1. What is the process women need to implement to improve their mental well being?
2. What are the 3 steps women need to take to enhance their mental well being?
Did you know that the two most common mental health conditions for women are depression and anxiety? This comes as no surprise to us because women have so much on their plate! At any given time, we're juggling multiple roles that leave us no time to take care of our mental health. So how do we help women reduce these mental health challenges?
In this episode, I sat down with Ellie Bozmarova, a meditation teacher and mindset coach, to discuss the simple 3-step process that women can implement in their daily lives to improve their mental well-being in the new year and beyond.
Though there is no magical cure, our wish is for you to come away with actionable tips and tools that can help you lower your blood pressure and stress level and put you on a much-deserved path to mental wellness.
Subscribe to HerCanvas today to get your answers to the questions that matter most to you, and ultimately, find the inspiration to live your best life.
1. What is the process women need to implement to improve their mental well being?
2. What are the 3 steps women need to take to enhance their mental well being?
Did you know that the two most common mental health conditions for women are depression and anxiety? This comes as no surprise to us because women have so much on their plate! At any given time, we're juggling multiple roles that leave us no time to take care of our mental health. So how do we help women reduce these mental health challenges?
In this episode, I sat down with Ellie Bozmarova, a meditation teacher and mindset coach, to discuss the simple 3-step process that women can implement in their daily lives to improve their mental well-being in the new year and beyond.
Though there is no magical cure, our wish is for you to come away with actionable tips and tools that can help you lower your blood pressure and stress level and put you on a much-deserved path to mental wellness.
Subscribe to HerCanvas today to get your answers to the questions that matter most to you, and ultimately, find the inspiration to live your best life.
The two most common mental health conditions for women, uh, depression and anxiety. This comes as no surprise to us because let's face it. Women have a lot on their plate. We're often juggling multiple roles, such as caregivers, mothers, and partners, while working in running our households top that with the knowledge that we're more likely to live in poverty than men to experience physical and sexual abuse and to deal with the impact of hormonal changes both emotionally and physically. It's no wonder our mental wellbeing is compromised, though. There's no magical cure. We can find ways to mitigate these mental health challenges by addressing two key questions. What is a process women need to implement to improve their mental wellbeing? And what are the three steps women need to take to enhance their mental wellbeing?
Speaker 2:Welcome to her canvas, a podcast where we discuss the topics that matter most to women and help us find the inspiration to live our best lives. I'm your host arranger today I'm joined by Ellie was my Ropa. Ellie is a meditation teacher writer and my take coach. She is the founder of big sister, a personal development brand, empowering purpose driven women to live the adventurous, joyful, abundant lives of their dreams with COVID still raging on women need mental health support. Now more than ever, I report published in the journal frontiers in global women's health found that sleep problems, depression, and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic are more common in women than in men. Interestingly, one of the contributing factors for these mental health challenges has been women's higher level of empathy during the pandemic. It turns out our inherent need to understand that emotions of others and care for them carries a heavier burden on us. Ellie is here today to share how we can reduce these challenges to improve our mental wellbeing in the new year. Welcome to the show, Allie,
Speaker 3:Thanks so much for having me glad to be
Speaker 2:Plated and thrilled to have you on today. Maybe you can start by telling us more about your background and your journey to becoming a mindset coach.
Speaker 3:I would love to so, Hey everyone. My name is Ellie. Thank you for the wonderful introduction jetty to, um, so I am a mindset coach and I started coaching a few years ago, probably around four years ago. It started working with women one-on-one and found that, you know, I, I loved what I did. A lot of women came to me with the same basic difficulties, you know, wanting to find balance in their lives, wanting to go after a big dream that they kind of weren't letting themselves even dream about. Um, and so I to go and get some more tools. And so I got a coaching certification a little over a year ago and founded big sister to kind of consolidate all of the learnings I'd gotten over the previous few years. Um, but going back in time a little bit, I was kind of, uh, I had a funny childhood because my dad was really into personal development. And so he was always helping me work on my perspective, you know, glass half full. He had me read books like who moved my cheese and the seven habits of highly effective people. So, um, I would say my love of personal development and mindset started there. I really saw, you know, our attitudes are one of the only things we can control and what we focus on. And so I wanted to kind of use that passion to help other, especially other women, because I think, you know, as you said in the introduction, we're just, we're very strong and very powerful. And also sometimes in society, those powers are used for the benefit of only others. And so, um, yeah, I'm really glad to be here and to help people with some actionable advice.
Speaker 2:That's great. I love what you just said about that. Our attitude is all we can control. I mean, really that's so true. And I also like what you said about how sometimes the powers that we have. Um, I, you know, we don't use them to help ourselves. We use them to help other people and in so important for us to redirect some of that towards ourselves. Um, so that's really exciting. Um, so given what we know about the mental health conditions that women are dealing with, what would you say is the process women need to implement to improve their mental wellbeing?
