Thoughts

Before Inner Work (PT1)

Posted on September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 by Sabrina Renee

When people meet me or stumble across my teachings they have assumptions of who I am because I am a mindfulness teacher. They see that I lead meditations, or have attended my workshops and believe that I’ve got it all together.

Some people think I am calm and patient all the time.
Some people think meditation comes easy for me.
Some people think I have always been this way.

That’s the one that stops me in my tracks. Because it wasn’t too long ago that I was at my emotional rock bottom looking for the solutions I get to offer people today. When I think back on all of the inner work I’ve done to learn how to love myself, heal my suffering, and make personal growth a priority, it honestly feels like I’ve lived 100 lives already.

And while I am incredibly proud of who I have become as a result of the work I’ve put in, I never want to forget who I was, or where I was, or the crazy shit I used to do. It humbles me and I need that to stay grounded.

But also, I never EVER want someone to believe that I have ALWAYS been mindful, that I have ALWAYS treated myself with compassion, that I have ALWAYS had the answers to pain points like anxiety, stress, emotional regulation, or positive beliefs. Because not too long ago I was so lost and clinging to the belief that I didn’t deserve more than the shitty circumstances I found myself in time and time again.

So in honor of my Inner World program I’d like to share stories and lessons from who I was BEFORE I put the work in. Because my past self is the reason I am who I am today. She suffered alone in the dark for years before ever having the thought that things could possibly be better one day.

And if this is you right now, suffering alone in the dark struggling to believe that you deserve a life of peace, happiness, health, and deep unconditional self-love, then I pray this finds you exactly where you are.

I pray you read these words and KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that you’re meant for more than the pain you carry.
I pray you know that you are worthy of love.
I pray you know that no one’s opinion of you matters more than your own.
And most importantly, I pray you know that you don’t need permission to be better or want differently for your life, you just need to believe it’s possible.

This isn’t an article about how to change your habits, how to think positive, or how to achieve your goals. Instead, I’m choosing to share the stories of who I was before I was able to think positive, believe in myself, or trust that anything could be better than it was. This is who I was before I learned to love myself, before I healed my suffering, before I learned how to grow through what was happening rather than shrinking because of it.

This is me before the inner work.

When I was 17 years old I got caught in a parking lot with a white powdery substance. And that wasn’t even the craziest part of my night.

At the time I was experiencing my very first season of depression, but I didn’t know that nor did I have the words to articulate the pain I was going through. I had a job, I was on the basketball team, I was showing up to all my classes. The bare minimum bar that’s set for a teenager was being met so I couldn’t see the problem. I was maintaining.

It was shortly after my very first heartbreak that I turned to drugs and partying as a means of escaping the pain that wouldn’t go away. Again, this isn’t the language I’d use back then because it was just me having a good time. I had no idea how much and how far I was running from the pain within me.

Blacking out on the weekends became so routine that I had gotten used to hearing stories the next day of the parts of the night I couldn’t recall. But in those stories I was such a good time so I rolled with it.

And if you would have tried to tell me I was depressed I’d surely call you crazy. Because I was going out with my “friends” and having what I’d classify back then as a good time, even if I was sickly thin, had more cigarettes than meals each day, and my heart would be racing nearly every moment of every day. Who cares, you’re only young once right?

Anyway, it was a Friday or Saturday evening which meant I definitely wanted to be knee deep in the strongest distraction possible for as long as possible. So I met up with people who didn’t genuinely care about me so we could connect over the one thing we all had in common, getting numb, I mean having a good time.

The thing about partying hard is you start to pay less and less attention to what’s going on around you, things get sloppy. That’s exactly what we did, we got sloppy enough to get comfortable doing illegal things out in the open and a cop car pulled right up next to ours. I remember this moment like it was yesterday: smoking my cigarette a little slower in the back seat, feeling my heart rate blaring in my ears, wondering if we would really get caught or he’d just drive away. He didn’t.

Within a few moments we were instructed to get out of the car and separate. It was 15 degrees in February and I had a basketball tournament next weekend, I remember thinking my coach is gonna murder me. My parents will be shattered.

