Seattle Stress Management Coach Archives

Seattle and SF Stress Management Coach, Burnout and Adrenal Fatigue

The Secret To De-Programming Your Brain From Habitual Stress!

It’s here folks! The long awaited, NEW Masterclass is open for registration!

If you’ve been in a constant state of overwhelm, never ending deadlines, and have the desire to truly crush those strategic projects, but can’t seem to handle the stress of it all, then this Masterclass is for you.

I’m going to breakdown exactly where stress truly comes from (alert: it’s not your work!), the two steps you must master to eliminate stress, and how you can use a step-by-step system to engineer the results you want.

In wellness,

Susan

Seattle Stress Management Coach, Burnout and Adrenal Fatigue

4 Unconventional Ways To Beat Stress!

Every now and then I like to go live on Facebook and share some golden nuggets. Today was one of those days where I share 4 unconventional ways to beat stress the SMART way. One of those ways may have something to do with NOT working out. Yes, you heard that right!

Watch this video to find out why.

In wellness,

Susan

How To Leverage Worrying To Serve You

I’m sure we’ve all been there before… when our mind is consumed with what if’s, worst case scenarios, and anxiety ridden thoughts. Unfortunately, when we are in a state of worry, all we do is produce concern for the future (near and/or far).

Worrying hardly, if ever, produces a net positive gain for the person in worry.

All worrying does is produce cortisol in your system and sends a false alarm to your body and subconscious to stay in high alert.

So if worrying doesn’t serve our highest good, what can we do to redirect ourselves so that we are back in alignment and calibrated for optimal performance?

We leverage it.

Oftentimes worrying is another opportunity to look deeper into our limiting beliefs.

Somewhere, deep inside ourselves, there is a thought that is causing our worry.

And it isn’t about a deadline, moving, interviewing, having difficult conversation, or even the dog.

It goes much deeper.

The more you do to find the root of the worry, the less your worrying consumes you.

Think of worrisome thoughts as the branches of a tree.

We spend a lot of our time and energy trying to control and relieve each branch, when really unless we get to the root of it all… we give our tree (ourselves) room to grow more worries.

So spend some time in silence and ask yourself, “What is this worry trying to tell me?” and wait patiently.

Your job is to wait, listen, and appreciate the fact that this worry has come into your life.

Trust me, it’s the fastest most easiest way to relief….

…. and you get a much more rewarding answer for doing this work.

In wellness,

Susan

Seattle Stress Management and Executive Coaching

The #1 Reason For Recurring Stress And What You Can Do To Stop It

Recurring stress over the same issue may happen for several reasons, and today, we’ll be covering the top reasons why. But before we do, let me ask you this question. When you think about your stress, what or whom causes the stress the most? Could it be:

your boss?
staring at excel spreadsheets all day?
office politics?
cranky children?
mother-in-law?
too little time on your calendar?

Let’s take the lack of time on your calendar as an example.

The number one reason most people believe this is stressful is because they believe what is filling their calendar to begin with is to blame. They may say things such as, “I’m a busy mom with a full time job and my kids can’t do it without me” or “This is just how my life is right now; I can’t say no to anything on my calendar”.

When we choose to say these things, what we inadvertently are doing is giving our power away to outside circumstances. This leaves us in victim mentality, and this is never a good thing.

When we stay in victim mode we don’t make choices that serve us. Instead we continue to perpetuate the circumstance, and unfortunately, stay stressed!

What if instead you said things that gave you your power back and offered you choices such as:

I’m a bad-ass mom and cherish every moment I get with my children
I can look into hiring part time support to help with the chores
I will only say yes to invites that have a net positive result for me and my family

Thoughts such as the ones above take you out of victim mentality and propel you forward to take positive action. Staying in the original stressful thoughts only keep you there. See the difference?

Now, another reason most people stay stressed about the same issue is because they haven’t dug deep enough to the root cause of their stress.

Most often than not, when I first work with a client I see that there is always something much deeper than a “calendar”, “boss”, or whatever issue it was they originally came in with.

This is where we need to dig through layered thoughts, conscious and unconscious, to identify what the sticking point it.

It very well could be fear of death, security issues, lack of control, etc. and until we resolve THESE issues no matter what you do to try and control your calendar you very well may remain stressed because again, it’s not the calendar that is causing you your stress.

So ask yourself these questions:

Have I been speaking to myself as the victim?
How can I change my thoughts to propel me into positive action?
What could be the real issue underlying all this?

