Although I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, I do tend to encourage a little reflection at the end of December. Something I’ve noticed a lot is that a bridge year can get overlooked for all its accomplishments because they typically involve discomfort! In this pep talk, we chat what a bridge year is, how to know if you’re in one, and why you should celebrate it!
the best grade to get a mentor
After many years of mentoring, I’m sharing what I think is the mentorship sweet spot! If you’re a parent and having been thinking about getting your daughter a mentor, this is a great episode for you!
how to ask for help
I always give my students the opportunity to text me in between sessions so they can fill me in on what’s going on or get any kind of support if they need it, but I noticed that there was sometimes hesitancy in reaching out. In today’s pep talk, I’m sharing a reframe for asking for help that’s been really helpful/ make reaching out easier!
podcast mentioned:
how to know whose advice to take
Have you ever asked a bunch of people what you should do about something then ended up confused OR maybe people just give you unsolicited advice which ends up making you feel unclear. If any of these sound familiar, then this episode is for you. Today, I share a tool for what I use to gage if I should take someone’s advice or not. It’s helped me out so much and I hope it works for you as well!
parent pep talk: what to look out for around your teen’s mental wellness
Is it a crisis or a growing pain? In today’s parent pep talk, we chat a question I get a lot: what should I look out for in terms of warning signs around my college student’s mental health. This can be a tricky place because college naturally shifts a lot for students and transition can be dysregulating no matter what. I share my biggest tip around knowing when something is wrong and lend support because this topic is hard!
mental wellness to-do’s before your freshman leaves for college
Got a soon-to-be college freshman? This is THE pep talk for you. I’m sharing what I think every student should do for solid mental wellness support before going away to school. We chat foundational wellness in terms of nervous system regulation, the parent transition to college, and why mentorship becomes *even* more important the summer before freshman year.
what’s causing dysregulation on college campuses
Do you know what your trauma response is? That sounds heavy, but what I’m really asking is: do you know when you’re dysregulated? aka what brings us in and out of emotional wellbeing. In this pep talk, we chat how understanding the nervous system supports mental wellness for college students, the mind/body connection, where drugs and alcohol fit in, and what I’m seeing on college campuses in terms of what’s dysregulating students.
mentor links:
for when you’re sad
what to do when you’re blue
Last week I felt so blue and if you’re from the Northeast, then you know that the winter’s can be tough on our mood. I wanted to share the two big things you can do help shift yourself out of feeling down and how to get the **right** support.
if I could only give one piece of advice to college students this would be it
unexpected advice for college students (no matter what grade you’re in)
Today’s pep talk is a clip from my ‘ask me anything’ episode! Someone submitted: if you could only give one piece of advice to college students what would it be? What I share is something I remind my students of often and even feel it’s most important for upperclassmen to keep in mind! It can be easy to forget the bigger picture when you’re going through your day-to-day and that’s why this little mind shift can have a big impact.
ritualizing your routines
inner practices for mental wellness
Do you do something every day to honor your inner self?
I, for sure, did not in high school and college, but now I rely heavily on them for my mental wellness and share these strategies with my students to help move through anxiety and stress. They’ve become a student favorite because they yield big results.
For me, an inner practice is a daily action intended to cultivate the relationship you have with yourself. Nurturing your inner world totally supports your outer world because how you feel about yourself impacts everything in your life.
After having a hard time sleeping over the summer, I recommitted even more by ritualizing my routine. According to business coach, Erica Keswin rituals take an everyday habit and turn it magical by giving it meaning. She also shared the 3 P’s of rituals:
rituals give us a sense of psychological safety
a connection to purpose
which leads to improved performance
When we make our inner practices a ritual, we take it to the next level. The psychological safety is you doing it all the time. The purpose is the meaning you give it, whether it’s time to feel your feelings or time for self exploration. The last part is it improves performance because when you take time to really support your inner world it’s going to have a total effect on how you see your outer world.
An inner practice I’ve ritualized is Purge Emotional Writing from Dr. Habib Sadeghi. I do it every day in the morning and the meaning behind it is the intention get out my feelings (hello sensitivity) so I can be clear for my day. The final part is the improved performance. I can tell when I miss a day of my ritual because I feel more anxious. Another practice I’ve ritualized is meditating between the end of my work day and the start of my personal life.
Here are some inner practice tips and tricks:
I’m not kidding when I say that this has been a major game changer in my own life and something that I help my students with all the time. By the way, you can ritualize mentorship as well! Sending you all a lot of love in the week ahead!