But to me the craziest part of all of this is that I couldn’t have been more unfazed.

My purse was searched on the hood of the car while, my “friends” were being patted down, and I was waiting for a female cop to arrive for my pat down. While I stood there shivering, there was a moment where I had a very unique inner experience. Maybe it was an outer body, maybe I was just high, or maybe it was the first glimmer of self-awareness. All I remember thinking is “I should really care more about what’s happening but I really don’t.”

Imagine being a minor who got caught doing drugs outside, who may get arrested, have parents and coaches and teachers informed but just simply not caring.

That was my first realization of how good I had become at numbing myself to the world around me. There was no remorse or regret, I felt no guilt or anxiety about what happened next. In fact I was almost bothered by how my night was interrupted and my fix wasn’t satiated. BIG red flag.

In the end someone took the fall for the entire group and for the time being I was safe, lawfully. And while I didn’t suddenly cut ties with these people and cut out all of my toxic behaviors I couldn’t forget how much I didn’t care. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I should care more about my life, my self, my body, my emotions, and where the fuck I’ll end up if I don’t.

Making better choices didn’t happen overnight, it took a while because before changes happen awareness is a must. And becoming aware of the things you’ve invested ALL of your energy into running away from isn’t easy. It’s arguably the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do.

And so slowly, I became aware.
I became aware of the people I partied with, how they made me feel and what we had in common.
I became aware of the habits I’d gravitate toward when things got hard and how easy it was to forget.
I became aware of how I’d feel when the drugs wore off, how I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore.
I became aware of the double life I had been living to keep up appearances while slowly and secretly hating myself on the inside.

The more I noticed what was happening the harder it became to keep it happening. There wasn’t some sudden blissful moment of clarity where I knew the type of person I wanted to be. Instead, for me, it was little moments or awareness building on top of one another to paint a picture of the road I was heading down. The clearer that road became the more I had to face the responsibility of walking that road without the blinders.

And I learned that everything is hard. It’s hard to run away and it’s hard to face what you’re running from. So really it all comes down to which hard you’re willing to choose but before that even happens, you have to accept that all of this is a choice. Whether you’ve been actively choosing or doing so unconsciously, the choice is still yours.

If you’re in a really dark place or running from the hard stuff and running toward the numbing “good time”, take a look around. Open your eyes to what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, and how it really makes you feel. Start taking into account the long term effects on your mind, body, and spirit if you don’t start paying attention.

Wherever you are in life is a great place to start. You need nothing more or less in order for you to wake up to how things are going. Just look around, take your head out of the sand, stop numbing your way through and give yourself the chance to feel something because you matter.

Please, please start acting like you do.

Mindfulness, Weekly Insights

Finding Gratitude and Practicing Presence

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Sabrina Renee

Nesting Intuitively

Each day this week my morning started with a strong urge to deep clean something. From the moment I opened my eyes I found myself imagining how satisfying it would be to transform a space from dirty to clean, from disorganized to everything having its home. One day it was the bathroom, from the toilet to the shower, another day it was the kitchen from the countertops to the pantry. Scrubbing, sweeping, slowly cleansing my space and transmuting the energy all around it.

There’s something so magical about having the energy and motivation to complete something that’s been on your mind, even if it only recently popped in. Cleaning is one of the most tangible ways to practice energy work because you’re quite literally transforming a space, the energy in it, and the items that occupy it. Everything is energy and if you bring intention to whatever it is you do, anything can become an offering.

There’s a palpable change in the environment when that happens, and when you can bring mindful awareness of what’s being moved, thrown away, cleaned thoroughly, or properly placed it’s like you’re waving the magic wand of change.

That’s what nesting has felt like to me and it’s been a lot of fun.

Exhausting but fun.

Exhausting because it’s coming in waves of urges that I can’t seem to suppress or logically wish away. So during the moments when I’ve attempted to tell myself “just relax you can get some of this tomorrow,” there’s a loud inner voice that instantly responds “let’s just see how much we can accomplish now.”

