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Janeen Brown

Put Your Oxygen Mask On First

Habit
Put Your Oxygen Mask on First

Have you ever taken a trip on an airplane? If so, you’ve likely heard the schpeal that the steward gives just before take-off, advising parents to put their oxygen masks on BEFORE putting masks on their children.

Now imagine this scenario: There’s a bunch of turbulence, the plane is shuddering and everyone is in a panic. The oxygen masks drop down from the ceiling, and your children look at you with frightened faces. And you’re supposed to take care of yourself first.

This goes against our natural maternal instincts. Normally we moms care for our children, to the detriment of ourselves. We feed them first, let them go to the bathroom first, make sure they’re clean and dry and comfortable before cleaning up ourselves or any messes in our home. We put them first, as a natural, protective measure for our offspring. It’s a perfectly normal instinct that humans have cultivated in order to protect our progeny.

Back to that oxygen mask thing.

Since everyone’s body is different, these times may be off for your physiology by a few seconds. Generally speaking, the following happens when the human brain is deprived of oxygen:

  • Between 30 – 180 seconds you may lose consciousness
  • Cells begin dying after 1 minute
  • After three minutes, brain damage becomes likely as neurons begin to suffer severe damage
  • Death becomes imminent at five minutes without oxygen
  • If you are without oxygen for 10 minutes or more, a coma is certain, death is likely and irreversible brain damage is likely.
  • Survival is nearly impossible after 15 minutes

If you’re on a plane with your children and something like this happens, the reason you want to put your mask on first is so you’re actually able to put one on your kiddos. The longer you wait, the less likely you’ll be to make wise decisions. We start to get a little brain-foggy, and before too long, goofiness takes over, and the world starts ending around us without us even noticing. Take a look at the oh-so-cool Destin Sandlin from Smarter Everyday as he experiences oxygen deprivation to see this effect in action.

There’s a brilliant metaphor here. Have you recognized it?

What priority do you place on self-care?

I know that I often forgot self-care in order to provide for my family.  How about you? Do you forget to eat breakfast or lunch? Do you put off showering because it’s a challenge whilst caring for children? Do you get enough sleep? How about intimacy with your partner?

I’ve experienced the real, dark place we go when we limit our self-care. Things came to a head for me, and my world got very small, very quickly. I got sick, an ambulance was called to my home and even after a few months, I’m still reeling from the events. In the end, I discovered that I had some pretty severe food allergies, had been malnourishing myself for months and had allowed cortisol to rise to unhealthy levels. What I thought was a heart attack turned out to be “reverse panic attacks” – something that happens even when you don’t feel stress or overwhelmed, but your body DOES.

Our beautiful and miraculous bodies are constantly communicating with us, if we’d only listen. Our fast-paced lives are a deterrent from this natural communication. We must stop and listen to understand what our body is trying to tell us. We must take the time to reflect and mull over our circumstance. It’s the only way to discover that we just might be neglecting ourselves.

One way to enhance and understand our body’s natural communication is to utilize a form of meditation called “bodysensing”. I first learned about bodysensing reading Richard Millar’s Yoga Journal post on the subject. Your body is constantly giving you subtle clues as to its condition. When we miss out on these clues or don’t react to correct the behaviors causing them, our body “turns up the volume”. This is when we become ill, experience pain or dis-ease, encounter brain fog or fatigue, etc. As you learn to observe your body’s natural messages, you’ll find that your body no longer needs to “shout” out its neglect. If you can recognize the signs of stress, fatigue, dehydration, or malnourishment and respond to these cues with a mindful and healthy approach, your body will return the favor with vitality and strength, physically, mentally and emotionally.

I’m getting much better. I’ve altered and enhanced my diet and I’m conscious of my body’s need for nourishment. I’m taking more time for myself, closing my office door when I need a quiet space to focus, getting great sleep, quality time with my husband, Danger, and making my Miracle Morning a priority.

Put your Oxygen Mask on First

Now you tell me in the comments below – Where is your self-care falling short? What messages has your body been trying to tell you that you’ve been denying or not hearing? What are your plans for rejuvenation?

My best to your bod, Janeen.

Pivoting Negativity into Positivity

Mindset
Pivoting Negativity into Positivity

Pivoting Negativity into Positivity

Everyone feels negative emotions. They’re precious for self-reflection, and as a tool to gauge how closely aligned we are to our true nature – that divine guidance, higher self, or spiritual person destined to give and receive love.

Our negative emotions can do something else too. They can mire us in a quicksand of pain, guilt, shame and grief. We don’t want to close off the part of ourselves that feels, and we don’t want to in any way reduce our humanity or our capacity to empathize with others or feel sorrow and pain when tragedy strikes.

