The mindfulcounseling's Podcast: Recent Episodes
mindfulcounseling
Where are your thoughts today and everyday? Do they define you, come with you, encourage you or immobilize you? What do you do if they overwhelm you? We are here to listen and discuss your everyday thoughts and feelings. We are here to guide you and help manifest a more spirited side of you. Each one of us has capabilities of having success and happiness. Regardless of our upbringing, challenges and conflicts in between, we have the ability to endure, heal, evolve and love.
Joanna from Mindful Counseling returns to invite listeners to prioritize self-care as the new year begins, sharing personal reflection on making room for stability, security, and mindful needs.
She reframes New Year’s resolutions as personal choices you can start anytime, encourages balanced goals (not extremes), and reminds listeners that the gym isn’t the only way to move—try yoga, outdoor activities, or mental challenges that fit you.
Choose one small, sustainable thing for yourself—30 minutes or a few sessions a week—and remember self-care supports all your other responsibilities.
How do we move past stagnation into a more successful version of self? What stops you from being your best self? Do your daily responsibilities, tasks get in the way of accomplishing your own goals? In today's society, we are overwhelmed with everything, with everyone even ourselves. We struggle to find happiness, pleasures and goals that keep on pushing us. We get stagnated by pressures of daily habits and excuses of avoidance. It is important to address our own needs, acknowledge space and give ourselves a recognition, a goal and motivation.
In this enlightening episode we delve into an introspective exploration of the driving forces in our lives. We analyze the motives behind our daily actions, our motivation, and the elements that push us to pursuit daily routine. We also touch on how the lack of these elements can lead to anxieties, depression and lethargy.
The podcast opens up a thoughtful conversation about the internal drive found in each one of us. Are you driven by your job, your daily routines, or the people around you? As you listen, Joanna urges you to think about what truly motivates you and excites you to action.
As the episode unfolds, the conversation shifts to finding harmony between work and personal life, the importance of maintaining some form of equilibrium.
We continue this discussion ask yourself a question what drives you today? and whether it might change tomorrow. Could you feel motivated to try a new routine, to be more social, to start a new job or a hobby or to push yourself in any other way?
This episode concludes with Joanna encouraging listeners to consider how past failures or setbacks can affect their ambition, and how setting boundaries can potentially enhance motivation. She urges you to explore what you would like to be driven by and create strategies to actualize those desires. This podcast serves as a mirror, prompting you to listen, think, and explore your own thoughts, unleashing the power, motivation, and determination within you.
Most of my female audience, clients, colleagues and friends struggle with what seems to be their own worth as mother and what that actually means. The pressure of being in a role of a mother and the expectations that are associated with it from the very beginning. Will proving their own worth be enough to feel like a good mom? Why is proving so important for so many women today and what lessons do we teach our daughters? Enjoy and comment if you'd like.
Are you faced with constant pressures of doing and living with endless Anxiety that doesn't seem to diminish even with time? Most people today live with constant pressures of needing to do and never stop. Sitting does not feel as comfortable for most as it normally concludes with "being lazy". Is it the expectations of others or yours and where does own self-care come into place? What does it look like and how often do you provide that for self?
The importance of self-care continues on. How often do you address you needs and your own self care? Do you take time to be tired when you are always running around, or you just hit the bed when it is time to sleep? Seems like we need to schedule time for self because endless responsibilities seem to never end. Self-care is about taking time for yourself. It addresses your needs, your time and your health. What does your self care look like today and can you find yourself scheduling time to be tired?
Childrens mental health in response to lockdowns in schools and the importance of talking to them about it. Young children express worry and fear when faced with school lockdown, even if its practice lock down. They observe one another, they look at facial features and body language. They may show their fears and worries through anger and frustration at home or at school. It is important for educators, parents and caretakers to talk to their children about these lockdown and how they perceive them. Talk to them about their feelings and let them know you care. It is important that we as adults provided our children with reassurance and emotional regulation. Talk to them about their worries and help them understand in their own limitations.