Until we treat the root of how and why we automatically think disserving thoughts, our stress may very well remain, and this is why stress is never a bad thing. Our stress is only trying to teach us what we need to bring to the surface so that we can finally resolve a much bigger issue and start living the life we know deep down we’re all meant to live.

In wellness,

Susan

Seattle Stress Management Coach, Adrenal Fatigue and Burnout

How To Ensure Happiness In 2019, And Beyond

It’s the beginning of the year and I’m pretty sure you’ve given your goals, themes, or word of the year some thought, right?

I want to share with you the ONE thing that will actually make you happy in 2019, and beyond.

Trust me, it’s not the dream job, the forever partner, or even the cute fluffy pup you’re planning on getting.

I explain it all in this video.

In wellness,

Suasn

Seattle Stress Management Coach, Burnout and Adrenal Fatigue Coach

Your Most Powerful Asset

When you think about the most powerful tool you have, what comes to mind?

Money
Time
or maybe
Love?

Yes, those things can get you a lot in life.

But none of those things would matter if we didn’t give it the meaning we are capable of giving it.

You see, our brains have the capacity to project whatever it is we want to see.

If you see time as hurried and scarce, that will be how you experience your life.

Thanks to the frequency illusion, we will only notice when time seems limited or scarce. Our minds will say, “See! I told you so! There is never enough time in the day!”. When really, there were moments when we were scrolling Facebook or checking our phones for new notifications multiple times a day.

And do you want to know why this is the case?

Because our thoughts are how we experience our life.

If you believe your happiness is based on the results from your job, then your happiness WILL be based on the results from your job.

If you believe love is hard to find, then love will be hard to find.

If you believe money flows to you easily, then money will flow to you easily.

If you believe you were meant for something big and purposeful, then your life will be big and purposeful.

You see, a part of our brain, the subconscious mind, always performs FOR YOU. It will never say no. It’s only job is to follow your orders.

And where do orders come from?

Our thoughts and feelings.

Where do feelings come from?

OUR THOUGHTS.

So let’s be real clear and honest… everything starts with your thoughts. It starts in your brain first.

Time, money, love, and whatever else you listed at the start of this post is powerful to you because you gave it meaning from a thought you had about it.

Now the big question is, are you choosing your thoughts or are your thoughts choosing you?

This is a trick question because…

… the illusion and major misconception that most people think is that our thoughts choose us.

Thoughts do not choose us; thoughts don’t just happen to us. We are the thinker of our thoughts. We are the creative force that gets to think whatever we choose.

Once you understand this crucial piece of knowledge, there is no unlearning this.

When you can harness the creative power you are and the most powerful asset you have – your brain, you are now stepping into the true seat of personal power.

How will you choose to change your life one thought at a time?

In wellness,

Susan

It’s A Wrap!

2018 was an incredible year.

And let me be clear, 2018 was incredible not because of the goals or how much “good” came from it, but because it simply was.

You see, that is the beauty of who you are and the life you get to live.

You don’t need for certain things to happen for you or your life to be good.

You already ARE good. LIFE is already good.

Let that sink in a bit.

So as you step into another beautiful year, make goals because you want to, not because you have to in order to feel good about your life.

When you come from a place of already having enough, every thought, feeling, and action you take only comes from a bigger source that allows you to enjoy the journey while claiming your destination.

So what is it that you wish to achieve in 2019?

Imagine it already done.

How would you think, feel, and act as a result of already having achieved it?

THAT is how you want to carry yourself from the beginning.

Repeat to yourself: it is already done.

Happy New Year. May you find yourself with a clearer mind and heart so that you can see the good that already surrounds you.

In wellness,

Susan

Seattle Stress Management Coach, Adrenal Fatigue & Burnout Coach

You Got Your Goal. Now What?

I’ve been watching a documentary following a group of people along a journey walking the Camino de Santiago to their final destination Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It’s been fascinating to watch because it brings to light just how true the saying goes, “it’s all about the journey, not the destination”.

And if you’re at all familiar with dopamine and how the brain works, then you know all too well once you’ve maintained a level of “reward” in the brain, it needs higher levels to feel rewarded.

That’s what happens to us when we reach our goal. For a time being we’re ecstatic. We’re walking on cloud nine because it’s what we wanted ALL along!

Then comes the inevitable questions, “Is this it? What’s next?”

What I want you to know is this is completely normal. Your brain needs another reward, AND as human beings we crave evolution… so naturally, you’re going to want to stretch yourself and target a new goal.

Are you starting to see the cycle?

There IS no final destination folks! We’re all in it for the journey because your goal keeps evolving.

To some, this is terrible news… but to others, this is a HUGE relief!

