Presence In Your Moments??

Presence In Your Moments??

by | Sep 1, 2022 | Blog

Mindfulness..what is all the hype about?

I’ll bet the men in your life are pretty in awe of your ability to multitask… 

Writing up shopping lists. Helping your daughter through her latest heartbreak. Running a Fortune 500…

(Okay, very few of us are in the last bracket. But you get the picture…)

For years we’ve been in a constant state of flux. GO GO GO!

And now? Maybe it’s just me but in line at the supermarket, all the headlines I see on Elle or Cosmo are… telling me to slow down. 

Train Your Mind, Transform Your Life. 

3 Secrets To Mindful Eating. 

Mindful Menstruation: Here’s How It Works

Huh?! Well, at least I don’t need to worry about the last one… 😉

Seriously ladies, this change in tempo? It’s kind of comical… But such an important piece for our wellbeing. 

That’s why, this month I’m tackling the subject of Mindfulness. What it is…

And why you don’t have to be a yogi master to practice it…

So, let’s start at the top. What is Mindfulness? 

By definition, mindfulness is a quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment. Free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

And there are sooo many different ways to practice it… 

Meditation is the formal mindfulness practice you’re probably aware of. In fact I’d even go so far as to say, it’s a superpower. 

Slowing your brain has been shown to thicken the pre-frontal cortex, managing higher order brain function. In other words, it increases your awareness, concentration, and decision making…

Which in turn, plays an important role in our emotional regulation, and helps us to create a pause so we’re not hijacked by our emotions—and less reactive in this crazy stressful world we’re living in.

(Plus, studies show how we can lose up to 10 IQ points and close to 2 hours in a day to daily distractions! Crazy, right?) 

Informal mindfulness on the other hand, is where we consciously bring a quality of attunement, attention and awareness to all areas of our life. Whether that be with a conversation with our child or friend, driving in the car, or just savouring the taste of a good meal.

The truth is, you don’t have to be a blissed out guru to feel the benefits of mindfulness in your everyday life… 

And if the thought of meditation feels a little alien or overwhelming, you’re not alone… 

(In fact, when I started practicing I literally had a piece of paper on the floor in my office—that I had to step over—that would remind me to meditate!)

Because here’s the secret… let the habit grow organically. Ease, mindfulness into your life, so you can feel the benefits and it becomes second nature to you.  

So, here’s a sneak peek at my 7 day Informal Mindfulness Challenge: 

  1. Pick at least one typical daily activity per day. It may be brushing your teeth, getting dressed in the morning, walking your dog, eating a meal, walking to the mailbox…
  2. Take a few mindful deep breaths. Take note of what is happening for you right in the here and now as you move into the activity. 
  3. Proceed with the activity as if it is the most important thing in the world, with great curiosity and care. 
  4. As you do the activity tune into all your senses. What do you see, hear, smell, feel tactilely? 
  5. Just do this one thing, no multi-tasking, only single tasking here. Instead of trying to just get it done quickly so you can move on to something else, invest 100% of your effort on that chosen activity. And as best you can keep your full attention on what you’re doing. 

Every time your mind wanders off, simply notice, do not judge it or yourself for wandering off (this is NORMAL) and just simply return your attention back to your breath and the activity. 

Keep returning to the present moment over and over again even if it seems like it’s your 100th time. Some find it helpful to say a few guided words silently to themselves, for example: 

‘I am now talking to my daughter…’ 

‘The water feels hot on my skin as I am washing the dishes…’ 

‘The air is cold as I walk to the mailbox…’ 

The more you do this. The more you become aware of your surroundings, what you’re feeling, tasting and touching, the more you’ll notice something remarkable… 

It seeps into everything you do. The more you’ll stop and be in the moment. 

Since I started this practice I’ve become SO much more present in my relationships. With my husband. With my children. 

Because ladies, ask yourself this…

Don’t you deserve to be more present in your life? Don’t you deserve to simply enjoy yourself, stop and smell the roses? Like, if not now, when?!

FACT: No-one ever laid on their deathbed, and felt proud because they’d ticked off everything on their to-do list…

No, you want to be able to say: I was present…

For my conversations with my son.

For walking the dogs. Traveling. Exploring the world. Swimming in the ocean. 

I think you owe yourself that much.

XO

Holly

P.S. Any Mindfulness practice can feel overwhelming when we start. Remember, it’s okay if your mind wanders—so long as you bring it back! I’d love to hear how you get on. Hit reply and let me know…

 

 

 

Could You Spare 15 Minutes To Improve Your Life?

