Flow with Elise

I’ve been a little quiet in here lately 🙈

Since my attempted return to Flow, a lot has happened (all good)… we’ve sold our house, bought a new house that we’ll be renovating, been away, and i’m preparing for more full time study in Clinical Masters (yes, 10 years of study apparently wasn’t enough).

Add that to two very young children, and I don’t have the time, energy or consistency to give to Flow that it, and you, deserve.

So I’ve made the difficult decision to stop, at least during this period of my life. I tried to make it all work, but I also won’t get this time with my littles back 👶👶 so I need to not spread myself too thin!

I am so grateful for all your beautiful messages and kind words of support for this project of mine, every single person who said a post, blog, yoga class, or message helped them seriously lit me up inside, and 100% kept me going!! For the followers who have been here since the beginning and those who joined in recently, thank you for being here ❤️

I am also so grateful for the many friendships I’ve made here, and the things I’ve learnt from other professionals. I’ll be a better psychologist for having met, collaborated with, and learnt from you all, and I’ll continue to follow along eagerly 🤍

Hopefully one day, when things are calmer I’ll be able to make content again, but for now all I can say is another huge thank you to you all!! Remember to rest, be kind to yourself,feel you feels and breathe deeply!!

Much love,

Elise ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Do you have a nervous system that is more sensitive to what’s happening in your internal and external world? 🧠

This can come with challenges:

▪️you may be more easily overwhelmed, especially when busy or over-scheduled 😫
▪️you may struggle with sensory stimuli (like the texture of foods 🍗, or get irritated by some clothing 👖)
▪️you may feel other peoples vibes, which can get exhausting fast 😴
▪️you may be a perfectionist
▪️you’re at a greater risk of compassion fatigue and burnout 😒
▪️you may be a people pleaser and find it extra challenging to set boundaries, because the boundaries between you and others are blurred
▪️ you may find news and sad things that happen to other people affect you greatly 😭

But there are so many positives too:

▫️you feel good things deeply too - meaning, beauty, connection - you appreciate all of it at a deeper level 🌅
▫️you are likely very creative and passionate 🎨
▫️you’re probably a great communicator, you’ll likely have great interpersonal skills and seem to just ‘get’ other people
▫️you are probably a great listener and caring soul, someone people turn to when they are having a hard time 👭
▫️you have empathy, not only for those you know but for all humans, creatures, etc… 🐰
▫️you likely have a great deal of self-awareness

With the challenges, come some incredible attributes that make you an amazing person 🤍 I hope you can see the light you bring to the world and I encourage you to learn more about your personality ✨

✨Are there any more positives you’d add to this list?⬇️

Speaking of amazing humans, 📸 by the lovely

Now you’ve come across HSP and many of you can relate…

Here is some more (evidence-based) info on it!

1. If you are highly sensitive, it’s part of your personality, your individual temperament

2. There are over 100 types of animals that display high sensitivity (well, a proportion of them do). This shows that it is beneficial to the survival of different species…

I love this demonstration of the importance of diversity; while some people jump straight into things without much thought, others hang back an assess their environment more. Neither are right or wrong, it’s just how it is, which brings me to the most important point…

3. High sensitivity isn’t a bad thing, it is neutral and can be beneficial or harmful depending on someone’s surroundings. For example:

✨HSPs are more influenced by their upbringing - whether in a positive or negative way.

✨Being able to feel others pain can be hard work, but also a beautiful thing.

✨Whether sensitivity is celebrated or not is a very cultural thing.

4. While there can be similarities between HSP and other forms of neurodivergency - such as sensitivity to stimuli - there are also clear distinctions from each.

recently did a brilliant posts outlining some of these similarities and differences.

