Mastering Your Mindset for Success: Health & Consistency Series

Hi Friends!

I hope you are doing well. I am doing great, and I am looking forward to jumping back into the next part of our health and consistency series: Stress Management!

Remember our handy dandy 4 pillars of health infographic I put in the last post? Here it is again:

The 4 Pillars of Health & Consistency: Prioritize Movement, Sleep, Stress Management, and Nutrition for Optimal Well-being.

So, today, we're focusing on stress management and a specific part of that is mindset changing. I define stress management as figuring out how to regulate your nervous system's natural responses to stress and return to baseline (Ventral Vagal state, if we're using Polyvagal theory) quicker and with more ease. Bodies that have flexible responses to stress are healthier than bodies that are rigid and stuck in either an agitated state or frozen state.

If you're interested in reading more about Polyvagal theory and learning about your nervous system further, here's a link to a previous blog post I made about it and it includes a free nervous system regulation workbook!

This brings me to a spot of information about mastering your health mindset, which is gaining the ability to change your thoughts and influence your mind towards healing and action. And you know I love a list, so here's six ways to master your mindset (or at least, get started!):

1. Find flexibility in your thinking. For me this looks like asking myself, "Is there any other way I could be thinking about this?" or "What if everything goes well?" when my brain is trying to come up with worst case scenarios. It means finding compassion for the part of me that is searching for answers in my thought patterns, and reassuring that part that no matter what happens, we will get through it, and we won't be alone.

2. Harness the power of opposite action. Opposite Action is a DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) skill in which you take an urge or behavior and do the opposite action of that. For example, if you want to yell at your kids or partner, you would whisper instead. If you were wanting to be a sloth and rot in bed all day, you would get up and do 25 jumping jacks. Opposite action shows us through tangible action that our mindset and thoughts and urges don't control our behavior. And shifting behavior is one way to move the needle towards change.

   The Cognitive Triangle

   The cognitive triangle illustrates how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. Changing one can influence the others. For instance:

   • A thought like "I can’t handle this" leads to feelings of overwhelm and avoidance behaviors.

   • Practicing Opposite Action shifts behavior, which in turn influences feelings ("I’m doing something productive!") and thoughts ("Maybe I can handle this").

   Understanding and applying this connection is key to mastering your mindset!

3. Begin and end the day with gratitude. I don't do gratitude lists or bullet journaling, but I do spend every morning and night thinking about what I felt thankful for throughout the present day. And, here's the key: make it super specific to that day. So for today, I might say that I'm grateful for an early tax refund in which I was able to go to Sprouts and go hog wild and buy all the fun fancy foods I normally don't buy!

4. Notice 'glimmers' throughout the day. I define glimmers as those moments or visuals or sounds that are beautiful and catch our attention. Glimmers can be something as simple as seeing a caterpillar on the ground, and marveling at its tenacity in movement. Glimmers are those things or scenes that a 2.5 year old toddler would stop and squat at. My parents know what I'm talking about. I can it the toddler pause. You know the one... where you're watching an inchworm go across the sidewalk or looking at the veins in a leaf. I experienced a glimmer just the other day when I was completing a micro-walk in between sessions in the parking lot of our office building. I looked up at a Cottonwood tree, and the wind was rushing through the branches and the sun was glinting off the leaves and I remember thinking, "Ahhh... how lovely." Find the glimmers in everyday life and see if you don't start to notice the goodness, truth and beauty all around you. I even took a video of said glimmer moment. See below. :)

   
   
   
   

5. Keep moving forward. Remember the saying from Great Britain during WWII, "Keep Calm and Carry On"? Well, this tip is all about capitalizing on your momentum.

   1. Keep in mind Newton's First Law of Motion: The Law of Inertia."An object will remain at rest or move in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by an external force."

      1. Key idea: Objects resist changes in their motion (inertia). So if this is true (and we know it is), that means starting in a direction towards wellness means constant movement forward. If you stop moving, you become an 'object at rest' and will resist any changes in your inertia.

   2. Pro Tip: Consistency doesn’t mean perfection. Small, daily efforts (even 5 minutes) are better than sporadic, intense bursts.

   3. You can't quit a lifelong journey to wellness. Seriously. All you can do is hit pause, but you have to press play again. The only end to your wellness journey is death. Keep moving forward. Keep striving towards a better life. Future you deserves that.

