WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.319 Hi everyone, and welcome back to their podcast episode. My 2 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.839 name is Alicia Gogin, the host of the Globe Secrets podcast, 3 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:07.519 where I help you expand your mind and become more 4 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:09.640 self awares that you can glow up into the best 5 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:14.640 version of yourself. Welcome back to another episode. I just 6 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:17.160 want to quickly say thank you to everyone who wished 7 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:20.960 me condolences and love and support on the last episode. 8 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:23.640 If this is the first episode that you're listening to 9 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:26.960 of mine of the podcast, or you just haven't been watching. 10 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:31.320 I recently just lost my mother, so things have been 11 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:34.759 very difficult for me, and it kind of leads me 12 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:38.399 into today's episode. I want to talk about some of 13 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.079 the things that have been helping me get myself out 14 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:44.600 of depression and pick myself back up, boost my mood, 15 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:48.159 and really just get my spark back. Now. Obviously I 16 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:53.119 am still grieving, and grieving is a little bit different 17 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.320 than maybe you just being in a slump for whatever reason. 18 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:59.679 But I am sure that this episode will maybe help 19 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:03.679 motivate inspire whether you are going through something such as 20 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:06.400 grief or you're not feeling that spark in life. I 21 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.200 also just think moving into the new year, there is 22 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:12.640 definitely a part of us that wants to get that 23 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:16.599 motivation and inspiration for life again. And I feel like 24 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:20.000 that is typically how life goes we ebb and flow, 25 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:22.799 where sometimes we're more in a slump, whether it is 26 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:26.640 something as devastating as a loss or a heartbreak, or 27 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:29.280 your life is just chaotic and things are not working out, 28 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:31.640 or you have health issues whatever it is, or there 29 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:34.000 is just nothing really to be kind of excited about 30 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:35.760 in your life now. Also, if you guys have been 31 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:38.359 listening to the podcast for a while, you know, even 32 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.719 before I lost my mom, I was going through a 33 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:44.439 pretty intense flare up. I have ulcerative colitis, which is 34 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:46.519 under the umbrella of IBDs. So if you ever hear 35 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.920 me say IBD or aulcerative clitis, I'm basically like they're 36 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:53.239 the same thing. And so for a while I was 37 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:55.280 down bad with my health and some of the things 38 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.120 I'm going to be talking about more steps that I 39 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:00.519 had to take in terms of getting my health back 40 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.719 and even boosting my mood and getting back into routine. Now, 41 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:05.799 I want to start with this quote that I shared 42 00:02:05.799 --> 00:02:09.840 on my Instagram last night, and it's really important that 43 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:13.120 we address this before we take the steps that we 44 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:16.080 might need to get back on track or just boost 45 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:19.360 our mood. And this quote is from Whitney Hansen, and 46 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.680 it says, you just came in from a rainstorm. You 47 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:25.759 can't expect to be immediately dry and warm and comfortable, 48 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:28.719 but you can do little things. Take off the heavy clothing, 49 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:31.719 turn on the coffee pot, warm yourself in a blanket, 50 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:36.120 one small thing at a time. Healing is a process, 51 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:39.960 and that's very relevant, especially when you're going through something 52 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:44.000 such as grief. I'm on the podcast right now talking 53 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:46.159 in a way where it seems like I'm okay, but 54 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:49.520 there are many moments throughout the day where I'm not okay, 55 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:53.599 and that is completely fine, even if I was going 56 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:55.919 through something like when I was dealing with my flare 57 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.360 up and it was really bad. Whatever you are going through, 58 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.759 you have to realize, like it's a rainstorm, it might 59 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:05.120 still be a rainstorm, and maybe it was. You have 60 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:10.159 to give yourself grace and love. And this ties into 61 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:15.439 a lot for me, dropping perfectionism and control over how 62 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:18.639 things need to go. I think this is really big 63 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:21.039 when it comes to getting yourself out of ruts or 64 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:23.759 getting yourself out of depression. We have this idea of 65 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:28.360 how it needs to look, or the stories we tell 66 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:31.080 ourselves which make it kind of too big to even 67 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.280 want to try to get out and try to get 68 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.439 on a healthy routine or pick ourselves back up like 69 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:40.159 it feels a lot, and then we don't want to 70 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.360 do it because we're in this low state of being 71 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:47.120 for whatever reason it is, and it just feels really overwhelming. 