It’s been interesting, however, to maneuver this energy work with a big belly and swollen limbs. There are absolutely times when my body is speaking louder than my thoughts and forces me into a nap, or at least sitting down in between tasks. And believe me, I listen.

It’s been a loud reminder that intuition isn’t always woo-woo. Sometimes it’s incredibly practical, it offers guidance that you know is best for you but maybe you’ve been too distracted to listen.

Somewhere in between reorganizing the pantry and elevating my swollen ankles, there’s a voice of wisdom guiding me throughout my day. After more than half a year of transformation and change grounding me into the physical realm, it’s been pleasant to feel my intuitive senses reignite within me. Whether it’s coming in the form of nesting for my sweet babe’s arrival, or suddenly feeling like an open channel with the ability to write for three hours straight, I’m grateful, I’m open, I’m willing to be guided.

Finding gratitude in the lack of control

This week I’m grateful for the bursts of energy that have been followed by the inevitable winddown. From starting off my day like a firecracker, with focus and intention on specific tasks that are calling me, to the hot shower and red raspberry leaf tea routine at night, these moments are sculpting something beautiful in my home.

In an incredibly physical way, all these little moments are teaching me the importance of balance, the feeling of doing and being, listening and taking action. More importantly, it’s helping me understand the balance of that which I can control and that which never was in my control. When I tune into the rhythms of my intuition and the direction it’s guiding me each day, I become more trusting of the universal wisdom that is all around me. For all of the lessons I’ve learned, there are another thousand I have yet to learn, and that’s such a wonder.

Each time I follow my intuition the universe ushers me closer to where I’m meant to be, all while miracles and shifts are taking place behind the scenes, most of which I’ll never even know about. Something as small as following the “urge” or “inkling” to clean my kitchen countertop could be the smallest step in a larger vision unfolding for me. And the more I listen the deeper I establish trust in what’s to come. The more I trust in what’s unfolding the easier it will be to practice gratitude for it all, not just what I believe is working out or in what I am in control of, but for the unseen unknown parts of my life as well.

These days I’m finding gratitude in the unknown because I’m faithfully falling in love with this next chapter way before I know what’s written. I’m choosing to be grateful rather than be worried because the vibration is higher and honestly it just feels better. Even if I’m blissfully unaware of what’s to come at least I’m choosing to do so from a positive standpoint. I’m choosing to surrender the illusion of control for the belief that something greater has my back. So while admitting there will always be areas of life I can’t control, I’m also willing to accept the areas I can-like my thoughts, my mindsets, and my beliefs about what’s on the other side of the unknown chapter.

And that, my friend, is the greatest power any of us can harness.

How I’m Practicing Presence

I’m at the point in my pregnancy where the baby can come in the next 5 days or 5 weeks and still be considered in the realm of healthy. It’s easy to get wrapped up in wondering when things are going to start to happen, looking for all the signs, and listening to the old wives’ tales about which gender the baby will be. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t swept up in those “what-ifs” every now and then. But the truth is this is the ultimate unknown territory and as a mindfulness teacher it’s the greatest curriculum I’ve come across yet.

Not knowing what motherhood looks like, not knowing exactly when my child will come earthside, now knowing how it’ll feel or what to expect, it’s the perfect opportunity to remain open. There will always be moments when worry or doubt creep in and in those moments they’ll be brief pauses between the thoughts that follow. In those pauses, I see the string of narratives created in my mind and recognize when I’ve gotten lost in the thick of it all, allowing the unknown to consume me rather than cultivate curiosity and openness.

It’s interesting, you can try and plan every detail of how something will go but the truth is everything is unknown. Sometimes it feels like that’s how the media and society promote pregnancy, as something to prepare for from the nursery and toys to the schedules and types of parenting. But as a first-time parent, I’m becoming a brand new version of myself that I’ll have to learn and figure out as I go. And that’s okay. Planning is okay and so is not knowing it all, making room for both I believe is key.

Something as transformational and unpredictable as pregnancy can really drive home the point of not being in control, while simultaneously teaching me all the ways I am.

I can control my breathing when it’s time to calm down.

I can control whether I move my body or whether I allow myself to rest.

