Not everything is good or bad, sometimes is just is

Mindfulness- what is it anyway?  It is a key phrase in mental health, yoga and other fields right now.  It is used in medical fields to manage chronic pain, it is used in mental health for depression, anxiety and other disorders, it is used in addiction and recovery, in other words it is every where but what is it?

That, my dear friend, depends on who you ask.  My definition is that mindfulness is being aware of what is going on in and around you and accepting it without labeling or judging it.  I also like Jon Kabat Zinn's definition "Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way on purpose in the present moment, without judgement"  If you have not heard of him Jon Kabat-Zinn is a famous teacher of mindfulness meditation and the founder of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts where the program has been active for over 30 years.  It is a fabulous program that I am fortunate to have been able to complete and a goal of mine is to one day be a certified MBSR teacher.  That certification by its very nature of being mindful is a long journey and process that is a joy to be undergoing.

In life, most of us, live in the past or the future.  We spend amazing amounts of time analyzing the past.  We review in detail what we did or said, what we wish we had done or said, regretting actions or events or wishing we we had done something we didn't do.  When we aren't living in the past we are in the future.  We are planning, we are imagining often in great detail every possible outcome or event that we could encounter and often feel compelled to play out every possible ending and how we would react and feel if this or that happened.  Guess what?  It usually never happens in the way or ways we imagine it.  If by chance it does happen the way you imagined is it helpful or does it serve us in anyway to live the event more than the one time it actually occurs?  I say NO!  How often does this happen though?  We live and re live past and future events and when we do we put our bodies through the exact same physical reaction as if it is happening over and over and over.  Our bodies go into a stress reaction.  We jump to fight, flight or freeze reaction involuntarily and our heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, adrenaline gets going and all sorts of physical reactions that are needed IF our lives are in danger and we have a bear chasing us.  The reaction is not needed if the phone rings, we are late to a meeting or have an argument with a partner or friend yet this is what we have conditioned our bodies to do.  I always try to ask of myself and others around me "does that serve you in positive way" and if the answer is no then lets try to change it.  Most of the time the present moment, the right now is ok.  Most of the time right where you are and what you are doing is ok it is the fear of future or regret of past that creates depression  and anxiety.  If we practice and achieve being present in the here and now and being mindful, we are safe and can avoid many of the unneeded and unwanted emotions and fears we experience.  This is a touch on what mindfulness is and can do for you.  I look forward to sharing much more.  I want to give you something to try at home to begin putting this into action to living your true authentic life as the real you.

Take away tip:  Try these at home as  beginning mindfulness exercises.

1- Set a timer for one minute.  Close your eyes and listen, just listen and nothing else.  After the timer goes off write down every sound you heard, all noises big or small.

2- Set a timer for one minute.  Look around the room you are in, just look and nothing else.  After the timer goes off close your eyes and name verbally all the things you saw in the room and ask someone to them down for you.

3- Set a time for one minute.  Close your eyes and feel, just feel and nothing else.  Notice how your body feels inside, notice the feel of the floor on your feet, the seat you are sitting on, the air in the room, the sensation of breathing in and out.   After the timer goes off write down everything you felt.

Then take another moment or two to look, listen and feel and see if you are able to observe anything you missed the first time.  Start noticing what you hear, see and feel everywhere you go, it is interesting to take a notebook and write some observations down so you can compare the changes as you practice more.  Have fun with it.  We are here to experience so experience and really be present with the experience.  Don't label, don't judge.  It does not have to be good or bad, some things just are, just notice, be aware, be mindful and this is the start of the journey of MORE.

love and light

Jamie

Where to start

Happy day to you!

I am so glad you came back.  I cannot express how excited I am about our journey.  Where to start?  I have so many things that need to be touched on and shared that it is a bit overwhelming (in a great way) to decide where to begin.  This is a mental health blog for my therapy practice but it is so much more than that as well.  It is my living and breathing intention in progress.  My career as a mental health therapist has led me to places I never expected to be but so has my personal life and once again I am thrilled to combine the two.  The interests that I have developed in my life fit perfectly into my therapy practice which makes sense as it is the place I am destined to be and destined to share.