Now you’re in the mindset of enjoying the process, because the process is ALL THERE EVER WAS AND IS.

So keep that in mind…

There’s no rush to your goal, because goals are forever. It’s about enjoying every minute of every day because the journey will determine how you live your life.

The only moment we have is now. How will you use it?

In wellness,

Susan

Interview: Going DEEP On Burnout & Adrenal Fatigue with Rosalia Rivera

I had the pleasure of being on Rivera Represents with Rosalia Rivera where I was a guest, and we went deep into what burnout & adrenal fatigue looks like and some tips on how to prevent it.. especially for busy moms and entrepreneurs!

We talked about the initial warning signs of burnout, why it’s so sneaky to identify, what boundaries really are, and why you need to address everything with neutrality.

Watch this video and let me know what you think!

Remember, every body responds uniquely to stress. Be critically aware of how it shows up for you and do the work in identifying what mental, physical, and emotional triggers are present for you that cause “stress” in your life so you can begin to address the root cause.

Be well friends.

In wellness,

Susan

How To Plan A Successful 2019 (without burnout)

Well, it’s that time of year! The time where we wind down, reflect on the past 11 months, and re-prioritize what we truly want out of life. To be honest, I’m not one to encourage resolutions. Instead, I aim for one, big, gigantic goal – without the stress and overwhelm of trying to meet it.

You might be thinking, “Well, that sounds counter intuitive”, but I’m going to explain exactly why it’s the best thing you can do for yourself if you truly want REAL results, without the stress and near burnout moments.

First, let me explain the goal. I want you to think real hard about a singular goal that seems impossible, but if you really achieved it, it might just feel as if you won the lottery. It could be the dream number on the scale, the partnership you always romanticized about, finally getting THE promotion at work, or perhaps it’s as simple as meditating every single day no matter what.

Remember, it has to be almost impossible for you to believe it could actually happen. Maybe even scare you a little. Ok… a lot.

Now, the purpose of dreaming big here is so that you understand you WILL fail.

You will fail multiple times trying to achieve this goal of yours. And if you think about, if you’re trying to achieve something you have never done before in your life… doesn’t it make sense you’d come across numerous, various obstacles because it’s new? Think about watching babies trying to walk. They need to fail multiple, even hundreds of times to finally reach a new level of strength, capability, and growth.

Who’s to say as adults we should never fail in order to reach our new edge?

With that said, I want you now to list every possible failure you could think of in trying to reach this big goal of yours. Let’s say your big goal is to meditate daily. A few failures you might come up with might include:

Getting sick
Waking up late
Needing to tend to the kids
Feeling too anxious to sit still
Being on vacation
Feeling as if you don’t need meditation that day
etc.

Listing out every failure you could possible think of serves a couple of purposes:

It removes the “unknown” when it comes to reaching your one, big goal. Now that you understand there will be failures, you can now properly prepare to mitigate against these possible risks.
It removes the stress and overwhelm of the fear of failure. Look, the point of creating one, BIG goal is to fail! Once you understand you likely won’t reach that goal (though I always like to leave room for the impossible!), you now have space for curiosity, playfulness, creativity, and possibility. Now, THAT is a much friendlier place for growth and miracles wouldn’t you say?

A couple of you might be thinking, why just one? Why not go for at least two, or even three?

I always respond with this: our human brains can only focus on one thing at a time. We must identify what area of our life we want to make the biggest impact on, and go ALL IN. This means making it our SINGULAR FOCUS and not wavering. This means, declaring a decision and committing to oneself for the next 365 days of 2019.

Because here’s the truth about it all, while we may not reach out one, big goal… we will achieve SO MUCH MORE as a byproduct of having gone for said goal.

Think of all of the new habits, new level of mindset and maturity, and every other way your life will be improved from this commitment.

So, with that said, a good goal wouldn’t be complete without quantifiable metrics. Plan each quarter accordingly. If it’s a weight goal, include the new weight you plan to reach by each quarter. If it’s a new career, plan exact outcomes you plan to reach for each quarter; this could be the number of interviews you plan to do by Q1, transition to the new role by Q2, etc.

Because I’m a visual person I decided to provide a free goal planner to anyone who wants to join me in this impossible goal planning for 2019. Here’s a preview of what it looks like;

Just enter your name and email and it will be sent to you right away! Click here to download it now.

What one, big goal are you dreaming of?

Regardless of how impossible it seems or what anyone says – nurture it. Dream big, fail hard, and start reaping the benefits because this I know for sure: no matter the outcome… you are already worth it.

In wellness,

Susan