Ep 41 Embrace a Year of Growth and Well-being with Mindful Breathing Exercises

Embark on a journey to transform your daily routine with the simplest of acts – mindful breathing. In today’s talk, we explore how investing just sixty seconds each day into this practice can set off a cascade of benefits, from reduced stress to a more intentional life. I’ll guide you through a breathing exercise backed by science, proving that change doesn't require grand gestures but can start with a single breath. We also discuss the power of setting realistic goals, ensuring that the path to a fulfilling year is paved with balance and sustainability, rather than overwhelming resolutions that often lead to disappointment.

Further into our conversation, the emphasis shifts to the importance of human connections and the support they offer in our personal growth journey. By reaching out for regular check-ins with friends, family, or colleagues, we can amplify our development and spread positivity. I share the magic of expressing gratitude and engaging in self-reflection, essential ingredients for a transformative year ahead. So join us as we embrace the challenge for positive change, making 2024 a year marked by growth, well-being, and meaningful connections. Let's make it a year to remember, together.

Hey there, future parents living in CALIFORNIA! Are you on the journey to conceive and looking for support and guidance along the way? Conceivable Psychotherapy is your trusted partner from conception through parenthood. Veronica Cardona, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, at Conceivable Psychotherapy, specializes in infertility, perinatal-postpartum struggles, and grief & loss.  They offer online therapy throughout California. You don’t have to do this alone; Conceivable Psychotherapy is here to help you. Connect with Veronica through her TeleWellness Hub Profile: https://telewellnesshub.com/listing/veronica-cardona-lcsw/ https://www.conceivablepsychotherapy.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey there, future parents. Are you on the journey to conceive and looking for support and guidance along the way? Conceivable psychotherapy is your trusted partner from conception through parenthood. Veronica Cardona, licensed clinical social worker at Conceivable Psychotherapy, specializes in fertility, perinatal postpartum struggles, and grief and loss. They offer online therapy throughout California. You don't have to do this alone. Conceivable Psychotherapy is here for you. Visit their website, conceivablepsychotherapycom, or call them at 1-661-529-7207.

Speaker 1: 0:41

Welcome to the Telewannis Hub podcast, where we explore ways to transform your life for the better. I'm your host, mark DeHannilton, and today, as we step into the new year happy 2024, we're focusing on achievable steps that can make a world of difference in your life. I'm keeping today's episode short and sweet, so it's just something you can listen to quickly and easily to help encourage you for the rest of this year and whether you're looking to enhance your well-being, boost positivity or foster personal growth, this episode is packed with practical tips short and sweet, and insights to kickstart your journey. I know that for many people, the new year brings a lot of new year's resolutions and, in my experience, based on some research, sometimes that comes with a lot of stress and anxiety and perfectionism or a need to control, and sometimes people start out with the best intentions and a high focus, especially in the first weeks or months, but it can lead to almost a frenzied feeling and then eventually defeat if we feel that we establish resolutions or goals that we cannot sustain. So my intention with this episode is to really help you figure out what will help you find balance in your goals and to really be intentional. In short, and simple and easy and research-based tips to help you this year.

Speaker 1: 2:27

So first I want to dive into this idea of the power of one minute. So research shows that even a single minute dedicated to intentional practices can significantly impact our brain and our well-being. So today I'm going to share a simple, one-minded routine, backed by science and studies, to enhance your day and its mindful breathing. I always talk about breathing because there's just so much research that shows the power of intentional and mindful breathing. We have so many studies from brain scans, blood work and saliva cortisol level measuring. I love breathing because we're the only ones that can control our own breath. It's free. We do it all the time, but we can do mindful breathing anywhere, anytime, and you can really feel empowered by taking the lead in your breathing and we can teach this to kids.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Even so, take a moment when you're doing your mindful breathing. You'll take a moment. If you're driving right now, this is not the time to try to do this, but if you are somewhere where you can close your eyes and somewhere you can pause, go ahead and pause, close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths. Inhale deep through the nose, hold for a second exhale slowly through your mouth, feel the tension release with each breath. Maybe you focus on relaxing some tension between your eyebrows, allowing a moment of calm to wash over you. If you are driving and you're feeling some tension maybe there's some construction on the roadway you can still do this while being really paying attention to your surroundings. Just taking a deep breath in inhaling deeply through your nose, holding for a second exhale slowly through your mouth. See if you can release some tensions along your jaw, maybe even your tongue, just allowing a moment of calm to wash over you. Again, take a inhale deeply through the nose, hold for a second exhale slowly through the mouth. See if you can feel tension release from your shoulders, allowing a moment of calm to wash over you. Remember it's just a minute, but it can set a positive tone for your entire day.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Perhaps something you can do is when you wake up, instead of reaching over for your cell phone which a recent poll done in the US shows that the majority of adults grab their phone the second they open their eyes and dive into social media and news and alerts about emails and work and finances. Your brains aren't really equipped to handle that kind of pace first thing in the morning. So maybe this year your goal or resolution can be to allow yourself to be curious about what it would be like if you do the power of one minute exercise for a month. It could be just January, or maybe you decide to try this out for a few months and what you do is you can wake up. Your alarm goes off If you must grab your phone, go to the timer section, set an alarm for one minute and lay there. So when you fall back asleep, but go ahead and lay there, take a deep breath in, hold it deep breath out, see if you can relax, feel the tension release, feel your breath.