I can control whether I fuss over when the baby will arrive or whether I chose to be present.

I’m incorporating mindfulness practice by focusing my energy where I actually have a say while calling energy back from all of the worry and doubt that drains me.

To be present doesn’t necessarily mean to feel pleasant. It doesn’t mean I have to enjoy what’s currently unfolding or have control over it by any means. Presence, rather, is the choice to be here now, no matter what. To practice presence is to be where my feet are, to observe my thoughts, to notice my attitudes and body language, and the energy I’m offering at this moment.

It’s only in the present moment that I can recognize the ways my mind is driving me to nest, or when my body is begging me to take a break from moving so much, or when it’s time to hydrate and take some deep breaths. Life is happening in the present moment always, never in the past or the future, so each time I notice myself worrying or planning or assuming I know what comes next, I remember I’m not living. I’m oscillating between thoughts of the past and the future, constantly ignoring what the present is currently offering.

The beauty of this practice is that it’s a practice, meant to be revisited consistently. The present moment doesn’t take it personally when I’ve been lost in thought, instead, it invites me back in with grace and compassion. It invites me with a deep inhale and a slow exhale.

To embrace what is.

To be here.

To notice.

To allow.

What is the present moment offering you right now?

What is it inviting you to experience?

Mindfulness, Personal Growth

How to Be Okay With Change

Posted on September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

Expectations are a two-way street.

Expectations are the root of suffering. Without them, there would be no story to compare the present circumstance to, no other way it should have gone, and no ideal version of what could be happening if things were different.

Expectations invite more suffering by perpetuating narratives of what’s changed and what didn’t occur, taking us further away from accepting what is. And further away you move from acceptable, the further from the present moment you become.

It’s natural to create expectations for ourselves and hold them for others. Expecting life to unfold in a particular way, people to behave accordingly, or treat you in a certain way because that’s what you would do, or how you’ve always received something. It happens, humans are creatures of habit which ultimately leads to assumptions.

The thing is, people are constantly seeing life through their own unique lens, one which is cultivated by different memories, experiences, and beliefs. Two people can be looking at the same exact scenario while seeing things from completely different perspectives because of the hue of their lens.

One can see problems where another sees opportunities. Expectations are no different; where you expect something to happen you can also invite a fresh perspective to welcome change.

Inviting Suffering Unknowingly

There is a connection between what is causing you suffering right now and an expectation that has been placed upon someone or something. When something happens, someone hurts you, something didn’t go right, chances are there’s an expectation that things “should” have gone differently, better, a particular way you’d imagined in your mind.

The deeper you dig into the narrative of what should have happened, the further away you pull from alignment and the present moment. If you’re constantly focusing on circumstances of the past that can’t be changed, on people and places that can’t be controlled, or stories the mind creates, you’re wasting precious energy.

But by choosing to recognize the expectations you’re holding onto, the ones that hold you back from being with changes unfolding now, you’re moving with the current flow of energy. Instead of focusing on what could have been, you’re standing in what already is, and that’s the place decisions are made.

Dropping expectations isn’t easy, but it is possible once you begin to notice where they have a hold on you. If you’re gripping onto a story rather than reality, focusing on opinions rather than facts, clinging onto the way you believe things need to go rather than accepting the way things are, you’re going against the ebb and flow of life.

When you find yourself holding onto what isn’t and pushing away what is, it’s time to drop expectations because they’re not serving you.

Learning to Be Okay With Change

The only constant you can count on is change. Change from within, change all around, change from the people in your lives. Time is always moving forward and although you don’t have to accept that truth, it doesn’t stop it from being true.

Just because you grip tightly to what once was doesn’t mean it still is, it simply means you haven’t moved into the present moment and have decided to hold onto past expectations. That’s what it means to live a life of resistance.

Deciding to be okay with change doesn’t necessarily mean you’re comfortable with it, or even that the change is something you’ve wanted. Being okay with change is less about your opinion of it and more about acknowledging reality as it shows up. Whether you choose to respond with resistance or acceptance change is inevitable, but the prolonged suffering that accompanies that change is entirely up to you.

