Eirie Wellness, LLC

𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬…

While it can certainly be much more difficult to fight your way through the black hole that your brain can feel like at times, it’s not impossible to navigate your way through it and cultivate creative ideas. One trick to do so is to essentially do a data dump via mind mapping to get what’s inside your head outside of it to better provide a sense of clarity and direction.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤.

Reality: Give journaling a go! There’s a technique called Morning Pages by Julia Cameron that can be helpful in helping one suss out the creative ideas that are trapped up inside their head. In a nutshell, every morning (as soon after you wake up as possible), write anything and everything that pops into your head for three full minutes. It should be done longhand (i.e. handwritten, not typed).

When done just after one wakes, it has a greater chance of capturing ideas that developed while sleeping. The goal is to capture your unbiased stream of consciousness, for your eyes only.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Reality: It only takes three minutes a day to do morning pages. If you have a stationary bike with a desk or standing desk with a treadmill under it, try doing it while you’re squeezing in an exercise.

Once you’ve been doing them for a while, set aside 30-60 minutes on a day when you know that you’ll have a little more free time and skim back through them to start to identify common themes.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞.

Reality: While it certainly can be difficult and take some time, there are ways to break the overwhelm cycle. Try starting small by creating a list of what you know you need to accomplish the next day before you go to bed. Don’t get too crazy with it, just high priority items. That way they’re out of your head and you know you won’t forget to do any of them.

If you tend to freeze when you open your closet, pick out your clothes for the next day before you go to bed. If you know that you’ll need a change of clothes at some point (work > gym/yoga, work > dinner, etc), be sure to pick out all of what you’ll need and pack the change of clothes if you’ll need to change while you’re out. Take it a step further and pack anything else you might need as well (snacks, water bottle, yoga mat, etc).

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Have you tried any techniques for creating a wellness habit? What’s worked well for you? Do you have any favorites? What didn’t work for you? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲…

Many wellness activities can be accomplished in as little as just a few minutes a day. Easy peasy! Not really, since anything worth doing is never easy, but creating a sustainable habit certainly doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

Reality: All you need is as little as three weeks to create a new habit. Taking it a tiny step further, since many wellness activities can be accomplished in a few minutes, you’ll just need about 15 minutes a day to create your new habit. Even better news, you can spread that time out throughout the day and in some cases maybe even multitask during other activities.

On average, we spend four minutes a day brushing our teeth (two minutes in the morning and two minutes in the evening). Why not use that time to also do a few squats, standing balance, or a wall sit? Boom! You’ve just spent four minutes engaging your core and working your legs without taking any more time out of your day.

Having trouble sleeping? Why not try a few breathing exercises or meditation while you’re in bed trying to fall asleep? Another practice that also didn’t take any more time out of your already busy day.

Drink more water throughout the day. If you drink non-water beverages (juice, soda, etc), try replacing at least one glass with water instead. It will not only help you begin drinking more water, but it will also reduce your sugar intake. If you’re having trouble with plain water, add a few slices of lemon, a few pieces of frozen fruit, or some mint leaves to your water for a little flavor.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞.

Reality: Try setting up (functional) reminders for yourself (that you’ll actually pay attention to) as well as creating a tracker. The reminders are pretty self-explanatory, but the tracker helps to hold yourself accountable to yourself by acting as a visual reminder for the last time you actually practiced a given activity.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭.

Reality: Make it fun! Build rewards in for yourself as you create reminders and trackers by setting small, achievable goals for yourself. It will give you something to work towards and an additional reason to work for it.

Try to engage a wellness buddy. Doing something with friends is always more fun. You can check in with each other, hold each other accountable, share wins, and celebrate accomplishments with each other.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Have you tried any techniques for creating a wellness habit? What’s worked well for you? Do you have any favorites? What didn’t work for you? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬…

Let’s face it, we live in an increasingly complicated, chaotic world. Sometimes it can feel downright impossible to slow it back down and simplify it. The trick is to start small, maintain realistic expectations, and most importantly, be kind to yourself.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

Reality: Have you ever tried to not think about anything? It’s virtually impossible and gets frustrating quickly. Rather than trying to totally empty your mind, try to focus on something in the present instead, like your breath.

