...Write it down.
"Our ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)can be a vulnerability but I also think they're the source of our super powers"
~ Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
Have you ever been in a funk? When you're just not feeling positive or like yourself? I was just in one for about 10 days. I don't know why it started and at the time didn't know why I couldn't kick it! Arg! It was so frustrating and I didn't feel good about myself at the end of the day. I was not being the mother, wife, teacher or person I wanted to be.
Here's a helpful tool I stumbled across that helped me get out of it...
I was listening to my favourite podcast "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" and the guest was a woman by the name of Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. She is a pediatrician and 1st ever surgeon general of California... pretty cool title! (1st ever and an African American woman!! You go girl!!) It's a great episode! Lots of goodies in there including the quote at the top.
Nadine says awarenesses (that you're in a funk) is the first step but then she has a check list she suggests you go through...
1. Proper Sleep
2. Nutrition (your gut heath is connected to your brain!)
3. Exercise
4. Mindfulness (meditate/work on your parasympathetic nervous system)
5. Build heathy relationships (who are your people you can talk to?)
Now, those 5 things on that list are medically backed but she also said, "go find your own list!"
So I did! And it helped...
1. Positive self talk (on man that's a big one!)
2. Stay organized and write a list of what needs to be done.
3. Smile
4. Listen and be there for others. Don't be so wrapped up in my own crap
5. Write a blog.
Who knows, maybe these will change as life goes on but for now that is my check list. Writing these things down and making sure I stuck to them for a couple days helped me shake my funk and get on with life. Thank you Dr. Nadine Burke Harris for this gem.
From my list above you can see that writing things down is an important step for me. That's why I designed "myDANCEjournal" for young dancers. I see a lot of anxiety in young dancers today so I developed this journal to help with that, along with the intentions of making them the best well rounded dancer they can be. There's weekly and monthly goal setting, character development and a performance section to reflect and grow. I am super pumped about the new and improved design of the myDANCEjournal due out early 2021. It's such a useful tool for those dancers wanting to "up" their dancing in a mindful way.
I hope this tool of making a list helps you when you're not feeling like yourself. Write it down in a journal, planner or napkin and keep it in your wallet, on your fridge or in your dance bag. It's your "mental emergency check list" just like an evacuation plan or what to do in an any emergency.
What's on your list? I'd love to hear.