Could You Spare 15 Minutes To Improve Your Life?

by | Aug 1, 2019 | Blog

The Value Of Keeping A Journal

Daily journaling — either on paper or a computer screen — has the power to make a real difference in ones life. Writing down your thoughts can be a powerful tool for solving problems, relieving stress and locking in greater success and happiness. Though I know the idea of adding one more thing to your daily routine feels daunting, this is one task everyone owes to themselves to seriously commit to. The benefits are endless, just read on to see why.

Journaling….

  • Accelerates Abilities To Manifest Our Goals-consider building a house without a blueprint. Once words and images hit paper, thoughts or ideas will crystallize. We not only use pen to paper to strategize action steps required to create what we want but it also signals to our brains that this is important becoming forged into our subconscious mind. Your reticular activating system (RAS) then flags relevant opportunities and tools to achieve those goals (NLP Institute of California 2017 study).
  • Enhances Our Emotional Intelligence-emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive and manage our emotions, and that of others.Your journal has the potential to be both a “therapist” and a dear friend who listens without judging or interrupting and is open 24 hours a day. By serving as an outlet to process emotions, writing our thoughts and feelings down allows for a release and greater self-awareness. In turn we become more understanding of the range of emotions humans experience, encouraging us to be more empathetic with others.
  • Sparks Creativity and Inspiration-your journal is a place to write down anything  that comes to mind. The crazier the idea, the better. Let your imagination wander to the farthest parts of your mind. The more you practice experimenting with  possibilities and opportunities, the more inspiration you will find.
  • Solve problems more effectively-typically we problem solve from a left-brained, analytical perspective. But sometimes the answer can only be found by engaging right-brained creativity and intuition. Writing unlocks these other capabilities, and  affords the opportunity for unexpected solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
  • Boosts Memory and Comprehension-the composition of thoughts and ideas causes the mind to compose or re-compose these ideas while journaling. In other words, when your hand engages in writing, your brain engages in cognitive recall.  Your learning ability is strengthened and your memory improved.
  • Promotes healing-expressive writing has been linked to improved immune function, lower anxiety and stress levels, and better sleep. Dr. James Pennebaker, author of Writing to Heal explains “when we translate an experience into language we essentially make the experience graspable.” And in doing so, we free ourselves from the web of confusion that so often keeps us emotionally and psychologically bound to any trauma, drama, disappointment, regret, or long-held belief.
  • Supports Self Confidence-journaling about positive experiences allows your brain to relive it. And reaffirms your abilities when the ugly head of self-doubt appears. Keeping a journal becomes a story upon which you can reflect; it is not only a place to dump our inner thoughts and feelings but a catalog of personal achievements,  positive experiences, triumphs over negative experiences, and a testament to how far you’ve come.
  • Stimulates Self Discipline, Productivity, & Accountability-committing to daily journal writing is an act of discipline. Like with everything else, consistency and repetition breeds success. And good habits formed in one area of our lives have a tendency to have a ripple effect on others. Additionally, as we script our journey, we can find accountability and likely heighten our levels of productivity. Knowing that at the end of the day (or beginning) you will be sitting down to reflect on thoughts, desires, and challenges will assuredly serve as a daily reminder and motivator to get busy living life with greater purpose.  

And the benefits of journal writing don’t stop there. For me, I also found that writing in a journal daily has vastly improved my relationships both within my personal and professional life. By writing  down my thoughts and experiences as well as progress towards desired outcomes I simply just have become that much more present and engaged in my life. Discover for yourself the benefits of journal writing, it doesn’t have to be a big orchestrated event, start today jotting down what went well and what didn’t. From there feelings and emotions will be expressed and goals revealed. Love to hear your discoveries!

Wishing You Always The Best Of Success

-Holly-

 

 

Trusting The Process

Trusting The Process

by | Dec 11, 2016 | Blog

“All Great Achievements Require Time”

 -Maya Angelou-

December 2016 Insights

“Trust the process”….we’ve all heard the expression before. But what does that even mean? For some that statement in and of itself seems intangible, a rather uncomfortable concept to accept. While others may view it as a cop-out, irresponsible, and lacking a proactive stance. However, it really is quite the opposite. For me, the concept of trusting the process is best captured in Maya Angelou famous quote, “All great achievements require time”. hold_the_visionMeaning in essence, everything and everyone are all a work in progress. No one sets out to do less then they are capable of doing in the current circumstances they’re in. No one ever intentionally sets out to make a mistake, “fail”, experience a less than desirable outcome. Trusting the process is living and learning but with faith in oneself that when the process we commit to is not getting us where we want, we have the opportunity to learn from that process and then modify or change it accordingly.

4 Main Concepts To Trusting the Process

• We always do the best we can and nothing else.

• Understanding that“bumps  in the road ”are a part of the process.

• Knowing that all experiences have value. So even if things don’t“go your way”, you can always learn a lesson in what has occurred.

• To be totally committed to a plan of action and follow it through.

