Tag: mindfulness

  • Mindfulness for Millennials

    Mindfulness for Millennials

    Healing happens in the space between stimulus and response.

    Spiraling out of control…

    Thoughts swirl around in your brain – then, suddenly – you’re swept away by their currents, careening down a rabbit hole you didn’t even know existed within you.

    If only your thoughts didn’t hijack your every experience, life would be so much more enjoyable.

    So powerful. So disruptive. So compelling.

    But there IS a way to overcome.

    Mindfulness empowers you to show up to the present moment as the version of yourself that you genuinely want to be.

    According to teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally.

    Mindfulness is simply noticing what arises, moment by moment. In your body. Around your body. You can learn to see everything – using the five senses, as well as opening up to your emotional state.

    Mindfulness also provides the opportunity to examine thought and behavior patterns from a distance – to help you create new patterns that serve you at the highest level.

    We all need a vision for where we want to go – and how to get there.

    Dropping into mindfulness can help you cultivate your vision in a heartfelt and powerful way.

    As a therapist, I’ll introduce you to mindfulness and help you apply it to empower you to meet your life as it is, connect your abilities and strengths, and realign yourself with your desired direction in life.

    Together, we’ll use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as techniques from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindful Self-Compassion, and other mindfulness interventions.

    But, to be most effective, you must explore mindfulness both within and outside therapy.

    There is no greater gift to ourselves than our willingness to be present to our own lives –
    the good, the bad, and the ugly – and we do this most effectively through mindfulness.
    – Ruth King

    Your life is yours – YOU decide how to live.

    While it’s important to understand that you can’t always control everything that life throws at you, you CAN choose your response.

    You get to show up as the author, show yourself compassion, and give yourself the grace to pause amid the seeming chaos around you.

    What’s the hurry?

    Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to rush. What is meant for you cannot miss you.

    Mindfulness provides a space for you to rest, to cultivate your most profound sense of yourself, and to make the best choice for you.

    To recognize your emotions as they are, acknowledge the circumstances that lead to your feelings, decide who you want to be in the moment, and show up in a way that honors the direction you’ve chosen for your life.

    It’s essential to use the skills we discuss in therapy in real life. Only in practicing these techniques will you see the value they possess in changing your life.

    Embrace the wandering visitors.

    Witnessing thoughts and feelings as mentors who can teach us can be incredibly empowering.

    Often, our culture encourages us to shove away unpleasant feelings and thoughts.

    Despite that, what you resist persists, as you may well have experienced.

    Mindfulness allows for the bird’s eye view on your behavior patterns – as well as the perspective and space to choose to switch how you approach triggering or overwhelming situations.

    Embrace the good and the bad.

    You don’t have to shove away the negative. You can witness it, honor it, and allow it to teach you. From there, YOU decide what you have the power to change.

    When you can show up to life as it is and choose the way you want to interact with the people and events that compose your experiences, you reclaim your sovereignty. You reclaim your power. You reclaim your voice and choice. Having compassion for yourself then makes it easier to have compassion for others.

    Practicing mindfulness makes being in this challenging world a little easier to bear.

    You are worthy of being safe, living with ease, and feeling peaceful.

    Practicing mindfulness can help bring these sought-after feelings into your day-to-day life.

    Between stimulus and response there is a space.

    Mindfulness helps you discover the power of that space.

    To work with Elise in therapy, start by scheduling a free discovery call with her today.

  • Visualization for Dreamers

    Visualization for Dreamers

    What you see now

    The way you see your life is almost overwhelming.

    You’re caught in the mire, even though you want so much out of life. No matter what you try, it seems just out of reach.

    What if there is something within you that can help you make sense of all of this chaos?

    The vision is there, it’s the path forward feels foggy.

    What’s in your way…

    When you’re worried about a future outcome, you may notice anxiety creeping in on you.

    Your heart takes off, and so do all those unwanted thoughts. Before you know it, you’re sweating and can barely catch your breath.

    Hypervigilant, you notice even the tiniest change in your environment – always on alert for any hidden dangers.

    And often, the harder you try to calm down, the worse it gets.

    Anxiety can be a trauma response that functions as an attempt to reclaim power over your experiences. Though it’s trying to help you, it gets in the way.

    What you want to see…

    When you’re experiencing anxiety, you’re picturing future outcomes you want to control, but that leaves you feeling disempowered.

    The first thing to know is a bit of a paradox –

    We’re actually in control of very little. But once you release your need for control, you’ll get something far better than you can imagine.

    What you can control…

    Something you can begin to control is your thoughts.

    You can begin to notice patterns that arise as you get into certain trains of thought. It’s a straightforward practice, but it can be incredibly empowering – and life-changing.

    With thoughts… come pictures. Our minds often think in pictures. Your vision is strong, and beautiful.

    When you put a picture of something in your mind, playing out the situation that worries you, your mind doesn’t know the difference between thinking about something happening – and going through the action of what you’re thinking about.

    Control… through visualization.

    Because of this incredible power of your mind, visualization can help ease pain and quell anxiety. Visualization allows you to take control of your worries and to insert a picture of the outcome you desire in your mind.

    If you’re going to think about a future outcome, you can use this superpower of your mind to think through the result for the highest good for you and all involved, instead of the pain of unwanted outcomes.

    When you imagine it, you put yourself through it. Your brain thinks you’ve achieved it.

    Visualization… to realization.

    Visualization helps make doing it in 3D reality easier.

    You’ve “been here before.” You’ll recognize the bodily sensations, emotions, and feelings you had while visualizing the outcome. You’ll know the steps to take to get there as you’re living your life.

    It’s a little “woo woo,” but it’s a LOT of results and outcome-oriented. This process is brain science.

    And energetic law.

    Stop hesitating at every corner. Take back control of your life.

    As a trained therapist, I work with you to help you notice your thought patterns and to develop new, empowering thoughts that connect you to your most profound truth and aligned outcomes.

    As we work together, I’ll support you in replacing these negative thought patterns with more empowering and positive ones. I’ll guide you in seeing your future playing out in a way that serves you and feels good.

    You can reclaim the mental space you dedicated to anxiety and give it back to excitement.

    You deserve to live the life of your wildest dreams.

    Visualization can help you plot the path from here… to there.

    And I am your accountability partner and safe space through it all.

    Schedule your free discovery call with me here.