Have you heard about Gina Hamadey’s “thank you year?” It’s one woman’s attempt at writing a thank you note every day for one year in efforts to connect with those around her and express gratitude.
Hamadey initially started writing thank you notes for a food drive she had organized, while commuting on the train from Brooklyn to New Jersey. She quickly found that not only was writing thank yous a great way to avoid the mindless phone scrolling that comes with any long commute, but also a wonderful way to connect with people in her life. After a finishing her initial thank yous, Hamadey decided to commit to writing a year’s worth of thank yous to friends, family etc.
To get herself organized, Hamadey chose a theme for each month. Month’s themes included family, health, career, friends etc.. What she’s gained from this project is the mindfulness of the moment, noticing the kindness in her daily life.
So why am I telling you this? Because as we’ve written before, gratitude awareness has many positive mental health affects and this is just one more way to bring a little gratitude not only into your life, but into the lives of those around you. As we enter the holiday season, you’re probably already beginning to write your own cards for friends and family. I encourage you to take it a step further, connect by giving thanks and sending some gratitude as well. You’ll not only be bringing some positivity into your own life, but the lives of others.
What do you think? Would you try this project? If not a letter a day, then maybe just a verbal “thank you” each day? Or perhaps a kind gesture to a friend or loved one, neighbor or stranger? We’d love to hear what you come up with!
A Year of Gratitude
Have you heard about Gina Hamadey’s “thank you year?” It’s one woman’s attempt at writing a thank you note every day for one year in efforts to connect with those around her and express gratitude.
Hamadey initially started writing thank you notes for a food drive she had organized, while commuting on the train from Brooklyn to New Jersey. She quickly found that not only was writing thank yous a great way to avoid the mindless phone scrolling that comes with any long commute, but also a wonderful way to connect with people in her life. After a finishing her initial thank yous, Hamadey decided to commit to writing a year’s worth of thank yous to friends, family etc.
To get herself organized, Hamadey chose a theme for each month. Month’s themes included family, health, career, friends etc.. What she’s gained from this project is the mindfulness of the moment, noticing the kindness in her daily life.
So why am I telling you this? Because as we’ve written before, gratitude awareness has many positive mental health affects and this is just one more way to bring a little gratitude not only into your life, but into the lives of those around you. As we enter the holiday season, you’re probably already beginning to write your own cards for friends and family. I encourage you to take it a step further, connect by giving thanks and sending some gratitude as well. You’ll not only be bringing some positivity into your own life, but the lives of others.
What do you think? Would you try this project? If not a letter a day, then maybe just a verbal “thank you” each day? Or perhaps a kind gesture to a friend or loved one, neighbor or stranger? We’d love to hear what you come up with!
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck on auto-pilot? Moving from one thing to another without really enjoying anything? It sounds like it’s time for a little Mindfulness refresher.
In case you’re new here -Mindfulness is when we intentionally develop a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts, sensations and emotions in the present moment. Being non-judgmental of our thoughts/emotions/sensations is the key to the process because it helps us step away from the self criticism or negative voice that often keeps us stuck. Mindfulness exercises help us to develop a different relationship with our experiences by allowing us to objectively view ourselves rather than be immersed in our emotions/thoughts/feelings. Don’t get me wrong, you still get to feel your feelings, you just do it non-judgmentally, which means you stay with the feeling without trying to fix it or change it, and that makes all the difference.
So often I hear clients say that they simply don’t have time for Mindfulness in their daily lives, or it’s hard to remember to do it even though they find it helpful.By integrating some Mindfulness into our daily lives, even in small doses, we can take ourselves off auto-pilot and back into the present. The truth is even the busiest individual has time for some Mindfulness and I’m going to tell you how.
Morning stretch
Good morning! Each morning take a second to get into your body with a stretch and deep breath. It may not seem like much, but taking a second to stop and check in with your physical self can help set the pace for the rest of your day.
Coffee/Tea Time
Enjoy your morning beverage by savoring it a little. Before you take a sip, inhale the aroma, notice how warm the cup feels in your hands, then take a sip and enjoy the flavor. This takes all of about 30 seconds!
Turn off the car and tune in
When you get to where you’re going, park the car and take a few deep breaths. Check in with yourself before rushing in to work or the store. If you notice you’re in need of something, say for instance you’re feeling particularly stressed today – allow this exercise to help you notice that, then you can determine what you may need to do for yourself to help alleviate that stress today. If you’re a parent this may be an especially important if the car is your only alone time!