I hope all my fellow HSPs enjoyed that info dump 😂 you can find more on the blog (link in bio) 🤍

*You can find references for and links to all the relevant studies on Elaine Aron’s website*

Do you relate to these? ✨ You may be a HSP ✨

Highly sensitive person (HSP) is a well studied genetic personality trait that 20-30% of the population have. So even if you don’t relate, chances are you have a HS child, relative or friend. 👭

Conceptualised by Elaine Aron (1991), it’s a temperament you are born with and linked to different brain processing than those who aren’t HSPs 🧠

In other words, HSPs see and relate to the world differently 🧐

A big part of this is a nervous system that is sensitive to what’s happening internally (e.g. emotions) and in the world (e.g. social situations). HSPs notice a lot more and also tend to become overwhelmed more easily. 😰

There’s a lot to unpack about this, which I’ll cover over the coming week…

For now, if you’re interested, check out my latest blog post with more info on HSP and a link to some free quizzes (Aron) to see if you, or your child may have a highly sensitive personality.

https://www.flowwithelise.com/are-you-a-highly-sensitive-person/

Do you often experience stress, anxiety, overwhelm? 😖

I’m not surprised! 🤷🏻‍♀️

For almost ALL of history we didn’t live the way we do now…

Our nervous system was designed to deal with immediate threats, like wild animals and other tribes 🐻🐍🏹 then to return to a healthy state AS SOON AS the danger has passed. Now it has to deal with constant ‘threat-like’ input, including:

⚡️constant news: we are being flooded with horrible and often sensationalised news (about illness, war, environmental shifts, etc). This is very negatively biased and not an accurate reflection of reality.

⚡️work culture: fast paced, high stress, usually seeping outside of ‘working hours’….
A stressful email can come through at any time.

⚡️constant social interaction: with this comes social comparison, scrolling first thing and for hours (triggering cortisol), bullying which is harder to escape.

⚡️a productivity-focused culture: a pressure to do it all and do it well. At work, in our relationships, our own health and wellbeing. This isn’t sustainable and fuels perfectionism across the board.

⚡️loneliness: we’re social creatures by design, isolation in the form of lengthy lockdowns, working in a home office until all hours, or only interacting online has been shown to have damaging effects on our stress levels and overall health.

Needless to say, it is very hard for us to return to a healthy state - where we can rest, digest, repair, and enjoy life ✨

The takeaways from this:

If you struggle with rest, balance, calming down, I want to make it clear IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Our society makes this near impossible.

IMPORTANTLY, and thankfully, there are ways to help your body calm. In addition to limiting news and social media, turning off email notifications, and keeping up social connections, you can try a multitude of stress reduction techniques until you find the ones that work best for you (see previous post for some examples)🧘🏼‍♀️

✨if you’re interested in how the nervous system works, and how to balance yours, check out my latest blog post: https://www.flowwithelise.com/fight-or-flight-response/’✨

⬇️ is there anything else in modern society that taxes our nervous system?⬇️

Are any of these cognitive distortions negatively impacting your wellbeing? 🙇‍♀️

Cognitive distortions are errors in the way we think. Usually they cause us to see the world through a more negative lens 🔍

Today, we continue to look at some of the common thinking errors we might be making 💫

These distortions are automatic patterns of thinking, so challenging them can be difficult, but it is possible through mindset shifts (like reframing) 🧠

✨You can read more about these and other common cognitive distortions, and how you can challenge them in my latest blog post (head to https://www.flowwithelise.com/5-common-cognitive-distortions/ ) ✨

Can you relate to any of these cognitive distortions? 🤷🏻‍♀️⬇️

Are your thinking patterns negatively impacting your wellbeing? 🙇‍♀️

Cognitive distortions are errors in the way we think. Usually they cause us to see the world through a more negative lens 🔍

These distortions are automatic patterns of thinking, so challenging them can be difficult, but it is possible through mindset shifts (like reframing) 🧠

You can read more about these and other common cognitive distortions, and how you can challenge them in my latest blog post https://www.flowwithelise.com/5-common-cognitive-distortions/

Can you relate to any of these cognitive distortions? 🤷🏻‍♀️⬇️

💫How balanced is your mindset?💫

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be covering unhelpful negative thinking patterns, and some mindset shifts (like reframing) that can help! 👏🏻

Before we dive in though, I wanted to pose a few questions for you….

Reflecting on these, do you think you have a balanced mindset, or does it tend it be weighted towards the negative?

