Mindful Hypnosis

It's like a spring cleaning and decluttering for the mind and it can bring your focus, clarity, and calm

It’s like a spring clean for your brain. A “decluttering” of your thoughts. And it’s highly effective when done properly. 

Our brains are not meant to remember tasks and lists. 

In this episode, I discuss how to do a proper brain dump and a few things to consider to make it fun, purposeful, and effective.

It’s fun to see what you forgot and to then look down to see what you remembered. 

Mindfully of course. 

Take a deep breath in and exhale. 

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness.com -show notes
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching for stress, overthinking, or to develop a Mindfulness Practice. 
• Do you have a busy mind that you want to calm down? 
• Do you want to Develop a Mindfulness Practice? Join the five-day challenge!

Episode Links:

• Agendio Planner
• Unbound Planner 

26- Lookup, gain perspective and calm your busy mind.  

Looking up to the sky above you can literally change your mind.

So we have been told to look up our entire lives. Hold your head high, chin up. Make sure you look up and have good eye contact. Don’t slouch. 

I’m going to talk about looking up literally.

Before I get into this topic, I grew up in the ’70s. A Gen-Xer and we were given some “interesting” childhood stories to read. One of them was ‘chicken little.' 

It gives looking up a whole new perspective. LOL

Beyond that unnerving fairytale, we are constantly looking down. 

At our phones, at our feet, as we walk. The constant looking down pulls in, makes us smaller. 

Take a moment and do this 

 Let your body straighten up, chin off chest, shoulders back, lift your head. Let the energy flow naturally through your body. 

Just take a few breaths and settle into the moment. 

Looking up can bring a feeling of spaciousness and expansion.

There is also a feeling of connection to the sky above. We feel “under it” and part of it. This awareness can bring a sense of belonging to something bigger. 

And when we see things that are bigger than us, it stretches us to reach for it, to find our own potential. 

How much could you accomplish if your mind was as spacious as the blue sky above you? 

Let’s talk about the ‘blue’ sky. 

Looking up can put you into a meditative state especially if you are watching a few clouds go by. 

Blue as a color is spacious, and it brings a sense of serenity and tranquility to our senses. 

There is power in looking up. During the day and at night. 

Take a deep breath in and exhale.

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• • One Minute of Mindfulness.com -show notes 
  • Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching for stress, overthinking, or to develop a Mindfulness Practice. 
  • Do you have a busy mind that you want to calm down? 
• Do you want to Develop a Mindfulness Practice? Join the Five-day challenge!

Episode Links:

• Chicken Little ( Henny-Penny) Fairytale 

I want to talk about happiness and the five myths that many people believe. 

Everyone's definition of happiness is different. 

We have a few beliefs that have been ingrained into our minds and these beliefs might not be all that true. 

We all want to be happy. 

As Americans in the second paragraph of the first article in the Declaration of Independence contain the phrase "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".

 So, we have this, right? 

Happiness is what we all want. Ask anyone. I “just want to be happy” is what you hear. 

There are almost 1 billion searches on google for happiness and most of us are still not finding happiness. Why? 

Here are the five myths

We will start with the first thing I talked about. The pursuit of happiness.

Myth One

Happiness is something you pursue. 

When you pursue something, you are trying to chase it, catch it, and/or follow it. 

Happiness is not outside of you. 

Myth two

I can be happy all the time. 

Happiness is not your natural state of being, Mindfulness is. Happiness is an emotion and our emotions change and fluctuate all the time.

 The idea is learning to be ok with what is happening in the now; being aware of your emotions. When you are sad, angry, happy, frustrated. 

Myth three

I can control how happy I will be. 

You can control your outlook, actions, and how you respond to situations. 

But our reactions to difficulties or situations can be multifaceted. To ignore the bad, or uncomfortable and try to put a happiness bandaid on top of it will cause more problems. 

Myth four

Happiness means feeling good.

You must be overjoyed, excited, and jumping for joy to be happy. 

Not everyone feels happiness the same way. Some people are bubby, but some people have a neutral stance. 

Myth Five

I’ve never been happy, so I can’t be happy now.

This comes down to understanding what happiness is for you. 

• Is your expectation that happiness is created by what you have? 
• Are you looking for it outside of yourself? 
• What IS your happiness expectations? 

Remember, looking at the past for what you should be now is comparing.

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness -Podcast show notes 
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching 
• Do you want to develop a Mindfulness practice? 

Why do we focus on our breathing when it comes to mindfulness? You can’t escape breathing. 

It is mindboggling how often we breathe. We might as well be mindful of doing so. 

Think of these mind-boggling statistics

• You breathe about 16 breaths a minute. 
• 23, 000 breaths a minute
• 8.5 million breaths a year. 

Say WHAT? I told you it was mindboggling!

Breaths are part of our Autonomic nervous system, which means it does it on its own. This is good because if we had to focus on it, we would get nothing done!

BUT when you do focus on it intentionally, it will activate certain places in our brain that increase our attention and our body awareness. 

Focusing on our breathing regulates our nervous system which can calm us down and make us feel better.