Still, we don’t want negativity to rule our lives, and we hope that there is light at the end of painful human experiences. To achieve this end, we must take a moment in self-reflection to analyze our feelings and why we’re experiencing them.

Pivoting negativity into positivity

Pivoting is the act of changing a negative emotion into a positive one, but can also be useful for analyzing intuitive nudges. There are four steps to pivoting, as coined by Esther and Jerry Hicks:

  1. Acknowledge your emotion or intuitive nudge as significant and meaningful, and ask yourself “Where is this coming from?” or “Why am I feeling this way?”
  2. Once you know where the feeling or emotion is coming from, ask yourself “What do I want?” or “What is the best possible outcome?”
  3. Next ask yourself “How can I make the necessary change?” or “What do I need to do right now to fix this?”
  4. Take action immediately.

By acknowledging our emotions as normal, valid, and important, we allow ourselves to feel them without shame or guilt. Especially when it comes to depression, guilt, or worry – often we hide our emotions because we fear judgment for them. The truth is that EVERYONE experiences these feelings. As Matchbox 20 famously sung – everyone has “shades of shame.” Giving yourself permission to feel is the first step in recovery. Pivoting negativity into positivity can be accomplished by anyone; all they have to do is start questioning.

Questioning magic

You are your own best therapist! Asking yourself questions is an effective way to get answers tailored to you, your situation, and your best interest. No one has your best interest in mind as well as you do, and no one knows what you want more than you do. Your mind is trying to tell you something – just as your body is sending clear messages when you’re nauseated, tired, or brain foggy. Negative feelings are a sign that something is wrong. Don’t ignore them, ask your higher self what’s going on!

I prefer to do all of this on paper. Journaling is such a good way to actualizing feelings and thoughts from our subconscious. Just the act of writing down our dreams and goals increases the chance that we will achieve them. Journaling is extremely useful for relieving hurt and pain as well – so get that pen out!

My recent pivoting experience

This very morning I was in my kitchen getting ready to make coffee. I was enjoying the peace and quiet when I suddenly was struck with a feeling of absolute terror for my 8-year-old daughter, Amelie. I rushed to the girl’s room to check on her, and stood there listening to her breathing for awhile. After a few moments, I asked myself “Where did that come from?” and “Why am I feeling so frightened for her?”

It was just moments, before I remembered that she had gotten a container of water balloons as a prize from her grandmother for doing some school work at her home (I home educate, and grandma – a retired school teacher – adds a bit more when she visits with the girls). Unfortunately, the container for the water balloons had no label. After a bit of research, I found that these tiny, thin balloons are meant only for water play, and that children can inhale the balloons into their windpipe if they attempt to blow them up.

While I do try hard not to be a helicopter parent, I also listen to safety recommendations. I maintain a balance between freedom and security for my children. It’s important that they explore and discover their world, but equally inappropriate for them to be doing it with flamethrowers!

I asked myself “What do I want?”.  I want my children to feel loved and safe and to be free to play and have fun. I also asked myself “How can I alleviate this concern?”. My inner guide gave me the answer, which to you may be obvious: Fill those balloons with water and play; which is exactly how we spent our afternoon.

It’s your turn…

The next time you’re struggling with a negative emotion, or when your intuition pops up with a warning: take it seriously. Ask yourself these questions to determine not only where the feeling is coming from, but also what you can do about it. Take massive action immediately.

This simple four-step method is the best way to pivot your mood from negative to positive, acknowledge messages from your higher self, and live according to your natural divine inspiration. You deserve nothing less.

Share your experiences, if you are willing, via a comment below. I’d love to know if this process works as well for you as it does for me.

A Positive Printable!

I’ve got a present for you! A lovely little positive printable quote for your vision board or frame. Get it in two sizes, 3×4″ or 8.5×11″.
Free this week only!
Positivity comes easy when you pivot

Janeen

For more on Pivoting see this Abraham/Hicks audio recording on YouTube: Here 

or  this article from the Make Life Better Guy: Here

Also check out these awesome The Teachings of Abraham Well-Being Cards (affiliate link). I use them daily, and find great value in their comfort and encouragement.

5 Steps to Hack Your Mindset

Mindset

We are such impressionable creatures.

Before age 6, you’ve already formulated a great deal of your opinions regarding the world around you, and about yourself. You’ve decided if you’re pretty, creative or a hard worker. You have learned about money and if it’s easy or hard to obtain. You may have seen suffering and pain, and have determined what your reactions to various situations will be.

Most of these opinions you’ve learned by watching the people around you, and listening to the words they say. At such a young age, you have no way of determining if the source of your information is legitimate or valid, you simply accept it as truth. If the information comes from your parents, a teacher, or another adult you see as an authority, you take their words as immediate fact. If the source of the information is a peer, even more so.