As thoughts wander in, recognize and acknowledge them, and gently shift your focus back to the present. If that proves difficult, experiment with physical reminders, such as placing your hand on your chest or belly as you breath or exhaling slowly into the palm of your hand with your eyes closed.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐈𝐟 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐝, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥.

Reality: Even if you’re not achieving a state of relaxation, creating and cultivating a long-term mindfulness practice can begin to help you achieve a sense of contentment, and reduce cycles of negative thought patterns, stress, depression, and anxiety.

Feeling the gamut of human emotions while practicing mindfulness is all part of the process. It’s not unusual or uncommon to feel frustration, boredom, and restlessness while practicing mindfulness, particularly in the beginning of one’s practice. Recognize that it’s normal and natural to feel anything and everything while practicing mindfulness and don’t let it deter you from continuing to create a consistent practice.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

Reality: Mindfulness can be practiced pretty much anytime, anywhere, and in any position. One of my favorite ways to practice is to take a walk in nature and focus on what my senses are telling me, particularly the sounds and smells. I love to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and just listen.

While one generally wants to find a balance between comfort and alertness with practicing mindfulness, if you’re having trouble sleeping or simply can never seem to remember to practice throughout the day, taking a few minutes to practice as you’re lying in bed trying to fall asleep can be a great way to start. As you lie in bed, focus on your breathing, placing your hand on your belly or chest to bring your physical attention to it as well. If you find that you have trouble focusing because your mind is still whizzing around at a million miles a minute, experiment with journaling or writing down your tasks for the next day to clear out your mind a bit before you start.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Have you tried any techniques for creating a mindfulness habit? What’s worked well for you? Do you have any favorites? What didn’t work for you? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲…

It can be easy to become overwhelmed with everything one has to accomplish throughout the day. All too often we get so caught up in the moment, that we forget to take time for ourselves or actively refuse to do so. Frequently, this can actually lead to a decrease in focus and productivity because we can’t crawl back outside our own heads.

This is not to say that when you’re on a roll with something and the creative juices are flowing freely that you should stop necessarily, but when you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, hungry, thirsty, hangry – maybe it’s time to give yourself a break.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤.

Reality: If you have so much to do that you don’t feel you can even squeeze in a short break, chances are that you’re not being quite a productive as you could or should be. Taking even a five-minute break and walking away from what you’re doing can help to reset your brain and allow you to refocus on what you had been doing before.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬.

Reality: Guilty! This one happens to me all the time. Try setting reminders for yourself to take short breaks every hour or two. There are many ways in which to do so such as utilizing the Pomodoro Technique, having other reminders such as apps that remind you to drink water or stand up every hour serve a dual purpose, or even popping break reminders into your calendar.

Get up and grab a glass of water or energy boosting snack, take a quick stretch, or step outside for a minute or two and see how you feel afterward. If it seems daunting, try it out for a week at first and take quick notes about whether you feel you’ve been more productive after having taken short breaks.

Have back-to-back meetings constantly? Try scheduling a minimum of 15-minute buffers in between them. Or better yet, 30-minutes so you can not only take a break and regroup, but also tackle another task or two on your list. This will also build in time for you to grab some water and a snack and/or go to the bathroom (sometimes a foreign concept on busy days – trust me, your bladder and kidneys will thank you!). It also alleviates the stress of one meeting running a few minutes over, causing you to be late for the next.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Reality: That’s entirely possible, but if you take the break with the intent to give yourself a rest, reset your brain, and boost your energy, you’re likely to find that even if you don’t want to go back to whatever you were doing, you’ll do so with a renewed sense of vigor. Give it a try for a week and see how you do.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Have you tried any techniques for a balance between breaks and productivity? What’s worked well for you? Do you have any favorites? What didn’t work for you? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐘𝐞𝐬, 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨…

We live in a day and age in which everyone is constantly rushing around, often in a frenzied state of mind, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still make quick, healthy food choices while on the go.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝.

Reality: Practice prepping! Set aside time each week to prep healthy snacks that you can grab quickly as a start. Or plan out your meals and snacks for the week and do as much prep as possible in advance.

Make it fun! Pretend that you’re participating in a meal delivery service (or do start subscribing to a meal kit delivery service – most of the prep is already done for you), gather all of the ingredients you’ll need for each meal, prep what you can (chop up the veg, make a big batch of rice that you can just portion out and reheat for multiple meals, etc), and keep everything together in your fridge with labels.