Just some food for thought 😊😊

If you’re interested in this stuff, I have a couple of new blog posts, which you’ll find on the website (flowwithelise.com) under ‘mindset’ (link in bio) ❤️

Such a beautiful reminder heading into the weekend…

I hope whatever you do, whether it involves work, rest, family, friends hobbies…

You do it with the knowledge that this is it, life is happening right now 💫

Don’t forget to be present 😘

- words by Rupi Kaur
- 📸 by

Controversial opinion…

I’m not a huge fan of routines 🫢😱

I know they are a biiiiggg thing on Insta… there are millions of ‘morning routines’, ‘night routines’, ‘skin care routines’, etc…

They can sometimes be helpful when implemented carefully BUT I’ve found that they often lead to living in autopilot.

You wake up, and do the same things in the same order, eat certain foods at certain times, go the same way to work, then your work day/ day home with the kids is similar, etc

The thing is, brains are efficient machines. Once your brain learns what it needs to do, it can switch off (metaphorically) and save energy 🧠

You know this is occurring when you start forgetting the commute, what you actually did during the day, or what your coffee tasted like ☕️

Your days start blending together, you’re constantly zoning out, or you feel like you’re just existing.

Compare this to being on holiday, where you’re no longer in your usual routines…

Everything is new and you notice so much more. You engage more and the little things become magical again 💫

But it doesn’t need to take a holiday or major life change to engage with life like that. Some things you can try to switch your brain back on are:

✨Every now and then, take a different route to work/ school or work in a different location than normal
✨Choose one thing each day to completely absorb yourself in - a shower, the dishes, your coffee. Really pay attention to all the sensory input during that activity
✨Pretend you’re on holiday for a day, take in your life like a visitor and see how different it feels
✨Set yourself a challenge to notice something new on your commute each day

I’m curious, do you ever find yourself falling into autopilot? Are there other tips you’d add?

📸 by the beautiful and talented soul

Do you want to finally have a regular self-care practice but struggle with motivation to GET going and KEEP going?

http://www.flowwithelise.com/shop/

Now’s your last chance to get the tools and more importantly, inspiration you need - I’m clearing the last of the beautiful products to make way for a new venture…

You’ll find everything for just $10 with free postage in metro Adelaide 💃🏻🙌🏼

Gratitude jar packs
Beautiful affirmation cards
An online journal + guide

But only while stocks last or until Friday at 11:59pm - after that the store is closed for good ❤️

Get in quick xx

Babymoon 🌴

We’ve escaped very cold Adelaide for a trip to sunny Tropical North Queensland ☀️

It was the best decision 🥰

Being able to spend so much quality time with Harps, before we’re about to shake-up her little world helps ease the guilt a little 😂

Plus all the sunshine, swimming and beautiful scenery helps.

We’re soaking in every moment and looking forward to what’s to come this year ❤️❤️

A few thoughts about boundaries ✨

Exciting news my wellbeing lovers 🧘🏼‍♀️

I’ve been doing some reflecting on Flow with Elise, and the direction I want to take it moving forward 💫

As much as I’ve loved creating wellbeing products for you, and am so proud of them, a product-based business is not perfectly aligned with my skills, experience, or interests.

And that’s OK, it’s been fun, it’s all part of the journey. I’m feeling so excited and inspired about what it to come 👏🏻 and I think you are going to love it too 🕺🏻💃🏻

So, stay tuned for some super exciting things in the works for the near future! Eeek.

In the meantime, Flow has the biggest sale ever to clear current stock!

Over at the website you’ll find:

✨everything heavily discounted (min 50% off) and

✨FREE postage

So if you’ve got any bdays coming up, you’ve been wanting to surprise a loved one, or you’ve been eyeing off any products for yourself… this is your LAST CHANCE to stock up!

Thank you, as always, for your unwavering support. And stay tuned ✨❤️❤️❤️

*while stock lasts, products available for delivery within AU only, digital products available worldwide

How could you bring a little more joy to your day? ✨

Nothing extravagant, just something small you can add. 👯‍♀️

How could you sneak in a tiny bit more fun? 🤪

A little more laughter? 🤭

How could you include a smidgen more play? 💃🏻

Just one extra smile? 😀

Do that!

