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Modern Yinster

Success Without Sacrifice

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mental health

Launch Party for our TV Show

September 15, 2020 by yinster Leave a Comment

During the months of July and August I self quarantined quite a bit as I was frequently sneaking off to Dallas to film our new Talk Show! So I kinda became a hermit but a very healthy hermit.

Earlier this year, I became a co owner of the new Sawubona Sister Gathering, LLC.
We are a Sisterhood with a heart lead purpose of seeing women for exactly who they are. We are a platform for women to dive deeper into relevant topics without the feeling of judgement.

Our Talk show is a platform for these topics and we want you to come sit on the couch with us and chat! This new adventure is an extension of what Modern Yinster offers.  Every experience at Sawubona Sister Gatherings will leave you feeling connected and full!

This Sunday, September 20th, we will be unveiling our new live-streaming show! I’d love for you to be there why we explain how this came about, back stage whoopsie – daisies and how to get this show into your living room!

Click HERE to go to the Eventbrite and reserve your ticket!   It’s totally free and open to everyone.  We just want to share a moment of celebration with you!

Filed Under: Leadership, Lifestyle, Personal Growth, Sawubona Sisters, self help, simple life, Uncategorized Tagged With: business coach, discipline, entrepreneur, membership, mental health, mindset coach, mom of boys, posture, self care, self love, sisterhood, women entrepreneur, women in leadership, Yoga

How to Thrive When Dealing With Women’s Health Issues

January 15, 2020 by yinster

 

I remember laying on the couch after my second son was born listening to him cry from the other room.  He was 8 months old and crying in his crib. And crying, and crying, and crying. 

But, I wouldn’t get up.  I couldn’t get up. I didn’t care if I got up and he cried for hours. My body and mind were done.  I didn’t have the strength to think about lifting my head much less actually lift my head. I had no desire to help that child or even myself.  We were both objects of unimportance.

I will never forget what I thought to myself at that moment. 

“I wish I was 6 feet under so I could sleep forever.”  

Was I sleep deprived from having an infant? Yes.  

What I was feeling was deeper than sleep deprivation.  Something wasn’t right.  

I couldn’t move.  I couldn’t care. I. Just. Couldn’t.  

I knew I had to seek help.  What I didn’t know is that this was only the beginning of an 11-year journey that is still ongoing and every year it’s full of new surprises.  

Initially, I was sure I would be diagnosed with postpartum depression. Instead, I was diagnosed with a hormone disorder called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  I was prescribed a thyroid medication and began to feel better.  

The glimpse of feeling “normal” again was such a relief and quite encouraging, but it didn’t last. We began trying different medications and adjusting dosages. Meanwhile, I had a sneaking suspicion the doctors were doing their best based on their formal education when really, they didn’t know how to actually help me.   

I’ve tried every different medical and natural  therapy I could think of….. , even the celery juice, which actually was great, but ultimately it didn’t solve the problems.  My condition became a broken record, the medication or proposed cure would work for a short period of time then my symptoms would creep back in.  

My suspicions were right, nobody really knew what was going on, they just prescribed options to help with the symptoms.  I visualize this as putting a band aid on a gaping wound that really needs a good cleaning, and possibly stitches. They were addressing my needs from the surface level and unable or unsure of how to address the real issue.

I’m going to skip the details of the subsequent next 10 years and just say that I have struggled.  

I’m a pretty natural kinda gal.  I like to hug trees. I don’t eat much meat.  We never kill anything (even snakes and spiders) at our house.  I meditate. I do energy work. I am a Yoga Teacher. I am ONE with nature and YES, I do firmly believe with all my heart, we are all one, connected by the energy of Love.  

So why the hell do I only feel good half the time!?  Why do I bloat for no reason to the point of distention?  Why am I tired so many days out of the month.. hell the year?  As it turns out, I kept searching and I found the problem and a solution to go along with it.  This…. Is another story. 

My message to you today is not about what my solution was, it’s about how I’ve learned to cope with and manage through debilitating fatigue, pain, and brain fog.

For 10 years, I’ve lived through this while still being a Mom, Wife, Teacher and Business Owner.  Living like this has required me to give myself large doses of permission, grace, and even strategies for survival.

 Whatever you’re going through, It’s okay to not feel good during your search for relief… which may take YEARS.  The following 10 tips will help you live your life more peacefully, with clarity and acceptance of yourself and what you are dealing with. 

 

1. Accept that a bad day is happening and tell yourself, “It’s okay.”  Just like the good days, the bad days won’t last forever. Mentally prepare yourself for those ‘bad days’ personally and professionally. It’s okay.  

2.  Once you have accepted that ‘well, today is just a bad day.’ Give yourself permission to rest and relax.  If you must work, then do so in small blocks with plenty of rest in between.  Acceptance of the permission, the act of “letting shit go”, and being okay with it takes a fair amount of practice.

3. Re-prioritize.  Your first priority is now resting and taking care of your inner peace.  From this point forward, on the days you feel bad, practice letting go of what doesn’t serve your peace of mind.  Move chores to the bottom of the list and yourself to the top of the list. 

4.  It’s okay to be vulnerable. Let friends, family, and clients know that you are having a rough day.  If anyone has a problem with you canceling, you being sick “again”, or their having to pick up the slack, remember, that’s exactly what it is… THEIR problem.  

I, personally, always worry about letting clients down, but ALL of my clients understand.  That’s the type of people I choose to work with. If it’s a family member, compassionately tell them, “ I know you are ______  (or whatever to validate that you understand what they are going through), but today I really need your help.” 

