14 minute read
Health & Wellness
HARNESSING THE POWER OF YOUR MIND!
BY KIM RAAIJMAKERS
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Ever stepped into a meeting and already begin to feel irritated when you see who is there?
Is there a song that you hear takes you right back to high school? DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO FEEL OR HOW YOU WANT TO RESPOND.
So you could choose to feel excited or motivated. Or maybe you want to calm yourself down and remember to breathe.
Maybe it’s a smell, that takes you right back to a specific place and time? These are natural ways your brain has associated certain sounds and smells with a memory or feeling. Within neuroscience this is called anchoring. You’ve anchored a specific sensation based on something that you see, hear, smell, touch or feel. This happens when you in a heightened state of emotion, both positive and negative; your brain takes note to remember, so that next time it is easier for your brain to know what to do. So now each time you hear that song, smell or feeling, your trigger an automatic reaction in your brain which creates a specific feeling or behavior.
This is a reason why if you don’t like conflict, you may go into a state of avoidance.
Same as each time I hear “Time of Your Life” by Green Day I’m taken back to my high school graduation and prom. The feelings mixed of relief to have graduated, nervous about what comes next, excitement to start a new journey, sadness to the ending of a community in which I had spent so many years. Just this one song triggers so many feelings and thoughts.
Why does any of this matter? CHOOSE IF YOU WANT IT TO BE SOMETHING YOU HEAR, SEE, FEEL OR SMELL. All that upbeat music that plays before a sports game is meant to pump up the audience, you can do the same. Pick your favorite song that gets you feeling energetic and motivate.
Or do you want to calm down when you’re irritated or stressed? You could choose to take a deep breath (or three) before you respond. As a side note, this has worked so well that my children now know that I’m calming myself down when the inevitable complaints over dinner begin, because I’ve trained my brain to just breathe rather than to react.
GET STARTED AND PRACTISE.
This does not happen all at once, you will have to take the steps to put the feeling you want with the anchor you want to create. Put on a song that gives you that sense of energy and play it loud, dance to it and create an experience from it. Do it every day and you will notice you walk away with the energy and motivation you wanted.
Each time you start to feel stressed, take a deep breath. And if you can’t remember to do this in the moment, practise by imaging yourself in that situation and then seeing yourself taking a deep breath.
It is not about getting this perfect, it will take time for the anchors to take hold and become as automatic as the ones that you have accumulated naturally over your life. How awesome is it when you know you have the power to get your brain to work for you! The possibilities are endless on how and where you can use this.
You can make these anchors yourself. You can use them to pump yourself up in the morning with energy, confidence and motivation. You can use anchors to calm yourself down in moments when you need it.
Up until now you have been accidently creating anchors which trigger automatic behaviors. Like when you hear the name of your high school bully and begin feeling that sense of dread or stress. Or how when some says there is a test or exam at the end, you already tensing up and thinking I hope I can remember the answers. And honestly, it doesn’t matter what the test is, this is just what happens every time!
So what can you do to create the anchors that you want? So what are you ready to try today?
Live life with soul
Melissa Giller teaches women how to build lives that reflect, honour and strengthen their best selves.
BY LISA CRESS PHOTOS BY VANESSA MAYBERRY
When a woman is confident in who she is and the decisions she makes, she radiates outwards. Her family thrives, her career prospers and the world around her benefits. When we are in tune with who we are and understand our own hearts, we can live authentically. However, when we’re unsure about ourselves and what we truly want, making big decisions can be paralyzing. As a certified life coach, business consultant and mentor, Melissa Giller, MBA started Life with Soul with the mission to help women wake-up their inner confidence, heal themselves and remove what’s stopping them from living the life they really want. “I think, as women, we tend to hold ourselves back from investing in our inner healing, development or personal growth,” says Giller. “Working on our bodies, diet and the clothes we wear is easily accepted - but digging in and making changes to who we are and how we think and feel about ourselves takes a bit more convincing, even though it’s just as important.” Giller believes that we all strive to craft a life on the outside that is reflective of how we want to feel on the inside. Life With Soul offers individualized, one-on-one mentoring with Giller and a membership-based community with personal development resources and group coaching sessions. “It takes bravery to live a life that goes outside of the norm or what is expected of you – but living on your own terms and being true to your wants and needs is the greatest gift you could give yourself,” says Giller. “My goal is to help people establish control over their holistic wellbeing. It is possible to become someone who feels good, balanced and excited about life.” Giller practices what she preaches. She is invested when it comes to growing her business and trying new approaches to teach others how to find joy, balance and purpose. “I hope to launch The Life With Soul Podcast later this year and start an entrepreneurship training program I’m calling Mindful Boss Academy,” Giller explains. “I also offer The Fearless Feminine Leader series. A three part workbook designed to teach you how to release fear, gain support and take the next steps towards your vision. I am very proud that I’ve been able to pursue this career path, create this life for myself and make a real difference for other women, too.” When it comes to women ‘having it all’, Giller believes it’s entirely possible. “We need to understand that just like in nature, there’s a seasonality to our lives. We’re always evolving – so what ‘it all’ is to us is always going to change,” says Giller. “When a woman can trust herself to define what ‘it all’ looks like, then they sky’s the limit – she can have whatever she puts her heart to.” Are you ready for real change in your life? Learn more about Melissa Giller and Life With Soul at www.melissagiller.com.
