By Kelly Beischel Phd, RN, CNE
Am I the only one?
My husband works 7 am – 5:30 pm. I try hard to work the same business hours.
But inevitably he arrives home ready to spend the evening with me and I have just gotten my rhythm and want to work longer.
I am frustrated to be yanked out of my flow and he is frustrated that I’m working late, accusing me of working too much.
You see most days it’s extremely difficult for me to stay awake in the morning and get anything done. My energy kicks in much later in the day.
It’s not getting up in the morning that’s hard. It’s the staying up part that challenges me.
I get up to workout at 5:15 am and by 8:00 am I am hearing my body and mind groaning and screeching at me to go back to bed. (Yes, even on the nights I get 8 hours of sleep.)
You can imagine the hit my productivity would take if I succumbed every time the groaning and screeching started.
I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. And have beat myself up for ages.
The good news? Two weeks ago, I learned I have physical reasons for craving my bed in the morning. Now, I’m hard at work correcting the hormone imbalance in my body.
It’s been a long time coming, but over the past few years, rather than be riddled with shame, blame, and guilt for being “less than”, I’ve built systems that give me the MOJO needed to stay out of bed and to keep my mental and emotional health in check.
And on the days my plan to stay up and be productive goes south? I choose grace.
The grace to accept that I’m not perfect.
As for Joe and I, through intense communication, we continue to work out the differences in our schedules that derives from my boost of energy later in the day.
If any of this sounds like you OR if you are one of the 132.4 million people in America who have created a resolution to improve your life but find yourself waning, there is hope.
I’ve created a list of some of my favorite books, apps, music, journals, and podcasts I use to keep my emotional and mental states healthy. This list includes my go to’s when I need to be productive, turn my stress around, and increase my MOJO.
If you’re exploring ways to support your commitment to health, read on to discover some of my favorite approaches to care for my Mental/Emotional Health.
SUPPORTING MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH
PRODUCTS
Truthbombs are positive ideas that make you think, give you courage, and boost your spirits. You can purchase a box of 134 beautiful, gold foiled embossed Truthbomb cards and do various things with them. Leave one behind wherever you may be – a restaurant, a restroom sink, the seat at the airport – to bolster others. In the morning, choose a card from the deck and think about it and/or abide by it for that day. The cards can also be used as discussion starters and gosh knows anything is better than talking about the weather, right? I’ve been using them as personal spirit boosters. But I’ve decided that, going forward, I will begin leaving cards behind or giving them to people I encounter to infuse them with good feels and higher energy. Follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see the interesting places I leave the cards and the people to whom I give them.
Will you join me in the fun of uplifting others?
Purchase a deck of cards.
Leave them for others in places you visit. Or give them to people you meet. Post photos of where you leave them on social media and tag me @drbpresents on Instagram and @KellyBeischel on Facebook.
Together, we will begin a Truthbomb-love-fest. How fun would that be?
Just think of the increased ripple of vibrations we could cause in the world!
AROMATHERAPY
I love using aromatherapy to support my attention, tranquility, immunity, sleep, as well as uplifting my mood, and more. I order essential oils from Rocky Mountains Oils. I appreciate that ROI is not a pyramid scheme – I don’t have to order monthly – and shipping is free! It’s important to use quality essential oils and distilled water rather than tap. To get you started: Here is an article by University of Minnesota about how to determine the quality of essential oils. And another article about how to use essential oils. 😉
APPS
Did you know meditation is scientifically ‘proven’ to decrease stress and increase focus? The Calm app is a great meditation app to help you “reduce anxiety, sleep better and feel happier.” There are free and paid versions. I started with free and went to the expanded version. Worth every penny to get your mind in a good place.
PODCASTS
Rich Roll is an inspirational person who at 40, “overweight and out of shape” transformed his life and became an ultra-endurance athlete. He also lives a plant powered lifestyle. He presents ways to transform yourself and what that does for the collective good of humanity. He expresses how to do it with self compassion. If you seek inspiration and want to be empowered to develop a more conscious awareness, you will want to tune into his podcast.
Positive and inspiring. Jonathan Fields presents research and interviews experts about topics that facilitate living a Good Life – productivity, habits, spiritual awakenings, exercise, mindfulness, brain training and the list goes on. This is a podcast that will inspire you to think differently.
Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations
Do I need to say anything else? I mean, c’mon, it’s Oprah.:) I will tell you that this podcast includes Oprah’s interviews with thought-leaders, best-selling authors, spiritual luminaries as well as health and wellness experts. This podcast will light you up from within and aid you in your quest to being your best self. Oprah also has a book that includes her Super Soul Conversations as well called The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations.
JOURNALING
Buy a beautiful journal in which to write your thoughts as you begin and/or end your day. Expressing your thoughts through writing can clear your mind of the ruminations that prevent you from doing your best work. Or try one of the journals below.
A beautiful, inspiring journal for self-exploration. The prompts in this journal will give you pause, offer a compass for navigating your life’s direction, and facilitate living your best life.
Help turn around your doubt and give the world what it needs – YOU! Use this journal as a daily reminder that you are truly awesome and capable. The journal is replete with aesthetically pleasing inspirational quotes and pages to write, ”Why I so totally got this today.”
Affirmators Journal: A Journal to Help You Help Yourself – Without the Self-Helpy-Ness!
The affirmations followed by associated prompts in this journal are thought-provoking, fun, and empowering. A great way to begin or end the day.
BOOKS
Learn how to intersect technology, productivity, and well-being with this book.
The Crossroads of Should and Must Find and Follow Your Passion
So often our lives are directed by what we think others want or expect from us rather than fulfilling our dreams, our heart’s desire. This book is a wake up call to what you MUST do to fill your soul. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman. If this quote speaks to you, you will love this book.
MUSIC
Did you know that music increases a state of arousal in your brain prompting the release of dopamine, the feel good chemical in your brain? I love creating playlists in Spotify: summer, holiday, motivational, chill, exercise, romantic, you name it. “Taking Action” was my 2017 phrase of the year. To this end, I created a motivating playlist hoping that it would inspire me to Take Action. I played this any time I needed motivation to work. It became a positive trigger for doing my best work. You see, whenever I cranked up my “2017 Take Action” playlist, I knew it was time to get to work.
My 2018 phrase is “Show Up”. I’ve been using my “2017 Take Action” playlist because much of it means the same thing, BUT if you have suggestions for my new playlist, music that will remind me to “Show Up”, please hit reply and give them to me…
ACTIONS
Emotional Freedom Technique: Tapping
EFT Tapping is based on the premise that “the cause of all negative emotions and beliefs is a disturbance in our body’s energy system.”
EFT Tapping is a combination of talk therapy with the ancient wisdom of acupuncture, minus the needles. 🙂 Blockages within the energy system are released when you tap on acupuncture points with your fingertips while talking about the problem.
It is crazy effective in bringing me immediate relief. For instance, after tapping on an issue like “I write too slowly”, I find clarity, acceptance, relief. And from this I typically write faster.
Here are a few good sites to learn about how to do the technique and where to tap: http://www.eft-tom.com/46.html & http://www.eft-alive.com/how-to-do-EFT.html
Feel free to check out Darryl Stewart, my Energy Coach. He introduced me to tapping a few years ago and now he can’t get rid of me:)
Which of these resonate with you?
The key to success when making a positive habit is to refrain from trying more than one or two interventions as the same time. Choose one or two to determine if they support your needs.
Rinse and repeat.
I also have lists of books, podcasts, and music that support my physical and spiritual health that I will share next week.
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