5. Remember you are NOT lazy.  You are NOT crazy.  You are NOT a hypochondriac.  You are NOT a loser.   You are dealing with this the best way you know how.  Continue to seek answers for healing. Continue to trust your instinct no matter what others say to you or what you think they assume about you.  This is your path to walk. This path is bumpy and downright muddy but you won’t give up.   

6. Write this on a piece of paper and take it everywhere you go.  Paste it on the walls, on the mirrors and glue it to your soul… this is NOT YOUR FAULT. 

7.Skip the workout.  Your body is under stress and is in a state of disease.  Incorporate a little movement into your day, but give yourself permission to skip the workout. Enter the mindset of nurturing your body with movement and breath.  Tip number 8 is the perfect example!

8.Introduce a Breathing Practice into your daily routine.  That may sound silly, right?  To practice something that comes so automatically to us may seem strange, but most of us are shallow breathers.  Generally, our lungs’ full capacity goes unused and we don’t stop to focus on the main thing that connects us to life –  Our Breath. To practice breathing is as simple as sitting still for one minute and inhaling for a count of 4 and exhaling for a count of 6.  Try it, you will have a new outlook on your day. YES, in just one minute. It’s that powerful! 

9.  Remind yourself of your STRENGTHS when you are feeling down. Consider some specific challenges you have overcome, re-live and replay those hard moments and allow yourself to be impressed at the power you have as a strong woman who lived through them. Allow your mind to hold on to that pride in your mental and physical strength for a few seconds. You and that strong person you imagined are the same person. 

Here is a guided Breathing practice that helps you focus on your strengths all throughout the day. Strength Centering Practice, Blog, Worksheet and Audio 

10. Batch your work. When we live with pain, fatigue, and fog that comes and goes with our cycles and seasons of life, it requires an enhanced level of awareness and prioritization to produce when you are feeling well. 

Living like this for so long has taught me to accept that I will only feel “well” half of the time. During my continued journey toward a resolution, I choose to practice batching, giving myself permission, and breath work, among the other steps I’ve shared here.  It’s not easy, but when I implement these actions faithfully, I’m able to feel productive, serve my clients, and be present for my family.

Here is your plan of action:  Get prepared for the bad days! 

Set up priorities for yourself and write out action steps in a journal or calendar. When you are feeling tip-top, you won’t have to spend time figuring out what you should do.  With this list, you will be crystal-clear on what needs to be done.  

Go get it, Girl! Go get your life back.  Go get the right doctor. Go get your freedom.  Go get support. Go get unconditional love for yourself.  But you GO GET IT and thrive forward!

Please join Erika’s private women’s Facebook Group called Braving Vulnerability Together. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: calm, clarity, faith, family, finding help, hormone disorder, mental health, mindbody, mindset, seek help, vulnerable, women

FB – Live Featuring Ashley Diamond-Siegert

April 5, 2019 by yinster Leave a Comment

I had the fun privileged to do a FB Live interview on the Tour De Perspective with Ashley Diamond-Siegert.  She’s started a thriving photography business and is on the cutting edge of a revolutionary new photography business.  That’s all I can say for now, it’s top secret, but I will tell you it’s BRILLIANT!

Ashley is a go-getter.  She’s continually growing her photography business and her Business Coaching Course in strategic and impressive ways.  And she’s always down for some real talk and a good laugh.

Today we talked about Obstacles standing in our way to achieve our dreams.  You really need to watch the video to get the full scope and it’s just a lot of fun and a ton of gold nuggets.  Grab a pen and paper to take notes.  Also, Ashley graciously provided us with an INSANELY good writing prompt sheet so you can really start to peel back the layers.  (free download, no email address needed but if you want to subscribe to this blog, you will make the 2019 ‘cool people list’ lol)

I’m not going to tell you what to do because my Mamma says I’m bossy BUT if I were you, Here is what I would to get the impact from this blog…

  1.  Subscribe below.
  2. Download The freebie —–> HERE! 
  3. watch the interview (https://youtu.be/Kp6r0w4x8wc)
  4. Comment – Get a conversation going!  That’s what this is about!
  5. Visit Ashley’s website for more great life changing tips.  I promise she’s WAY MORE than a fantastic photographer.  www.ashleysiegert.com

Below I’ve outlined 5 ways to get remove the biggest obstacle which is YOU.  In the video you will find a lot more details and experiences. (After you watch the interview head to Pod Cast 2 titled, It’s Not Them, It’s You, for more clarity and depth on this topic)

  1. Take Responsibility – You are exactly where you are supposed to be
  2. Get Clarity on Your Dream (the writing prompt’s Ashley provided can be used as a tool for this!)
  3. Be the boss of our business and not your job – mindset shift for entrepreneurs
  4. Lose your security blanket – What are you holding on to that is keeping you secure and safe?
  5. Unpack your baggage and leave what doesn’t serve you.  – Scarier done than said

This is your time to RELEASE so you can RADIATE your dream and power out into the world.  Impact others on a greater scale and bodly serve your mission!

Filed Under: community, family, Leadership, lesson, Lifestyle, Personal Growth, Retreats, stress, Support/Education, Uncategorized, Yoga Tagged With: awareness, behavior, clarity, entrepreneur, fear, focus, health, lifestyle, love, meditation, mental health, mindset, photography school, selfworth, shift, spirituality, stress, wellness, women, Yoga

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