Speaker 1: 6:19

And do that, just breathing, just allowing your body to wake up and taking really intentional breaths, maybe noticing the temperature of your breath, maybe even setting an intention that today I will ex-wireze. I will try to find the beauty in the day. I will try to show kindness to someone Today. I will attempt to. You know, drive, drive with peace and during morning rush hour, whatever it may be. That is a really. We can be gentle about our new year's resolutions. Right, it doesn't have to be about punishing ourselves.

Speaker 1: 7:01

It could be something like the power of one-minute breathing exercise, because, you know, as we approach this new year, many of us do set resolutions and, like I mentioned earlier, these goals can feel overwhelming or unattainable, and it leads to disappointment often, and so, instead, I really hope that in this episode, we can focus on small, manageable changes that can lead to big results. Easier said than done, I mean, I have definitely fallen to having all of the best intentions to create a goal or a habit and I'm not able to sustain it. So I really had to learn to focus on taking things, sometimes month by month, week by week, day by day, and then adjusting so with goals. I love the idea for people, because there's so much research on this too is, instead of saying all of 2024, we will do this. I will make sure this will be my goal that I attain being able to focus on a month. For this month I will focus on this and at the last day of the month you can see if you want to extend it or change it or modify or focus on something else. You can fine tune it.

Speaker 1: 8:17

You know, for those parents out there, when we have kids, we don't tell them like, okay, here's your goal for this whole year. Teachers, we might have a goal for the year, but usually we break things down for, for for kids, and even you know, at a university or grad school level, we break things up into sections and I want to encourage, encourage you to allow yourself the freedom to break up your new year's resolution into sections, to give yourself that freedom. And that's not not disappointing or it doesn't mean anything about not being able to obtain a year long goal has means just detaching from what it may mean or any assumptions of what you may mean, what it may mean to break things up into sections, and just being compassionate with yourself. And that Because if, ultimately, you're making a resolution for the idea of growth and change, embracing change can be really challenging. We are wired to want to stay comfortable, we seek pleasure and we avoid pain and, a lot of times, growth and change comes with pain I mean on a physical level. Think about like growing pains emotionally too. So embracing change can be really challenging, but it's really also an opportunity for personal evolution.

Speaker 1: 9:45

So I want to share a thought provoking question to guide your reflection for the new year what small step can I take today that aligns with the person I want to become? Consider this question daily. In fact, I might record myself separately with the daily question what small step can I take today that aligns with the person I want to become? Perhaps you do the power minute breathing when you wake up and you ask yourself what small step can I take today that aligns or goes along with the person I want to become? And if you consider this question daily, you can take actionable steps towards your vision. And remember change is a journey. Every small step counts.

Speaker 1: 10:36

Another thing I really want to talk about is the power of connection.

Speaker 1: 10:42

Positive change often thrives in a supportive community. So challenge yourself to reach out to someone this new year that can support you when it comes to your goals for 2024. It can be someone you care about and you can do this on a daily basis. Challenge yourself, whether it's a friend, a family member, a colleague, and if not on a daily basis because I know sometimes it's hard to even respond I to text messages. I always have the best intentions. I always tell people I wish that there was a way to mark text messages as unread, because sometimes I just I'm not able to respond like I hope. So it can be even on a weekly basis, right? A simple text, a call or even a note expressing gratitude or encouragement can create a ripple effect of positivity in both of your lives.

Speaker 1: 11:44

So that wraps up today's episode on the TelevolnaZ Hub podcast. For New Year's I did say it was gonna be short and sweet, but there's a reason, because I want everyone to remember that change begins with small, consistent actions. And by dedicating just a minute each day to intentional practices like mindful breathing or gratitude, self-reflection and connection, you can pave the way for what research shows is a fulfilling and transformative year ahead. Thank you for tuning in and here's to a 2024 filled with growth, positivity and well-being. It's great to have Aunt.