The Mindful Psychology Podcast

Hey everyone! We're back with a new season, a new episode, and some updates.  Today, I share some exciting stuff I have going on, some love for our newest island home, and a fun episode!  Most importantly, we are talking about understanding the science of how we store memories, and how these memories have contexts that can teach us a lot about our narratives. We'll then integrate some mindfulness to start working on awareness and how this can help us rebuild our brain's patterns. Sometimes, we have adaptive mechanisms that were created to protect us, but that may not be necessary anymore. They can even cause more harm! Other times, we use our stored memories to bring about more good memories and healthy patterns.  In this episode, we are beginning to unpack all of this, how to identify your patterns, and how to decode them.  Happy listening! 🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Hi everyone!  This is our last episode of the year and I'm so grateful to be connecting with you again. This week, we are exploring the idea of letting go. For the first half of the episode, we will discuss letting go when we are working through things and how to set boundaries with ourselves. As with all things, balance is key.  In the second half, we will talk about standards and expectations that may be holding us back, how we can gain insight into our beliefs, and we can start living a life aligned with who we truly are. Topics covered:  - Feeling our feelings vs. living in our feelings - Regulating ourselves and cultivating security - Tips for secure relating + letting go - Distinguishing between what is serving us and what is not - Decluttering and getting to the core of what we can learn form an experience and letting go of the rest - Exploring standards and expectations + letting go - Establishing our core values and how we can live in alignment with them - When you look back on your life, what do you want to feel? - Considerations for peace - Final notes on letting go Thank you so much for being here with me and for your continued support! I love and appreciate you all. Happy holidays and happy new year!  Happy listening! 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today on the podcast we'll be exploring the difference between approval and acceptance. From there, we'll unpack what it means to be fully loved and accepted, rather than seeking the approval of others, which we may feel is love. Topics covered:  - Approval vs. acceptance - Doing the work - People who don't do the work - Secure relating - Tough truths and challenging conversation - Showing up in a receptive way - coming from a place of security - The different parts of relationships and how to separate them - When it may be time to disconnect - Boundary work - Answering listener questions - Tips for self-acceptance and self-love Happy listening!  🌸 To connect with me: ⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠ ⁠Contact me⁠ ⁠Book an appointment⁠ ⁠Website

(I updated this episode to add important pieces I wanted to share and bring everything together in a loving way!) Today on the podcast, we will continue our exploration of reclaiming our story. We will continue with the themes from last week and add to them. There will also be some lessons I've learned along the way, techniques I've found helpful over the years, and some considerations for you!  Most of all, I'm hoping that what I share can be helpful to you and remind you that you're not alone. Although we have unique stories, of course, you are never alone.  Topics covered:  - More personal stories (thank you for listening!) - Normalising feeling feelings - Breaking free from roles assigned to you - Boundaries - Handling criticism and judgment of others - Developing a true belief in who you are and not what you've been told you are - Finding your voice and telling you story - The pain behind the pain caused - More self-acceptance and self compassion - Forgiveness  - Letting go - Building the life of your dreams Happy listening!  🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Hi everyone!  (I updated this episode to add important pieces I wanted to share and bring everything together in a loving way!) Today on the podcast, I will be getting vulnerable with you. You guys are amazing and so many of you reach out to me and share your stories. You also ask me questions and we have nice chats. In honour of reclaiming our story and being vulnerable, I will be sharing a few stories of my own with you.  I want this space to be one of acceptance, safety, support, and love. This is a big deal for me, honestly, and I was very nervous, so hank you for holding space for me!  Topics covered:  - Personal stories of mine - Feelings and dynamics throughout the years - Doing the work  - Courage to be vulnerable  - Radical self-acceptance - Setting boundaries - Making big decision about your relationships - Forgiveness - Repairing and healing - Reclaiming your story - Choosing yourself - Living a life of freedom and love Happy listening!  🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Today on the podcast, we will mainly be comparing and contrasting unhealthy and healthy dynamics. We'll look at examples, explore different contexts, and I'll offer some considerations.  