Living in fear by hearing about school shootings and children dying. What will it take to stop? Children should not be going through lockdowns with fear of dying. Children should not be dying or getting killed on the first place. People who may not be stable enough should not be carrying guns. Importance of mental health and getting the right service is necessary. Speaking up if you feel like someone might be off is necessary to prevent possible harm. Emotional regulation and not being able to deal with frustration and anger is necessary. Law and rules are necessary. They are important and they are there for a reason. Children need rules but so do adults. We don't like them but we need them. They gives us boundaries. They are not there to hurt us. People should not be entering school to kill innocent children. At some point this needs to stop.
The difficulty in being in a narcissistic and emotionally abusive relationship. What are the signs of emotional abuse and what to do in case you find yourself in one? Both men and women can be victims of emotional abuse. Emotional abuse can leave scars that are not seen but carry pain. Most people in emotionally abusive relationships will not ask for help. Most victims will question themselves and their shattering character. Enjoy the episode with curiosity and room for your own exploration.
Continued from episode on "Importance of connecting with children"In this episode I focus on importance of connecting with children by providing them with a healthy balance of love, care, structure and respect. Children need proper guidance, healthy education and knowledge in order to grow up to be good and healthy adults. They need us to be their parents , to teach them respect and honesty.
This episode focuses on ways our children long to connect with us when they are in school. When we think of little kids we often times have a tendency to just ask them how school was or what they did did, however we don't really let them know how our day was, what we did and how often we thought about them. Children think about us when they are in school they wonder where we are and what we are doing, especially on those more difficult days. Connect with you child to promote better connections that focus on curiosity, comfort and love.
This episode focuses on ways our children long to connect with us when they are in school. When we think of little kids we often times have a tendency to just ask them how school was or what they did did, however we don't really let them know how our day was, what we did and how often we thought about them. Children think about us when they are in school they wonder where we are and what we are doing, especially on those more difficult days. Connect with you child to promote better connections that focus on curiosity, comfort and love.
One of the worst feelings to have is that of being "burned-out" from work and responsibilities. Having too much on a plate, not being able to complete and yet needing to exist in multiple roles at the same time. It might be difficult to notice your "burnout" feeling in the beginning, however if not taken care of, it can manifest into anxiety, depression and isolation. Having compassion towards self and recognition is a key element towards self-care. Address your needs and whether or not burnout is manifesting.
Enjoy the episode, subscribe and comment. Yours truly "MindfulCounseling" giving you a few minutes of your own "self care"
Take time to notice your breath and how it feels. Your breath is your source of life to move forward, acknowledge and appreciate. We often forget how we got here on the first place. We take things for granted without acknowledging what our ancestors didn't have. Light switches, cars, technology. If we lost all of it than what we are left with is life itself. The purpose of your breath and that it can continue on to allow you to move forward and to do things you want to do. Take this episode to appreciate and be grateful for what you have and how far can you allow your breath to take you.
What is our purpose in gossiping? What does it fulfill in our life? Gossiping is real and it exists in all of us. Whether good or bad, we spend about 40-52 minutes a day gossiping. Both men and women gossip, and it all may be around different topics. The purpose of this episode is to focus on how much gossip do you do and whether or not is serves a purpose in your life positively or negatively. Gossip allows us to belong, however if it didn't exist for a day or a week, what other conversation would you have? Enjoy and Suggest Topics if you like for my next podcast?
The importance of continued self-care through healthy boundaries with others even with yourself. Most of the times we are good at taking care of other people's needs and requests. Sometimes at our own cost and own needs being put aside. To establish healthy boundaries means having awareness that you are important and that your needs require the same attention as others. People and responsibilities come in a way when it comes to your needs. However, by providing self with needed time, relaxation and pleasure can also make you a better person for self. Through development of healthy boundaries, we let others know we are important too. What are your Healthy Boundaries and can you give yourself sometime today to take care of YOU?
