10 THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY
10 Thoughts on a Thursday
musings, inspiration & ideas from the week
Fun story, I wrote this entire blog post and then accidentally deleted it. Yay, we love it when that happens… This round is going to be extra juicy, extra fun & slightly less inhibited. For those of you who missed last week’s post, you can read it here :) I am playing around with this new format of communication, I hope you enjoy it.
10 thoughts on a Thursday:
NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming)— have you heard of it?? In the world of psychology, we call this positive self-talk. It’s powerful stuff. For those of you who don’t know, NLP is a field of study that explores the relationship between human behavior, language, and the mind. The underlying principle of NLP is that by understanding how you represent the world internally (through your thoughts & language) you can change unhelpful patterns of thinking to foster personal development and growth. I have found this to be extremely helpful when looking to crack a limiting belief. I could go on and on about this topic but for the sake of brevity, I’ll keep it at this. LMK if you’d like to learn more about this!
Now, I feel the need to mention Taylor Swift. Disclaimer: I am not a swiftie.. I don’t dislike her, by any means, in fact, I loved her Debut album in 2006. What really interests me & what I want to talk to you about is the psychology of this Taylor Swify Craze. I am BAFFELED by her and can not wait for the documentary of the Eras tour to come out. So to frame this story: Taylor Swift just came to Denver, Colorado. I knew at least 15 people (of all ages) who attended the concert. First of all, how does she do it? She performs 44 songs in a row (i think that’s the right #) for 3.5 hours straight, 2x per week, for over a YEAR?!? This is like Olympic Athlete status endurance. I don't know what to say, other than the fact that I am fascinated and want to know how she does it— what is she eating? what is her morning routine? how does she stay in the headspace? what does she do to recover? How is she doing this?
If you have been feeling off lately, I just want to be the first to say I FEEL YOU. I do too. Nothing else to say here other than I see you, I know what it feels like, and you’ll get through this. Nothing is permanent.
Next, I just want to have a moment of silence for acupuncture. I’ve been going to acupuncture and working with a TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) doctor a few times per month since February. TCM is an ancient & comprehensive system of healthcare that has been practiced for thousands of years in China and other parts of Eastern Asia. It encompasses a wide range of practices, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping therapy, and qigong (and I am sure a lot more that I am not aware of). TCM is based on the concept of bringing balance and harmony back into the body's vital energy system (physical, mental, and spiritual). We really don’t have anything like this in Western medicine. It can be used for various conditions like pain management, digestive issues, women’s health, immune support, skin conditions, anxiety & sleep disorders. (I’ve used it for literally all of these things and am amazed at how effective it is).
One of the things I’ve been practicing lately is reclaiming sovereignty. What do I mean by this? It’s this idea that ‘I know what’s good for me, but I don’t pretend to know what’s best for you’. I really think we need to stop outsourcing our knowledge to experts and question what people say is ‘good for you’ when it comes to diet, exercise, nutrition, wellness, etc. Here is an example, cold plunges: they are all the rage now, but I know my body hates them. When I step into freezing cold water, my adrenals work extremely hard (something I am trying to heal). Freezing cold water puts my body into a state of fight or flight, which I know in my core, is not how I want to feel. Sure, it might work for you and that’s amazing, but I’m not gonna buy into the message that I need to do this to have a good metabolism or to feel ready for the day. This is just one small example, but it’s about feeling led from the inside and trusting in your bodily wisdom. We all need to start to become our own energy readers.
Mat Pilates & low-impact workouts have been my jam lately. I am someone who can easily slip into the trap of pushing myself too hard… I was an athlete in high school, and in college (and for most of my 20s) my M/O was to climb harder, hike longer, and push myself further. Now, at the ripe age of 31, I am learning what it means to slow down and move in a healthful, nourishing way.
The three books I am reading right now are 1. The Artists Way // 2. Women Who Run With Wolves // 3. The Instruction. The theme this summer has been: creativity, deeper knowing & the female psyche (passionate creativity /timeless knowing). If you’ve read any of these books, give me a holler, I really want to start a book club.
Over the past 6 months-year, I’ve been trying to embrace spirituality as a major element of my work. I’ve always had trepidation about this because it is ‘unscientific’ and very much not accepted as real within the world of Western psychology. More and more I’ve found that when I deny this major aspect of myself (specifically in my work), it cuts me & as a result, you off from my truest expression. It’s all still a work in progress, but here’s to “coming out of the spiritual closet” …
I’m hard on myself…. I can fall into the trap of feeling lazy when I’m not working or creating things that are of value. Lately, I’ve been really trying to sit with this feeling of being “lazy” (whatever that actually means) and allow myself to feel okay just being. Less action, more receptivity. It’s hard & also ties back to this work in divine feminism I’m trying to embrace. I’m curious if any of you can relate to this. When you are doing too much do you feel overwhelmed? When you are doing nothing you feel like a lazy? I sometimes struggle to find the happy medium. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
Finally, (this is a question for YOU) what type of content do you want to see more of? What topics interest you the most? When I am in this creative energy, I want to make and share information/ content/ stories/ inspiration that you care about. Let me know what topics you want to see more of by responding to this email :)
That is it for today! Sending you all my love!!
XOX Dr. Jenn