The idea that, "If I do this now, it will make something else easier later," is sometimes true and sometimes NOT true. On this episode, Heidi explores three examples of when you may want to second guess your gut instinct to "do it now." She also encourages a trade-off perspective especially when your brain is telling you to do something now for a supposed future benefit.

Take Aways

• Example 1: Preparing to move from your current house by spending a lot of time downsizing, reorganizing, & cleaning 
• Example 2: Preparing for the passing of a loved one by getting rid of items or divvy-ing them now vs later
• Example 3: Preparing for college by writing extra papers now
• We fall for this idea  because it masquerades as other things. It masquerades as preparation and planning, and we all know that there are benefits from planning and there are benefits from preparation.
• Recognize when you feel driven to do something now for a future benefit
• What's underneath that feeling? Not wanting to disappoint yourself? Not wanting to disappoint someone else? Wanting to look put together? Are you avoiding a feeling by staying in action and productivity?
• Consider the trade-offs of this specific action. What are you giving up? In what ways will it impact your relationships?
• If you still feel in a hurry to do the thing, pause and wait for peace to come in. Then do the thing if you want to. 
• Don't put it on God. If you feel rushed or hasty to do something because "He wants me to" pause long enough to feel His love, peace, confidence, or reassurance. Then move forward.

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Heidi describes a new habit she's trying to create. She outlines elements that will help in successfully creating a new habit. 

Take Aways

• Six elements of creating a new habit:

1. Have a vision (but a vision alone is not enough)
2. Identify skills you will be building immediately
3. Follow through
4. Notice urges
5. Make it easy
6. Make it fun 

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Disapproval is something most of us feel from ourselves or from others on a consistent basis. What if you could feel the disapproval and still feel confident and be at peace with yourself? What if disapproval doesn't have to derail your day or keep you from moving forward with your goals? Today's episode outlines why it's hard to feel disapproval and a formula for working through disapproval when it comes. A printable episode guide is available here. 

Take Aways

• Disapproval is hard because we naturally desire to be "liked."
• It also feels yucky when we initially feel disapproved of so we try to get out of that yucky feeling as fast as possible. 
• You may also be worried about a possible long-term impact their disapproval could mean for you. That makes it complicated to know how to respond.
• Disapproval of yourself comes up often because our brain is consistently looking for the bad and judging. 
• Try to see the other side of things when you notice your brain offering negative after negative thoughts.
• When you're feeling disapproved of it is NOT a good time for introspection.
• Formula to allowing disapproval: 

1. Recognize that you're feeling disapproved of and let yourself feel uncomfortable. 
2. Pause. Hold back on lashing out immediately or running away from the situation.
3. Clarify. Fill in the blank: This doesn't mean that ______.
4. Clarify. Fill in the blank: It could mean that ______.
5. You'll feel a bit better.
6. Decide what to do or say next. 

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Learn how and why it's a good idea to push back on some of your thoughts.

Take Aways

• It's common to believe thoughts that come to mind.
• You don't HAVE to believe all the thoughts that come naturally.
• We CHOOSE to believe things.
• Reasons to push back on thoughts: they're keeping you stuck, they're creating confusion, they're in the way of achieving a goal, & for fun.
• Examples of thoughts you could push back on: I always say yes. Seeing food makes me want it. It's a pattern for me to... I can't hear God. (And lots more.)
• How to push back is... GENTLY. Offer "Maybe," "Sometimes," "And...," "Actually," or "Not really."

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

A concept I've been pondering is living in expectation vs living with agreements. Part one of this episode is a review of this concept as explained by Steve Chandler. Part 2 is applying this to our relationship with ourself. I think we have a lot of joy to experience by shifting to a life of agreements instead of a life full of expectations.

Take Aways

• Expectations are toxic. They lead to disappointment. They invite disappointment.
• Agreements are a better approach. They invite creativity and to both parties being satisfied. Both parties having a say.
• Agreements are stronger than expectations.
• C.S. Lewis stated, " It comes the very moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back in, listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in and so on all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and fretting. Coming in out of the wind." 
• The idea that things won't get done unless we have expectations is incorrect. The freedom we feel being untethered from expectation leads to productivity, fun, and feeling surprised.
• Here's the audio talk by Steve Chandler that this podcast episode is based on: https://app.box.com/s/8e86836b244bee19323a

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

The past year has been a roller coaster of emotions for Heidi. This episode is a recap of the year from an emotional/mental health perspective. Heidi shares what was working, what stopped working, and how she is approaching her mental and emotional health challenges now.