There are plenty of opportunities that come up in your life to drop expectations. You’ll begin to notice them once you recognize all of the expectations already set in motions, the ones you hold for yourself, others, and life in general. Some expectations get so deeply embedded that it becomes something you identify it, that’s where the challenges come in.

It’s simple, but not easy. It’s possible but difficult. You’re either rooted in what’s expected or moving toward alignment, and you can always choose again.

How to Notice Change and Expectations

To sum up, there are two states of mind this blog focuses on: autopilot and mindfulness. The difference between the two is clear: mindfulness is to bring your presence to something, to pay attention, whereas autopilot is not paying attention or tuning out.

Autopilot isn’t a negative state of mind, but it is one that doesn’t require awareness. Without awareness there’s a lack of presence freeing up your thoughts and energy to be floating elsewhere. If you’re not bringing intention to what you’re doing, there’s a chance you’re just going through the motions.

To practice mindfulness is to bring awareness to those motions, those choices, those habits and day-to-day tasks. It’s not about doing anything differently, quicker or slower, but doing it with a sense of presence and awareness. Noticing what you’re doing and paying attention to how it’s done. This is the practice that will lead you to recognize expectations.

You can learn to be with discomforts rather than push them away.

You can learn to be where you are instead of the story in the thinking mind that should have unfolded.

You can learn to be okay with change instead of putting up a fight of resistance at every turn.

You can learn to recognize when expectations have their claws deep in your beliefs, so you can practice mindfulness, turn off the autopilot, and make deliberate choices that bring you closer to acceptance.

Being okay with change really means being with the change, rather than being with the thoughts of what “would have been” easier, simpler, better, etc. To be okay with change is to be with what is, to be with what is present in your life.

The more you practice noticing your automatic habits, choices, and movements throughout the day, the more opportunities to practice mindfulness will surface. It’s in these moments of mundane everyday instinctual choices that you can invite intention and a fresh pair of eyes.

The difference between autopilot and mindfulness is your presence, a shift that happens in an instant, a choice that’s always within you. May you have the courage to make that choice today and may it bring you closer to a more peaceful version of yourself.

**Check out the full live stream on Dropping Expectations and Being Okay With Change**

Mindfulness, Practices

Overcoming Distraction with Mindfulness

Posted on September 4, 2022September 11, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

Are you struggling to overcome the distractions showing up in your day-to-day? Have trouble staying focused because your thoughts are pulling you in multiple directions? Finding it difficult to keep your attention on what’s in front of you?

In the world of smartphones, social media, and instant gratification, you are surrounded by an infinite number of distractions. Beyond the screens of entertainment and minute-by-minute updates, there’s also the issue of the untamed mind being programmed to swing from thought to thought.

It’s within the nature of the mind to wander, anticipate, think, or keep moving in some way or another. Rather than resisting the ebb and flow of your thoughts in times of distraction, it may be a more powerful practice to direct your attention outside the mind and into the body.

Noticing You’ve Become Distracted

All change starts with awareness, becoming aware of what is already happening or unfolding in the present moment. Shifting your attention from the mind and into the body first requires becoming mindfully aware of where your attention has been placed.

To be mindful of distraction is to notice it with acceptance of what’s caught your attention or how long you’ve been distracted; it’s letting go of expectations and assumptions about the process of learning to focus.

Distraction is the mind’s reaction to a lack of direction. If you want to focus you need to choose something to anchor your attention into. By tuning out of the thinking mind, which often moves at a rapid pace, and tuning into the body, which can be tangibly experienced through physical sensations, you are able to anchor your attention into a feeling or even the breath.

Grounding Into The Body

The mind may be where distraction takes place but the body is the vehicle that plays it all out. In other words, while the mind is taking you on trips to the past or into the future, the body is often left unattended in the present moment. If the mind wanders long enough it’ll find itself circling negative emotions, which elicit sensations of constriction or tension in the body.

For instance, when you have an anxiety-producing thought you may clench your fists or maybe it feels like your chest area got incredibly tight. This is the body’s response to your thinking. The longer you stay distracted in the mind, the further from grounding into the body.