The goal here is to shine some light on more challenging relationships and then turn our attention to what is possible in relationships. Moreover, we can learn to figure out what we can do to have these healthy relationships.  Topics covered:  - Unhealthy behaviours - Examples of toxic dynamics (jealousy/competition, narcissistic tendencies, and more) - Reasons it may be hard to make sense of them - Where our responsibility begins and ends - The flip side in relationships (healthy relationships) - The importance of feeling our feelings  - Learning what to do with our thoughts and emotions - Being mindful of our sensitivities and those of our loved ones in our relationships - Tips for building healthy relationships - Choosing to love ourselves (even when we may disappoint someone else) and some more... Happy listening!  🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Today on the show, we will be discussing why it's important to take responsibility in our relationships, as well as why it's important to let other take responsibility for their own actions.  We'll discuss:  - The role of defence mechanisms and how they affect our relationships - Being compassionate and understanding of our own stories + the stories of others - Realising that understanding does not mean making excuses - When and how to set boundaries - When and how to take responsibility - Handling conflict resolution with loved ones - Navigating challenging dynamics - Finding balance in boundaries, compassion, and responsibility - Final hopeful notes  Happy listening! 🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Today on the podcast we will unpacking what defense mechanisms are, how they can be displayed, and why. We'll look at some examples and explore how to apply compassion to this. We will move through feelings of shame, embarrassment, and guilt using the practice of compassion. Then, we'll see how we can practice this with loved ones. For the second half of the show, we will talk about more difficult dynamics and challenging personalities. In this portion, we will distinguish between things being done "to us" vs. people doing things "for themselves". This is a really important part of understanding the dynamic, defense mechanisms, and allowing space for compassion.  At the end, we will take a quick look at the role boundaries play in all of this.  Lastly, I would like to leave you with a note: Be yourself proudly and unapologetically. You don't have to let other people define who you are or what you think of yourself. You don't need to dim your light because someone else is intimidated. You don't have to shine less bright because someone else feels you stole it form them. There is enough light for everyone. Happy listening! 🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Today on the podcast, I will picking up where we left off last week and adding some information about how we can decode trauma.  We will cover the science of the topics, as well as how this may actually feel in real life. We will then explore different mindfulness techniques used to regulate the nervous system and get us into a more receptive state.  This is important in order to understand why we do what we do and how to move forward in healthy ways.  We will cover different topics including trauma responses, parts of the brain, mindfulness, easing anxiety, and go over several examples. *Please note that all of this content is for educational purposes only. This podcast does not provide diagnosis or treatment. For specific questions about your personal needs, please reach out to me or to a trusted health care professional.  Happy listening! 🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Welcome to the last episode of season 3!  I'm so excited to be celebrating 3 seasons with you and this lovely podcast project. In this episode, I will sharing some updates, some person stories, and a summary of central themes from this season. (Including our move to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria!!) I hope this episode leaves you with some nuggets of knowledge, inspiration, and support for your personal journey.  Thank you so much for all your continued support. My hear tis truly so full. :) Happy listening! 🌸 To connect with me: ⁠⁠Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Contact me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Book an appointment⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Website⁠

Today we are joined by Ashley McHan (again), a Psychotherapist and Yoga Therapist who specializes is trauma and eating disorders. We will be picking up from where we left off in our last episode and discuss trauma, how it affects us, and how this relates to disordered eating, and more. Ashley really does a wonderful job of breaking this all down for us. I love this episode because of the way Ashley takes the time to structure the information so logically and make everything flow eloquently.  