Inner Peace to Go

Learn a quick and easy technique to ground yourself, get out of your head and change your mental energy in about a minute. I hope you love this "find your feet" exercise as much as I do!

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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No matter how old you are, no matter what you've done or not done, it is not too late to go after your dreams or create a life you love.

The biggest obstacle standing between you and your dreams is the mistaken belief that it's too late.

Ava DuVernay, Julia Child, Stan Lee and Susan Boyle are just a few of the people who started building the life they desired in middle age.

The inspiration for this episode is my own realization of not-too-lateness... I recorded it the week I'll be graduating with my master's degree in public health -- 25 years after earning my bachelor's.

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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Multitasking may be the norm, but monotasking is where it's at when it comes to making meaningful progress while maintaining inner peace.

This week, I share my favorite technique for time management and mental focus -- the Pomodoro Technique -- and how breaking big tasks into bite-size chunks is a powerful antidote to overwhelm.

I use this timer-based technique to make progress on writing projects, housecleaning, and school stuff. I know teachers use it to get through piles of papers that need grading. Spending a chunk of time on a single task not only allows for focus and progress, it helps you learn how much time things really take, and lets you look back at your day with a sense of accomplishment because you know you spent dedicated, focused time on the task at hand.

Let me know how the Pomodoro Technique works for you and if it supports a sense of inner peace!

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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Nothing interferes with our inner peace like having too much to do and not enough time to do it.

This week, we're talking about what contributes to that feeling of overwhelm and how to shift how we think about the things on our to-do list in a way that allows for more breathing room.

We talk about the "four burner theory" framework for our lives and how paying attention to which burners are on high can prevent us from burning out.

We also discuss boundaries as self-care -- a loving way to make room for the things that matter most to us.

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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The 1981 movie "Stripes," starring Bill Murray and John Candy as enlistees in the Army, features a scene with a tough-guy character who says his name is Francis but everyone calls him "Psycho." And if you call him Francis, he'll kill you. And if you touch his stuff, he'll kill you. And if you touch him, he'll kill you.

He gives this whole speech about how he's going to kill everyone, and when he's done, the drill sergeant says, "Lighten up, Francis."

And that's some advice we all could use!

It's easy to take ourselves super seriously, but that generally takes us away from the inner peace we crave.

This episode is about how we can lighten up, Francis, and the many benefits for doing so.

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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We often think of inner peace as a state of mind, but it's actually a physical part of the brain, according to Harvard neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor.

Dr. Taylor is the author of the fascinating book, "My Stroke of Insight," in which she shares her experience of having a stroke at age 37 and what she learned about her brain in the process.

The human brain has two hemispheres that have different jobs but work together, and it turns out that the right hemisphere of the brain is where inner peace lives, and it's there all the time. This means inner peace is possible for any of us -- it's literally a part of the brain we already have!

This episode is all about Dr. Taylor's insights and how we can experience the peaceful side of our brain more often.

We read this book in our book club, and if you like books about well-being and personal growth, you should come join us! It's free, it's once a month on Zoom, and we read nonfiction, memoir and self-help and talk about how to incorporate their lessons into our lives. It's super fun! Here's the link if you want to join us!

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!

What if a 20-second "micropractice" is all it takes to feel less stress and more self-compassion?

That's what researchers at U.C. Berkeley found in a study being published this month.

They taught students a 20-second self-compassion practice and asked them to do it daily. After a month, the students who did the practice most often experienced less stress, more self-compassion and fewer mental health troubles. Twenty seconds!!

In this episode, we discuss what the researchers found and learn the practice that brought more peace of mind to student volunteers.

Please let me know if you try the practice and what you think!

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!

If your inner critic is working overtime to help you reach your goals -- and reminding you what a loser you are any time you fall short -- you're not alone.

But there's a better way, and not only does it feel WAY better than constant berating and belittling, it actually makes you more likely to reach your goals and to feel good doing it.

It's self-compassion, and it's scientifically proven to boost optimism, resilience, life satisfaction and purpose. It also boosts inner peace -- knowing you have your own back and won't kick yourself when you're down.

Citing the work of psychologist Kristen Neff, this episode explains the benefits of self-compassion and how to practice it.

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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What did you have to do to earn the ability to circulate your blood, digest your food, grow your hair and heal your broken bones? Not a damn thing!

This week, we're talking about how our body's capacity to heal itself is evidence of your inherent worthiness. You don't have to do anything to earn it.

You don't have to prove that you deserve your broken bones to mend or a cut on your hand to heal. It just happens, because you are alive. You are already as worthy as you could ever be of goodness and healing -- the goodness of being alive in a self-healing body as the unique you that you are.

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

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Most of us have been raised to believe that our value comes from what we do -- whether we're successful at work, get good grades, make a lot of money, etc.

But when you were a baby, you did none of those things, and yet nobody around you doubted your worth. Even you believed you were 100% worthy. You cried for what you wanted and expected it to be provided, never considering whether you deserved it.

This week, let's remember our inherent worth, the value that comes with just being alive, a living creature on this planet, a piece of the divinity that inhabits every living thing.

It's hard to shift from earning our worth to just knowing our worth, but thinking about how worthy babies -- or kittens, or a little basil plant on your windowsill that you're trying to grow -- can hopefully remind you of your inherent worth.

Please keep in touch! I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy and at innerpeacetogo.com.

Get your free Stress Busters ebook, packed with actionable tips to bring on the chill!