Living Your Best Life - Life Audit

Getting My Cheese Back On The Cracker!

Let me tell you, it has been a JOURNEY keeping my cheese on my cracker.

Oh, y’all never heard of someone’s cheese sliding off their cracker?!?!! What about “her elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top”? Or how about “his lightbulb isn’t screwed all the way in”? Yep, a whole bunch of ways to say “They need help”!  It’s making sense now?

Well, fortunately, I’m an open book when it comes to my journey in dealing with mental health & I am okay with sharing the work that I do to keep my cheese on my cracker! I know that I am not alone and that’s where you come in. Here’s your chance to share the story of your mental health journey. Share as many or as few stories as you like! I cannot wait to hear from you and  I am excited about all of the people we will help!

Getting my Cheese Back On The Cracker - participant instructions

CLICK HERE to submit your story! 

Living Your Best Life - Life Audit

Living your "best life" is one of the latest mantras. Some may take the “fixing yourself” method to begin to. With all of the buzzwords, you can get lost when searching for ways to get from who you are, to living your purpose.

Some popular "change" methods are vision boards, new year resolutions, One Little Word (OLW), self-care & self-help books, networking brunches & mixers, professional organizations, mentors, coaching, and the list goes on as far as ways to get to your own nirvana.

In this week’s episode, Ashley touches on some things that can help us to be on the way to living our best lives!

Life Audit Tips -

• Make a list of your “life details”
• Separate items by life areal - career, family, health, etc.
• Ask yourself the following for each of these points:
  - Do I enjoy this?
  - How does this line up with my values and vision?
  - How does this help me achieve my mission?
  - What do I gain by doing this?
  - What would I gain by not doing this?
  - Will it help to give more time/energy into this?
• Determine if anything needs to be moved/added/removed.
  

Related Links:

• Want to Be Happier? Answer These 34 Essential Life Audit Questions - https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/34-essential-life-audit-questions-you-cant-afford-.html
• How and Why to do a Life Audit - https://medium.com/@xsvengoechea/how-and-why-to-do-a-life-audit-1d8bfbe1798 
• Life audit: Identifying your current level in life and career - https://www.jotform.com/blog/assess-your-professional-and-personal-life/ 
• Life by design: Practical steps you need to take to do your own personal life audit - https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/life-by-design-practical-steps-you-need-to-take-to-do-your-own-personal-life-audit
  

I know that it may seem as if there are always a lot of steps or lists involved in making changes, but...hear me out, we didn't get here overnight. Sometimes, examining our behaviors help to begin to change.

I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to grow with me. If you haven't already, c’mon over to Facebook and like the page. Once you’re there, get comfortable – start a chat and connect with us! Please share how you make changes, or if you've done a life audit. I cannot wait to hear from you!

"MAD -mad?" Getting Un-angry and Stopping the Madness

Anger is that thief in the night, seeking to steal, kill and destroy. But NOT TODAY! Here are a few tips to effectively managing anger and prevent its nasty effects. 

1. Take a deep breath. Actually, a series of slow deep breaths, focus on deep inhales and deep exhales. The goal here is to calm down. 
2. Paint a mental picture. Think of something or someplace that makes you happy. Focus on that instead of whatever is happening that is causing anger. 
3. Think about what is making you mad. Why is this thing worth your energy and health? Are you reacting to what’s making you angry or as a result of it? 
4. Own it. Take responsibility for how you’re feeling. Taking accountability allows you to begin to resolve the root of the anger if it’s something that can’t be relieved by thinking through it. 
5. How can this be fixed? If it is a person - do THEY know that they’ve done something that angered you? Addressing the issue can clarify the possible miscommunication and possibly relief 
6. Of course, seek help. If you need assistance thinking through the situation, a therapist visit or a chat on any of the mobile therapy apps should provide some clarity.

At the end of the day, we have all got 24 hours. For me, being angry takes control of those hours away from me. Whether it slows down or speeds up, I’m 100% ineffective if my energy is invested in being angry/mad.

So here’s your chance! Join us over on Facebook or Twitter and share some of your anger management methods, or tell us about how you came to find out you were “big mad” and needed to change it.

As always, thanks for stopping by. The articles I used for the information provided are all linked below. Y’all come back now, ya hear.

Post Links
Recognizing Anger Signs - https://www.mentalhelp.net/anger/recognizing-signs/
The Physical and Mental Toll of Being Angry All the Time - https://health.usnews.com/wellness/mind/articles/2017-10-26/the-physical-and-mental-toll-of-being-angry-all-the-time
How Anger Can Hurt Your Heart - https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/how-anger-hurts-your-heart
Anger - how it affects people - https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/anger-how-it-affects-people
Controlling anger before it controls you - https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control

INNW - The Notion of Showing up Every Day

If Not Now When - Showing up EVERY DAY! Real-life application - When I give the same 100% to my 9-5 as I do with my goals and ambitions. - Just in case you want this cute Col 3:23-24 graphic, you can find it here For this episode, since it was quick and lacking tips, I figured I'd share some other phrases that I think of, in regards to the idea behind showing up every day. Rise and grind, daily grind, let's count any phrase that includes the word grind. "Go-Getter" "No time for sleep" "I'll sleep when I'm dead" Hustling or any phrase including the word hustle. Challenge - Figure out what your “it” is. Find a way to do “it”, baby steps or giant leaps. Scheduled or sporadically. On purpose. Whatever it takes. I believe in you. Over on the Facebook page, let me know what “showing up” means to you. Also, share some of the ways you show up or plan to show up? I cannot wait to hear from you! As always thanks for stopping by! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theashleynichole/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theashleynichole/support

Avoiding Negative Thoughts - Getting Out of a "Mood"

Story of my life! Finding a way to make it daily, despite what is going on in life. However, sometimes I pass by and end up spending a good amount of time in Sadcity USA, so I decided to give you all 4 things that I do when I find myself slipping into a rut.

• Admit/accept how you're feeling
• Avoid 4 C's (comparing, competing, criticizing, complaining) 
• Find motivation
• Get help 

I want to thank you all for taking a few minutes to come over and listen to me. If you aren’t already, c’mon over to Facebook and like the page. Once you’re there, get comfortable - join the chat and connect with us! I’d love to hear how you avoid and get out of your ruts. Sharing is caring!

Post Links

Therapy for Black Girls (therapist directory) - https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/gd_therapist/
Great blog post with a list of apps, directories, and support sites along with descriptions to help you decide what you're looking for and which avenue you want to take. Therapy for Every Budget; How to access it - https://www.healthline.com/health/therapy-for-every-budget