Author: Elise Kindya

  • Staying Sober: What It Means To Me

    Staying Sober: What It Means To Me

    What does sobriety mean to you? We each get to choose what our relationship to the substances we consume is. In this latest episode of Returning Home: The Podcast, Elise talks more in depth about consuming substances- alcohol and others- and what this means for her life. She shares stories from her days of drinking and how it’s been easy for her to make a new choice in her life. She also shares stories about her new perspective as a sober person. Elise will encourage you to reflect on your own identity, your values, the balance you have struck in your life, and hopefully you’ll share a few laughs along the way.

    Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

    1. Learn how you can align your identity with your actions.
    2. Discover the secret to staying sober.
    3. Hear some stories from my life that might help shed light onto the relationship you have with alcohol.

    Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [03:05] Things that make it easy for me to stay sober

    • Thinking about how alcohol kills brain cells.
    • Identifying as a sober person at the basic identity level.

    [05:32] I had hit a rock bottom moment while drinking that made me choose

    • Hitting a rock bottom moment while drinking that made me come face to face with other parts of my identity.
    • I had to choose between being a drinker and being kind, mindful, and thoughtful.

    [07:49] Grateful that I will never have another alcohol-induced rock bottom moment

    • I can be fully awake to my life.
    • If I have a bad day, it’s ok. I know how to take care of myself through that.
    • Alcohol seems to have worse negative effects that make it easy to continue to not consume it.

    [09:31] The hardest part about staying sober

    • The choice has been made at an identity level so it isn’t a choice for me at this point.
    • For people struggling to stay sober from alcohol, I encourage you to ask yourself what it is about this substance that is calling to you, how do you identify yourself, and what is in your environment that encourages drinking alcohol.
    • I miss some types of alcohol that taste good- like pina coladas.
    • I like things that taste good and make me feel good- that is one of my values.
    • Going to happy hour used to be a fun activity for socializing with friends.

    [14:18] My Secret To Staying Sober

    • Reaching out to people I knew were sober and getting that support was really important.
    • I didn’t work in a culture that encouraged Zoom happy hours.
    • My living environment was supportive of staying sober.
    • Identifying as a sober person has been my secret to staying sober.

    [16:43] Psychedelic Journey

    • Staying in integrity, I have done a psychedelic journey.
    • The purpose of this journey was to connect more closely to my truth and authenticity.
    • Being under the influence of alcohol was for a different purpose than using psychedelics.
    • Helps to stop overthinking.

    [21:32] Returning Home: Coming Back To Your True Nature

    • Getting in touch with your truth and authenticity is easier without alcohol.
    • How would your life be different if you were honest with yourself?
    • Drinking does not help calm anxiety. It’s not a good “self medication” option.

    [22:53] Things To Consider On Your Sobriety Journey

    • Welcome to the party!
    • What do you want your life to be?
    • Is alcohol something you want in your life? How much space and energy does alcohol take up? Are you ok with that harmony and balance you’ve struck?
    • What are your values?
    • What is the result you are getting from consuming alcohol?
    • You have the power and control in your life to make a change if you want to.

    Enjoyed this Episode?

    If you enjoyed this podcast, please make sure to subscribe and share it!

    Leave an episode review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in to this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review. You can also share what you’ve learned today with your friends to help them embody their true, authentic selves. Anything is possible when you return home to yourself. 

    Have any questions or lightbulb moments? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to hit me up on Instagram or send an email at elise@elisekindya.com. 

    Thank you so much for listening! For more episode updates, visit my website.

  • The Sacred Pause

    The Sacred Pause

     

    Sometimes, winter can last a whole year. In this episode, Elise returns to Returning Home: The Podcast after an almost year-long hiatus. In it, she discusses where she went in 2022 and what lessons she learned along the way. If you’re looking for insight into why it’s ok to take a sacred pause, what to do when you’re feeling burned out or how to be present in your life, you will want to listen to this episode.

    Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

    1. Learn how you can align your identity with your actions.
    2. Discover the secret to being in the present moment.
    3. Feel into how you can be the main character in your own life.

    Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [01:28] Going Inward to Recharge

    • 2022 was a year-long winter.
    • Back from a year away from podcasting.
    • Lessons learned from taking a break.
    • More movement can happen after taking a retreat away from work.