Embrace leftovers! Start by picking one night a week when you’ll cook yourself a delicious, healthy dinner and make enough for lunch the next day as well. It takes barely any more effort to make double the food.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞.

Reality: There are plenty of healthier alternatives that won’t break the bank. Instead of cracking open a bag of chips, try making your own homemade popcorn or having a handful of nuts instead.

Buy foods in bulk when you can and when it makes sense to do so. If you have the storage space and are actually going to use the items, it’s often much more economical to buy foods in bulk and portion it out when you get home.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬.

Reality: Try keeping healthy snacks close by, so when you’re hungry you automatically reach for them instead of unhealthier alternatives. Make your own trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and semisweet chocolate chips. Prep and portion our sliced fruits and veggies to snack on throughout the week with a nut butter of choice, homemade yogurt dip, or hummus as a dip.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Have you tried any quick, healthy snacks or meals? What’s worked well for you? Do you have any favorites? What didn’t work for you? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞…

Breathwork (breathing exercises) can be an incredibly powerful way to reduce stress, boost one’s mood, decrease blood pressure, and improve focus, memory, and creativity.

Please be aware that while there are myriad benefits associated with breathwork, certain breathing exercises might not be safe for everyone. Therefore, please check with your healthcare provider if you are concerned at all prior to starting any new breathwork practices.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

Reality: The concept of breathwork includes many different practices and techniques. Try experimenting with trying different types to determine which ones work best for you.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐠𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

Reality: Breathwork is for everyone (as long as those with certain conditions have been cleared by a healthcare provider to do so). Many breathwork techniques can be done anytime, anywhere.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.

Reality: While it’s true that there are many long-term benefits from a sustained, consistent practice, there are still benefits that can arise from trying a new breathing exercise even just once as a quick fix.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Have you tried any breathing exercises? What’s worked well for you? Do you have any favorites? What didn’t work for you? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲)…

To state the (hopefully) obvious, if you’re moving in a way that could potentially lead to an injury it’s not necessarily good movement and you might want to reconsider. However, beyond that even the smallest of movements can be better for you than remaining completely sedentary.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

Reality: Even the little things add up!

Try doing an experiment and cook yourself dinner one evening and see how many steps you take just taking a few steps here and there around your kitchen to prep and cook. In addition to more steps, you’ll also be using your upper body a little more. And bonus, when you’re done, you’ll have a delicious, homecooked meal!

Or take a slightly longer way to get from point a to point b than you usually do. You’d be surprised that only adding a few more seconds to your travels can add quite a few more steps.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

Reality: While it can certainly be difficult to motivate oneself to get up and move around when fatigue starts to set in, movement and exercise can help to increase energy levels. It can also help improve sleep quality, which also leads to less feelings of fatigue overall.

And bonus, exercise can make you feel happier! It can improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐠𝐚, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭.

Reality: Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is a relatively new concept that pertains to the energy one expends doing everyday tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, walking the dog, standing at a desk, and sleeping.

Consider ways that you incorporate NEAT into your own life, likely unknowingly (until now 😊). Is there anything that you’re already doing that you could expand upon a little to add more movement into your daily routine?

Perhaps try parking a little farther away from the grocery store each time so you must walk a little more each way.

Or maybe mix up the route you take when walking your dog (which will be both fun for your dog and you).

Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If the idea of ascending multiple flights seems daunting, just start with a single floor and work your way up to additional flights as you feel ready.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

What are ways that you incorporate more movement into your life? What’s worked well for you? What have you tried that didn’t work so well or felt unsustainable? Why do you think it worked or didn’t work?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 #𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞…

Many people believe that in order to reduce one’s overall stress in life they must make significant changes. The idea of making any sort of change, particularly significant ones, while in the midst of a stress storm can be extremely daunting and sometimes even paralyzing, which can sometimes prevent someone from making any changes at all, thereby perpetuating the stress cycle. However, making even the tiniest of changes can have an astonishingly significant impact.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝.

