when nothing’s actually wrong. Anxiety, OCD, and other disorders can make your body react as if you’re in danger, even when you’re not.

It’s confusing and uncomfortable, but it’s not a sign that you’re “broken.”

The work is learning not to treat every body cue like a threat. Instead of reacting automatically, we can learn to pause, notice, and gather information.

Not everything your body says needs a response. Sometimes, it just needs to be acknowledged.

01/14/2026

Distress tolerance is not the same as endurance.

It’s not about forcing yourself to “just deal with it.”

It’s not about gritting your teeth forever, it’s about building capacity over time.

What’s one way you’ve noticed your capacity growing, even a little? Comment below so we can celebrate the real progress. 🧠

01/12/2026

If January feels heavy, flat, or low-energy, you're not alone. Winter may be part of what’s going on. Shorter days, colder temps, and less sunlight affect a lot of us.

But it’s not just the weather.

Sometimes, what makes it harder is how we respond to winter:
❄️Complaining about how cold it is
❄️ Wishing it were different
❄️ Fantasizing about how much better you'd feel somewhere else
❄️ Putting life on pause until it warms up
❄️ Judging yourself for disliking it in the first place

The goal isn’t to love winter, it’s to notice how you’re resisting it, and then practice allowing those thoughts and feelings without letting them derail you.

You don’t have to wait for spring (or relocate to Costa Rica) to start living. You can move toward what matters now, even with discomfort in the mix.

What’s one thing you’re doing this winter that aligns with your values?

01/08/2026

When you feel anxious or out of control, do you find yourself trying to control more? If so, January may be a tricky month.

Between being off your schedule, indulging more in everything and the constant noise of "New Year, New You," there’s so much pressure to track everything (steps, sleep, food, mood). For some people, it's helpful but for others, especially those with anxious brains, tracking becomes another way to manage feeling uncomfortable and it can quickly get compulsive.

In these situations, the real growth might be in stepping back and asking yourself if all your tracking is moving you toward or away from what's important.

Just because it works for someone else doesn't mean it works for you and that's ok. Acknowledging this, without judgement, is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

That’s where Just Do Nothing comes in. It’s not about doing nothing forever, it’s about learning to pause long enough to see what’s driving the urge to act.

Because meaningful change doesn’t always show up in a spreadsheet. Sometimes it looks like letting things be for just a moment longer than you did yesterday.

👉 What’s one area where you could track a little less and notice a little more?

01/06/2026

You didn’t get a new brain for the new year. Let’s stop expecting overnight transformation.

The calendar changed, but your patterns didn’t disappear. Same urges. Same discomfort. Same sticky thoughts.

And that’s not a personal failure, that’s how brains work.

Change doesn’t come from waking up motivated or getting it “right” this time. It comes from being willing to let the discomfort be there and still take the next step toward what matters.

To pause, to just do nothing, and to let it pass without letting it decide what you do next.

What’s your next step going to be?

Address

2460 Fairmount Boulevard Suite 320
Cleveland Heights, OH
44106

Telephone

+12166008696

Website

http://joannahardis.com/

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