72 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:52.479 And so it's just important to remind yourself that you 73 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:55.199 are going to need to give yourself grace through this time. 74 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.080 It is not going to be perfect. You're gonna go 75 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:01.400 through waves. I am doing so much better than I 76 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:03.759 was the day that I found out my mom passed away, 77 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.400 but the waves still come, and I just allow them 78 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:11.560 to be. I allow the tears to come. I allow 79 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:14.680 myself to feel into these feelings because I know that 80 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:17.560 it's just a part of the process. If you are 81 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.199 just depressed for whatever reason, or you're just not feeling 82 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:22.480 like motivation for life, understand that not every single day 83 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:24.800 you're going to have this spark of this energy that's okay. 84 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:28.600 Don't allow that to be the reason why you don't 85 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:30.959 keep showing up for yourself the best way you can. 86 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:34.279 You don't have to be perfect, but you definitely don't 87 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:36.600 need to tell yourself like, oh, this shouldn't be happening, 88 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:38.480 or I shouldn't be feeling sad. Why am I feeling 89 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:40.399 sad today? Or why am I feeling this wave? And 90 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.879 one thing that I was talking to my therapist about 91 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.879 when it comes to grief was the way that one 92 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:51.399 allows grief to like flow through them. And I really 93 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:54.000 was just telling her, I really just allow these waves 94 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:58.279 to move through me, and I release the tears, and 95 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:01.199 I release the feelings. If it's anger, for frustration, if 96 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:04.720 it's disappointment, if it's lost, whatever, I let it move 97 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:06.600 through me, and it just feels so much better than 98 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:09.160 trying to suppress it or try to hold on to it, 99 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.720 or try and intellectualize how it needs to be different, 100 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:14.519 or trying to change the circumstance for what it really is. 101 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:18.439 And she was also telling me how it's really sad, obviously, 102 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.920 but it's almost beautiful to watch sometimes children who are 103 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:26.399 grieving because the way that they grieve is so natural. 104 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:30.720 Sometimes you will see them, let's say, playing with their toys, 105 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.360 and then all of a sudden, they just start crying, 106 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:36.120 and the cry and they cry, and they cry, and 107 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:39.319 then they go back to playing and it almost seems 108 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:41.279 like everything is fine again, and they might be laughing 109 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.480 or they might be whatever, and it just flows through 110 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:48.360 them so naturally, and honestly, the first week of losing 111 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:52.079 my mom, it really felt very childlike, where I understood 112 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:56.160 that this is a natural process of feeling whatever emotions 113 00:05:56.160 --> 00:05:59.240 that I'm feeling, and I just let them out and 114 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.240 then they're would be times where like, twenty minutes later, 115 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:05.519 maybe I wasn't jumping for joy, but I was okay, 116 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:07.800 I was at peace, I felt okay. And I look 117 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:10.639 at that the same way I look at trying to 118 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:16.720 control certain situations outcomes being a perfectionist. When things don't 119 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:19.240 feel super aligned and I don't feel like one hundred 120 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:23.120 percent motivated to go move my body or eat a meal, 121 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:25.519 I look at that the same way as I look 122 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:28.439 at the wave of emotions, where it's like I can 123 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:30.639 still accept the fact that this is not perfected or 124 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:32.959 doesn't feel perfect, or I'm not okay right now, but 125 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.319 I can still move through it. I can still allow 126 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.639 it to be now in light of needing things to 127 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:40.519 be perfect, to the tea, all the things that I'm 128 00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:43.079 going to be talking about there was not necessarily one 129 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.160 day I decided to do these steps like A, B, C, 130 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:48.439 and D. And this kind of goes back to the 131 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:52.639 quote where it's like you get inside and you dry off, 132 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:54.519 and you put a warm blanket on yourself, and then 133 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:57.399 you start the pot of coffee. Maybe one day that's 134 00:06:57.439 --> 00:06:59.839 exactly how I came in from the rainstorm, where