On this International Stress Awareness Day, I talk about a very specific manifestation of stress, namely overwhelm, often due to low doses of constantly present, chronic stress, which ultimately can lead to anxiety, depression, compassion fatigue, burnout, and other stress-related illnesses.
Reach out if you struggle: https://calendly.com/sophrosolutions/have-a-one-on-one-with-me
Wouldn't it be nice to give your mind a break and put it on pause? Forcing yourself not to think is almost impossible. According to research by Dr. Fred Luskin of Stanford University, a human being can have around 60,000 thoughts per day—and 90% of these are repetitive. And 70% to 80% of those are negative! Here's a short guided exercise to stop the chatter.
Are you dreading the new work week? Having dealt with the Sunday scaries, have you fallen straight into the Monday blues? Here's what you need to start the week with an energy boost to help you through the upcoming week!
The phrase "Monday Blues" is a common expression used to describe the feelings of stress or sadness that some people experience at the beginning of the workweek. But even if you are not stressed or sad, there are several reasons why our energy levels might drop on a Monday:
Not everyone experiences a drop in energy levels on Mondays, and the reasons for fatigue can vary from person to person. Some people may enjoy the structure and routine of the workweek, or may simply not experience the same negative emotions associated with Mondays.
Making healthy lifestyle choices, such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, taking breaks, relaxing the mind, and eating a balanced diet, can help combat fatigue regardless of the day of the week.
#synchronizedbreathing #sophrology #mindfulness #mindfulmonday #mondayblues #sundayscaries #stressrelease #rechargefortheweek #energymeditation #visualizationexercise
We are not made to be "on" 24/7. Tight deadlines at work, commuting home in heavy traffic, screaming children... wouldn't it be great if we could retreat and escape when the pressure starts to build up?
This guided mindful Sophrology practice for self-protection and inner peace called The Protective Bubble is a visualisation technique for when you're feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, when you feel influenced by negativity coming from others, or when your inner critic doesn't leave your mind at rest. Or you can use this technique to simply take a moment for yourself, and retreat from the stress of daily life, weighing you down.
It can also be used as a tool for #emotionalregulation by giving you time to think before you react, to manage energy levels in #burnoutprevention or healing, for #settinghealthyboundaries in relation to the outside world, to reinforce #resilience, and to fall asleep.
The practice starts at 3:40'
#creatingcalm #mindfulness #sophrology #anxiety #retreat #visualization #positivepsychology
Performance anxiety can be absolutely crippling. It has nothing to do with how smart or well-prepared we are, it is all about feeling vulnerable and stressed about having to prove yourself to others, and being afraid to fail.
Anxiety is a feeling, secondary to the emotion of fear. A feeling is an emotion, to which we have attached a meaning, a thought, and a belief. I am #anxious because I am afraid (#emotion) that I will fail or not obtain my goal (#negativethought) because I am not good or smart enough (#limitingbelief).
This kind of self-induced pressure (the « I have to slay this or else ») makes our "fight-or-flight" mechanism kick in, resulting in physical symptoms like sweating, stomach pains, trembling, a fast pounding heart, rapid breathing, etc.
In this podcast, you will find a guided anxiety relaxation meditation (starting at 7'45 ), to help you back to calm.
There are many different ways in which #Sophrology, #CBT, and #Mindfulness can help us with #performanceanxiety. You are very welcome to connect if you'd like to find out more.
Knowing that 60% of resolutions don't even make it through the first month and only 9 % of people successfully keep their resolutions, why not do things differently this year?
Instead of forcing ourselves to completely change ourselves to become better, let's first try letting go of what's getting in our way to live a satisfied and fulfilled life.
Meet the person you would like to be, with the qualities and capabilities that fit your values. And then set an intention, to become that person, one baby step at a time, by finding the right tools and the support you need to do that.
In this guided practice, combining mindfulness and sophrology I will help you release what no longer serves you and visualize a future self that feels authentic.
#authenticself #lettinggo #releasinganxiety #newbeginnings #intentionsetting #peerpressure #sophrology #mindfulness #hotairballoon #lâcherprise
Emotions shape our lives in powerful ways, they give us the ability to feel and experience the world around us. They influence us on many different levels and are closely linked to our thoughts, behaviors, and overall mental health.
With everything that has been going on in the world and in our lives lately, emotions can spin out of control. Whether provoked by an argument, feelings of professional or personal failure, or concerns, about our financial situation, our loved ones, or our future, our emotions can lead us to do or say things in the heat of the moment that we may later regret.
Emotional regulation is the ability to manage our emotional responses. It is a skill we can learn and improve with practice. In this podcast, I'll guide you through the first step.
Managing our emotions is not a let's make life easier for the people in our environment kind of thing, most of the benefits are for us.
Strong emotional intelligence, awareness and regulation skills will improve your long-term wellbeing, boost your confidence, enrich your personal relationships, give you better coping strategies, increase work performance, enhance your resilience and distress tolerance and lead to better overall health.
#emotionregulation #emotionmanagement #distresstolerance #mentalhealth #workplacewellbeing #wellnessatwork #sophrology #emotionalawareness #CBT #DBT #resilience #selfesteem #selfawareness #consciousliving
Studies show a direct correlation between authenticity and mental health. Authenticity is linked to lower levels of anxiety, depression, and loss of behavioral and emotional control. People who cannot live from a true place of authenticity, have higher stress levels created in their minds and bodies. Being our true self leads to higher levels of happiness and fulfillment.
I have seen from personal experience how detrimental not being able to live an authentic life can be. "Just be you" may seem simple, but for a lot of people, it is not. That's why you will find a guided meditation to reconnect with your Authentic Self, starting at 5.25.
{ 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘴 ; 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 }
#authenticity #healthyboundaries #depression #emotionalregulation #mentalhealth #anxiety #stress #trueself #diversity #inclusivity
Going back to school after the holidays is not always easy, especially when the whole world is still in turmoil. Children face numerous daily stressors that can negatively affect their learning and development. Unlike many of the colleagues in my area, I love working with children (and adolescents). They are just tiny humans, pretty much suffering from the same basic fears, doubts, and stressors as we do.
And even though the form of those fears and stressors may be different, the way they are able to describe their expression in the body is no different from the way adults describe accumulated tension; heart palpitations, pressure on the chest, stomach aches, tummy upsets.
Performing this mindfulness practice together, in an unforced, casual, fun way, will help them connect with their body, discover where negative emotions and feelings are stored, and relax from head to toe. Multiple studies have shown that practicing mindfulness (to increase self- and body awareness) improves children's attention span, motor skills, resilience to stress, self-esteem, and well-being.
This practice only takes 10 to 15 minutes, and it is a great family bonding experience.
#mindfulness #bodyscan #mindfulnessforkids #sophrology #backtoschool #emotionmanagementforkids #stressreduction #familytime
When I first started meditating over 15 years ago, I had the hardest time not having all kinds of thoughts running through my mind. The harder I tried to stop the distracting thoughts the louder their voices became.
The same thing happens when we are stressed and try to repress our worries, we fall into the trap of rumination. It is one of the issues that my clients mention all the time - how can I stop my (negative) thinking?
There are many tools and practices available in Mindfulness, Sophrology, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help us with automatic negative thoughts.
In this podcast, I offer a guided meditation and a tool at the same time to help you observe your thoughts, distance yourself from them, and let them go.
#rumination #lettinggo #calmyourmind #pause #negativethoughts #automaticpilot #observe #meditationpractice
When we breathe normally, we don't use our lungs to their full capacity. With Breathwork having become so popular, let's discuss one of the most important, basic, and maybe even the most simple breathing technique there is, Diaphragmatic breathing, which allows us to use our lungs at 100%. Easy to learn and quick to implement.
It has a ton of benefits and is proven to play an important role in recovering respiratory function in chronic pulmonary diseases. And you can do it in just 5 minutes a day and almost everywhere. This one is recorded on my home veranda, so enjoy the birds singing as well.
Our bodies are very aware of seasonal changes, even if we don't realize it. Our head, our hair, our hormones all respond to spring's return.
Another change that happens in Spring is moving the clocks an hour forward into the artificially constructed Daylight Savings Time. A shift that has a bigger effect than we may realize.
Researchers found that Daylight saving time goes against our body’s circadian rhythm, deregulates our sleep-wake cycle, and can pose serious health risks, such as stroke and heart attack, especially in the week following the time change.
It’s important to recognize how seasonal changes and time changes, affect our bodies. While we can’t escape these changes, we can pay closer attention to our body's needs. That is why I have recorded this special guided “Feel Good” mindfulness meditation, to help you reconnect to your body and resource.
Today we are going to profoundly relax our bodies and our minds.
Our physical health and our emotional health are intimately intertwined in what is known as the mind-body connection. In Sophrology we make use of this connection and the way our body responds to stress by increasing our present body awareness. Where does, what affects you on a daily basis, physically, mentally, or emotionally, express itself in your body?
One way to improve the mind-body connection is by meditating. Mindfulness meditation techniques are incorporated in Sophrology, the science of consciousness in harmony, developed by neuropsychiatrist Alphonso Caycedo.
Using the five senses — sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch — in sophrology practice helps us to observe, slow down and live in the moment.
That placing our attention on our five senses helps us ease mental anxiety and muscle tension is a well-known principle also used in float tank therapy. The isolation tank was developed in the fifties by John C. Lilly, a medical practitioner and also a neuropsychiatrist.
We used to call it the "sensory deprivation" tank, but nowadays we prefer the term "flotation-REST" (reduced environmental stimulation therapy) because floating in an isolation tank actually enhances sensory input from the body ( like cardiorespiratory sensations).
This inspired me to create a guided meditation called “The body of water” that I have used during group relaxation work. You are very welcome to share this meditation provided that you mention where it came from.
Welcome to a fresh start of a new year. Let me begin by wishing you all a happy, healthy and lovely lighthearted 2022.
I do not know what kind of rituals you have around this period, but I will tell you a bit about mine. At the beginning of each year I set Intentions, instead of Resolutions.
In this podcast, I want to take you through a simple mindfulness intention setting meditation, where we choose a positive intention for this year.
Enjoy!
This episode will also be available on Youtube ( https://youtu.be/UI6m_jIP_cw ) , where you will find the slide with reflective questions I ask at the end (or beginning) of each year.
As ever in your corner,
🌟 𝒞𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃 🌟
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆: Lifesaving Trait number 2.
Adversity and stress are a part of life, but how we respond will determine our level of wellbeing. We can wallow in self-pity or we can creatively explore new ways to overcome.
Being resilient does not mean that we don’t experience (dis)stress or emotional upset. Some people associate resilience with mental toughness, but demonstrating resilience includes experiencing pain and failure, working through adversity, accepting and adapting to situations, bouncing back, and moving forward.
Some of us are more naturally resilient than others, or we have been taught the skills to withstand hardship. And there may be times we need to reinforce our resilience skills to better weather the storm.
How we view adversity and stress strongly affects how we perform in daily life, and this is one of the most significant reasons that having a resilient mindset is so important. While we as individuals process trauma and adversity in different ways, there are certain protective factors that help build resilience by improving coping skills and adaptability.
New research suggests that natural resilience may not be as common as once thought. Especially when we are confronted with a major life-altering event and /or major life stressors, we struggle considerably and for longer periods of time.
Sophrology can help us reinforce the ressources we feel we need to rebuild or improve our resilience.
{ "𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚. 𝑵𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚, 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖."— 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒎𝒂 }
It's World Kindness Day today. The purpose of this day is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. In my humble opinion, we can strive for kindness and compassion in our hearts each and every day.
Kindness, compassion, non-judgment, wishing for peace and harmony...these are all the common denominators of my daily practices; Mindfulness, Meditation, and Sophrology. This pandemic may have polarized the world and societies on many levels but polarization is not a new phenomenon.
Labeling people by their behavior and characteristics is dangerous because it can lead to dehumanization. It categorizes people, it is a tool we use to comprehend the complexity that is humans and everything we perceive.
Labels are related to judgments, they create stereotypes, hearsay, bias, fears, stigma, and the inability to separate a person from the label itself. We start to regard differing viewpoints in demeaning ways.
It is possible to dislike a certain kind of behavior without dismissing the person. Although it’s always challenging to show kindness to those we disagree with, accepting someone as a person in kindness is not the same thing as agreeing. Appreciate the good things about them, and do not try to change them for your convenience or needs. This works both ways, by the way.
Today I recorded a “Just Like Me” Compassion Practice podcast. You'll listen to a mindfulness practice for increasing compassion. This guided visualization invites you to look at how we are similar in important ways, which will help us to remember what we share as human beings. This practice can be done alone or with a partner.
#mindfulness #sophrology #worldkindnessday #compassion #innerpeace #kindness #forgiveness #healthyrelationships #harmoniousliving
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆. – 𝑨𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑬𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏
I am not alone in putting adaptability and flexibility at the number 1 position on my "overcoming challenges" "life-saving" skills set.
Cognitive flexibility – a skill that enables us to switch between different concepts, or to adapt behavior to achieve goals in a novel or changing environment - is essential for society to flourish. It can help maximize the potential of individuals.
You are welcome to connect with me!
✩ Instagram - http://instagram.com/positivepresence.eu
✩ Facebook - http://facebook.com/positivepresence.eu
✩ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carinvanbuuren/
#lifesavingskills #adaptandadjust #changemanagement #sophrology #mindfulness #adaptability #wellbeing #cognitivebehavioraltherapy #workplacehealth #stresssolutions #cognitivocomportamental #mentalhealth #changemanagement #consciouschange #sophrology #MiCBT #adaptingtochange #cognitiveflexibility #neuroscience #synapticpruning #adaptandthrive #brainscience #neuroplasticity
With over a year of Covid, there are lots of reasons to take some time to look back and reflect.
Life is never boring, filled with curveballs, major "bouncing back" moments after hefty disappointments, and we regularly have to reinvent ourselves. In short, it is a learning adventure. And change is a constant.
The life-saving traits that I have learned over the years and that have helped me the most to stay sane in the midst of adversity are:
⭐ Adaptability and Flexibility
⭐ Resilience
⭐ Having a Sense of Self and my Values
⭐ Being able to set Boundaries
⭐ Awareness of my Inner and my Outer World
Over the upcoming weeks, I will dive a little bit deeper into each of the above. This episode is about adaptability and our resistance to change. What are your "lifesavers"?
#balancedliving #adaptandthrive #mentalhealth #adaptandadjust #conscientawareness #boundaries #resilience #senseofself #bouncebackbetter #adaptandovercome
Like with positive visualization affirmations can be used to reprogram the subconscious mind. The word affirmation comes from the Latin affirmare, originally meaning "to make steady, strengthen." Affirmations also have the ability to rewire our brains. Much like exercise, they raise the level of feel-good hormones and push our brains to form new clusters of “positive thought” neurons.
In this audio, you will hear 22 healing affirmations. I made the audio to support the many friends that fell ill this year. You are very welcome to share it with whoever may need this.
In this audio, you'll be guided through a simple Multisensory Imagery practice from #Mindfulness to practice #visualization. Visualization is incredibly powerful. If practiced daily, it can help in all aspects of your life, from accomplishing your goals, being more productive, growing positively as a person, to reducing pain and stress, and much more.
When we are using "visualization" and "picturing" something in our “mind’s eye” we activate the same neural pathways in the brain as if we're actually experiencing whatever it is that we’re visualizing in real life.
This means, each time you visualize yourself living a gratifying or pleasant moment, or achieving a goal, you are programming the mind. In particular, you are programming the subconscious mind to believe that you can and will live out these moments.
Tips for practicing:
⭐Try Not to Overthink the Technique
⭐ Make Sure You're Creating Time without Distractions.
⭐ Use All Your Senses (#multisensoryimagery)
⭐ Have a Regular Visualization Practice.
⭐ Connect with the Emotion of Visualization.
⭐ Visualize with a Sense of Knowing (start with a common object).
#sophrology #mindset #neuroscience #braintraining #futureforward #stress #mentalprepping #subconsciousprogramming #mentalimage #mentalrehearsal #consciousness