🌿The Benefits of Wonder and Awe for Your Well Being Last night it was snowing and before getting into my car to drive home, I just looked up. The light was hitting the snow just perfectly and it felt like I was in a sparkling snowglobe...and there was this small moment of joy and warmth. The cold didn't hit in the same way, it felt more energizing than deathly feeling. One look up and the moment shifted from my inner dialogue saying "ugh...i hate the cold so much to "wow, it sure is beautiful out here. How cool that I get to experience this". A moment of awe and noticing the beauty in something shifted the inner experience. Awe and wonder-the moments that make your brain go "Wow" and your nervous system soften. It brings on a sense of joy and gratitude. Psychologically, wonder and awe acts like a reset button. Studies show that a sense of awe can and do reduce stress markers, lower inflammation and support healthier cell functioning. When you experience awe your body releases chemicals that calm the threat system and activate the part of the nervous system that restores and repairs. Wonder has a sense of curiosity attached to it and awe also expands your sense of time and increases feelings of meaning which boosts overall emotional well-being. Awe also shifts your perspective. It shrinks the inner critic and enlarges the sense of connection with a bigger world. So how do we engage with it more often? You do not need a mountaintop (though, if you have one, go!). You need intentional attention. Here are some strategies: ✨ Seek micro wonder. Tiny pieces of beauty count. The pattern on a leaf. A song that hits your chest. A cloud in the sky :) A snowflake up close. The up-close look in someone's eyes (make sure they're okay with it! ha) ✨ Slow your pace. The nervous system needs a little margin to take in what is around you. Take a few grounding breaths and look around. One of my favorite books has the phrase "look up" in it--pointing to the idea of looking outside of selves.

A little personal background (not necessary to read to get the content below): Back in 2017 I had decided that 2018 was going to be a "Year of Yes" (title inspired by Shonda Rhymes--creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal). Out of necessity rather than desire, I've had to make some bold and uncomfortable moves in 2017 and I told myself that 2018 had to be different.. It HAD to for my own sanity..I didn't want to be a spectator in my own life and wanted to be an active agent... So...that year consisted of saying yes to all sorts of things--yes to doing deep work (thank you Bible/God, thank you Brene Brown, thank you other books and friends), yes to things that scared me (e.g. speaking at a seminar, doing a radio show, running a self esteem workshop, doing activities solo, saying 'no' to things that didn't fit what I actually needed), saying yes to different connections ( @LaTanya Carter -I appreciate you more than you'll ever know!!!) . I stumbled A LOT and fell often, but I also became more confident, more independent, more conscientious of boundaries, more of myself. As a result of 2018, 2019 became my 'resurrection' year or my 'phoenix' year. Rising from the ashes. (Funny that it coincided with my 33rd year in life-maybe that's why I called it the resurrection year). So....as I'm reflecting on this past year and coming up into the next, I figured it's time...It's time for another "Year of Yes". I think it's been brewing. ______________BEGIN THE REAL POST________________________________ *Please watch the video if you have th time. :) :) People hear the phrase a "Year of Yes" and automatically think that it means impulsive decisions, saying yes to a bunch of new activities, being busy with all sorts of things, "bucket list"...But the reality is that it's more like..exposure therapy for the soul. It's breaking up with things that hold you back from living an aligned life. It's saying no to things like unhelpful fear, perfectionism, people pleasing, overthinking, self-doubt and the "maybe later" type language.

As the "busy" holiday season approaches, I'm hearing a lot of people talk about the stress that they feel in their lives, so I figured I'd write a little bit about stress. Most of us grew up thinking stress is the enemy, something to try to get rid of and vanquish. The thing ruining our cortisol levels and creating toxins in the cells and killing them. While it's true that chronic stress can absolutely wear you down, the fuller story can be more empowering. Stress is NOT always harmful. In many cases, stress is a built in biological performance booster which can be a cool force to our advantage. The problem is not stress itself but how we interpret it and how long it stays turned on. Here are some different ways to think about stress: 💪Stress is Not the Enemy Stress is a natural activation signal from your nervous system. It increases alertness, sharpens attention, and helps you rise to a challenge. This sounds like a good thing, right? Short term stress can -increase focus -boost motivation -improve memory -sharpen problem solving -strengthen resilience -create meaning, because we only stress about what matters When we interpret stress as a resource/partner rather than a threat, your body responds differently. The narratives that we create matter. Our cardiovascular system functions better and our nervous system shifts into a more adaptive mode. A lot of research backs up the idea that our mindset really does matter significantly. Your mindset acts as a lens through which you see the world. It impacts what you notice and how you interpret different situations. This takes place through the confirmation bias so it's imperative to look at what we believe about ourselves and the world because we have the endency to look for information that matches our beliefs. 💥 When Stress Becomes Harmful Stress becomes destructive when -it lasts too long -you feel trapped -you feel unsupported -you have no sense of control/level of autonomy -your body never gets a recovery window

Greetings fellow empowered beings!! :) As we're approaching this last month, let's take a look at the past year (things we've achieved, lessons we've learned, things we've left behind and added) and let's use that to mobilize us in this next month. Let's use this last month of the year to build momentum and get a running start into 2026. We don't have to wait.... We treat January like it has magical powers when really it is just a month with better PR. Psychologically speaking, December is prime time for momentum building. It is the month where the brain naturally shifts into reflection mode, which means insight is already simmering and it might make it the perfect time to launch! A lot of people experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the winter months--- so I think that it's really really important to look at the habits that we engage in and how this either contributes, reinforces or helps ease this effect. (side note--with my clients in Michigan, I start having conversations about this in September because the weather here along with the habits really influence people's experiences for 6 months at a time!! We can't control the weather, BUT we can do things differently). *****So, how are you using December and what are your intentions? *****How will you use this past year as a way to move into the next? Here are some questions to consider as you look back on your past year (questions are part of an AAR (After Action Review). 1. What did we intend to accomplish (what was our strategy)? 2. What did we do (how did we execute relative to our strategy)? 3. Why did it happen that way (why was there a difference between strategy and execution)? 4. What will we do to adapt our strategy or refine our execution for a better outcome OR how do we repeat our success?

I'm going to be just a little sassy for a quick second...I'm mainly speaking to myself here, but if this hits home for any of you, maybe that's okay too. "Stop shrinking to fit yesterday's version of you". One of the things that I really struggle with hearing is the phrase "This is just who I am".. Is it who we are or is it the habits that we've built over time that 'feel' ingrained? We often tie identity to the things to which we've habituated but does the need to then become our identity? Maybe, maybe not. (Also, a side note---I think that this month, more than any other months in the past, I've been challenged to really embrace challenges--this has been through conversations, through readings, through random IG reels (I guess that's not so random), through too many mediums to really ignore as mere coincidences. It's a call to action. If we don't embrace challenges willingly, challenges will find us and then the question will be: Are we in a place where we've built the warrior within to be able to handle it? ) A nod to @John D @John Kennedy @Dan 'Remmy' Stourac @LaTanya Carter @Ruth aka Grace Rose @Dr. Melissa Partaka @Steve Webb and Jesus who I can't tag (and to each one of you that have shared the challenges that you're taking on and your perseverance!!). One of the strongest findings in psychology is that our beliefs about ability influence how we behave, how we handle tough situations and also how we deal with setbacks. Carol Dweck (a short video below) has done research on the difference between how people handle situations. A fixed mindset sees abilities as static. A growth mindset sees abilities as skills that can change with effort, strategy, and support. The difference sounds simple, but it shifts everything about how we respond to challenge.