Take a Walk
One of our favorite suggestions is always taking a walk. You can do this at the office or at home, even on cold and rainy days. Setting a reminder to get up and walk around a little bit, whether it be indoors or out.
Use Transitions
We transition from one task to another so many times daily we probably couldn’t even count them all! Transitions are another opportunity to take a breath and check in. Bathroom breaks, opening and closing email, walking from one room to the next, starting lunch, sitting down for dinner, each one of these transitions in a chance for you to be mindful -be sure to use them!
A little Mindful exercise for you:
Try this, take three slow breaths. They don’t have to be incredibly deep, but the more you can breathe into your belly the better.
1…
2…
3….
Now stop. Notice how you feel right now. Notice your emotional state, your physical state, your mental state. Take a second and allow those three breaths to help you tune in to the world around you. Now notice how you feel noticing these things. Did you try to fix anything or were you able to simply sit with your experience?
Maybe you found this relaxing, maybe you found it difficult to fully focus. Both of these are ok, because both of these experiences are part of being in the moment. If you’re being mindful and you get distracted by a noise outside your office, that’s part of what’s happening right now, and it’s ok to notice it, and when you’re done noticing it try to return back to your breath.
Side note:
*I write about mindfulness quite a bit. Not because I am particularly good at it, but because I’ve seen the differences it can make in our lives through my own life and my client’s. By being more mindful we tune into the world around us more. We get off auto-pilot and engage. We start to notice those little magical moments in life, like when your windshield wipers sync with the music on the radio or you’ve just taken a bite of the most delicious food you’ve ever tasted and you fully enjoy it. These moments wouldn’t be much if we weren’t tuned in during those times and mindfulness is the thing that helps us do that. Being more mindful we can also learn to sit with uncomfortable feelings, including anxiety and depression.
If you want to learn more about how mindfulness can help you tune in to our Facebook Live Event – Mindful Parenting – May 16th at 1:30pm!
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck on auto-pilot? Moving from one thing to another without really enjoying anything? It sounds like it’s time for a little Mindfulness refresher.
In case you’re new here -Mindfulness is when we intentionally develop a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts, sensations and emotions in the present moment. Being non-judgmental of our thoughts/emotions/sensations is the key to the process because it helps us step away from the self criticism or negative voice that often keeps us stuck. Mindfulness exercises help us to develop a different relationship with our experiences by allowing us to objectively view ourselves rather than be immersed in our emotions/thoughts/feelings. Don’t get me wrong, you still get to feel your feelings, you just do it non-judgmentally, which means you stay with the feeling without trying to fix it or change it, and that makes all the difference.
So often I hear clients say that they simply don’t have time for Mindfulness in their daily lives, or it’s hard to remember to do it even though they find it helpful.By integrating some Mindfulness into our daily lives, even in small doses, we can take ourselves off auto-pilot and back into the present. The truth is even the busiest individual has time for some Mindfulness and I’m going to tell you how.
Morning stretch
Good morning! Each morning take a second to get into your body with a stretch and deep breath. It may not seem like much, but taking a second to stop and check in with your physical self can help set the pace for the rest of your day.
Coffee/Tea Time
Enjoy your morning beverage by savoring it a little. Before you take a sip, inhale the aroma, notice how warm the cup feels in your hands, then take a sip and enjoy the flavor. This takes all of about 30 seconds!
Turn off the car and tune in
When you get to where you’re going, park the car and take a few deep breaths. Check in with yourself before rushing in to work or the store. If you notice you’re in need of something, say for instance you’re feeling particularly stressed today – allow this exercise to help you notice that, then you can determine what you may need to do for yourself to help alleviate that stress today. If you’re a parent this may be an especially important if the car is your only alone time!
Take a Walk
One of our favorite suggestions is always taking a walk. You can do this at the office or at home, even on cold and rainy days. Setting a reminder to get up and walk around a little bit, whether it be indoors or out.
Use Transitions
We transition from one task to another so many times daily we probably couldn’t even count them all! Transitions are another opportunity to take a breath and check in. Bathroom breaks, opening and closing email, walking from one room to the next, starting lunch, sitting down for dinner, each one of these transitions in a chance for you to be mindful -be sure to use them!
A little Mindful exercise for you:
Try this, take three slow breaths. They don’t have to be incredibly deep, but the more you can breathe into your belly the better.
1…
2…
3….