Take Aways

• Heidi took new medicine that resulted in restless legs.
• That experience SCARED HER and led her to realize she was keeping medicine as a fall back, which was hindering her from doing all she could otherwise to handle her challenges.
• Tune into yourself. Heidi has always preferred things naturally... she'll move forward with this as a foundation.
• Heidi is not going to use prescription medicine for emotional struggles.
• She will continue to meet with a homeopathic doctor and research natural ways to handle her mental health challenges.
• Heidi will continue to research and experiment with things to find more ways to help herself.
• She is also going to START WITH JESUS. To humble herself and be open to God's grace and His ideas for her healing.

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Heidi discusses ways that being aware of your actions, words, and behavior can bring a feeling of freedom. She also shares how accepting your situation brings peace.

Take Aways

• As far as Heidi is concerned, there is not ONE "cure" for every woman that has PMDD.
• Having PMDD offers an amazing opportunity for personal awareness, personal growth, and trust in yourself.
• Awareness is noticing the words going through your mind,  noticing the words coming out of your mouth, and noticing the actions that you take at different times. 
• Awareness can lead to a feeling of freedom.
• Acceptance can be a letting go feeling or a feeling of embracing a limitation or hardship.
•  Sometimes we are afraid to accept what is going on because we believe if we "accept it" we won't take action to change it. That's a myth. 
• Acceptance  can lead you to truly, truly believe that it's not your fault, that you are feeling the way you are, and help you become open to getting help.
• Acceptance can lead to a feeling of peace.
•  The main benefit of awareness is that you can take steps to feel a little bit better by making small changes and by setting goals and using small steps to achieve them.

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Heidi covers the last part (part 5) of Getting Rid of PMDD: Personal Development. Personal development (a.k.a. personal enrichment) is important because it is YOU voting for YOU. It is an outward manifestation that your desires, your opinions, and your interests matter. By investing time in doing things that you enjoy, you remind yourself that there are things you still like--even when you feel depressed.

Take Aways

• 4 Areas: Spiritual, Intellectual, Physical, and Social
• Spiritual examples: praying, music, keeping a gratitude journal, studying scripture, attending church, meditation
• Intellectual examples: take a sewing class, choose a book to read on a specific topic (money, health, career), listen to a podcast, research a topic of interest to you
• Physical examples: join a group exercise class, decide to learn to do a push-up, choose a nutrition goal 
• Social: say "yes" to going out with friends, spend undivided attention time with loved ones, join a Bible study group
• No rules to personal development!
• It's okay to start a book, leave it, come back to it, leave it.
• Warning: If you're tempted to beat yourself up because you stopped a goal, STOP. REDIRECT.
• Volunteering in your church or in your community can be fulfilling.

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Today we discuss what defaults are, why they're important, how to properly use them, and examples that work well for Heidi. Listen to the podcast for examples. 🙂

Heidi always love to connect with listeners. Send her an email anytime at [email protected] 

Take Aways

-A default in this context is:  is a pre-selected option that you choose to do if there is not an alternative that you want more. 

-Creating defaults leads to more freedom. 

-Having defaults saves time and energy. It saves your decision making power for other decisions.

-Defaults keep hopelessness at bay. They reduce confusion, distraction, and uncertainty.

-Defaults free our mind up to consider other things.

-Choose one default in each of these areas: food, housekeeping, quiet time, exercise, sleep, friendships and/or relationships, and self care.

🚩 You are using defaults incorrectly if you feel irritated because you weren't able to do your default. You are likely treating it like a routine. 

-A default can't be interrupted because it is simply a pre-selected option. If there is an alternative that you want more, DO IT. 

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Join Heidi to discover a basic way of tracking signs and symptoms you experience and an advanced way of tracking signs and symptoms. Record on paper, in a planner, on your phone, and/or using an app. 

Remember to record physical and emotional signs and symptoms. They are interconnected and influence one another.

Take Aways

• Why you should track your signs and symptoms
• Basic tracking includes: recording the date you begin your period, how many days you bleed, your mood, and any discord you experience in relationships.
• Advanced tracking includes: recording the basics listed above + basal body temperature, level of sexual desire, the level of sensitivity you experience about others' comments and actions, and more detailed mood recording.
• Use time blocks when recording mood
• You need to know your body!
• When you know your body, you can put logic with emotion and emotion with logic.
• Tracking gives you more power and control of your reaction to things.
• Tracking gives a more concrete idea of what IS happening rather than what we THINK IS happening. 
• Tracking is not accurate if done more than a day later. 
• Logic can help when we are overly emotional.
• Emotion can help when we are overly logical. 

Want more support? ❤️Click here to talk with me. I'm currently offering a free 20 minute consultation call to help you get clear on where you are and how to get to a better place. 

Free resources:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's YouTube

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions | https://surf-house-productions.bandcamp.com 
• Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com