Speaker 3:So I would recommend a three step process, very simple, very basic. Um, first I would say, you know, women need to get honest with themselves about how they're feeling, how they're doing. Um, you know, it doesn't have to be all positive all the time. So, you know, really getting honest about, Hey, wow, I feel like I'm in a rut. I feel like I'm stuck on this or that I'm not happy in this area in my life. I'm really stressed out. And I feel out of control about that. I actually made a decision about a year ago to just really limit the amount of stress in my life and that's hard to do, but I was, I just decided like, I don't want to tolerate stress. So how can I, how can I shift that after realizing I was so stressed and had to work on boundaries with other people and communication and all of that. So step one, I would say get honest and that can look like, you know, writing down your thoughts, doing a free write. If you prefer talking, you can talk into your voice notes app on your phone or a recorder just to really see what's here. Because the things that we don't know consciously, they're probably operating on a subconscious level and we just don't know that they're influencing our behavior. Secondly, what I would say is to practice being present with yourself. So similar to being honest, and like you mentioned, I teach meditation is just the practice of being literally where your feet are taking a deep breath. This alone can help lower your blood pressure can help reduce your stress levels, just being present, dropping down away from the mind a little bit and into the body as much as possible, as much as feels good to you in that moment can be really, really, really helpful because oftentimes especially if we are, you know, really intelligent, really driven achievement oriented women who have a lot of responsibilities and a lot going on, we'll often be really in our heads and trying to figure stuff out and worrying about the future or worrying about whatever else there is. And it can be really helpful to just, just get present and let go of some of those thoughts, even just for a moment. And that can also look like going for a walk or something like that. And then the last piece I would say is to use your tools. So that can be meditation. Maybe you love drinking tea. Maybe you need to set some limits on social media. Like, you know, there's an hour in your day when you're not looking at a screen at all. Um, it could be something like, you know, other tools like hypnotherapy or, or re or regular therapy, or you have a, a life coach who you can talk about these things with and work on, um, accountability in a supportive environment. Um, and I, I would just say with the tools, it's really helpful to know what they are when you're in a good place mentally, when you feel like your wellbeing is on lock so that when you're having a bad day, you can kind of, even if you pull out a list, you can be like, okay, let me try some of these things. Um, and one more I'll add to the tool belt is, um, that I recommend and I do frequently on, um, big sister's Instagram and other social media channels is EFT or emotional freedom techniques. And that's literally a six minute process that can help you feel a lot better in the moment too.
Speaker 2:That's great. I like the six minutes everybody can spend, you know, six minutes. One of the things you mentioned, uh, was being present, and I know that it's easier said than done, especially as you mentioned that women, a lot of times, uh, juggling so many things at the same time, and it's sometimes difficult to quiet your mind. So are there ways or tricks to help women quiet their mind, like really get to that place where they feel that they're present and in the moment and not like thinking about a million things at one time?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Um, well, one thing I'd recommend that's really simple is, and maybe many of us are doing it right now is getting out in nature, going for a walk. Um, in terms of more specifics, I think box breathing is really simple and useful, and it's basically like the Navy seals use this technique to help quiet their minds. And you breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds. And you can just repeat that. And that's just a helpful anchor for your attention. And you'll also feel like the breadth changes your physiology a little bit. And those are probably the main two I'd start with. And the other thing I'll say is that all of this is a moment by moment practice. Like in our society, we often want a solution that just works. That always works. You know, I want to turn my thoughts off for the next hour. And sometimes we really need that. Like if we're going to sleep in our minds are going crazy. That's like, you know, that's really inconvenient and can be bad for our health. Um, but this kind of practice is something you continue practicing. You continue focusing on your wellbeing, you continue to do this. And that also means it can feel like you're doing it wrong. It can feel like you're not doing it enough because the consistency isn't really there, but it's just the nature of the practice. And if you're trying it, I'm pretty sure you're doing it right. Which is what I say to my students a lot.
Speaker 2:That's great. Um, is there like a perfect time to meditate or can you meditate at any time during the day?
Speaker 3:Um, you can definitely meditate at any time during the day. I'd say there are two levels to that. Um, in addition to you can just meditate at any time. One is when works best for you. Like when is your mind kind of maybe a little bit more open, a little bit quieter, maybe it's early in the morning, but also the second piece. Where, when are you kind of in the most control of your time, you can meet meditation and mindfulness. You can do that while you're washing the dishes. You just focus on washing the dishes, sitting down and meditating. It's like, when, when are you least likely to get disturbed? You know, sometimes I like to meditate in the morning because at night I might be like watching a movie or something and I don't want to stop, or my partner comes over and I don't want to be like, okay, I got to go for 20 minutes. Gotta meditate.
Speaker 2:That makes sense. You know, finding the time when you can, you don't have too much going on now, is it okay? Should you, uh, you know, meditate when it's really quiet? Is it important for it to be quiet or can you use props like music? Um, or is it just what, you know, whatever, whatever helps you do it.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I love, I love what you said at the end, whatever helps you do it. Um, it depends on the style of meditation. If, like, for example, I teach with chorus meditation and we meditate to music. So there's music playing the whole time. We're in the meditation practice. When I practice alone, I try to keep things as quiet as possible. Like I'll turn off my space heater. And that's just so that I can be still, my mind can focus on the few little stimuli here and there. Like maybe there's a dog barking across the street or something. Um, so I like to keep it pretty quiet, but if you're in a noisy spot, don't let that stop you.