The anchor

There are a few reasons, but mainly it is what we call an anchor. It’s part of you. You can’t live without it. Because it has the ability to be automatic, and something we can control, it allows us to settle into it.

Breathing is always with us. It doesn't go anywhere. You can't escape it, you definitely need it. 

We're always chasing things. 

We're trying to move towards something that we want to obtain whether it be a better job or a better life, or we're trying to move away from something like pain or hurt. 

Breathing is something that always pulls you back into the present moment. 

Again, it is an anchor and it brings us directly into the now. It also brings us into what I like to call body awareness. 

When you become more aware of your body, you're not in your head. 

You're also not just focusing on your breathing. Instead, you are focusing on the “art” of breathing. The in and out movement. 

You become more aware of your chest rising and falling, and the subtle movements of your body as you breathe. You become more interoceptive- aware of your internal body. 

This helps to make you more mindful. 

It also helps you to navigate the space you are in and the connection to your external world. 

You become more aware of the subtle changes in your body which are important for your health and wellbeing. 

Want to know more about how to integrate your breathing with your mindfulness practice AND get a nice breathing meditation?

Grab the Breathe video and audio below.

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

• One Minute of Mindfulness -Shownotes
• Breathe Audio and video for you do download for free. 
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching for stress, overthinking, or to develop a Mindfulness Practice. 

and Mindfulness and Meditation are similar, but they do have their differences

Mindfulness expands as it’s something you can do all the time.  

 Mindfulness includes active and passive outlets. 

You can be mindful of washing dishes, talking to friends, driving, and exercising. Yoga is also about being in the present moment through movement. 

What IS Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of when you are completely aware and present in the moment without judgment. 

The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.

-Jon Kabat-Zinn

What IS meditation? 

The definition of meditation is to think deeply or focus the mind on something for an extended period of time. 

Meditation is more “active” in the brain than mindfulness as you may not be “in the present” moment.

 It can include contemplation, reflection, chanting, breathing, body awareness, thought awareness- which means watching your thoughts, and it can also, often contain mindfulness.

So, now that you know the differences, what do you prefer? Mindfulness practice or Meditation practice. Or should I say both?

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness.com 
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching for stress, overthinking, or to develop a Mindfulness Practice. 
• Do you have a busy mind that you want to calm down? 
• Join the email list so you never miss an episode!

This episode is for us who are on the sidelines looking from an outside perspective who also feel overwhelmed and a bit helpless watching what is happening. 

During these times the world can feel heavy with the weight of all this tragedy upon our shoulders. It can be difficult to deal with the full range of emotions that are flooding in.  

It’s surreal and feels out of sorts. 

I was watching the news the other day when they mentioned the first bombing and it made me gasp and shook me in disbelief. 

If I am feeling this overwhelmed at times and have a sense of helplessness and frustration, you might be feeling that too. 

It makes all of the situations we are dealing with in the US pale in comparison. 

Now, before I continue, I am coming from the perspective of a Mindfulness coach, a registered nurse who has been a trauma nurse. I have seen horrific injuries from all different perspectives.

All of these experiences shape my decision and how I view this situation. 

It’s perfectly normal and it's okay to shed a few tears or be sad, frustrated, mad, scared, helpless, or even feel anxious or depressed. Seek help if this is the case. 

Recognize what you're feeling is valid, and it’s just as important to feel it. 

It seems the biggest emotion most of us are feeling besides sadness is helplessness. 

This makes it feel as though we can’t help in a meaningful way and that thoughts and prayers aren’t enough.

I get it, this is my frustration right now. You can take that frustrating energy and do something.

Action Suggestions

• Support the Ukrainian people in your area.
• Connect with friends who need to talk. You can be a sounding board
• Reach out and volunteer with military personnel who are getting triggered by this war. 
• Donate to Ukraine. (See link below) 

See shownotes for more suggestions 

If you have a few suggestions, let me know, I will be happy to provide them here. 

Taking care of yourself 

Check-in on yourself and make sure that you're channeling your emotions in a healthy and helpful way, and not harmful to yourself or others. 

Keep perspective too. 

Life is a string of seconds and minutes. You can only deal with life one second at a time. Breath into mindfulness and be present as much as possible, and consider where you are at.  

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness.com 
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching for stress, overthinking, or to develop a Mindfulness Practice. 
• Do you have a busy mind that you want to calm down? 

 Let's be mindful and watch our thinking.  

As you become aware of what you are thinking, you can then let the thoughts go...easily.

It's time to watch your thoughts that are floating around in your head.

I know it sounds kind of weird saying "watch" the thoughts in your head because everybody thinks differently. 

When it comes to thinking, some people hear a narration, some people see words, others may see a movie, but how you think does not matter. 

What matters is how this 'thinking' is serving you.  

In this mini-meditation, you can notice your thinking so you can be aware of what you're thinking and what type of thinking you are doing. 

By watching your thoughts you can begin to change them. And over time you will notice more space between the thoughts which will bring a sense of spacious awareness and calm. 

It's time to let those thoughts that don't serve you go.  

Just enjoy the process. And by all means, don't overthink it.