Now stop. Notice how you feel right now. Notice your emotional state, your physical state, your mental state. Take a second and allow those three breaths to help you tune in to the world around you. Now notice how you feel noticing these things. Did you try to fix anything or were you able to simply sit with your experience?
Maybe you found this relaxing, maybe you found it difficult to fully focus. Both of these are ok, because both of these experiences are part of being in the moment. If you’re being mindful and you get distracted by a noise outside your office, that’s part of what’s happening right now, and it’s ok to notice it, and when you’re done noticing it try to return back to your breath.
Side note:
*I write about mindfulness quite a bit. Not because I am particularly good at it, but because I’ve seen the differences it can make in our lives through my own life and my client’s. By being more mindful we tune into the world around us more. We get off auto-pilot and engage. We start to notice those little magical moments in life, like when your windshield wipers sync with the music on the radio or you’ve just taken a bite of the most delicious food you’ve ever tasted and you fully enjoy it. These moments wouldn’t be much if we weren’t tuned in during those times and mindfulness is the thing that helps us do that. Being more mindful we can also learn to sit with uncomfortable feelings, including anxiety and depression.
If you want to learn more about how mindfulness can help you tune in to our Facebook Live Event – Mindful Parenting – May 16th at 1:30pm!
Last week I had the pleasure of talking to a group of fellow therapists about the use of Apps in therapy. This week, I thought I'd share that info with you!
You may already be familiar with the abundance of mindfulness apps out there. Calm, Headspace and Smiling Mind are some of the most well known, but did you know there are also apps specifically for depression, eating disorders, self harm, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal ideation? It's true, and these apps, while not a substitute for therapy, can provide users with valuable tools 24hrs a day.
Before you begin using a mental health app there are a few things you should know:
- Research - Many apps aren't well researched (unlike therapeutic techniques which undergo LOTS of research before we can use them.) For best results look for an app created by a University, a therapist or check out the Anxiety and Depression Association of America's recommendations.
- Privacy - If you're concerned about privacy, make sure your app requires a log in and password and be sure to limit what it has access to on your phone. Most apps wont publish anything to Facebook, but it's always good to double check!
- False Claims - Sound too good to be true? Well it probably is. Beware of false claims. An app wont be able to "fix" your depression in a week, I promise.
Last week I had the pleasure of talking to a group of fellow therapists about the use of Apps in therapy. This week, I thought I'd share that info with you!
You may already be familiar with the abundance of mindfulness apps out there. Calm, Headspace and Smiling Mind are some of the most well known, but did you know there are also apps specifically for depression, eating disorders, self harm, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal ideation? It's true, and these apps, while not a substitute for therapy, can provide users with valuable tools 24hrs a day.
Before you begin using a mental health app there are a few things you should know:
- Research - Many apps aren't well researched (unlike therapeutic techniques which undergo LOTS of research before we can use them.) For best results look for an app created by a University, a therapist or check out the Anxiety and Depression Association of America's recommendations.
- Privacy - If you're concerned about privacy, make sure your app requires a log in and password and be sure to limit what it has access to on your phone. Most apps wont publish anything to Facebook, but it's always good to double check!
- False Claims - Sound too good to be true? Well it probably is. Beware of false claims. An app wont be able to "fix" your depression in a week, I promise.
So here's your weekly challenge:
Choose one part of your body that you dislike. Then spend the next week giving that part as much love as possible. Consider ways you could nourish it - talking to it positively, talking about it positively, massaging it, putting a heat pack on it, putting lotion on it, accentuating it etc.. As you do this keep track of how you feel and think about this part over the week. Does it change? Do you notice any shift in your perception?
Let me know if you experience any shift! I'd be interested to hear how this challenge works for you!
Your Weekly Challenge: Body Love
So here's your weekly challenge:
Choose one part of your body that you dislike. Then spend the next week giving that part as much love as possible. Consider ways you could nourish it - talking to it positively, talking about it positively, massaging it, putting a heat pack on it, putting lotion on it, accentuating it etc.. As you do this keep track of how you feel and think about this part over the week. Does it change? Do you notice any shift in your perception?
Let me know if you experience any shift! I'd be interested to hear how this challenge works for you!
To get you started on your journaling journey I've created a few journal prompts. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you've probably already seen some. And if you don't follow me there (which you clearly should, kidding), then catch them here:
Journal Prompts
To get you started on your journaling journey I've created a few journal prompts. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you've probably already seen some. And if you don't follow me there (which you clearly should, kidding), then catch them here:
Earlier this month my colleague Allison wrote about how to stick to your resolutions with three simple steps. This week I wanted to look at an alternative to the New Year’s resolution – going deeper.