   
   

   Finally, I want you to know that I'm rooting for you. I know you can be healthy. And it starts with your mind. You have to choose to believe in your ability to change. And you must reaffirm that belief daily, hourly, by the minute sometimes. And if you want a therapist and coach who gets how hard becoming healthy is, I'm your girl. Click here, if you'd like to schedule a consultation to see if working together would be beneficial!

   
   

   Take exquisite care of yourself,

   
   

   Megan

Sleep Like a Baby. Or not. Because Babies Don't Sleep Well: Health & Consistency Series in the New Year

Hi friends!

I hope you are doing well! I am doing well. One of my goals this year to continue to improve my own wellness was to become a 'morning person.' I already get up relatively early and now I am working on waking up at 5am, and solidifying a solid morning routine.

Thus bringing me to another piece of the total wellness picture I've been painting for you in our health and consistency blog series.

Drumroll please! The next pillar of wellness is sleep. Achieving quality sleep is a huge portion of your wellness. If you have trouble sleeping, you know how distressing this can be, and how hard it is to achieve a healthy life with a lackluster sleep routine.

I don't need to tell you how important sleep is, do I? Maybe I should share a few things just in case. Here they are:

• 40% of adults with insomnia may have a diagnosable mental health condition. (Link to study)

• 50% of people who watch TV before bed get less than seven hours of sleep.

• Noise may disrupt sleep and increase production of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, as well as increase heart rate and blood pressure.

• 54% of people report that stress and anxiety is what is disrupting their sleep the most.

• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) makes women at least two times as likely to report insomnia-like symptoms before and during their period.

Now you're saying to yourself, "Megan, great, I already know sleep is important. How the heck do I improve it?" Well I've got you!

Here are 5 tips to improve your sleep today:

1. No naps longer than 10 minutes per day. I know this is hard, but you're decreasing your sleep pressure every time you nap. If you're a parent, remember when your kiddo was dropping a nap and they'd fall asleep in the car ride home on the way to your house to do their new naptime, and you'd cry because now it meant they weren't going to take a 2 hour nap like they should? Just me? Oh. Well, regardless, that's a perfect illustration of the concept of sleep pressure. No naps means lots of pressure to sleep in the nighttime, which is when you really want to be sleepy anyways!

2. Reduce and time your caffeine intake. No caffeine within 6-8 hours of bedtime. And only consume less than 5 cups of coffee per day. Seriously. Caffeine's half life is on average 4-6 hours, but also can be anywhere from 2-12 hours.

3. Make sure your room is comfortable, clean, dark and quiet. I cover every light in my room with electrical tape, that's how disruptive sleep is to melatonin production. And melatonin is the sleepy hormone.

4. Quit using your bed for anything other than sleep and sex. No more TV in bed. No reading in bed. No folding laundry. No homework. NOTHING. Just sleep and sex. You want to train your brain that bed is where we go when we feel sleepy.

5. Move up your wake up time. And consequently your bedtime as well. Melatonin production starts the moment it gets dark outside, and stops when the sun rises. So you need to reset your circardian rhythm by getting early morning sunshine or bright lights. And you need to then get evening daylight, because it's softer and tells your brain that it's time to start melatonin production.

So, there you have it! Change some things in your routine and get the sleep you deserve!

If you need accountability and more assistance with improving your sleep, send me an email or click the link here if you'd like to schedule a free consultation and work with me to achieve total wellness for yourself!

Take exquisite care of yourselves,

Megan

Micro-dose Your Movements: Pursuing Health and Consistency in the New Year (Series)

Hi friends!

I hope your life has settled down some since the whirlwind of the holidays. For me, it's always a mixture of exhaustion, sugar overload (apparently my body doesn't need to eat 62 cookies per day, who knew?), and 'what day is it?' when I finally get to reset after New Year's.

Continuing in our series about pursuing health and consistency in the new year, I want to share an often-overlooked habit that can have a profound impact on your health and longevity. It’s inspired by a fascinating observation about people who live to be 100 years old—or even longer. These centenarians share many habits, but one of the simplest, most consistent ones is this: they move their bodies. A lot.