Until these beliefs are challenged, they become part of your subconscious and you live as though these “truths” are irrefutable.  When you attempt to change your belief regarding body image, food, exercise, money, or some other concept that you may have a negative view of, your 3-year-old-self takes over from your subconscious and undermines the change. She pipes up and says something like “oh,  no…Uncle Charlie said that fat girls don’t get boyfriends.” And suddenly you start to feel unattractive and unworthy again. Or money gets tight and you try very hard to implement some of those techniques from The Secret so you can live a life of abundance, and your dad’s “Why does it always have to be so hard just to make ends meet?!” comment comes flooding into your brain at a hundred miles per hour.

We get stuck in those mindsets that don’t even belong to us! Well, I have a secret that can change all of that. One simple sentence guaranteed to change your life (if you let it). Ready?

You are YOUR OWN ARCHITECT.

Do not let the influencers of your 3-year-old-self dictate who you are or what you believe you’re capable of! Decide for yourself. Decide what or who  you want to be. Choose how you want to view money and how easy it is to obtain. Allow your own image of your beautiful body and how other’s perceive it to be your truth.

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself-and you are the easiest person to fool.”
-Richard Feynman, Nobel Laureate in Physics
(He was so my hero when I was in college!)

There are five easy steps to hack your mindset. You can transform any thought about yourself and the world around you using these steps. I use them on an almost daily basis, even after years of implementation. I still discover lingering doubt, negative thoughts, and worries that need to be addressed. I know that I can design my existence using stories and positive statements, but sometimes I just really want to kick those negative thoughts to the curb fast! That’s what this 5-step process is for!

5 Steps to hack your mindset:

  1. Take some time to write down the negative viewpoints that you want to change. Catch them like Pokemon whenever they enter your mind!
  2. Say “Scratch that!” *This is extremely important – tell your subconscious that this is NOT how you really feel!
  3. Re-write the viewpoint with your OWN, positive thoughts on the issue. Design it to make your heart soar! Use words like “I am” or “Money is”, or “My body is”. Write them as if they are FACT.
  4. Repeat your new viewpoint at least twice to yourself.
  5. Act and feel AS IF it were already true, achieved, or proven.

Triggers

It’s also valuable to examine where those viewpoints may have come from. This is where journaling can come in quite handy! I write down feelings, memories and thoughts on why I may have a particular negative viewpoint. What “evidence” have I received up until this point, that has directed this way of thinking? Why do I feel it no longer represents who I am? Then I peacefully let the old viewpoint go, and begin to self-create my own paradigm.

If this process is at all painful, or brings up memories of frightening or uncomfortable things, you may want to speak with a counselor or psychologist to help you process them. It can really help to have a professional assist you with painful memories – especially when they have dictated a negative viewpoint about yourself that you wish to transform. You CAN hack your mindset, but there are times when a professional is needed to really make a transformation, especially in regards to trauma or PTSD.

Freebie Time!

Here’s a free step-by-step checklist that shows you the exact 5-step process I outline in this post.

Janeen

Affiliate link for an awesome product I actually use and love. This supports my coffee addiction so I can write more and provide you with the best possible content!

The ONE Habit Every Woman Should Develop

You 2.0

What is the ONE Habit Every Woman Should Develop?

I’ve learned an awe-inspiring secret. I learned to develop a habit that has transformed my life in extraordinary ways. I’ve lost weight, become a better communicator, enhanced my marriage and learned many new skills. The best part is this habit is available to everyone, and I feel is absolutely essential for today’s woman. So what is the ONE habit every woman should develop? Personal transformation.

 

Live the life of your dreams

Have you ever seen a woman who looks flawless, carries herself with confidence and grace, lives a life of wild abandon and endless bucket list accomplishments, and who seems to have everything going for her? Have you ever felt like that kind of life is impossible for you?

You’re wrong.

Every woman has within her the ability to transform herself. You are like a mountain stream, powerful enough to carve huge fissures in the Earth, and gentle enough for the smallest honeybee to settle in and take a sip. The key to changing your life, to changing anything in your life, is Kaizen.

Every woman has within her the ability to transform herself.Tweet: Every woman has within her the ability to transform herself. #UnleashJoy #Coach http://ctt.ec/RjJLw+

How Kaizen can make dreams come true

Kaizen is the Japanese concept of constant and never-ending improvement. These are small, incremental changes that anyone can make to be just a little bit better than they were the day before. It’s overwhelming to take on the perfect diet, the most effective exercise routine, develop the best educational program for each of your children, and become the perfect Stepford Wife (eww) for your husband.