Melissa Giller hello@melissagiller.com www.melisssagiller.com
- Shannon L. Alder
MELISSA GILLER
The Butterfly Language of Growth
BY STEFANIE BARANOWSKI, DIAMOND LOTUS YOGA
When I sit back and reflect on where I was a year ago, I was a different me. I can see I have grown and changed with my experiences and all the things I have had to overcome. I am now mentally stronger and wiser and have a better understanding of myself. I look back at what I’ve gone through and feel proud of my ability to find growth and transformation through all the mud and pressure. Opportunities for growth are given to us daily. Sometimes these opportunities are strongly evident and placed directly in front of us, and other times they are presented to us as small markers or unclear ways that may make us question a deeper meaning behind their presence. Sometimes we won’t know what that opportunity for growth might bring until we take on the challenge to see it, greet it, and meet it with open arms. Growth happens in the challenges, the discomfort, and the mess of the non-linear path. To find growth requires us to move out of our comfort zone and feel all the emotions that come to the surface when we come face to face with our fears. Our comfort zone is usually what’s consistent, predictable, and gives a sense of safety. It’s where we usually find ourselves in a nice, relaxed state in our mind and body. However, we don’t manifest growth when we stay the same. The one thing that is constant in life is change; change is always occurring around us day to day, hour to hour, and minute to minute. We can choose to either resist change and stay within the confines of our comfort zone, or we can choose to embrace change and move with it and grow with it. Growth happens when we decide to embrace the discomfort, as mentally and emotionally challenging as it is. It’s in embracing the change and discomfort that we find transformation over time. Just as the butterfly needs time in its cocoon to transform, so do we as humans. When we welcome change and discomfort, and can find patience in the concept of time, transformation will transpire. We might not notice the transformation as it’s happening, but when we
give ourselves the opportunity to self-refl ect in days, weeks, months, and years, we can see that transformation is time sensitive. We are not the same person we were a year ago, a month ago, a week ago, or even yesterday. Giving yourself the opportunity to embrace change every day will allow you to move towards that transformation to being the best version of you. Moving through change can feel frustrating at times and as though the light at the end is far out of reach. It’s in those times we need to show the most kindness to ourselves. Growth and change require us to self-refl ect and fi nd gratitude in even the smallest of things. So, let your heart be bigger than your ego and your soul shine brighter than the darkness of the day.
– Stefanie Baranowski (Diamond Lotus, 2021).
Align to your true centre
It is time to start putting yourself first, and Laura Macleod has an app for that.
BY LISA CRESS PHOTOS BY SHARLA PIKE
Laura MacLeod knows what it’s like to feel lost, overwhelmed and disconnected. Caught in a pattern of people-pleasing, with a void no amount of wine, food or Netflix could fill, MacLeod hit a crisis point. “I was experiencing health problems that were signals from my body that something needed to change. I realized there was only one person holding me back from taking care of myself – it was me,” Laura MacLeod, Owner of Align explains. “Once I took control of my life back, I started saying “no” and found my alignment, a world of possibilities opened. I found my purpose – and in 2019, I began to help other women find theirs.” MacLeod is a mindset and alignment coach. She helps women reconnect to their inner wisdom and unique purpose. We may have forgotten what our purpose is while taking care of everyone but ourselves. The best gift we can give our children is a mom who is lit up from within and going after her dreams.