I 135 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:02.279 put the blanket on and I dried off, and then 136 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:04.959 I started the coffee. But then maybe there was another 137 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:07.319 day where I didn't want to dry off and I 138 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:10.160 just went right to the coffee. And that is totally fine. 139 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:12.519 But for the sake of the podcast, I'm going to 140 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.160 go through obviously like a list of things that I 141 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:18.759 kind of did so when I felt a little bit better, 142 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:22.720 especially when it comes to like my personal situation when 143 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:24.519 it comes to grieving. I got to a point, and 144 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:27.480 I said this in my previous episode, if you want 145 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:31.639 to hear more about me honoring my mother and just 146 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.319 letting go of darkness and dealing with the loss of 147 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:38.319 both parents when it comes to addictions and the darkness 148 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:42.480 that can follow you when you have parents that have 149 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:45.199 gone through that. There came a point for me where 150 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:48.560 I really did want to release this darkness, this energy, 151 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:53.360 this depression, this low energy state, and I also know 152 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:55.680 that that's what I deserve. And I think it's important 153 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:59.120 to set an intention and really move into a new 154 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:02.120 identity when you are trying to pick yourself back up 155 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:06.000 and think about you know, the person that I want 156 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:10.040 to be moving forward is somebody who embraces more of 157 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:12.959 the light energy that is I know deep down within me, 158 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:16.120 outside of this darkness or this depression. I want to 159 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.600 release this darkness. I want to be somebody who moves 160 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:23.040 through this grief or moves through this depression and comes 161 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:26.519 out on the other side. It's really just marking this 162 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:31.000 new chapter, this new era, this new version of you. Now. 163 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.519 I think it's really important when you are wanting to 164 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:35.759 step into a new identity, a new version of you, 165 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.399 a new chapter of your life, you really make it 166 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.919 very light and easy and enjoyable, especially when you are 167 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:45.360 depressed or you're really down bad, because if not, you 168 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:50.759 might go into that hyper productive era where you're setting 169 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:52.960 one hundred goals and you kind of put a lot 170 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:54.720 of pressure on yourself and then you get into this 171 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:56.720 energy of being a perfectionist and then you kind of 172 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:58.879 don't want to do it again. I just wanted to 173 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:03.200 embrace all the beautiful qualities that is within me and 174 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:06.759 in my life and what I hope the future will 175 00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:09.759 be for me in twenty twenty five. Also connecting to 176 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:11.559 my mother, there was a lot of darkness. There was 177 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:13.879 a lot of you know, hard emotions that I had 178 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:18.519 to hold and grieve and process. But there's also a 179 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:20.879 lot of light aspects of her and her life and 180 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:23.440 her legacy and the good qualities of her that I 181 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.240 want to focus on moving forward. So that's kind of 182 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:29.279 the energy that I am in and with that what 183 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:32.480 I actually did, And this is helpful maybe for some 184 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:34.559 and maybe you don't want to do this, but I 185 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:38.600 think it can be. I actually created a new mood board. 186 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:43.639 I think like environment and aesthetics and visuals for me 187 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:45.840 are really really helpful. And we're going to get into 188 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:48.440 your mental diet because I think that that is huge. 189 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:54.639 But I kind of set a few goals and a 190 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:58.440 vision for myself, nothing too crazy, especially going through what 191 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:02.360 I'm going through now, trying to get back into work 192 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.360 mode and one hundred things on my plate. I haven't 193 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:07.360 done that, and I'm not going to do that. But 194 00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:09.960 I think having some sort of vision that you hold 195 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:12.080 and you can kind of either strive for or you 196 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:15.440 can focus on that is making you feel really good 197 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:18.840 about life is important because for me, there's a lot 198 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:22.240 of different goals that I have that were set even 199 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:25.279 before my mom passed away, but even like before my 200 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:28.960 flare up. But I kind of tried to tap into 201 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:32.679 my creativity, like what beautiful art could I make out 202 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:35.120 of this season of my life? What's something new that 203 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:37.639 I can invite into my life, or a new hobby 204 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:42.159 or just something that doesn't remind me of my past 205 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.679 or doesn't remind me of the darkness. And not to 206 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:49.600 say your goals previously before this are not meant to 207 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:52.799 be picked back up. But again, you're entering a new 208 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:54.879 version of you, So is there something new you can 209 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:58.200 focus on or create? So I made a little mood board. 