May 28, 2023

#positiveintelligence #burnoutprevention #stressmanagement #coaching #PQBootCamp #mentalhealthawareness #selfcare #mindfulness #mentalhealthtips #mentalhealthawarenessmonth

What is happening in my mental fitness coaching office?

Mental Health Awareness month is coming to a close. But it is always at the top of my mind at Next Chapter. At the beginning of summer here in the Northwest, my little office is a paradise on earth. It has a breathtaking view of a lake and a mountain, and sometimes sailboats, which I love. But don't let that fool you, my little office is also a place of action. Some new ideas and innovations. New partnerships and content. And meetings, lots of meetings. Positive Intelligence (PQ) Bootcamp Pod Meetings. Client Feedback meetings. New Client Introductory Meetings.

So, basically the usual stuff in the life of a Mental Fitness Coach. But what does all this activity lead to? Mental fitness gives us the resilience to respond to life's challenges with a positive mindset. And PQ Bootcamps build the mental muscles to make that possible.

My most recent Positive Intelligence Bootcamp client feedback:

•         "I am so much happier than I used to be, more peaceful, more content. Work is still intense but as long as I practice PQ, I can deal with it. And smile. People have noticed.”

•         "Things are night and day different for me than before Bootcamp. I have so much less stress in my system. Nothing else has changed. Life is still crazy. I have changed."

•         "I am stronger, I take a new peace with me wherever I go.”

•         "My meditation practice is enhanced by PQ reps through the day, giving it a much more lasting effect. And a nice glow."

•         "My Bootcamp pod was amazing, we learned so much from relying on each other, supporting one another and sharing our experiences and insights. I loved the app, your support, and my pod!"

•         "I became a better, happier version of me. More ME if that makes sense. And less grumpy."

There is absolutely nothing more satisfying than hearing this feedback from clients.

But…Speaking to new prospective clients: Oof.

There’s a lot of pain out there. People are stressed, burned-out, changing or losing jobs, confused, chaotic. Filled with self-doubt and negative self-talk. And we're all bombarded by news and social media, ALL THE TIME, every hour, every day.

But...There is also hope. And humor. And happiness. And that's what I build on for clients with mental fitness coaching. I help clients find their inner strength, their positive mindset, their laughter. The essence of who they were before they climbed on the grown up merry-go round. I help them find their ME-ness.

How can any of us help make things better?

What a positive intelligence mental fitness coach (like me!) might say is that all we can do is start with ourselves. Own our own joy, our own misery, our own sensations, and our own thoughts. Thoughts that can make our daily experience much, much better or much, much worse.

An Experiment

But can we control our thoughts? Yes, with training, we can absolutely learn to command our thoughts in a way that serves us, rather than harms us. If that sounds a little woo-woo, then you should try a simple experience. Right now, wherever you are reading these words: Stop everything you are doing and thinking for 20 seconds. Close your eyes for a moment. Put your thumb and forefinger together and feel the ridges of both fingers moving against each other. Notice the pattern of each one. Do nothing else for 20 seconds. Nothing but focus on your fingers. I’ll wait here.

Ok, open your eyes. You just did a PQ rep. A mental fitness rep, rather than a physical fitness rep. So, how did that feel for you? Many people experience a sense of relief, as the rest of the world falls away. I hope you got that refreshing and peaceful boost. However, some people need to try doing a PQ Rep more than once to feel that way, so don’t worry if it didn’t come the first time. Why does it work? Because your brain needs some rest from plans, lists, worries and regrets. Sometimes we look to distracting activities, like playing a game or watching entertainment, for that refreshment. Those things can distract you and can rest your body. But it doesn’t refresh your mind. Your poor old mind is still playing out your same old thought patterns in the background while you are watching that show, listening to that music or playing that game.

People who meditate will immediately understand this concept. A PQ Rep is like a mini meditation to refresh, recharge and calm your mind for the challenges of your day. And once you have learned to calm your mind, you have taken the first step to mental fitness.

Coming Up Next

Starting this month, this space will be devoted to each and every Positive Intelligence Saboteur. One by one, we will go through each one to celebrate the strengths of each, and also talk about how they make your life more difficult.

Remember, we all have Saboteurs. The Dali Lama has saboteurs. The more resilient among us have learned to manage our minds so that those negative thought patterns do not take over and influence our behavior and actions very often. And if they do, we recover sooner and our wellness, performance, and relationships in work and life become better.

In the next weeks, I'll tell you more about each of the saboteur characters that attempt to take over your mind when you least expect it. Avoider, Controller, Hyper-Achiever, Hyper-Rational, Hyper-Vigilant, Pleaser, Stickler and Victim. Their names don’t sound fun, but they can be truly very seductive. (They work closely with the Master Saboteur I have written about previously, The Judge.) You never see them coming.

First up: The Avoider. For those of us plagued by this guy, wow, he is something! So stubborn, so comforting, so unendingly present. Coming to this space very soon! (If you are thinking you want to avoid reading about this guy, it just proves that you really, really need to read about him.)

Thank you for reading! Please comment on the PQ rep experience you had when you tried the exercise above. How did it work for you?

And don’t forget, you can contact me for a no-obligation, coaching session anytime. It’s a gift I am more than happy to offer and one of my favorite things to do, we will both enjoy it, I promise. [email protected].

Have a sage summer, full of peace, joy and fun.