Take some time for yourself to recognize that not only it is important to take care of others but that taking care of yourself is equally as important. To be kind to self is to recognize, to pause and care for your own inner and outer needs. Regardless of our busy schedules or picking up extra activities and tasks, you are important as well. Your kindness shines when others know and see that you can have a balance between self and others. Take few moments here to pause, reflect and acknowledge your own kindness to self and what it may look like.
With the upcoming Holidays, we are all thinking of how to spend our time. We wonder what relationships are important to us and what happens when we are surrounded by difficult people, friends or families. Human connections are important and especially when they are healthy and positive. They increase positive mood and motivate us to connect more. If we surround ourselves with difficult people and whatever you might consider unhealthy relationships, they can become more dreadful and tiring on our mental health. Think about how important a human connection is to you and what you consider healthy relationship for your own mental health.
With the upcoming Holidays, we are all thinking of how to spend our time. We wonder what relationships are important to us and what happens when we are surrounded by difficult people, friends or families. Human connections are important and especially when they are healthy and positive. They increase positive mood and motivate us to connect more. If we surround ourselves with difficult people and whatever you might consider unhealthy relationships, they can become more dreadful and tiring on our mental health. Think about how important a human connection is to you and what you consider healthy relationship for your own mental health.
Whether due to Covid or not, anxiety exists and it can take over our body. It takes over our calm thoughts, rested heart and spirals down affecting our nervous system and physical body. Anxiety often occurs if we feel threatened by others or by our own thoughts. We have anxiety if we feel out of control, overconsumed by worries and fears. Anxiety can feel like pressure on your chest, racing thoughts, even feelings of passing out. What is your anxiety about? What is it that you are possibly avoiding or are worried about? Where is it that your anxiety resides? What can you do about it today?
Acknowledging your own fear and worry is normal. I thought that the Hurricane Ida did not affect me much, but after some reflecting, I realized that it did. I was scared, worried and at the same time collected. Many people were affected by the Hurricane Ida. Many people were scared, stranded, flooded, lost homes or families. When you are in a horrific situation it sure can bring up many different thoughts, feelings and memories for you. I cannot relate in many ways, but I can relate when it comes to fear, worry and feeling powerless. What pushes us forward? What is our survival strategy in moments of fear?
This episode was recorded shortly after the Hurricane Ida, with barely any sleep, to reflect and to share. To allow others to relate and to reflect on their own experiences with Ida or other horrifying events.
Compromise starts with your inner dialogue and it's only up to you of how far you want to take it. How can we as the world today compromise with what we do not know? How do we compromise with others that are different than us? Compromise can start with compassion, empathy and curiosity. Compromise can allow us to educate ourselves on things we do not know. Through compromise we can grow, strengthen and be better as a world.
Spend a moment of your time just acknowledging your present moment. Are you tired? How are you willing to take care of yourself during that moment? Our responsibilities overwhelm us and disable us mentally. We run on overdrive and at times with many cups of coffee to make it through the day. Taka a moment to acknowledge your "tired self" and then move forward.
This episode focuses on taking care of your mental health and being there for others. Don't put a label on your mental health and recognize how important it is to take care of it. Your anxiety, depression, fear is real and it also needs to be recognized. Most of the time we put a label on Mental Health and internalize it which then leads us to avoidance, lack of self esteem and lack of confidence. Speak about mental health and its benefits so it can increase our confidence and need to seek help if needed.
What would you do if you came across your "to do" list and had absolutely nothing to do? Would you feel selfish or guilty by sitting down? Or would you try to breathe every second of your free time? Some of us don't like to sit down because we think too munch. Some of us can take the moment and use it productively, while others try to fit everything in. We're all different and have different responsibilities, however in a moment of pure curiosity what would you do with some of your free time? Can you relax and do absolutely nothing while acknowledging that things will get done? Is someone expecting you to get all things done and is that necessarily fair to you? Take time for yourself and in passing moments recognize how important it is for your mental health to take a step back.