210 00:10:58.240 --> 00:10:59.840 I figured maybe I would show you guys, because I 211 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:03.200 think it's just really stunning. As always, I feel like 212 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.799 all my mood boards are really pretty and it says 213 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.120 embrace your light. I like to put different quotes on 214 00:11:09.159 --> 00:11:11.679 my mood board. Sometimes I'll just put the month, but 215 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:14.720 I felt very called to put something that would just 216 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.360 remind me of the light instead of the darkness. And 217 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:23.240 on here, I just have things that remind me of 218 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:25.360 the person I want to be and the focus that 219 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:28.279 I want to have in this chapter of my life. 220 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.120 I have a girl sitting on a mountain and she's 221 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:32.399 looking out into the trees. This all just reminds me 222 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:34.519 of nature, and nature is so big for me. It 223 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:36.600 reminds me of my mom, but it really just grounds 224 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:39.159 me and I want to be out in nature as 225 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:42.879 much as possible. I have a lineup of these journals 226 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:47.600 which have just like light color, beautiful spiritual vibes. On those, 227 00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:50.279 it's actually reminding me of a project that I am 228 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:53.720 working on. I also have a girl with her legs 229 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:56.720 crossed and she has a microphone that obviously connects to 230 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:58.919 what I'm doing on the podcast right now. It gives 231 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:02.360 me a lot of joy and peace to have this podcast. 232 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:05.320 I also have a computer screen, which again just reminds 233 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:07.360 me of some of the creative projects based off of 234 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:09.720 the color scheme on there, that I want to continue 235 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:11.960 to focus on. That just makes me feel really excited 236 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.799 about life and like wanting to wake up and do 237 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:18.080 something with my life. There is a girl sitting on 238 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:22.399 a yoga mat in her place, which everything is light colored. 239 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:25.919 It gives you that energy of renewal. I have been 240 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:27.240 doing a lot of yoga, which I'm going to be 241 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:32.639 talking about. Another photo with a computer, headphones, camera, a latte. 242 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:36.320 This just reminds me clearly of a lot of creative 243 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:39.600 work which has been pretty huge for me. A very 244 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:43.080 big north star and a girl who is walking with 245 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.200 a coffee because I think this reminds me of like 246 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:48.080 my hawk girl walks, which you guys know, I absolutely love. 247 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:51.799 And also another photo of a TV with like pink 248 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:54.639 lighting in the background and there's lots of plants. This 249 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:56.600 just reminds me of my home in the way that 250 00:12:56.679 --> 00:12:59.519 I am curating it to help me feel more at peace. 251 00:12:59.559 --> 00:13:02.399 My environl is very big for me, so that just 252 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:04.960 reminds me of this new era. I think it's important 253 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:08.720 sometimes to set that intention and kind of give yourself 254 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.159 a little bit of a renewal. I made this on Canva. 255 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.519 You simply can just go onto Canva and type in 256 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.440 desktop wallpaper and will give you like a blank canvas 257 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:21.000 and then you can take some Pinterest photos and bring 258 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:23.679 them or drag them or copy and paste them onto 259 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.759 your Canva template and then you can save it to 260 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:27.679 your desktop. So I always like to do that. I 261 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:30.159 do that every season, and honestly, anytime that I feel 262 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.559 like I need a little bit of a life rebrand. Okay, 263 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:37.679 so let's talk about mental diet and the power of 264 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:40.320 your morning routine. I think these two things have been 265 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:44.840 absolutely so crucial in all times, honestly that I've been 266 00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:46.679 depressed or in a rut. So at the end of 267 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:50.519 the day, whatever thoughts you are thinking, whatever stories you're 268 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:54.519 telling yourself, it is going to impact whether you want 269 00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:58.000 