Grounding begins with an anchor, the breath being a wonderful place to start mainly because it’s always waiting in the present moment for you. Paying attention to the breath is also a neutral focal point, an example of the ebb and flow that’s happening within your body. Whether you’re tuning in or not the breath will continue to flow, but it can offer great insight once you are paying attention.

Let’s go back to that anxiety-producing thought. Along with a tight chest and clenched muscles you may notice you haven’t exhaled in quite some time. If you are breathing you may notice it’s shallow and quick, rather than deep and smooth. The quality of your breath cycles, inhaling and exhaling, is an indicator of your levels of stress or calm.

Practice Tapping Into the 5 Senses Mindfully

While the breath is one of the most powerful and profound ways to choose focus over distraction, it also may be challenging for those who have never done breathwork or meditated before. Another way to ground into the body is to tune in through your 5 senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.

This is a common practice offered to people suffering from high levels of anxiety as well as stress, frustration, or moments of overwhelm. By having a tangible and practical focus on each of the senses, it may be easier for you to shift from overthinking to simply paying attention to the present moment.

The beauty of this practice is that even if you ask yourself these same questions each time you feel overwhelmed, you’ll get different answers each time. Just like mindfulness, each moment is a fresh unfolding of something new.

Ask yourself the following questions changing the number of senses as you please:

What is one thing I taste right now?
What are two things I smell right now
What are three things I feel right now?
What are four things I hear right now?
What are five things I see right now?

By tuning into your senses you are automatically grounding into your bodily sensations. Your bodily sensations are leading you out of the thinking mind and into the here and now. It’s in the here and now that you can make shifts in your attention by deliberately deciding where to focus your energy, and making more focused choices.

Let’s Review

If you’re having difficulty focusing or battling distraction, you most likely won’t be able to think your way out of it. To do anything mindfully is to bring your full awareness to it, without judgment, anticipation, or expectation for things to be different. Therefore, choosing to become aware of what being distracted looks like for you is a good place to start.

Once you’ve noticed distraction in the mind you can also notice how it may be showing up in the body. For some, this may look like tension in the muscles, while for others it may show up as constricted sensations of tension. However distraction arises within the mind it’s a wonderful opportunity to become aware of the body. Rather than resisting the fluctuations of the mind, it’ll be more beneficial to bring attention toward the body and work from a practical focal point.

Grounding into the body can be done through the vehicle of the breath, which is always in the present moment, as well as tuning into the 5 senses. By asking yourself to bring your attention to what you can smell, hear, taste, touch, and see you’re more likely to overcome distraction because it’s happening in the mind. Although you may not keep distractions at bay for a long time through this technique, it will be long enough to interrupt the cycle and provide your mind with a direction of focus.

The 5 senses can be the path into knowing your body and listening to its wisdom on a deeper level. By practicing this exercise during moments of stress, frustration, or overwhelm you’ll be developing the muscle of direction, which will ultimately weaken the muscle of distraction in the mind. Rather than fighting your thoughts or trying to change the fast past thinking mind, tuning into the 5 senses is a great way to get to know the body with loving kindness.

Practicing mindful awareness of distraction isn’t about taking it away altogether, but choosing to recognize its hold on you so that you can make a more deliberate choice. Remember, peace is always one choice away, that choice is always yours to make, and that choice begins with self-awareness.

**Check out this episode on How to Overcome Distractions and Negative Thoughts**

Uncategorized

Start Small. Keep Going

Posted on May 1, 2022May 4, 2022 by Sabrina Renee

It’s May 1st! The sun is shining a little brighter now and it’s also the beginning of mental health awareness month, a perfect time for self-reflection and slowing down. In this blog, I’ll be sharing some unique personal habits and practices that help me keep my mental health at optimal levels.

Please know that these things work for me and may not be your jam. That’s okay, I still want to encourage you to find what works for you. Most of these ideas came after lots of trial, error, guesswork, and being completely burnt out. My hope is to save you time, make you laugh a little, and possibly offer some tips on how to keep yourself sane and grounded.

Check out this 4 minute video on how to treat yourself better.