If you’re like most of us resolution makers, you might find yourself getting ambitious with what the new year will bring for you. Will it be a new hobby? A new look? A total life makeover? Whatever it is that you choose, it’s not uncommon for us to lose sight of our resolutions somewhere along the way and settle back in to our normal habits; leaving a trail of partially developed hobbies, half learned languages and a cabinet full of diet food.
Well here’s my idea (actually it’s this guy’s idea) – instead of diving into something new, why not rededicate your time to something you’ve already started? Go deeper into a hobby, skill, friendship, exercise routine or self growth plan, that you’ve already started rather than adding something new to your plate.
David (aka this guy) explains –
No new hobbies, equipment, games, or books are allowed during this year. Instead, you have to find the value in what you already own or what you’ve already started.
You improve skills rather than learning new ones. You consume media you’ve already stockpiled instead of acquiring more.
You read your unread books, or even reread your favorites. You pick up the guitar again and get better at it, instead of taking up the harmonica. You finish the Gordon Ramsey Masterclass you started in April, despite your fascination with the new Annie Leibovitz one, even though it’s on sale.
The guiding philosophy is “Go deeper, not wider.”
Deepening your experience and returning to previous endeavors can still be just as difficult as starting a new resolution, with one exception – you already have some knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. Armed with this knowledge you can create a plan to get started on previous projects, making sure to avoid the pitfalls of last time. And by not purchasing new books or starting new projects until old ones are complete, you will free up time and space to focus only on deepening.
If you’re interested in getting started on going deeper, I suggest you start with this list:
- What goals/hobbies/projects did I start that I’d like to finish?
- Choose 1-4 (keeping in mind what’s realistic for your schedule)
- Identify what obstacles prevented you from finishing.
- Set a new plan
- Starting small, set realistic, easily accomplished goals to get started.
- Identify people who can help you avoid obstacles and keep going.
- Be positive! Encourage yourself to keep going by taking note of your accomplishments.
For more on deepening check out: https://zenhabits.net/depth/
Photo by Daria Tumanova on Unsplash
Forget your resolutions, let's go deeper!
Earlier this month my colleague Allison wrote about how to stick to your resolutions with three simple steps. This week I wanted to look at an alternative to the New Year’s resolution – going deeper.
If you’re like most of us resolution makers, you might find yourself getting ambitious with what the new year will bring for you. Will it be a new hobby? A new look? A total life makeover? Whatever it is that you choose, it’s not uncommon for us to lose sight of our resolutions somewhere along the way and settle back in to our normal habits; leaving a trail of partially developed hobbies, half learned languages and a cabinet full of diet food.
Well here’s my idea (actually it’s this guy’s idea) – instead of diving into something new, why not rededicate your time to something you’ve already started? Go deeper into a hobby, skill, friendship, exercise routine or self growth plan, that you’ve already started rather than adding something new to your plate.
David (aka this guy) explains –
No new hobbies, equipment, games, or books are allowed during this year. Instead, you have to find the value in what you already own or what you’ve already started.
You improve skills rather than learning new ones. You consume media you’ve already stockpiled instead of acquiring more.
You read your unread books, or even reread your favorites. You pick up the guitar again and get better at it, instead of taking up the harmonica. You finish the Gordon Ramsey Masterclass you started in April, despite your fascination with the new Annie Leibovitz one, even though it’s on sale.
The guiding philosophy is “Go deeper, not wider.”
Deepening your experience and returning to previous endeavors can still be just as difficult as starting a new resolution, with one exception – you already have some knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. Armed with this knowledge you can create a plan to get started on previous projects, making sure to avoid the pitfalls of last time. And by not purchasing new books or starting new projects until old ones are complete, you will free up time and space to focus only on deepening.
If you’re interested in getting started on going deeper, I suggest you start with this list:
- What goals/hobbies/projects did I start that I’d like to finish?
- Choose 1-4 (keeping in mind what’s realistic for your schedule)
- Identify what obstacles prevented you from finishing.
- Set a new plan
- Starting small, set realistic, easily accomplished goals to get started.
- Identify people who can help you avoid obstacles and keep going.
- Be positive! Encourage yourself to keep going by taking note of your accomplishments.
For more on deepening check out: https://zenhabits.net/depth/
Photo by Daria Tumanova on Unsplash
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