Self-care can be that simple ❤️

📸 by the incred

After being out of action for months 🤢 I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the small things, like being able to take the dogs for an actual walk (rather than the dog park) 🦮🐕‍🦺

For me, being under the weather highlights the things that are truly important… the things you can’t wait to be able to do again!

Funnily enough they tend to be those small things we take for granted; relationships, routines, moments, and hobbies, rather than the big things that actually take up most of our focus and energy.

Now if I could get to the point where I can clean out the pantry I’ll be super grateful 😂

Do you have a favourite type of journaling?

Mine is definitely free-writing!! I love seeing what my brain is going to come up with 🧠😂

✨ If you’re after a deeper explanation of how to do these different styles of journaling, check out the ultimate journaling guide (link in bio - shop now) ✨

In this guide, you’ll have a go at each of these styles of journaling + more, PLUS you’ll get more than 50 journal prompts.

All for $10!! Download instantly so you can start straight away 📖

Link in bio - shop now ❤️

My number 1 tip for learning mindfulness, self-compassion and self-insight? 🤔

Journaling 📔

You’d be amazed at what you can learn about yourself just by writing… things that you’ve never even realised consciously! 🧐

This can help you uncover your values, your direction in life, and your internal voice ❤️

It can help you make sense of you life, and can instantly put things into perspective 🧠

All it takes is some time aside each day to write, it can be as short as 5mins, if that’s all you have!

With the benefits to be gained, it’s such a great investment of your time!

✨If you’re interested in journaling, but are confused about where to even start, check out our ‘Wellbeing Workbook: The Ultimate Journaling Guide’ ✨

The guide shows you different types of journaling, walks you through how to do them, and of course you get to practice them yourself.

The guide is available for instant download (to complete online or print), there’s no postage, and it’s available worldwide 🌍

And best of all it’s reduced to just $10 so now’s the time to make a start 🎉 check out https://www.flowwithelise.com/product/album/ ❤️

📖However you choose to journal, it truely is a wonderful tool for self-discovery! Tell me, is journaling something you already enjoy or intend to start?? 👇🏽

📸 by the incredible

Now I’m back in action, I think it’d be rude not to celebrate with a mega-sale! 😉🎉

You’ll find all the mind body wellness products you need (on other words everything) for 40% off! So good!! 🙌🏼

I’ve also dropped postage to a flat $5 for this week👏🏻

So if you’re:

💫looking to start your gratitude or journaling practice and would love some tools
💫or perhaps you’d like to gift someone beautiful affirmation cards or a guided meditation personalised specifically to them

Well, now is the IDEAL time!

Head over to the link in my bio and click shop now, or go directly to www.flowwithelise.com ✨

▪️Sale ends Wed 13th of April, 12pm (ACST)
◾️Items requiring postage available without AUS only, digital products available worldwide 🌎
▪️While stock lasts ❤️

I’m often asked if meditation and mindfulness are the same thing 🤔

Although they overlap significantly, they are different 🧘🏼‍♀️

Mindfulness is the state of being completely focused on the present moment.

Meditation is ONE way to formally practice this, but there are many other ways AND there are also forms of meditation where mindfulness isn’t the focus of the practice.

An analogy I like is exercising to improve fitness. Fitness is analogous to mindfulness and running is like meditation. However, you can also achieve fitness through other methods (like swimming) AND you can run for other reasons (perhaps to tone your muscles or for mental clarity). 🏃🏻‍♀️

I hope that helps clarify what can be a challenging distinction to wrap your head around!

Did you think meditation and mindfulness were the same thing? 👇🏽

Want to give journaling a go?

Here are some prompts to get you started ❤️

I love journaling for so many reasons!

✨it can help you get to know your inner voice, listen to your intuition and find your creativity
✨it can keep you on track, progressing toward your goals
✨it means you get to look back on your life and remember those little moments that would have otherwise been lost

The evidence-based benefits are amazing too! These benefits span physical and psychological wellbeing (see blog post for a breakdown of all the benefits + references).

The great thing is, there are so many different types of journaling, so if one doesn’t suit, you still might find another you love ❤️

I’m the latest blog (link in bio), I explain what journaling is, the science-backed benefits, and break down some popular types of journaling + provide some journal prompts to get you started.