So, let's get an overview to start with.  In no particular order or rank the following topics draw me in and I find them perfect compliments to a full life and a holistic therapy practice.  They also will, at some point or another, be a topic here on my blog.  Mindfulness, yoga, meditation, essential oils for healing, chakras, positive energy and self talk, self care, teaching, body/mind/spirit techniques, the concept of holding trauma in our physical bodies and how to release that in order to heal.  More you ask?  Ok more- the necessity to let out your thoughts and feelings to avoid becomng toxic from the trauma and stress, setting intentions in life, connectedness to others, reading and numerous books I love and recommend, the importance of journaling, blogging or otherwise getting your thoughts in written form.  Yes, in fact there is more, facing and defeating our own personal demons with mindfulness and meditation, mindful recovery from addictions, mindful everything, creating programs for people who want to learn to meditate and be mindful and more but that is a good start!

It is my intention to take each topic and share, educate and help you to incorporate it into your life.  Please interact and comment, ask questions and get connected.  Take what resonates with you, share it and get others involved.  Let's spread the joy and love  I want to get to know you and I want you to get to know me.

Until I get more input I will start with mindfulness and meditation.  They are interconnected in so many ways.  I am obsessed with both concepts.  For me it is like the chicken and the egg; which came first?  For me it is hard to say.  The joyful part is that it doesn't matter because I have discovered them both.  Now discovering and using are two different things.  I want to teach and talk and discuss but most importantly give you all very tangible tips and ways to incorporate these into your daily life so that you discover the life changing impact that they have if you allow it.  Allowing is oh so important in life, stop the resistance and allow the joy.

Next blog post will start with a basic Q and A about what mindfulness is.  Please join me.

love and light

Jamie

Becoming more, becoming authentically you, creating abundance in 2015

Welcome!  My name is Jamie L. Summers Stacks and I am so excited to be starting new adventures with the new year!  This blog will be a living journal of my journey to do and be MORE.  I am, by trade, a mental health therapist and I love, love, love what I do.  Many years ago I decided I wanted to become a therapist with the noble idea of helping others.  Wow!  I had no idea that over the years I would be so honored and so blessed to learn so much more from the people I am grateful to work with than I could ever hope to teach them.  It has been an awe inspiring experience that grows more and more every single year.  The very nature of me and of any professional who wants to do the best they can involves ongoing learning.  Learning new techniques, new theories and most important to me new ways to reach people.  Super exciting things like mobile mental health, text programs, online and in person programs in addition to individual and group therapy, teaching and training and educating in as many ways as we can.

My personal life journey too has led me to study and learn new practices and ways of doing and being.  Yoga, mindfulness, meditation and breathing!  These practices hooked me immediately and I felt compelled to read, study and learn everything I could for my own wellbeing.  Let me tell you, when I realized the impact these practices had on me (more in a moment) and that I could marry them with my therapy practice my life's passion was born.  Yoga literally taught me to breathe....how I managed to breathe before yoga I am still not sure.  Mindfulness is such a simple concept of staying present, aware of the now but it is a life long mission that is a joy to chase.  Practice makes perfect they say (whoever they is) so practice I do!  Meditation has been  practiced for thousands of years and is a now highly studied evidence based practice that literally is proven to rewire your brain.  It is not just that I find it an awesome way to live, it just works!!  Breathing sounds so simple until one has experienced anxiety attackts or other unfortunate experiences that impede breathing.   Learning breathing techniques is my favorite coping skill to teach or practice.  Why?  You can breathe anywhere, anytime and not disturb anyone else and it is an awesome regulating tool.  I could go on and on with other joyful techniques that I study and will continue to introduce and learn about.  Essential oils and the healing power they have, healing your own energy and accessing your inner voice that always knows the answer even if we don't like the answer we hear. there is so much to explore.

My intention and goal is to spread and share and teach and educate.  I use these practices in my life and in therapy but I want MORE.  I need to do all I can to spread this passion to far, far more people than I could ever reach in individual therapy.  Therapy is my love and I will continue it but I want to increase and reach more.  I am going to design programs to introduce these practices to businesses, corporations, schools and anywhere else I can get in.  I will do interviews and talk and express my pure joy and excitement to as many as will allow me.  I will create and provide trainings for other mental health professionals, I will create and lead online and face to face programs that will increase the number of people that can be reached.  The more these concepts are shared and taught and introduced the MORE people can live the true authentic lives that they deserve,  I will encourage and beg and otherwise do what is needed to get others who learn these practices to share and teach and educate.  If you all join me in this, in this MORE the world can be a much more sacred and safe place for us all to be and that is the MORE that I am after.

Please join me, please ask questions, make comments, follow along and see where this journey and the year of abundance takes us.  I think we will be amazed.  I am thrilled to be along for the ride and what a ride it is going to be.

Be more, be you, be abundant

love and light
Jamie