What to do for the mind

Stillness and stimulation both have their significance and time to shine in my life. This means there are moments I can truly benefit from stilling the muddy water of my thoughts and allowing the inner turmoil I’ve stirred to settle. And it also means there are times when I need to stimulate my mind so it doesn’t fall into unhealthy patterns of thought/belief. Knowing when to meditate or play a video game isn’t an exact science, but there are a few key signs I look for to let me know

Meditation or stillness of some kind is the answer to overstimulation. So if I’ve spent hours around crowds, in front of screens, or even hyper-fixating on activity and losing track of time, I know my mind will benefit from resting. The constant movement becomes so familiar to me that at times stillness feels foreign, even wrong because my mind wants to keep going. That’s a pretty loud sign it’s time to chill, unwind, and decompress.

Stimulating the mind and focusing attention on something creative is the answer when I find myself in repetitive patterns that aren’t getting me anywhere, a long time of focusing only on work tasks, or I’m in a state of boredom. If I don’t redirect myself toward something that will stimulate my mind and give me something that’s interesting, challenging, or solution-based to do, I’ll most likely start moving from autopilot. It’s from this place I lose motivation, binge television shows, and find myself on the internet for hours with no destination.

If you’re looking for a sweet green juice try pineapple, green apple, and cuccumber!

What to do for the body

Movement and nourishment are the two choices I’m often neglecting when it comes to taking care of my body. I’ll just throw hydration in with nourishment because not getting enough water could seriously depletes me from the inside out, causing problems with focus and energy.

When I’m not doing yoga, going for walks, or exercising of any kind my mental health begins to decline rapidly. But it’s also really challenging to stay on top of my fitness habits. One of the hacks I’ve found that really improves my mood, elevates my energy, and gets my body moving all at once is dancing. I throw straight up dance parties in my living room when the weather isn’t great for a walk or I don’t have the stamina to work out. Listening to a playlist of my favorite songs through my headphones , or more recently tribal drums, and just letting my body do what it intuitively knows how to do. No judgement, just movement for at least 30 minutes breaks up my day and helps my body stay fluid.

And then there is nourishment, putting healthy food and drink into my body often keeping energy high and lethargy low. Some days I’m at the top of my game, other days I’m struggling to remember to drink more than 8 oz of water. Once the day gets away from me though it’s hard to reign it back in, so my practices start first thing in the morning with a green juice and some water, sometimes tea. My morning is reserved for fruits and veggies only, trying most days to keep caffeine and bread after 12pm. This way I ensure I’m getting nutrients, vitamins and minerals first thing and start my day strong.

Start small with your habits

Taking care of your mental health is a long-term venture that wants you to make tweaks and changes as often as necessary. Whether you incredibly in tune with your mind-body or you’ve begun paying attention for the first time, your efforts toward wellness are like deposits into your future. Keep going, keep figuring out what works, let go of what doesn’t, and remember the point is to improve your mental state not add chaos to it .

Here is a list of simple small habits to either start paying attention to or begin implementing to improve your mind-body wellness:

Notice your mood today.
Sit in a sun spot to recharge.
Dance your stress away.
Look up at the sky and take a break from working.
Take a walk.
Drink water.
Journal your thoughts.
Be still in your body.
Pause for a deep breath.
Notice how your body feels.
Read a book that captivates you.
Find a podcast that keeps you interested.
Say some affirmations in the mirror.
Have a cup of tea.
Clean or organize your clutter.

Let’s Recap

This blog is a quick glimpse into my small habits that help maintain optimal levels of mental and physical wellbeing. It’s not about having the perfect health and doing the “right thing” when it comes to your mind-body wellnes.

So whether you have been on top of all your mind-body needs, or you’re just becoming aware of how to take care of yourself, small habits lead to big changes. It’s the consistency of self-awareness and deliberate action that builds the momentum toward the changes you want to create.

Practicing self-awareness and observing your behavior are active steps toward growth and healing. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to, just remember to focus on what can be done today while connecting to the bigger picture of tomorrow.

Start small, keep going, make your mental health a priority today.