Hello and welcome to the Harmonious Mind.
This is a time for you to slow down and calm your nervous system.
My name is Tanya McIntyre,
Your Mindfulness Mentor.
I'm a mental health professional.
I like to call myself a mental health fitness trainer.
I live in the beautiful lakeside town of Goderich,
Ontario,
Canada.
But it wasn't that long ago that I was a burnt-out,
Addicted journalist.
And I finally managed to make a journey to freedom,
But it took years of trial and error.
So I created the Harmonious Mind to offer a series of short explorations to gently guide you and myself to peace and serenity.
And I think peace and serenity can actually be a natural state for us.
I think we already have it,
But sometimes we just can't feel it because our mind is making too much noise.
So I'm hoping this episode and following episodes of the Harmonious Mind can help you turn down the volume of that incessant inner talk.
So I'd like you to listen to this the way you would listen to music,
With an open mind and curiosity.
There's nothing to do,
Nowhere to go,
Just relax.
Today's exploration offers five steps to better mental health.
We're living in an achievement-oriented society,
And that can lead us into what's called destination thinking.
We might hear ourselves saying things like,
I'll be more satisfied at work when I get a raise or a promotion,
Or I'll be happy when I meet someone.
But think about being happy right now.
What if we could be happy right now regardless of our circumstances or our situations?
I think happiness is actually a fleeting emotion.
It's a temporary experience.
So I prefer to strive for contentment.
Contentment seems to have a more lasting effect because it comes from building resilience and learning to cope with the pain of life in a healthy way.
I don't even like that word cope,
It sounds hard.
I think we're learning to manage the waves of life and we're becoming expert surfers.
So contentment comes to me through something called CBT,
Cognitive behavioral therapies.
CBT not only helps me remain free from addictions,
But also helps me stay aware of my emotions,
My thought patterns,
And my self-talk.
Thinking therapies like CBT teach me the techniques and tools I can use to manage my emotions and take persistent actions that will bring me the results I'm seeking.
So I want to share a few things that I practice every day and I hope you can incorporate a few of these things into your day to help cultivate contentment in your life.
Number one is practice the pause.
I can't tell you how many times this practice has prevented me from doing or saying something I later regret.
So when we find ourselves unhappy with someone or something,
Just pause.
Take a moment to have a breath,
Put in some perspective,
And reach a point of acceptance that you're accepting life and people as they are at that moment.
I think there's great power in knowing that the only thing we can control in our life is ourselves.
Number two,
When you speak and act with kindness,
You build up your emotional bank account.
Yes,
We all have an emotional bank account.
So showing appreciation,
Gratitude,
Speaking and acting with kindness,
That fills up our emotional bank account very quickly.
Number three,
Stop buying stuff.
I said that to myself this morning when I opened up my credit card statement.
Yikes,
Those interest rates.
Legalized theft,
I think.
But we need to rein in our wallet and our spending habits.
Stop buying stuff.
When you feel the urge to buy something,
Just take that pause again.
Think about whether it's a need or a want.
And if it's a want,
Think about why you're not already content with what you already have.
When we keep feeding this instant gratification of wants,
We're learning to cope with life in a lazy way.
When we can postpone gratification,
We're actually teaching our brain to be resilient.
And then overcoming these urges when they creep in becomes much easier.
What we practice grows stronger.
Number four,
Learn to enjoy simple things.
And doing this in a place like where I live on Lake Huron in the beautiful Lakeside town of Goderich,
Ontario,
Canada,
It's pretty easy for me to drive down to the beach and walk our world renowned boardwalk.
And there's something energizing and grounding about being near water.
And of course,
I was born on the east coast of Canada.
So the Atlantic Ocean was my playground as I grew up.
So I like to think that Lake Huron now is my freshwater ocean.
So learning to enjoy simple things is something simple like walking around your neighborhood if you're able.
Or if you have a museum close by,
There's always lots to learn from at a museum.
And normally,
I know here in Goderich,
The admission to our museums is free,
As long as you are a resident or have a library card.
And that's another great place to hang out free with a membership as your library.
They also have a wonderful streaming service that's,
I think,
Better than Netflix or Prime for quality things to watch.
And again,
Free with your library membership.
So just remember,
There's lots of free things to do that can often bring us more fulfillment than anything we can buy.
And finally,
Number five,
Live in the moment.
Wow,
That is a challenge,
Right?
To just stay in the present moment,
Focus on our breath.
I think that's why I'm such a big fan of Tai Chi because it really brings me back into myself to focus on my breath in the present moment.
Because if we're waiting for a day when our life is less busy or less stressful,
Chances are that is not coming.
So when we can focus on any positive today,
Rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future,
You know,
Our brain is this complex organ,
I call it like Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive.
We have five great things happen to us in one shitty thing.
And where does all our attention go?
Shitty thing,
But we dismiss those five great things that happened.
So it's just a mindset shift.
Literally,
We're shifting to the positive things that have happened.
And that's what contentment is.
It's appreciation and acceptance for the things that are right now in the present moment.
And for me,
Contentment is a feeling that ripples through all areas of my life.
So I no longer need to escape from my life using alcohol and other drugs.
So wrapping up this episode of the harmonious mind.
This is the inaugural episode.
I am so grateful you are here.
Thank you for being here with me.
I hope these insights will offer you some comfort and serenity.
And please join me every week for another episode of the harmonious mind.
And until then,
May your coffee your heart and your patience be strong.
My name is Tanya McIntyre,
Your mindfulness mentor,
May the force of mindfulness be with you always.
And remember,
You are the force