Speaker 2:That's great advice. Um, you mentioned cars, meditation, and I, that's really interesting that the, the name itself really jumps out at me. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So in chorus we breathe to the beat of, we meditate and we do some active breathing or breath work, and we breathe to the beat of the song that we're listening to. And often I will at the chorus of the song, which comes multiple times in each song, I will sort of adjust the tempo. We'll do something special around that to help guide the student's attention. And chorus is a great, it's just anything with, I think some kind of focus point is really good for beginners to meditation.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. I like the idea of meditating to the beat of breathing to the beat of something that in itself will focus. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And it's, it's fun to like,
Speaker 2:What kind of music do you use?
Speaker 3:I use music. That's really good. Um, I'm sure every teacher would say that, but I actually like to incorporate some like electro pop, um, some favorites from the pop charts, but not too many. I like really rhythmic music. I'm thinking of like my, some of my favorites, um, or like strong female vocals, like Bishop Briggs. Hi, go III Mach. I love my playlist. So I just, I recommend if anyone wants to come join class, just message me.
Speaker 2:No, maybe you can share your playlist after this. Um, that's great. Um, the other question I had, you talked about, uh, tools and some of the tools that women can use to help them meditate and, and be present. Are there any additional tools other than the ones that you talked about?
Speaker 3:I will give you one of my favorites actually, never really talk about it. It's very simple, but it can be pretty transformative. Um, and the tool is to sit down with a piece of paper and write down everything that you're afraid of, especially if you're stressed out about something in particular, what are you afraid of in terms of all of those things and asking yourself questions in general can be really, really powerful things like, you know, what do I want, why am I here? Um, that those can sound really abstract, but if you put that question to yourself and just listen for what comes out first, it can be really revealing. And with that fear list, it's pretty, it's a relief to see some of that stuff on paper and to see, okay, what can I control? What can I not control and kind of go from there.
Speaker 2:The idea of writing things down too. I believe that when you write things down, they, they become more tangible and more real. Um, and you know, writing down what you feel sometimes isn't intimidating. At least for me sometimes I don't want to see it because if I, I can say it to myself, it's in my brain, but if I write it down, it it's, I feel like it becomes a reality. And I think sometimes it's so powerful to write it down because it forces you to deal with it and to address it. I really liked that. Thanks for sharing you, your, your favorite one. Um, is there anything else that you want our listeners to take away from this in terms of really improving their wellbeing this new year?
Speaker 3:Um, I mean, overall, I would say you're doing great. And, um, of course, if anyone's feeling particularly stuck on something I'm really passionate about this, I believe every woman should feel like she deserves all the best in the world and feel good when she gets it. So, um, I'm always available to talk to folks. Um, and other than that, keep listening to this podcast, I'd say,
Speaker 2:Thank you. That's great. I love the, uh, you know, telling ourselves that we deserve things. I th I, I believe it because we play so many roles, especially, you know, like what caregivers and caretakers and we care so much about, we have such a high level of empathy, um, that sometimes we don't believe that we deserve to care for ourselves and to feel a certain way and to be a little bit selfish with our time. Um, and I think it's really important to feel like you deserve certain things and, and, and to own it unapologetically. So thanks for, thank you for that. It's good to hear it. Um, and thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm so excited that you were able to do this and to share your awesome three-step process. What I love about it is that it's easy enough for anybody to be able to implement it. Um, and that's what we need. I like easy stuff. Um, and I think that with that process, my listeners, and, you know, anybody else out there who comes across, uh, TA uh, discussion today, um, we'll be able to take away something that they can implement in their lives and something that can help them out. So thank you. Uh, now if our listeners, I'm sure there are people who want to learn more about what you do. Um, how can they get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:You can find us on Instagram at big sister co find I'll be there as well. Um, and then you can also visit the website, big sister.co. We've got some freebies on there that you can check out things to support your creativity, things, to support your confidence and self-trust, um,
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I can vouch for it because I visited it before. Um, our chat today, I was on there browsing around and you have some really great stuff. And I was really also impressed by how many people have featured you in your work. It's really awesome. So thank you for what you're doing for women and empowering women. It's so important for us to, to empower each other and to give each other the tools we need to really survive and thrive, not just to survive, but to thrive as well. So thanks again, Ellie. Thank you for joining me
Speaker 3:So much. Thanks for having me. Bye everyone.
Speaker 1:You have the power to control your level of stress and anxiety asking questions that allow you to be honest with yourself, practicing being present, and in the moment, and utilizing tools at your disposal to lower your blood pressure and stress level, uh, three necessary steps you can take to improve your mental wellbeing in the new year. As Ellie said, you're doing great believe that you deserve the best in the world and go get it. That's all for our show today. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, and Pandora, want more resources to improve your mental wellbeing. Check out our health and fitness section on gap news.com. Also, don't forget to connect with our Facebook community at gap Superman to continue this conversation and many more along the way until next time, stay safe and find the inspiration to live your best.
Speaker 4:[inaudible].