We all have a need to be recognized and validated for what we do. Given the circumstances of working from home, we are faced with multiple responsibilities that are not just related to our everyday job. It is important for us all to recognize others for their hard word, dedication and even extended hours. We forget that we are all faced with similar issues of taking care of others and household duties, while maintaining our jobs. Recognize your colleague, employee, friend or a child for doing a good job. Let them know you appreciate them. Hold on to praise if you receive it from others or give praise to yourself for doing well.
Your curiosity and exploration of self love. How can you love yourself today? We are so quick to take care of others, to love others and to do things for others. Most of the time with the expectation that the same is done to us. We have a tendency to be the biggest critics of Our Own Mind. We quickly can dismiss our wants and needs because of our daily responsibilities or not having time. Here, I want you to focus on "Loving Yourself?" What one loving thing you can do for yourself today and everyday. Enjoy and be Curious
What can you do to be happy today? What is that one thing that you know can bring a smile on your face? Regardless of struggles, difficult days and busy days we can all find something to be happy about. Happiness is a conscious choice and through that it only multiplies. It can be something that you do for a minute or an hour. Be creative, mindful and conscious.
Let's start the New Year with optimism and success. Regardless of adjustments, losses and numerous changes, You Can Still Continue On with motivation and determination to be better. Listen to your inner voice, the one that can guide you and push you forward. Don't just depend on outside voice, find a friend in your inner voice, the one that is more capable in achieving. The voice that can encourage you and push you. The voice that gives you strength, optimism and courage.
When it comes to difficult individuals, it is important to acknowledge your own Mental Health. To ask yourself a question, "will this difficult person impact my life positively or negatively" It is important to form a healthy boundary, to develop a plan and to follow a schedule. What is important at the end, is your own health and how you want others to impact it.
This episode focuses on the ability to find your strengths and positives in your daily life. Regardless of troubles and difficulties that might be going in your life, it is important for your own health, mental and physical to sit back and to acknowledge what it is that pushes you forward.
What do we do in situations where we find ourselves feeling completely helpless? When we have nothing left in us. This is where we need to step away, talk to someone and express our thoughts. Being helpless does not necessarily mean lost, it just means that you have ran out of all your options.
What would you consider your safe place? A place where you can feel good, calm and relaxed. A place when you can separate from your daily responsibilities and feel good for a few minutes. This is a place that is only known to you and your inner self. Is it the office, bed, the road or the attic?
To have temporary anxiety and depression is normal, however having too much can cause lack of control and motivation. It can be overwhelming and debilitating and talking to someone about it can help.
To have a baby in time of covid-19 can be stressful. The continuous unknown and worries as well as anxieties as to what you should do is normal. Many new parents question how many people should see my baby and comfort of touching. What is important is to speak to a professional and go with your instincts. If you don't feel secure having people around, voice it out. Those that care will respect.
The ability to do work remotely while at the same time managing the remote school work of our kids. It's not easy to do both, however with right approach we can do this. Study pods are being discussed where two or three other parents get together with their kids to do their school work. Motivation and Interaction is important in order to continue to succeed and develop.
Grief in time of covid is difficult and especially when it comes to adjusting to things that have never been. To grieve someone you have lost and to deal with inability to see them before they passed is difficult. Our traditions have changed and our feelings have remained, but it is all normal and with time it will change again. Loss was and is difficult, treasure the good and apply it to your present.
Children just like us have many questions and feelings about difficult and stressful events. They need reassurance but also a positive role model to educate them, listen to them and empathize with them. They too suffer from anxiety and depression when things are unsettled. They are curious, want to learn. Don't dismiss them but be with them. Here you will find some helpful way of taking to your children when things are uneasy.