NOTES on EMDR: The intention of EMDR is to heal trauma in all forms. What it does for us is what we so often struggle to do on our own, to see ourselves through new eyes, to see our experiences with a new lens, one that allows that compassion and understanding that we need to release the believes of ourselves that we have carried forward as a result of the experience. This then allows us to see how the experience changed us, how we attempted to cope and compensate after the experience. This is typically where we see the development of disorder eating patterns, amongst many other harmful yet well intentioned patterns of coping. This new vantage point allows people to more easily understand the role of the patterns, to see why they are compelled to act and why they feel so reliant on the disordered eating as if to survive mentally, physically or emotionally. When it comes to the type of trauma we are discussing today, a block to healing can be that we haven’t had our experience seen or validated. We tend to look at ourselves, especially our past selves, with a great deal of judgment. I see one of the greatest struggles in teh human experience to be with self-compassion. We view ourselves differently than we view others, we hold ourselve to different (typically unreasonable) standards. When we look back on our past pains we tend to self-blame, to feel it was our fault or due to our own weakness or defectiveness. So we keep our experiences hidden, shadowed, and we suffer alone. This is especially true of experiences that ivoked shame for us. Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Dr. Kristen Lee - head of the Behavior Science program at Northeastern University and author of the forthcoming Worth the Risk: How to Microdose Bravery to Grow Resilience, Connect More and Offer Yourself to the World. I thought she’d make a great guest on The Mindful Psychology podcast. Kristen Lee, Ed.D., LICSW, is an award-winning behavioral science and leadership professor, clinician, researcher, activist, comedian, and author. She has over two decades of clinical experience in outpatient mental health, and thirteen years of teaching and leadership roles in higher education. She leads the Behavior Science program at Northeastern University and lives in Boston and Providence, Rhode Island.In Worth The Risk, Lee shows readers that by “microdosing” small acts of bravery and connection, we can regain the self-confidence and resilience we need to be successful and live full and meaningful lives. “We are hardwired for risk-taking,” she says. “As we become more comfortable with the uncomfortable, our nervous system changes to support us in experiencing a bold, adventurous, colorful life.” Connect with Dr. Lee: Website Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today on the podcast, we are joined by Jodie Eleanor, a therapist, a functional medicine practitioner, and anxiety expert. She is also the founder of the Holistic Anxiety Fix.  Jodi will be talking to us about how to begin to understand and heal anxiety holistically, but considering different pieces of our over health and nurturing the link between them. About her program, Holistic Anxiety Fix is a holistic healing service that focuses on helping women to heal anxiety so that they can embrace life with calm confidence. The program integrates more traditional therapeutic approaches to healing anxiety with modern functional medicine approaches for a truly mind/body experience to healing. As per her topics, it goes around this two: Hidden Causes to Anxiety How to Heal Anxiety Holistically You can connect with Jodie: Website 5 Ways to Heal Anxiety in Just 7 Days Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today on the podcast, we are joined by TEDx speaker and founder of Soulful Listening Terri Lonowski.  Terri will explain her steps to forming a healthy listening relationships with the people in our lives and share her personal experience too! We will be exploring Terri's teaching on truly and deeply listening, based on her recently released TEDx Talk, ‘Nobody’s Listening & It’s Killing Us’ You can connect with Terri: TEDx Talk -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHvsxN0dHiY Website:  https://soulfullistening.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-lonowski-53536614/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/soulfullistening/ Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today on the podcast, I will be unpacking how to navigate situations that make us doubt ourselves and lack trust in relationships.  I will break down my 3 KEY STEPS for checking our triggers and developing trust in ourselves and our relationships. 1. Checking Trigger 2. Deciding Whether or Not to Pursue 3. It Starts With Me We can all be triggered at times. Life happens! Things can kick off and we suddenly find ourselves in highly activated states. The trouble is when we find ourselves LIVING in activated states.  Then, once we are regulated and have entered a receptive state, what happens next? Episode topics:  - What happens when our activated state becomes our "always state" - Discussing why people who have been hurt may hurt others - Exploring other ways in which we can stay stuck in our trauma - 3 key steps: 1. Checking Trigger 2. Deciding Whether or Not to Pursue 3. It Starts With Me - Explaining how we can take ourselves out of REACTIVITY and place ourselves into RECEPTIVITY - Understanding that it's not an attack on us - it's not about us - What is about us - Some final thoughts Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Hello everyone! Today on the podcast, I will be reading out 3 questions from listeners and answering them! Of course, this will be anonymous and I have received permission to use these questions.  