We also have a complete journaling guide on the store, currently $15 and available instantly (check stories for more) 😊

Do you journal? If so, what’s you’re fav type? 📔👇🏽

Are you keen to create more gratitude in 2022? 🙏🏼

Its a great goal - gratitude is SO beneficial for wellbeing ✨ (for a detailed summary of the research check out my latest blog post https://www.flowwithelise.com/gratitude-101-everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-gratitude-practice-including-a-gratitude-quiz/)!

One of my fav ways to practice is with a gratitude jar🏺

You write all the amazing things that happen throughout the year, pop them in the jar, then open it up again on New Years (well, whenever you wish, but I do New Years).

That way, you get to experience gratitude for beautiful moments, twice!! When you write them down, and when you look back at them.

This is also a great way to practice with kids - a nice visual gratitude practice. 🥰

I’m truely passionate about gratitude ✨ and in the hope that it might inspire more people to practice, I thought I’d run a special sale…

I’m reducing all gratitude packs by 50% + free delivery for the next week, to help you achieve a gratitude practice in 2022. Discount already applied!

Available Australia wide, shop at: https://www.flowwithelise.com/product/v-neck-t-shirt/ ❤️🙏🏼❤️

I’m checking out of Insta for the next week, to spend time with the fam 🎄 practicing what I preach 😂

I hope you have a beautiful holiday season, that you’re patient with yourself (it’s been another strange year!), that you find things to be grateful for, and that you get some downtime to focus on filling your cup!

Thank you for being part of the Flow community! Look after yourself

Much love ❤️❤️❤️

This season can get a little crazy and the expectation to constantly feel overjoyed is strong 😬

With that in mind, I’ve created a SHORT guided meditation (short because I know how busy you are this time of year)!

In it, you’ll get the opportunity to relax and restore AND work on some mindset shifts around how you ‘should’ be feeling in the coming weeks!

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, head to https://mailchi.mp/d382917e7418/holiday-meditation and order your free download!

Happy holidays ❤️❤️

✨There is always an abundance of things to be grateful for, and with practice they become much easier to find ✨

I have a new blog post and QUIZ up now, about gratitude 🙏🏼

https://www.flowwithelise.com/gratitude-101-everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-gratitude-practice-including-a-gratitude-quiz/

I’m alllllll about a gratitude practice as a wellbeing tool 🙌🏼🙌🏼

The research demonstrates overwhelmingly positive outcomes (for relationships, mental and physical health and more) in both children and adults.

In the blog, you’ll learn more about gratitude, including:

✨what gratitude is, and isn’t
✨the positive benefits of gratitude
✨some ways you can practice gratitude
✨a quiz to determine your baseline level of gratitude

Happy reading ❤️

The distinction between gratitude and toxic positivity is subtle, but the outcomes are vastly different!

I hope this helps highlight the differences between the two 😊❤️

✨Follow for more wellness tips and info
✨Want more? Find a large range of well-being resources through the link in my bio

——

Disclaimer: this content is not clinical, medical or mental health advice or treatment. It is not a substitute for therapy.

What yoga is, to me 🧘🏼‍♀️

Healing, calming, strengthening, a space to practice tools that benefit wellbeing.

Tools like:

✨mindfulness
✨listening to your body
✨awareness of your thoughts
✨slowing your breath
✨learning to balance effort and ease

It’s about breaking down any perceived distinction between mind and body, checking in, noticing…

Then generalising these skills from the mat into day-to-day life 💫

This is how I practice. This is how I teach.

But yoga can be so many different things to different people. I’d love to know, what is yoga to you?👇🏽

In a bit if a rut? On auto-pilot lately?

I have just the thing for you! 👏🏻

https://www.flowwithelise.com/yoga-videos/

Our latest practice, available now, is all about shifting your perspective. Seeing the world from a different point of view 👀

We play around with some inversions (being upside down 🙃) that are completely beginner friendly.

All you need is a wall… and some curiosity!

Head to the link in my bio - yoga and meditation practices 🧘🏼‍♀️

Happy flowing ✨