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness.com -Shownotes
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching -work with me one-to-one to calm your mind and clear your thinking. 
• Mindfulness for a busy mind -Busy Mind? Enjoy this FREE PDF to get rid of that busy-overthinking

It’s February and love is in the air. So let’s breathe it in and infuse yourself with some self-love

This podcast episode is about feeling self-love and finding appreciation for yourself. 

We beat ourselves up all the time, we think negatively about ourselves, we punish ourselves and we don't give ourselves the respect that it's due or the admiration that is due. 

You are stuck in the body and the mind of who you are.

 You can't get out of it. 

 And it’s better to decorate it with love and self-appreciation and kindness and awareness and simplicity and mindfulness of course than it is to decorate it with negativity and self-loathing, and hurtfulness and harm. 

Learn to appreciate that you are everything you need to be right here, right now at this moment. 

You deserve self-love. 

I want you to look at the things that you love.

Take that feeling and pull it inside. 

Let that love that you send out to something else be reflected back within you. 

Pull it in, take it in and hold it. 

Appreciate the simplicity of this act. 

Lastly, I want to say I truly appreciate you listening to this podcast, and I send you love today wholeheartedly with no expectations in return. 

Have a lovely day. 

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

P.S Don’t forget to also spread the love! Share this podcast with your family and friends. Thank you. 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness -Shownotes
•  Cheryl J Reynolds-Coaching one to one for a busy mind. 

I have three ways I’ll share that will be different than what you think.  

I love meditating. I always feel better and it calms my mind and gives me perspective. 

Meditation brings your mind to an alpha state of the brain, however, you go into and out of this all the time.

 If you find yourself daydreaming or focusing deeply on something you enjoy- this is the alpha state.

1. Ritualize your practice. 

Your brain likes habits. It creates habits out of everything because, well, it’s lazy and it’s easier to create a habit than do it fresh over and over again.

You can start simple by taking two deep breaths, closing your eyes, and then it’s time to meditate. Whatever puts your mind in the ready state is good. 

Your ritual can be simple or elaborate, just make sure you use it every day to start. 

It takes around 66 days to put a solid habit in place. 

2. simple technique before you meditate to help to calm the mind. 

Expand your peripheral vision. this technique is exactly as it sounds. Purposefully expand your peripheral vision out to the side as far as you can go. Relax, close your eyes and do it again. This time, imagine or visualize expanding it all the way around your head.  

This technique brings you into an alpha state before you even begin meditating.  

Now, take a deep breath in and close your eyes to begin meditating.

3. Consider a different type of meditation 

Not good at sitting on the couch? 

Maybe you need a meditation that is more active. 

Meditation can be anything that gets you into the“zone”, where time flies and you feel connected to your heart and headspace. 

This activity may not be meditative in the usual sense, but it changes the brain the same way. Those relaxation alpha waves can put you in the moment and that is right where you want to be. 

 I have provided a few guided meditations on this podcast, the most recent one was when we took a relaxing walk down the ocean’s edge. 

Do tell me? What is your favorite kind of meditation? 

Post at the webpage shot notes or send me an e-mail 

Take a deep breath in and exhale.

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness Podcast webpage
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching 
• Have a busy mind? Grab this PDF "Mindfulness for a busy mind
• Calming Meditation at the ocean's shore 

Podcasting can be fun, hard work but it can also be silly.

I wanted to do something fun. Life is too serious at times and we can all use a giggle or two.

 Besides, I love to laugh. It’s how I connect to people and how I know I am on the right track. 

When I am laughing and giggling, all is good.

This episode is where I share a few podcast bloopers. Behind the scenes so to speak.  Enjoy the humorous side of podcasting. 

The first one is me trying to get my podcast started with my traditional "Welcome everybody to the One Minute of Mindfulness Podcast. I’m Cheryl Reynolds, your host…."

It wasn’t happening. LOL

The second one was me trying to do a Video Podcast. Ummm… not working all that well. I decided to do the podcast and a live video every week.  Maybe I will marry them later, but for now, they are separated. 

The third blooper is me recording and my office manager bailey running through paperwork that I put on the floor because it wouldn’t fit on the desk with all of the podcast pillows. Bailey is one of my cats, and for the most part, he just hangs on the desk while I podcast, but today he wanted to play when I wanted to podcast.

The last one is when I am in my mom’s closet podcasting. My house is very echoey-as you can probably tell from a few episodes, so I used her closet a few times.  

The sound quality is awesome in there but my butt starts to hurt and my feet always fall asleep ( sitting on the floor at my age holds a few challenges)

 Anyhoo, it was a long day and I got laughing.

If you like these blooper episodes, let me know and I will do more of them. 

In the meantime...

“Laugh at yourself-then you’ll know at least one person finds you funny.” 

Take a deep breath in and exhale

So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. 

Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. 

Be mindful-one minute at a time.

Hugs, Cheryl 

Sponsors & Links Mentioned:

• One Minute of Mindfulness.com 
• Cheryl J Reynolds Coaching 
• Have a busy mind? Grab the Mindfulness for a busy mind PDF