• Knowing there is always opportunity to make modifications and/or changes to that plan should it not create an optimal outcome.

 

As this year comes to an end and we reflect upon all we did and didn’t accomplish, have no regrets, give thanks for the learning and usefulness this year has brought. Welcome what 2017 will bring us, trust the process and remember you will always know more than you did yesterday!

Wishing You The Best Of Success

-Holly- 

 

 

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence

by | Jul 6, 2016 | Blog

Responding vs. Reacting

July 2016 Insights

 

Though the words respond and react are similar, the difference between the two is quite significant. When you react, you are being controlled by outside circumstances, whether it be a difficult situation or person. When you respond, however, you are in control of yourself, of your emotions. Unfortunately, many people misinterpret what it means to be in emotional control and believe the key to responding vs. reacting is all and only about keeping our feelings in check. Yes, of course the ultimate outcome we want is to manage our emotions to allow us to respond rather than react but not at the cost of spiting ourselves the awareness and understanding of how we feel by brushing our feelings under the rug just to keep ourselves in line. It is actually through a greater awareness and understanding of our feelings that we can then become smarter emotionally, express ourselves more effectively, and lessen the tendency to fall prey to living at the effect of our emotions. (more…)

Shaping Our Environment

Shaping Our Environment

by | Jun 6, 2016 | Blog

The Power Of Our Surroundings

 June 2016 Insights

Now with the feel of the summer months upon us…everything in bloom, lawns and trees becoming a deep shade of green, temperatures getting warmer, and daylight hours getting longer, I thought this be a great time to take my monthly newsletter to highlight the significance our environment has upon our energy levels. I think like our health this is one major variable that we women tend to back burner and underestimate the impact it has on our levels of stress, as well as how willing and enthusiastic we are to bust some moves to motivate and get going on what we want in and for our lives. Though environmental factors aren’t always under our control you’d be surprised to learn how we can manage them more effectively so we can enhance our performance and inevitably our wellbeing.

we_make_our_1Personally environmental variables plays a huge influence on my levels of productivity. I’m heavily affected by the weather, conditions of my working, living, and playing surroundings, time of day, as well as the resources I have available to me (e.g. technology, access to food and drink, comfort of clothing), all playing a key role in creating the most optimal environment for me to be most successful. The funny thing is I don’t even think many us of realize how much we tolerate a less than desirable environment for ourselves. And though yes many environmental factors aren’t always under our control (you can’t stop the rain from falling or how bad the allergy season will be) we can learn to manage them more effectively so they don’t entirely zap our levels of motivation as well as identify how we can possibly better assist ourselves to change our “attitude” around those things we have limited ability to control.

Since we all respond so differently to environmental influences the first thing to determine is your own self awareness around what factors in your environment influence you in a positive or negative way. Below you’ll find a list of conditions and settings to consider…

  • Climate/weather
  • Time of day
  • Adequacy of lighting
  • Presence of distracting noise
  • Conditions you are working, living, playing within, the space-general upkeep
  • Availability of food and drink
  • Convenience of where you are at (i.e transportation to and from, rest room facilities, other amenities).
  • Equipment available to you (i.e.state of the art technology, phones, comfort of working or resting chairs, desk, tables)
  • Proper and comfortable clothing/gear regarding intentions for performance

Now consider what is your ideal environmental setting to best thrive in? And is your current environment working for you or against you…whether it be while you are working, living, or playing. More importantly what can you do to enhance your environment and what choices can you make to foster the most optimal experiences?

Remember it’s all about creating an environment that works for you, supports and lifts you up, not detracts from your performance. Of course, environmental influencers can unexpectedly change on us so with that understanding it is equally important to learn how to not only adapt to changing environments but anticipate what kind of adverse conditions could occur so you can best prepare to adjust accordingly. For example, having printouts of a presentation should a tech problem arise, bringing an umbrella or wearing a raincoat/gear should the weather be questionable, or simply making sure to bring water or a snack knowing this may be not be accessible.

Lastly and most importantly for those environmental conditions we cannot control or have limited ability to manage, we can learn how to foster a better “attitude” regarding them. This is going to be an integral component to assisting ourselves to our greatest levels of success…instead of letting conditions affect our energy, we can change our perspective about them. Yes, of course we may prefer a different environment to access our highest potentials, however, we can choose to have great energy even in less than optimal surroundings and chose to see the glass as half full and not empty. This is where the tool of reframing will lend a big hand. Please go to the “How It Works” link on my website and click on “Valuable Downloads” to learn more about this great coaching tool or better yet reach out and contact me to set up a complimentary session. I’d love to have an opportunity to support and explore enhancing not only your most ideal environmental surroundings to thrive in but assist in any and all aspects of your life that can create the most optimal experiences for yourself overall!

 

Wishing You Always

The Best Of Success

-Holly-