to continue to get up and roll with life or 270 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:00.480 how you deal with the things that are coming to 271 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:06.000 you within your life. And I had posted yesterday on 272 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:09.960 my Instagram story of a book called Embraced by the Light, 273 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:12.320 which I will leave down below. If you are currently 274 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:15.840 grieving or if you're spiritual. I think it's a really 275 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:18.480 good book. I'm halfway through it. It's a really good 276 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:20.519 book that was actually recommended by one of you guys, 277 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:22.600 so thank you if you are listening to this episode, 278 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.480 And it kind of talks about a near death experience 279 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:29.200 that somebody had had and just talking about kind of 280 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:31.480 what happens in the afterlife. So I think it's pretty 281 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.240 relevant if you are spiritual. If you're not, maybe you 282 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:36.559 won't resonate with that, but it's helped me. But I 283 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:39.440 was talking about how I would be ten times more 284 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.120 unstable right now when it comes to grieving the loss 285 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.759 of my mother if I did not connect with my spirituality. 286 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:49.639 And I do think about all of the hardships that 287 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:52.200 I have been through, the loss of my dad, the 288 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:55.399 health struggles that I've been through, the financial struggles, the 289 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:59.440 dealing with my mother's addiction when she was here and 290 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:01.320 I was even closer to her like when I lived 291 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:04.519 with her, just so many things like big or small, 292 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:09.960 even outside of family and parents, just life and tribulations 293 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.399 and trials. I have always connected in a way that 294 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:18.600 works for me to spirituality, to believing in something that's 295 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.360 greater than myself. There's a reason there's a rhyme, there's 296 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:25.240 a lesson here. There is a trusting that I have 297 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:28.120 to hold, even if I can't see it yet. I 298 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:30.840 have to have some sort of belief or faith or 299 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:34.639 something that has always really carried me through the times 300 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:37.120 where I'm looking in my reality and it is shit, 301 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:40.039 it is not right. It doesn't make sense, it's confusing, 302 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:45.480 it's scary, it's just unsafe. And that's what I have 303 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.960 been doing, of course when it comes to grieving the 304 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:51.519 loss of my mom, but in hard times, and the 305 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:55.480 way I like to connect spiritually is mainly through journaling. 306 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:58.480 I have always done this. I have one hundred thousand 307 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:01.039 journals that I still keep to this day. In the 308 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:04.120 hardest days of my life, I would wake up every 309 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:07.519 morning and I would connect to whether it's myself my 310 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:10.720 higher self. Lately it has been connecting to my mother's 311 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.799 spirit and writing to her, but also just writing out 312 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.840 how I'm experiencing my current life circumstance and trying to 313 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.639 even understand my current life circumstance. And I feel like 314 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:26.000 spirituality is so unique to everyone. I am not saying 315 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:27.360 the way I do it is the way that you 316 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:30.000 should do it. There's people who are religious, people who 317 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.679 believe in only like speaking to God or Jesus or 318 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:36.320 whatever it is. But whatever it is, I think that 319 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:39.519 that is definitely something that can get you through and 320 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:44.519 get you out of depression. Better is to believe that 321 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:48.360 this circumstance right now is not going to be like 322 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:51.320 this forever, that God or the universe has your back, 323 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:55.000 even if it feels like nothing is working out right now. 324 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:59.480 To have belief that things will eventually get better, even 325 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:03.639 in your heart artist times. This type of thinking is 326 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:07.720 something that gets you through and gets you up. But 327 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:09.880 you kind of have to have a practice, which is 328 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:12.279 why I have a journal practice that I like to 329 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:15.000 go to in the morning. Maybe for you it's putting 330 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:18.440 on somebody who has a positive outlook on life, or 331 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:21.640 maybe you're going to church, or maybe you have different 332 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:27.079 speakers that you listen to online or whatever it is. 333 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:32.119 I think connecting spiritually, connecting to a positive message, especially 334 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:34.640 on the days where you are depressed and in a rut, 335 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:36.640 can take you a long way. And I honestly just 336 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:38.799 think about this when it comes to podcast episodes or 337 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:40.559 the one you're listening to now. I'm sure this is 338 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:43.240 giving you some sense of Okay, I can do this, 339 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:45.279 I can get out of this. It's giving you some 340 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:48.720 sort of motivation inspiration keep listening to this kind of stuff. 