Welcome to this new and probably last episode for a while.

It’s been snowing here in Switzerland a lot this past couple of days and the world looks so dreamy. Waking up to snow slowly falling from the sky. Evergreen trees covered in white fluff. It’s all so peaceful and serene. There’s so much to appreciate about winter. And this has really inspired me to talk about gratitude in today’s episode.

Whether it's family, friends, health, or happiness, we all have a lot to be thankful for!

Yet thankfulness is something that can be difficult. It isn't something that you can turn on and off like a faucet. It can be hard to bring about genuine gratitude, but many simple exercises can help.

Some definitions of gratitude are "a feeling of appreciation or thanks" or "the quality of being thankful."

Take notice. Switch your point of view. Be humble. Share your appreciation. Stay present.

That’s what we’re gonna talk about today! How to cultivate gratitude.

Do you tend to get overwhelmed with everything going on in your life?

Whether it's the responsibilities piling up at work, the chores you have to do at home, or the people in your life who need your attention, it can feel like you have too much on your mental load if you never get to step away from it all.

That's why it's important to learn how to take time for yourself.

So what does it really mean to take time for yourself? How can you achieve this without the entire world falling apart?

That's gonna be the topic of this new episode. Let's explore why time alone is so important.

What does taking time to yourself mean?

To find time for yourself means to set time aside consciously.

This time should be meant for you and you alone.

It's not meant to be time alone to catch up on the chores on your to-do list.

Putting aside some time that's truly for yourself means you get to spend time on your own doing what you want to do, not what anyone else thinks you should be doing. It's a simple self-care practice yet difficult for many to implement.

People who take time for themselves may get the urge to be productive instead. But with time, you can practice the habit of truly taking time for yourself and just allowing yourself to exist without having to get anything done. Ultimately, taking time for yourself is a form of productivity.

Now that it's getting colder outside and the days are getting shorter, most of us spend more time at home. So, we have more time to relax and wind down, which can have such a big and great impact on our sleep.

Because as much as a morning routine is important for a good start into the day a nightly routine is helpful for a great and relaxing sleep. So, I thought we'd talk about night time routines today. Why they can help us sleep better, what we should focus on and I'll share some ideas that you can try for yourself to find what works best for you.

In this new episode, we're diving into a topic that resonates with many – the art of believing in yourself.

Believing in yourself means having confidence in your own abilities. It means being able to trust yourself to do what you say you'll do and knowing that those efforts will result in the desired outcomes. That means that believing in yourself comes from a mixture of several key psychological experiences—experiences like self-worth, self-confidence, trust and self-respect.

But the flip side is also true. Lack of self-confidence or lack of belief in ourselves means we are less likely to act, to change, or to push to make things better.

That means that believing in ourselves is kind of like the key to moving forward. We can't really go anywhere without believing in ourselves.

I really hope that this episode can help you believe in yourself more <3

A few days ago, before going to bed I was feeling a little heavy and I couldn't really explain why. I was thinking about how I now have the life I've been dreaming of a vear ago but instead of just being happy, as happy as I thought I'd be when I have what I have now, I'm just striving for different things now, comparing myself to where I could or should be, doubting myself like if I'm doing enough, and comparing myself to others. I went to bed with the question "Why is it so hard to be happy?" And I think this is something probably a lot of you can relate to. And that's why I wanted to talk about this topic in the new episode.

The quote "Comparison is the thief of joy." contains an intuitive truth we all know. It hurts to compare ourselves to others. Even though most of us try not to, we're all guilty of comparing ourselves to others.

You know you shouldn't compare yourself to others. Yet, that's often easier said than done. That's why in this new episode I will talk about exactly this. And I will share some things we can do that can help us to stop comparing ourselves to others.

Welcome to a new episode about

setting healthy boundaries.

For a long time I felt like I would have to be available for everyone all the time, I've set everyone's needs above my own and I constantly felt overwhelmed, overstimulated, tired and anxious. With time I learned that I need to set boundaries so that I can take care of myself more which will actually just help me be there for the people I love in a more steady and healthy way. So setting boundaries is not selfish but needed to live a healthy balance. And so this is the topic we'll talk about today: Healthy boundaries.

Good boundaries help you to care for others because you have a stable foundation to operate from and are not distracted or depleted by personal insecurities or blind spots.

That's why it's not "selfish" or unloving to have boundaries and "take care of yourself."

The word ‘goals’ is thrown around a lot these days. So much so that it can be confusing to pin down what a goal really is.

Like are resolutions and objectives the same as goals?

And why do we need to set goals?

Many people wrongly think that goal setting is unspiritual because it shows a lack of trust. It’s not right to plan. Instead, people should wait for God to lead them.

And of course, God doesn’t want us to forge ahead in pride without consulting Him for direction. But neither does He want us to sit around without acting, because He’s given us gifts and talents and has also said that we are called to do good works (Eph. 2: 8-10, Romans 12:4-8, Matthew 25:14-30).

Forging ahead without seeking God or sitting back and doing nothing can both come from fear or a lack of faith. However, setting goals and consulting with Him shows that you trust Him and believe that He is able to lead you while you are moving forward.

Because goals are the “map‚” that will guide you toward your God-given purpose, without setting them you will also wander in circles without getting where you need to go. So, it’s not that goal setting is a bad thing… it’s all in WHY we set goals, and what we achieve through them.

And this is what I’m gonna be talking about in this episode. We’re gonna talk about different types of goals, why they are important and how we can set goals that work for us.

Most of us have a tendency to live in the past or the future. How often do you find yourself thinking about what happened yesterday, or what might happen tomorrow? How does this affect your life and well-being?

Constantly thinking about the past and worrying about the future can make it difficult to enjoy the good things in your life in the here and now. Learning how to be more mindful and live in the moment can give you a greater appreciation for your life, help reduce stress, and minimize anxiety. And this is what I will talk about in this episode. I hope you like it!

Being aware of how you talk to yourself is essential for your well-being.

“My nose looks terrible in that picture. I look fat. I’m not good enough. I can’t do this. I’m so weak for not working out “. These are all things I have said to myself before. And I guess a lot of you probably have too.

We are deeply influenced by the world around us. Daily we’re bombarded with a thousand images – from opening our social media apps, to the news we watch, to the sermons we hear, to the people we meet. And it’s true. Whether we realize it or not, we are in constant communication with ourselves – commenting internally on everything we encounter. We are dictating the narrative we believe based on our interpretation of the world around us.

Positive thinking and optimism can be effective stress management tools and having a more positive outlook on life can even provide you with some health benefits. Learn more about this in this new episode.

Hello and welcome back to a new season of the because you matter podcast. I’m back from a little late summer break and ready for a new season! I’ve spent some time in Greece with a friend and it was such a beautiful time to relax, recharge, regain energy and enjoy the sun. But now I’m back to work, just started school again, back to new projects, my social media, and the podcast. A lot to do but I’m also so thankful for all these opportunities. I think in this busy and fast time we’re living in, it’s so important to know how you can reduce your everyday stress and how you can learn to find a healthy balance between work, your social life and time for yourself. And this is what this new episode is about, we will talk about stress and how we can learn to reduce it in our everyday life, and we’ll talk about helpful tips for a more balanced and mindful way to live.