    [02:33] Staying Sober for Another Year

    • People are wanting to hear more about sobriety from me.
    • This habit is replaced with other habits.
    • Having the clarity to see that other habits like eating sweets might need to be addressed.
    • Identifying myself as a non-drinker on a subconscious level makes not drinking easier.
    • I’m not involving decision fatigue in not drinking.
    • Mindset work has made staying sober from alcohol easier.

    [07:35] Cross Country Road Trip

    • Had some “dark nights of the soul” moments on my trip.
    • Rethink your routines, identity, and allow yourself to do something a little different.
    • Let yourself evolve by doing something that scares you.
    • Asking myself- what am I waiting for? The present moment is the only thing that matters.
    • It’s your responsibility to make your life what you want it to be.
    • How you think about yourself and how you want to live your life affects the quality of your life.
    • Wherever you go there you are. You can’t actually escape yourself.

    [12:52] Healing in 2022

    • Some healing modalities I employed were therapy, massage, Reiki, chiropractor, sauna, floatation therapy and more.
    • Aligning the body, mind and spirit to be the best version of myself.
    • The human experience necessitates the body.
    • Returning Home to having a body and enjoying the ride.
    • Immersing myself in love for myself- what does that feel like?
    • Teaching Breathwork classes at Bod Wellness Collective and TAOU Studio.
    • 2 retreats this year: one with my therapist and one weekend long silent retreat.

    [19:06] Friend Breakups

    • 2022 saw the breakdown of community for me.
    • If you’ve ever been through a friend breakup, you know how they can consume our mental space.
    • This caused me to pull away a lot last year.
    • Also had worked with a business coach that was not a good experience and sent me into a withdrawal mode of 2022.

    [21:09] Feeling Better

    • On this side of things in 2023, I am feeling a lot better about the experiences I had last year.
    • Knowing that other people can relate to feeling disappointed or betrayed by people is comforting.
    • Non-attachment can help us make these situations feel better to us.
    • People are the main characters in their own lives and they get to choose how they show up.

    [22:50] Energy Protection

    • Protecting myself from my own negative thoughts has been necessary.
    • I don’t have control over what other people choose to do or not do.
    • I can focus my energy on my life and what I can do to make my life better.
    • Thank you to my friend Ashley who inspired me to get back to the podcast!
    • We have to be the main character in our own life- other people can’t be the main character in our lives.
    • Quieting the outside noise and focusing on yourself can help you figure out what’s yours to do.

    [25:29] Exciting Things in 2023

    • My partner and I got engaged on our cross country roadtrip home!
    • Published a journal on Amazon (get yours here!)
    • The podcast coming back.
    • I started taking voice lessons.
    • Figuring out my work to do.

    [26:24] It’s Ok To Change

    • I usually have a hard time letting myself change.
    • Realizing it is ok to change, even in front of other people.
    • We get to make up our own rules.
    • You don’t have to wait until things feel perfect to show up and take action.
    • Give yourself and other people permission to not be perfect. Your definition of perfection might even change.
    • You can know who you are and be flexible at the same time.

    [29:17] Return Home To Yourself, Enjoy Being You

    • The world will be a better place if you have compassion for yourself and be your true self.
    • In Internal Family Systems, they call it being Self-led. Being your true authentic self.
    • I want to be part of the movement to help people feel like they can be Self-Led.

    Enjoyed this Episode?

    If you enjoyed this podcast, please make sure to subscribe and share it!

    Leave an episode review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in to this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review. You can also share what you’ve learned today with your friends to help them embody their true, authentic selves. Anything is possible when you return home to yourself.

    Have any questions or lightbulb moments? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to hit me up on Instagram or send an email at elise@elisekindya.com.

    Thank you so much for listening! For more episode updates, visit my website.

  • Get cozy this winter with my new journal.

    Get cozy this winter with my new journal.

    Have you heard?

    I published a journal on Amazon!

    You can get your very own copy (and one for a friend) by clicking here.

    Journaling is one of my all-time favorite self-care activities. It helps me so much to ground my energy from my very active mind, through a pen onto a page. It just feels so good.

    This special journal that I created has a mix of blank pages( (with 5mm dots to help with drawing and more!) as well as journaling prompts to get the juices flowing.

    Writing is proven to help you get organized, improve your mood, and know what areas of life you want to take action on.

    And this is coming at the best time of the year for getting cozy- winter!

    Have you tried journaling? What do you think about it?