Instead, we adopt small changes and tiny habits that can make us better. Ming Na Wen of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fame once said that she does squats and lunges in the kitchen when no one is looking. BJ Fogg, Ph.D.of www.tinyhabits.com advocates choosing three small habits and working with them over the course of 5 days. Some great examples are flossing one tooth every night before going to bed, kissing your husband once per day, or pulling one weed in your garden. These aren’t massive changes, but they add up quickly…and come on, who flosses ONE tooth?

By implementing tiny changes, celebrating every single little win, and adopting a lifestyle of improvement, your life can become continually transformative. You’ll find that the person you are today is much different from the person you were a year ago.

Upgrades, baby!

The one habit every woman should develop? It’s personal development.  It doesn’t have to be a profound undertaking, and you don’t have to suffer from “Woe is me, I quit my resolutions!” syndrome either. Start small, work on tiny habitual changes instead of in broad strokes. Imagine a painter creating a masterpiece using the smallest brush possible. The artist takes her time, working inch by inch to create a gorgeous work of art. It was already there, present in her mind’s eye, and she’s only revealing it on the canvas. You are that masterpiece.

Stepping into a chrysalis that you create yourself, giving yourself the motivation, love, and grace to work through your imperfections, and stepping out the other side anew, is one of the most self-loving actions women can take.
We deserve to work toward the version of ourselves we want to be. Without judgment. Without guilt or shame over past mistakes or who we used to be. And most especially, without wanting to be anyone else.
Just me, better. Me 2.0.

Me 2.0.

I want to know what tiny habits you’re working on! Maybe I’ll join you! Comment below with your three tiny habits you’re going to implement in the next week.

Janeen

Kicking Yourself When You’re UP

Self Confidence
Kicking Yourself When You're UP
Kicking Yourself When You're UP

Kicking Yourself When You’re UP

Have you ever fallen behind? You’ve been sick in bed for a week, recovering from surgery, or just gone camping and returned home to mountains of laundry and dirty dishes. Then, you get started on all the damage control, and it hits. Your brain injects self-deprecating thoughts, the feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. You start kicking yourself when you’re UP.

  • You get frustrated at the end of day, no matter how much you accomplished.
  • You allow negative thoughts to creep in because your illness left you too tired to finish the dishes.
  • You berate yourself because the kids made a mess in the dining room while you were picking up the living room.
  • And the list goes on and on and on and on…

Let me tell you an important secret:

You cannot allow negative self-talk when you are succeeding!

Tweet: You cannot allow negative self-talk when you are succeeding! @JaneenBrown http://ctt.ec/ddyi1+
Even when things get out of control crazy at home, and you KNOW you’re behind, you should never berate yourself while you are catching up. Negative self talk does nothing for you or the people around you! You already have work ahead of you, and you don’t need to carry that heavy psychological load as well. Women are so bad about this! We admit defeat before we’ve begun, and punish ourselves mentally for not getting a week’s worth of chores done in one day. Now, I know Q from Star Trek could snap his sassy fingers and clean my whole house in five seconds (I’m dating myself), but I don’t possess that kind of insta-magic. I have two hands and two feet, and sometimes a coffee-fueled motivation to work. That will get a few loads of laundry, one or two floors and dishes done, in addition to everyone fed and boo boo’s kissed.

Celebrate all the wins; one dish, one sock, one tangle brushed at a time.
Tweet:

If we celebrate our successes, even the small ones, every day becomes a gold-medalist reward party. We smile at our clean sinks (even if there’s a forgotten dirty dish five feet away). We rave at our laundry folding skills even when the clothes don’t get put away until tomorrow. We feel pride that at least one of the children got a bath today. It feels good to celebrate even the tiniest victory, and we should reward ourselves with these kind feelings CONSTANTLY. There is no second place medal for motherhood. Every day is a gold medal day. I don’t care how far behind you think you are, or how little you think you’ve accomplished, celebrate what you DID do. As soon as you finish – toot your horn! “Yay me!”, “I rock at this mom thing!”, “My family is so lucky to have me!” Keep that self thought positive.

You are capable of much more than your negative self talk gives you credit for.

Tweet: You are capable of MUCH MORE than your negative self-talk gives you credit for! @JaneenBrown http://ctt.ec/X039d+
Kick that negative self talk to the curb! Do this, and the next thing won’t seem so daunting. Mount Washmore might be looming in the distance, but you can tackle it one tiny Hobbit foot at a time if you encourage yourself the whole climb.

Comment below with your most recent mommy win, no matter how small. I want to hear about it, and I’ll celebrate with you!

Mine? I made bread today! I was out of quick lunch food, out of bread, and prepared it an hour late, but everyone ended up with full bellies, and no one died from eating lunch an hour later than usual. Go me!

If you struggle with negative thoughts, and would like to transform your internal dialogue to one more positive, try:

Affiliate link:  The Power of Positive Thinking
Non affiliate link: The Power of Positive Thinking

Janeen