341 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:52.680 And I do this every day, especially when I'm going 342 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:55.880 through like really hard times, and I did this many 343 00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:57.880 different chapters of my life. I like to listen to 344 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:02.119 meditation music as I am journaling as well to kind 345 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.880 of give myself an extra layer of peace. I like 346 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:07.799 to light an incense and make sure that my environment 347 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:10.279 is nice and clean. I give myself some time in 348 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:12.160 the morning to do that. If I need to do 349 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.920 it again at night time, or even just speak out loud. 350 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:17.839 I do that a lot as well, especially at night. 351 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:19.960 If I'm too tired to journal, I'll just kind of 352 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:22.279 like talk to myself and be like, Alicia, you are 353 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:25.759 getting through this. This is a lesson, or I tell 354 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:30.039 myself an affirmation. I if I'm feeling grateful, or I'm 355 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:33.960 feeling happy or sad, whatever it is, I acknowledge those feelings. 356 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:36.359 I let them through and I let them out, and 357 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.440 you get better at this as well. I feel like 358 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:40.400 sometimes people don't really know what to say or how 359 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:42.480 to journal or whatever. You don't need to be perfect, 360 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:44.359 you don't need to You just need to come back 361 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:46.480 to yourself. And the more times you do this, you 362 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:49.799 will find when you go through hard times, you will 363 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:51.720 be more resilient. And I think that there's a lot 364 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:54.000 of people who look at the things that I have 365 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:56.519 gone through, and I know that because I've gotten messages 366 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:58.720 even now where you guys are like, it's insane the 367 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:00.640 amount of strength that you have to even come up 368 00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:02.359 on the podcast and speak the way that you are, 369 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:05.680 and that it's because I've had a lot of practice 370 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:09.880 with going through hard things and being with myself and 371 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:12.480 doing the best that i can move through this. And 372 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:15.079 the more times you do that, the more resilient you 373 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:17.119 will be. Doesn't mean that it won't hurt. It doesn't 374 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:18.920 mean that you won't grieve. It doesn't mean that you 375 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:24.279 won't be going through life's tribulations and setbacks, but you 376 00:19:24.279 --> 00:19:27.319 will be strong through it and you will pick yourself 377 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:29.920 up a lot better when you continue to have these 378 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.839 types of practices. Now, just a quick side note about 379 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.000 anything else. When it comes to your mental diet, obviously, 380 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:37.240 the stories you tell yourself and the things that you're 381 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:39.920 consuming are very important. It will dictate your mood. And 382 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:42.799 you can think about this. When you play a sad song, 383 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:45.839 you'll instantly start bringing up memories and start crying, but 384 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:49.000 before that you are basically fine. Life can really trigger 385 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:50.480 you in that way, and you kind of need to 386 00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:53.720 be a little bit more mindful of that. So right now, 387 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:56.279 for me, I'm making sure that I'm steering clear of 388 00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:58.960 any sort of like content on social media or conversations 389 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:02.039 that I'm having with people that it doesn't trigger me 390 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:03.920 into things that I don't want. This is not to 391 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:07.079 say that I am isolating myself, because I'm not, and 392 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:09.279 I have a lot of capacity to also speak on 393 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:11.480 the things that I'm going through, but I like to 394 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:13.920 kind of control it in the way that I want, 395 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:16.480 you know. So for me, I've basically been off social 396 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:19.839 media when it comes to consuming lately, I've been posting 397 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:24.359 anything that is positive on my stories or like quotes 398 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:26.880 or you know, if I'm doing yoga or moving my body, 399 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:28.599 things like that. But for the most part, I'm just 400 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:32.160 not consuming anything that could trigger me. And this really 401 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:35.279