Here they are: 1. "My sister and I grew up together. Our dad was very mean but mostly to me. I don’t have a relationship with him but she always maintained one. She said it was hard for her to grow up in the house and watch how my dad treated me but then why is she so willing to have a relationship with him? She gets upset when I talk about how hard it was to be singled out. It’s just so invalidating. Am I wrong to feel this way?" 2. "I’ve been trying to take a distance from a toxic person in my life and I keep getting mixed options. On one hand my wife is reassuring me that I’m doing the right thing and I know I am. But then my brother is telling me to keep the peace and stop being so dramatic. I start to doubt myself and feel guilty. What should I do?" 3. "Every time I make decisions in my family that are different, I get met with such condescending comments. I’m always told “oh poor you, that’s sounds awful.” Or “I know you have your own challenges but that’s a stupid decision. My only challenge is conversing with them! I am living a life I’m happy in for once and every time I interact with them, I just feel like I want to scream! Is there something wrong with me?" Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Hello everyone! I'm so happy to be with you today. In this episode, I will share some personal experiences I had as we explore the concepts of old stories and new beginnings.  Old stories can often hold us back and we may not even know they're there! Whether it be a story about relationship dynamics or society's expectations of us, we all have narratives. In this episode, I want to start talking about ways in which we can start developing awareness and take actions. This is all in the effort to understand why we live as we do and how we can continue to grow to make our lives more healthy.  Thank you for allowing me to share my experiences.  Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today we are joined by Ashley McHan, a Psychotherapist and Yoga Therapist who specializes is trauma and eating disorders. We will discuss eating disorders, disordered eating, and some aspects of trauma. We will then explore why they develop and why it makes sense.  Ashley really does a wonderful job of breaking this all down for us.  NOTES on EMDR: The intention of EMDR is to heal trauma in all forms. What it does for us is what we so often struggle to do on our own, to see ourselves through new eyes, to see our experiences with a new lens, one that allows that compassion and understanding that we need to release the believes of ourselves that we have carried forward as a result of the experience. This then allows us to see how the experience changed us, how we attempted to cope and compensate after the experience. This is typically where we see the development of disorder eating patterns, amongst many other harmful yet well intentioned patterns of coping. This new vantage point allows people to more easily understand the role of the patterns, to see why they are compelled to act and why they feel so reliant on the disordered eating as if to survive mentally, physically or emotionally. When it comes to the type of trauma we are discussing today, a block to healing can be that we haven’t had our experience seen or validated. We tend to look at ourselves, especially our past selves, with a great deal of judgment. I see one of the greatest struggles in teh human experience to be with self-compassion. We view ourselves differently than we view others, we hold ourselve to different (typically unreasonable) standards. When we look back on our past pains we tend to self-blame, to feel it was our fault or due to our own weakness or defectiveness. So we keep our experiences hidden, shadowed, and we suffer alone. This is especially true of experiences that ivoked shame for us. To connect with Ashley: http://www.yogaforyouonline.com/ Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today on the podcast, we are joined by Kelly Smith. We will be exploring the benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices, and applying them to different situations. In this episode, you will leave with actionable steps you can start practicing today! Kelly is the founder of Yoga For You, and the host of the Mindful in Minutes podcast. She's an E-RYT 500, YACEP, and a location independent yoga and meditation teacher. She believes that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to yoga and meditation, and that your practice should be as unique as you are. To connect with Kelly:  http://www.yogaforyouonline.com/ Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website

Today on the podcast, we are joined by Katrina McGiffin. We will be discussing nutrition, yoga, connection to the math, and other conscious practices.  As an Integrative Nutritionist and  Yoga Teacher, Katrina is passionate about bringing the science of nutrition together with the energy of yoga. She operates with the philosophy that living and eating is best guided by the rhythms of nature. She works with her clients to move beyond just identifying the perfect diet and supplements to transform the individual relationship with food and cultivate an intuitive connection between mind and body. To connect with Katrina: www.nourishandbe.com @nourish.and.be Happy listening! With love, G 🌸 To connect with me: Free Anxiety & Boundaries ebook Contact me Book an appointment Website