But here’s the kicker—they don't typically have formal exercise routines or are hitting the gym for hours on end. Centenarians tend to incorporate natural movement into their daily lives. They stretch, bend, squat, garden, and get up and down from the ground regularly. They’re not cramming all their activity into a single workout session—they’re sprinkling movement throughout their day. And that, my friends, is one of the keys to living a long and healthy life. If you don't believe me, take a gander at this research article by Dan Buettner and Sam Skemp, that details the 9 habits of centenarians. Number one on the list? Natural Movement.

There's also a ton of other interesting things on the list as well, such as belonging to a spiritual community, finding a purpose for your life, and regular, daily routines to shed stress. Most of these actions are recommended by your friendly neighborhood therapist (that's me!). We're all just trying to get to a healthier version of ourselves, and following these behaviors is a way to achieve that.

Let’s Talk About Micro-Dosing Movement

This brings me to the idea of "micro-dosing" your movement. Earlier this year, I came across an article about micro-walks, and it stopped me in my tracks (pun intended). The concept is simple: instead of committing to one long walk, you take several smaller walks throughout your day. For people who feel overwhelmed by the idea of traditional exercise, this could be a game-changer!

Of course, my brain couldn’t stop there. Why limit it to walks? We could micro-dose any type of movement. While I personally love my morning workouts, I also find it so helpful to weave smaller bursts of movement into the rest of my day.

Simple Ways to Add Micro-Movements to Your Day

Here are some easy, practical ways to micro-dose movement into your routine—no gym required:

• Listen to your smartwatch. When it prompts you to stand, take it one step further (literally!) and do 10 squats. It’s a quick burst of activity that adds up over time.

• Turn chores into a workout. Folding laundry? Do it standing up and add a side-to-side step. Washing dishes? Throw in some calf raises. Deliver your folded laundry (hah! What's that?), in multiple trips and go back and forth throughout your house to do so.

• Take micro-walks. Walk to your mailbox a few times a day or make a couple of laps around your block. You don’t need a destination—just a few minutes of fresh air and movement.

• Break walks into smaller chunks. If a long walk feels daunting, aim for 2-3 shorter walks of 10 minutes each. The benefits are the same, and it’s easier to fit into a busy day.

• Park further away. Whether it’s the grocery store, your workplace, or any errand, choose a parking spot that’s farther from the entrance. Those extra steps add up quickly.

• Walk to your destination when possible. For example, I sometimes walk to Starbucks from my office—it’s a quick 10-minute walk, but it’s a lovely way to stretch my legs and clear my mind.

• Dance it out. Put on your favorite playlist and dance while you tidy up. It’s an instant mood booster and a sneaky way to get your heart rate up.

• Try chair yoga. Just five minutes of chair yoga, once or twice a day, can do wonders for your posture, flexibility, and overall well-being.

• Earn your next episode by, you guessed it, moving your body! Tell yourself you can't watch another episode of that Netflix show until you get up and jump around or do high knees or walk for 5-10 minutes.

• Incorporate evening stretches. Add a quick mobility or stretching video to your bedtime routine. It’s a relaxing way to wind down while keeping your body feeling limber.

The Power of Small, Consistent Actions

Here’s the beauty of micro-dosing movement: small things add up to big things. When you commit to sprinkling movement throughout your day, it’s not just about building a habit—it’s about building a healthier version of yourself, one small step at a time.

In this new year, I encourage you to focus on doing the next right thing over and over again. It’s not about perfection or grand gestures; it’s about consistency and intention. That’s what will carry you through to lasting change.

I’m rooting for you, always. Let me know how you’re weaving micro-movements into your day. Whether it’s a quick dance party in the kitchen or a mindful stretch before bed, I’d love to hear what’s working for you. I can’t wait to see how far you’ll go in the year ahead.

I'm rooting for your success, and I can't wait to see where you are in a year!

Ready to Take the Next Step in Your Wellness Journey?

If you’re feeling inspired and want personalized support to build healthier habits, manage stress, or work through challenges holding you back, I’d love to help. I offer individual therapy sessions tailored to your unique needs, whether you’re focusing on movement, mental health, or deeper healing.

Click here to book a consultation and let’s explore how we can work together to create the life you deserve.

Take exquisite care of yourselves,

Megan