Reality: Stress can absolutely be controlled but give yourself a little credit because it takes work and time. Making the smallest of changes can have an immediate positive impact. These changes can snowball into other changes that ultimately have a huge overall, lasting impact. Try not to be discouraged if you have setbacks every so often – this is a marathon, not a sprint.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.

Reality: Just like everyone’s perception of stress is unique, so is the way in which to deal with it. Stress management is not a one-size-fits-all magic button. The most effective way in which to manage stress is to determine the root cause of why something is causing you stress to begin with.

Work on treating the cause, not the symptom. Next time you’re feeling an overwhelming sense of stress, try free writing for five minutes. Just write down anything and everything that pops into your head. Don’t think, just write. The more that you’re able to do this, the more you’ll start to notice patterns in your writing that may point to the root cause of the stress.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

Reality: Self-care is an incredible tool for mitigating symptoms (and just pampering yourself in general, since everyone deserves a little pampering and self-love on the regs). As a long-term stress management tool, while it can certainly be effective, focusing more on your own values and drivers in life may prove to be more effective in terms of addressing the root causes of your stress.

Try considering what ultimately drives you and fosters your own personal sense of values. What’s something that excites you and makes you feel satisfied in a way that gives your life meaning and you a sense of self-worth? Again, free writing make help you tease this out if you’re struggling with figuring it out initially.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

What are ways that you destress? What’s worked well for you? Why do you think it worked?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 (𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭-𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠)…

Healthy doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor, texture, or overall satisfaction with one’s food. You can most certainly still have your cake and eat it, too.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.

Reality: Most foods in moderation and as part of an overall healthy diet are fine to indulge in on occasion. You’ll likely want to steer a little further away from ultra-processed foods in which you can’t pronounce half the ingredients, but if you want to have a piece of cake, bowl of ice cream, or some butter poached lobster once in a while, chances are that it won’t completely disrupt your healthy lifestyle.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭).

Reality: Au contraire! One of my favorite indulgent foods is chocolate avocado mousse. It’s rich, light, airy, and so unbelievably decadent. I don’t make it often because a little goes a long way and it’s something that I truly look forward to when I decide to make it again.

I’m also a bit of a salad nut and go crazy for the toppings. I love to roast veggies to bring out their sweetness, toss in some nuts and seeds for a little crunchy goodness, and make all sorts of yummy homemade dressings to go along with them. Sometimes I skip the lettuce and just have the roasted veggies with toppings and dressing by themselves or as a rice or noodle bowl.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐢𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.

Reality: Cut yourself a little slack! Try practicing the 80/20 rule so you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of anything on a regular basis and in turn, will also be less likely to overindulge when you give yourself an occasional treat.

You might also find that if you’ve been filling your plate with lots of veg, some whole grains, and healthy protein that you’ll be so full that you won’t even want to indulge in something afterward very often because you’ll be satiated from your meal alone.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 ‘𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭’ 𝐨𝐫 ‘𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭’ 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

What are your favorite luxurious, decadent, and indulgent foods? Would you consider them to be healthy? If not, are there ways that you can modify the recipes slightly to make them a little less unhealthy or just use them as your 20% and try to focus on 80% healthy foods the rest of the time?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲 (𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝)…

Self-care is an investment in yourself. If you don’t love and take care of yourself, why would you expect anyone else to do so? Treat yourself! Trust me, you’re worth it. And if anyone tells you or makes you think that you’re not, then they’re not worth it.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞.

Reality: At its core, self-care is really just taking care of yourself and recognizing that you deserve to be treated well – including by yourself. Self-care can be as simple as stepping outside to enjoy the sun for 15 minutes a day, taking half an hour to read a book, or carving out time to create a morning routine that starts your day off right (psst, all of which are free).

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

Reality: Even taking as little as five minutes a day to focus on yourself in a positive, empowering way can start to change your whole perspective. If you truly don’t feel that you have a moment to possibly spare, get creative with the time you’re already using.

Do you drink coffee or tea? Take a moment right before you take your first sip in the morning to take slowly inhale the aroma, then savor your very first sip.

Do you have pets or kids? Rather than making getting ready a chore, turn it into a fun game and channel your inner Mary Poppins. Bonus, not only will it be fun for you (and who doesn’t like to have a little fun), but it’ll be fun for them too. Hooray for bonding!