Laura MacLeod
“When you find alignment, it’s like putting down a heavy bag of bricks you didn’t even know you’ve been carrying around,” MacLeod says. “I help women learn how to start taking intentional care of themselves. My coaching focuses on the 12 Align Tools that I use in my life to stay aligned and grounded.”
The 12 Align Tools also comes in the form of a mobile app. The app helps you set consistency and accountability to work towards your goals while ultimately supporting your mental health.
- Glennon Doyle
“I’ve seen how so many women are under a dizzying amount of pressure to do it all and be everything to everyone. When we are at work, we feel guilty because we are not with our family. When we are with family, we feel guilty for not giving 100% to our work,” says MacLeod. “We are programmed to be selfless and sacrifice our needs, health and desires. Through 1:1 and group coaching, I help women turn inward and take care of their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.” MacLeod has high hopes for the future of the 12 Align Tools mobile app and coaching program. “I like to dream big – so I hope one day the 12 Align Tools reaches millions of people and supports their journey to purposeful living. We all have unique gifts and something to offer – the world needs us to embrace what those are and do what lights us up.” For anyone considering starting their own business, MacLeod hopes her own story can be a source of inspiration. “I pushed myself to start Align because I knew I had more to contribute to the world than the work I was doing at the time. I was tired of hiding in the background, helping others achieve their dreams. If you have a dream for your own business – do it. Do not let your dream die unexplored.”
Align, by Laura MacLeod support@aligntools.com
Hard work makes the dream work
Fifty 5 Fitness and Form Fitness are here to help women of all fitness levels keep moving
BY LISA CRESS PHOTOS BY ANN POOLE CREATIONS
For women 55+ looking for a space to exercise that focuses on form and no-impact workouts, Fifty 5 Fitness specializes in minimizing injury and modifying moves so women of all fitness levels can join. “I started Fifty 5 Fitness in July of 2017. At first, my why was my Mom. She was looking for a gym to start exercising at and she felt she didn’t fit in at any of the gyms in her area,” explains Emily Parkes, Owner, Fifty 5 Fitness. “She wanted to find a fitness class taught by someone who was ‘Senior Fitness’ certified to make sure she wouldn’t hurt herself. She also wanted to find somewhere she could connect with women her age.” Fifty 5 Fitness started by offering one class a week, but it quickly grew to a full schedule. “My why now is fueled by the many wonderful women I get to work with every week. We are almost in our 5th year of business and I have seen our clients go from being nervous and brand new to exercise to having incredible confidence in their ability and finding long-lasting friendships at the studio.” Parkes pushed herself to take the leap into entrepreneurship after being inspired by other female business owners in Winnipeg. “My neighbour Cheryl Zealand owns Cranked Energy. She is a busy mom of three boys and I remember watching her when she first started her business in complete Emily Parkes, Owner/Creator amazement,” says Parkes. “Her drive, determination and Fifty 5 Fitness & Form Fitness passion in her business gave me the push to start mine.” 8-960 Lormier Blvd, Winnipeg, MB 204-807-1982 Anyone building a business knows it takes grit, hard work www.fifty5fitness.com and determination. “My biggest challenge has been finding a work/life balance and asking for help. I have two kids and two businesses – so it’s a lot of early mornings, late nights and constant challenges,” Parkes says. “It took me two years to hire more staff – and I wish I had done it sooner.” Parkes launched her second business, Form Fitness, in January 2022. Form Fitness is under the same roof as Fifty 5 Fitness – but it’s catered to a younger crowd of women aged 30 to 50. “At Form, it’s all about simple movements and small class sizes. “I may be a We focus on exercises that are easy to understand and combine them senior, but so with correct form and repetition to help members achieve their fitness what? I’m still goals. We want to keep you moving for years to come!” hot.” - Betty White When it comes to women ‘having it all’, Parkes believes it’s possible with hard work and the willingness to make sacrifices to get there. “There are going to be tough days where you want to throw in the towel and give up – keep going,” Parkes says. “When you look back in five or 10 years and see what you’ve accomplished, you’re going to be pretty darn proud of yourself. Dream big – but be ready to put in the work to achieve those dreams!”