This episode focuses on appreciation of the outside and people. Take it in small doses and appreciate each step that you take. aWe have taken many things for granted because we were always in a rush not even knowing where we were going. We need love, appreciation, intimacy and beauty. Let's not forget that by stepping out.
This episode focuses on positive psychology and how important it is to notice the good things that happened to you and around you. The importance of positivity can allow us to be happy, successful and deal with difficulties in a more calming way. Find something to be happy about today, sit with it and allow it to be with you for the rest of the day.
This is an episode that focuses on the importance of facial expression and how we hide it with our masks. We do not have to speak in order to receive a feedback that someone gives us based on our facial expression. Our feelings and emotions are present when we see how others use their facial expression. Babies and infants respond to our voices and mainly our facial expressions so they can mimic and respond.
Although we are moving forward with our responsibilities and hopes of somewhat normalized life, some of us have to go back to clean our offices, classrooms, departments that still have St. Patrick's decorations and March calendars on walls. Even thought we are in May and approaching summer months, March effects are still here. It is ok to acknowledge that some of those past weeks have become overshadowed by our hopes to move forward and sadness of looking back .
This episode focuses on the upcoming celebrations, events and travels that may have been postponed or cancelled due to the current events of Coronavirus. The planning the excitement and the joy of looking forward to things has been put on hold and adjusted in some ways and hopefully have rescheduled to continue the enjoyment of planning. The temporary pause to our celebrations and relaxation has taken a different turn and that is to enjoy the present moment.
This episode focuses on forming a new habit. To allow yourself to do something new, to commit, to move forward and not be stuck. To form a new habit means taking care of yourself and to manifest a better version of who you already are. Goal are great to have, too accomplish them can be difficult for some. Allow yourself to form a new habit by saying "I am, and not I should"
This episode focuses on feelings of loneliness, while staying home during coronavirus. We already know how difficult it may be living under the same roof top with our families, however sometimes it can be even more difficult to live alone. This episode focuses on some coping mechanisms that you can utilize when you find yourself feeling lonely and alone. The benefits of covid-19 is that we can utilize many resources to take care of ourselves.
This episode focuses more on finding smiles and laughs during this time. Be silly with yourself, find enjoyment in your daily routines and give yourself and your family a new learned habit. To smile can be a medicine for a Better Health and better ways of managing a crisis.
Your ability to endure, heal, evolve and love is greater than your suffering. Covid-19 may be the suffering but your ability to survive is more powerful than Covid-19. You have the power to tune into your inner strength of positivity, work, motivation and vision to not allow Covid-19 to take over who you are.
Tune In- 10 minutes of tuning into your five senses. This is a mindful short approach towards checking into your own senses and your own feelings and the way you can address them while maintaining you job, different schedules and in some ways the balance to the current situation. Tune In allows us to check in with ourselves for a minute so we can relax and acknowledge. It is a great way to apply in every situation and with anyone.
3 weeks ago life may have looked a bit different and where we are today is norm while still changing. We are isolated and distance is our new life. Our fears are in front of us always worrying and managing and that might last a while. We are becoming more creative and with that comes hope and positivity.
This episode focuses on the continuation of current issues and on vulnerability. How can we utilize this time of isolation or being quarantined and do something productive. To allow our vulnerability to make us stronger, to make us better and new. Acknowledge your frustrations, your worry and sadness. Express it and allow others to express as well. Listen and be yourself with a balance.
This episode as just another day to your somewhat regular day. Most of us are working from home alone or with our kids, and partners being interrupted or not. Take time for yourself, this is your time to be the best you can be. You can appreciate all of this, regardless of your stressors and distractions. Breath in the moment and allow yourself to be vulnerable.
Introduction to mental health and current news of coronavirus. We are faced with current similar issues and challenges. Our privacy has been invaded and we have to adjust to a new temporary norm. It is uneasy but with time things will settle down.