Try squeezing in a quick workout while you’re brushing your teeth. Try a wall sit, squats, or if you’re really adventurous (and don’t have a pointy toothbrush 😉), a standing balance. Bam, that’s four previously unclaimed minutes a day.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.

Reality: The best way to effectively make a lasting change is to start with small changes and then continue to build on them as they become (positive) habits.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Do you have a self-care routine? What worked well for you? What did you struggle with?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 #𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞!

𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠…

We all know that we should be eating healthy diets but doing so is often easier said than done. In an age when we’re constantly being bombarded with fad diets, it’s difficult to know where to even start.

Diets don’t tend to be foster lasting change, but one way to shift not only your diet but also your mindset is to crowd unhealthy foods out by choosing to slowly add in healthier options instead.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 ‘𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲.’

Reality: It’s okay to treat yourself once in a while! Try using the 80/20 rule to take some of the pressure off yourself – healthy eating 80% of the time and indulging/treating yourself 20% of the time. You’ll still reap the benefits of a healthy diet without feeling as though you’re being deprived of things you enjoy.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐄𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈’𝐦 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬.

Reality: Making small changes over time can have a huge impact! Slowly adding healthier options into your diet over time will begin to create a habit and begin to change your tastebuds.

Rather than having a sugary sweet dessert, trying having a piece of fruit instead or adding at least one vegetable to every meal.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

Reality: The beauty of crowding out foods by gradually replacing them with healthier options is that it creates a sustainable lifestyle shift, rather than a temporary diet change. Eventually you’ll find that you’re adding more and more healthy foods in and craving unhealthy foods less.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭’ 𝐨𝐫 ‘𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠’ 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

Do you have experience with crowding out or eliminating foods from your diet? What worked well for you? What did you struggle with?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 _____ 𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐨 ___, 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐲…

Ultimately, a sense of joy must come from within. External factors can temporarily cause a sense of happiness, but joy comes from a more long-term, sustained overall sense of contentment.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐲.

Reality: There are times throughout life when not feeling happy is totally appropriate (suffering a loss, etc) and that’s okay. One does not need to be happy all the time to have joy in their life.

Being aware or moments or joy or joyful memories in times of sadness without judgment can be extremely powerful. Defining your own happiness and giving yourself permission to embrace the hard times with the good, can lead to a greater overall satisfaction in life.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 = 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Reality: While this could certainly be true, to a certain point (think, covering base expenses and having a little financial cushion), there is a plateau in which generating a higher income will not directly contribute to one’s happiness level.

What do you think your happiness financial plateau would be?

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝.

Reality: Happiness is a state of being. External factors might make you think you’re happy, but, it’s likely to only be for a fleeting moment. It’s not a fixed state and can be changed over time, for better or worse.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐣𝐨𝐲’ 𝐨𝐫 ‘𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

When was the last time you were able to embrace the unhappy moments in your life? Were you able to find moments of joy within the sadness? What brings you joy?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐨𝐫 #𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!

𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐲 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐮𝐭𝐬?!?

Everyone needs to take a break from technology occasionally. Remember the good ol’ days before email and cell phones when everyone wasn’t constantly tethered to a device and there was no such thing as social media? Guess what? We all survived.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

Reality: Do you always get an immediate response from others when you send them a text or email? Chances are, probably not, unless it’s something urgent. Productivity can actually increase if you put your phone down and choose to only read and respond to emails at designated times throughout the day, rather than whenever they arrive.

Try checking and responding to emails only once or twice a day (perhaps around lunchtime and before you’re done for the day).

Was there any fallout from waiting a few hours to respond?

Did you find that it was easier to focus on the task at hand?

Do you feel slightly liberated because you gave yourself permission take a step back and not always be immediately and perpetually available?

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Reality: Unplugging, even temporarily, can allow you to have enhanced focus, decrease stress, better social interactions, and a sense of more control over your own time.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 #𝐅𝐎𝐌𝐎.

Reality: You might, but it’s more likely that if you unplug, you’ll be more present in your own life and won’t feel like it’s passing you by. You’ll be less likely to compare yourself to a false or misleading portrayal of others (social media posts, I’m talking ‘bout you – seriously, no one’s life is that perfect).

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 ‘𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐱’ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

When was the last time you unplugged and felt present in the moment? Was it satisfying?

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐱 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬!