Not to be taken for granted, the body-mind knows how to heal. Pressing through injury, illness, overuse, spotty nourishment, questionable choices, times of scarcity and uncertainty, seasons of intense change, high stress, trauma, and demanding schedules […] is something that can be handled. After all, you are brilliantly designed to be resilient. 
 
Repetitively recovering and staying dedicated to finding the way (back) to health is a hard-coded ability that tends to endure… at least for awhile… for a season… and likely longer. But it begs to be asked, are these seasons that demand your resilience an exception or have they become a way of life?
 
Has resilience become your wellness strategy?
 
Consciously entering into a partnership with body-mind health shifts reliance off resilience. Routines become reasonable. Boundaries become accepted as standard practice. And 'getting through' is a temporary experience that is endured with patient understanding that this too shall pass.
 
A question to ponder…
What obstacles and habits can you discard or re-write that are built upon a strategy of resilience?

Questions? Comments? Let's connect.
I have a few appointment times available in the coming week.

In health,
​Amy Rena Erickson

How you view your food has a measurable physiological response in the body.
How you view your abilities has a measurable response in the outcomes.
How you view your work has a measurable response in job satisfaction.
How you view your purpose has a measurable response in mental health.
How you view stress has a measurable response in the body and in outcomes.
. . . 
Learning to monitor provides an opportunity to modify.

MONITOR: By stabilizing attention (focusing awareness), we gain an ability to monitor energy and information flow. → Through monitoring, we improve our ability to learn [from the mindset, situation, experience, etc.] by picking up on the subtle details acquired through the senses, bodily sensations, mental activities, and relational interconnection that may be present. By effectively monitoring, we are able to effectively modify our viewpoints and outcomes.

MODIFY: With the focus, depth, clarity, and detail that is acquired through monitoring, we are then able to effectively modify. These modifications can be tangible - pedaling, steering, and braking when learning to ride a bike - or more intangible, such as modifications to viewpoints, attitudes, and emotional intelligence. All producing notable differences in outcomes. 

DEBRIEF: The mind is an incredibly powerful factor in the life equation. Mindset not only matters, it is a strong determinant of outcomes. If you think you can't, you are right. If you think you can, you have a considerable advantage in whatever it is you are dedicating yourself to doing. Monitor your engagement, beliefs, and approach to Modify your resulting actions… all based on the feedback loop presented through mindfulness.

Schedule a One-on-One skill-building session


In health,
Amy Rena Erickson

I tend to be a planner… who prefers to be spontaneous. Hang with me as I set up the point of relevancy…
This past weekend, I vocalized a long-standing motto that has been a guidepost for living in this way -preparation allows me to be spontaneous. It was met with a chuckle as well as an acknowledgement that this makes sense (for me, my personality type… and also for life in general). 
 
Sunday 🎬 Scene: After church, I was open to wherever the day might go. I prepared a bag of hiking clothes, dissertation materials, lunch for the pup, and layers to carry me through the wild weather patterns called “spring” in the Midwest.  ✔️I am prepared to be spontaneous.  (If you're curious, it turned into a glorious day of brunching, napping, and hiking.)
 
You see, if we wait for the moment of application to get prepared, that moment of opportunity might pass by or be more challenging than necessary. While I certainly have an ability to plan the day in advance, I didn't want to. I prefer to be spontaneous. But I have respect for preparing for the opportunities and options that may arise.
 
In a broader sweep of life and skills → If I decide to apply myself to learning [enter the skill], I am significantly more prepared to utilize that skill when it is called upon. 

• Defensive driving to avoid a crash,
• using the heimlich maneuver to save a life,
• pausing before responding (possibly also life saving 🥲),
• slowing down to acknowledge I am upset and modifying as needed,
• holding focus on a singular task,
• recognizing and tending to early signs of stress and anxiety

None of these things are learned in a spontaneous fashion. They require preparation before the scene occurs. Do it daily - the pause, the mind-body system check-in, the mindful movement, flexing the muscle of attention, learning new skills and inner-care method/s that move the needle in life preparedness. Life is spontaneous and largely unpredictable. But investing in preparation for these experiences proves to be a worthwhile discipline. 

​You cannot plan for the unexpected - so you must prepare instead.

In health,
Amy Rena Erickson

Would you consider yourself to have good oral hygiene if you only brush once per week? 
Good mind hygiene also requires consistency.

With even a few minutes per day, we are able to assist the mind in maintaining healthier neural connections (think: integrated thought processes, balanced reactions, greater in-the-moment intelligence). Practices of meditation, prayer, yoga, distraction-free time, journaling, gentle movement, thought-awareness, and other mindfulness practices are all helpful methods for boosting mental health and conditioning the mind for greater clarity. And in alignment with all efforts of hygiene, there must be consistency for the benefits to be realized.

A life without rest is restless.

The above listed methods for mind hygiene have a common thread: they are deliberate and slow. The slow-down can be a challenge for many. It arises as feeling “lazy”, a “waste of time”, not rigorous enough to hit a calorie-burning goal, or overall unimportant in the trajectory of goal-achieving. We are utterly inundated with a push for fast, distracted, scattered, and high-pressure ways of being. The cultural pace of ‘busy’ keeps the locust of control on external sources and out of self-regulated reach… resulting in poor hygiene.

True rest is a break from pressure. True rest is not a break from purpose.

Personally, the practice of slow has become a focal point in my health and spiritual journey. I have made and continue to hold space for rest, for mind-hygiene, for evolving my mind-body connections, and awakening a sense of deep restoration that was previously so evasive. What has come as a result? Peace. Knowing. Space for God's movement. A state of health I did not know before. Clearer alignment to my purpose. Deeper relationships. And many more unspoken undercurrents of system alignment. 

Are you interested in learning more about mental hygiene or other methods of moving the needle in health? Take a peek at my schedule and let's connect!

In health,
Amy Rena Erickson

​Dedicating time for progress in your mental health journey is quite frankly… optional. And gaining a better understanding to where your joy is sourced may not have been your top choice for a New Year's resolution. Your focus is perhaps on your weight, your pocketbook, or those recurring 'bad' habits that you aim to finally overcome. When we allow ourselves to take a step back, however, we see 👀 much of these things are deeply interconnected. 
 
Emotional eating. Retail therapy. Alcohol as the wind-down method.
 
Our experiences and choices do not arise in isolation. Holding extra weight is often a side-effect of deeper processes that deserve to be re-visited. And while counting calories and killing it at the gym are methods to work with the symptom of weight gain, it begs to be asked: Do these methods get to the root of the pattern and provide long-term staying power? We can use this same process of inquiry when it comes to unnecessary spending and the reach for alcohol. Is this a solution? Or a temporary resolve?

In health,
​Amy Rena Erickson

​The best way to do it, is to do it.

A friend sent me this quote a few years back, saying it reminded her of me. The acknowledgement of being a 'doer' stuck with me and I find value in returning to the sentiment to motivate me in moments of low gusto. Today, I pass this on to you with hopes it offers you motivation, if only for today.
 
In deeper exploration, the return to the sentiment of being a doer is the result of an emotional memory being instilled (see Oct 7 newsletter on methods for successful goal setting). It stuck with me because it struck me as being meaningful… a key ingredient for sustainable action. While 'doing' and 'waiting' both have rightful purpose, there is a notable difference between 'doing' and 'waiting for the perfect time' or 'waiting for.. (insert excuse)..'. 
 
Two truths: 

• The best (and only) way to do it, is to do it.
• There will never be a perfect time.

I say this motto -out loud- when it's time to do the thing I don't want to do that once done will move me further towards my desired outcomes. Through the flows and throws, we all ebb in our motivations and visions… and hopefully the 'doing' outweighs the 'waiting' as you step (jump! leap!) with both feet into this precious life.

In health, 
Amy Rena Erickson

“Goal setting” can be a slippery slope of empty promises… when done incorrectly. The reality is, conscious deliberation is easily forgotten and sparks of motivation fizzle out. What withstands is an awareness of direction paired with an emotional memory of where you are heading. When setting a sustainable framework for direction and intention (ie. goals with a fluid reciprocity for redirection when needed), there are multiple unconscious factors that are ideally also considered. Factors such as emotional tethering, visual anchor points, and a willingness to connect to the ‘goal’ in a personal way makes the vision of what it is you're dreaming of come to life. The Science: Research shows that long-term goals reach their highest likelihood of success when they are effectively integrated by the above mentioned methods. 

In a snapshot, the science of successful goal setting requires the process get upgraded from a pen+paper process to a living+breathing integration. While writing goals is a wonderful starting point or part of the process, the drive that is pulsing into the pen is where we ideally hold our focus. 

Interested in bringing your goals to life? Let's connect!

In health, 
​Amy Rena Erickson