Hi Everyone, hope everyone is doing well and maintaining your mental fitness. I'm looking forward to our next catch-up, and to sharing our ideas and enjoying the energy of connection!
I thought I would do a short recap for the group on key takeaways from my video chat series, 'Thriving in the #Newnormal,' which many of you took part in. I thought this would be a good way of learning from each other.
Video 1 - Adeel shares with us how focusing on his breathing helped him deal with his anxiety while trying to recover from the virus. By also connecting with his spirituality, he was able to avoid the rabbit hole of negative thinking.
Video 2 - This chat was with Jahde, an elite level athlete, who I've worked with for 3+ years. Jahde shares how he is approaching the situation, and tips for accepting the new reality and making the mental shift, including using mindfulness to help you come out stronger than you went in.
Video 3 - Ezi, a nurse working in Urgent Care, shares how we should protect our mindset from the news and social media. And how we need to prepare our minds to be able to adapt to uncertainty. Ezi reminds us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel: this won't go on forever.
Video 4 - Dave, a highschool teacher, shares tips on how to survive the childcare constraints from his experience creating a schedule for his younger kids. He reminds us to focus on being flexible to our kids' needs, and shares tips for finding new ways to connect with our community.
Video 5 - Gary, an elite level coach, shares the importance of slowing down and self-reflecting. The end goal is to become great prisoners.
Video 6 - Caroline, a clinical and sports psychologist in Belgium, highlights the need to accept your grumpy days and how to bounce back, as well as the importance of asking for help when you need it. She also reminds us that regular physical activity is key for mental fitness.
Video 7 - Jen shares tips for maintaining yoga and your informal mindfulness practice. She also shares how she is learning to relinquish control and build her spiritual practice by discerning what is in her control and what is not, and surrendering things outside her control to a higher power.
Video 8 - Betsy shares how we can use this opportunity to reveal the special light we each have within us. Look what Nelson Mandela achieved from enforced lockdown? Think what we could do.
Video 9 - Natalie shares perspective from the younger generation, and how she is being creative with technology to reinvent emotional outlets and social connections.
Video 10 - Ify, an emergency room doctor in New York City, talks about engaging with things that lift your energy. The magic ingredient is good quality sleep, so consistent sleep hygiene is critical.
Video 11 - Cindy, a journalist in Los Angeles, shares her hack for stripping everything back and focusing on things that really matter, as well as keeping a journal to cherish the quiet moments.
Video 12 - Dan, a sports psychologist in Australia, talks about 21 ways for better wellbeing in 21 days. His key message: Do a little everyday to improve your wellbeing. What can you do to make the next 60 mins or 24hrs better? Recognise where you are and accept the reality.
Each of these videos are posted to my blog on my website, www.dreamcatchersperformance.com
Whenever you need some inspiration, dive into them. I have found them to be extremely useful for building my mental fitness. I hope that you find them helpful too.
I will leave you with pictures from our family BBQ, which took place right after our last call. It definitely improved our mental fitness.
Stay safe, everyone, 'till we meet again.
Our next meeting will be in 2 weeks on Saturday, June 20th 12pm EST/5pm UK Time!
