Mindfulness for PMDD with Diane

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Do you feel like you spend so much time managing your PMDD that you are losing touch with: 

• the things that are important to you?
• the things that bring you joy?
• the people you love to be around?

This absolutely happened to me. And it makes sense!


It makes sense that when when PMDD is taking over our lives, we want to do everything we can to feel better and get back to living.


And yet, that very process of finding ourselves living in survival mode, or diving into healing, can push us away from the things that make life feel fulfilling.


This meditation is inspired by an ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy/Training) exercise, sometimes called 'The Magic Wand' or 'A Miracle Has Happened', etc.


It helps us to get back in touch with our values, by guiding us through:


(1) Imagining the life we'd create for ourselves if we had no worries or burdens. 

(2) Encouraging us to consider how we can bring a bit of that into our current day-to-day lives.

#PMDD
#PMS
#chronicillness
#Autism
#Neurodivergent

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FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

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And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

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In this episode, Shamash Alidina and I discuss: 

• How living with PMDD, or other chronic illness, can lead us to pause our life while we try to heal 
• And how this can lead to losing touch with ourselves and the things that bring value, meaning and purpose to our lives

Shamash and I talk about how making room for our challenges, and turning back to the things that are meaningful for us, can help us to live a richer, more purposeful life, even with PMDD.


I share how fighting less, and opening up more, actually led me to find some relief from PMDD symptoms.

Shamash is best known as the internationally bestselling author of 10 books including Mindfulness For Dummies and The Mindful Way through Stress. He also co-founded the world's first Museum of Happiness in London, and often collaborates with UK Charity, Action for Happiness.

Shamash pioneered online Mindfulness Teacher Training, launching his program Teach Mindfulness Online, and has been training practitioners in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy–or Training–also called ACT.


Mentioned in this episode:

• The Little Book of ACT: A Simple and Fun Guide to Living a Meaningful Life Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Shamash Alidina
• Empower Yourself: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Colouring Book by Shamash Alidina

Learn more about Shamash and his programs here

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Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

Last month, I shared that I recently learned I'm Autistic. This month I'm talking about the autistic burnout I've been in since the summer. Specifically:

• What triggered autistic burnout
• The first signs I was in burnout
• How I realized I was in autistic burnout and had it confirmed
• How autistic burnout came on just before my autism assessment
• The symptoms of autistic burnout I'm experiencing
• What I'm doing to help myself through burnout
• How my burnout, autism, and PMDD affect each other

For now, I plan to continue to post one interview and one solo episode each month.

Talk to you soon!

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I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

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DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

Cheryl Crow, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist who lives with Rheumatoid arthritis and runs a support group for others living with chronic illness. She also practices and applies Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into her own life and in her work.

In our chat, Cheryl shares about:

• Her diagnosis story and experience with medical gaslighting
• How she came to run a support group for people with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic illness
• The mental health journey of living–and thriving–with chronic illness even when you are still in discomfort after trying all the things in your toolbox
• And how acceptance is different from resignation

Cheryl Crow is a fierce advocate for meeting the full picture of patients’ needs beyond joint pain. After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and becoming an occupational therapist, Cheryl founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis.

Cheryl is known for her entertaining yet educational videos featuring arthritis life hacks, product demonstrations, and insights into the psychosocial aspects of life with invisible chronic illness. She created and hosts the Arthritis Life Podcast and runs the online self-management course and support group Rheum to THRIVE, where she helps people adjust to their conditions and live full and meaningful lives.

Contact Cheryl:

• Arthritis Life website (program & podcast info here)
• Instagram @arthritis_life_cheryl 

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Autoimmune disease
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris
• Dr Steven C. Hayes
• Kristin Neff and self-compassion
• Dr John Gottman 

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

I recently had an Autism assessment and learned that I am in fact Autistic.

In this episode I discuss what led me to pursue an Autism assessment, how I've been feeling since having my Autism confirmed, and what this has to do with my PMDD and this podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

Aspergirls by Rudy Simone

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD.

Dr. Stephen Shore

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

Have you ever said or done something in luteal that left you cringing with guilt and shame?

Have you wondered whether you might have bipolar disorder or PMDD or both?

Want to know how to tweak your daily routines to help boost your mood?

This episode is for you! 

On it, I chat with Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, based out of California. Robyn specializes in Bipolar Disorder and OCD, and works with clients who have PMDD. She and I talk about:

• The differences between Bipolar Disorder and PMDD and how they are diagnosed.
• How you can learn from an episode or meltdown to balance your mood a bit better and perhaps prevent one in the future.
• How you can use symptom tracking to look out for the 'yellow flag'.
• The #1 daily habit you can start changing now to improve your mood.

About Robyn

Robyn Tamanaha is a Japanese American Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Orange County, CA. She provides video therapy to individuals that live in the state of California. She has been a therapist for over 10 years and has her own private practice where she specializes in helping people who are living with Bipolar Disorder and OCD.

Therapy website

Instagram


Referenced in this episode:

What is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder? by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT

IAPMD (International Association for Premenstrual Disorders)

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Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

You know the feeling...

You're in your luteal phase and along comes some negative thought--about yourself, your life, your PMDD--and before you even know what is happening you are getting swept up in that thought and down an endless spiral of ruminating on this thought. You are now going down the rabbit hole with this thought, unable to let it go, and maybe even believing whatever awful thing this thought is telling you. In this process, you may be starting to feel uncomfortable sensations in your body. (For me, it was often a shaky, 'zinging' or anxious feeling.)

So what can we do to start putting a little space between our thoughts and feelings? To practice becoming less hooked by them...Or less attached?

The meditation offered in this episode (Leaves on a Stream) is one way to start building this skill. I invite you to join me in this practice.

Also, this is the final episode of Season 1 but you can still find me:

In previous episodes
In my newsletter
On Instagram
On Insight Timer (Free meditation app)

And you can always reach out to learn more about my PMDD Coaching & Support program!

xo
Diane

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I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

I discovered Nikki Wilson’s Mindfulness work when I was in the throes of my own birth trauma drama, which ultimately led to a diagnosis of PTSD. While I was searching for help & support and seeking out a diagnosis, I needed something to help me survive and get through the difficult early days of new motherhood. At that time, Nikki had created, and was single-handedly running, a Mindfulness for Mums program, called 10 of Zen. I joined this group and felt so seen, so normal, and also, got some really valuable tools and tricks and developed skills, in the process, that helped me manage through anxiety, panic attacks, dissociating from my body, etc. etc., so that I could ‘stress less, and love more’ as Nikki would always say.  

Nikki Wilson has a strong passion for driving social change. Her third sector career has focused on solving strategic challenges and building organisations from scratch including Make Birth Better, 10 of Zen, Wings for Life UK and Read International. Based in the UK, Nikki runs the ship and shapes the strategy for Make Birth Better and her deep drive comes from her lived experience of birth trauma.

In our chat, Nikki and I discuss…

-The charade of perfection

• Being present, not perfect
• That the full spectrum of emotions is normal
• That the aim is not to feel better, but to get better at feeling

-The single nugget of mindfulness wisdom that Nikki still carries with her every day

-And her own experiences with birth trauma, dyslexia, and ADHD

Find Nikki and Make Birth Better here

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

I like this meditation for helping to align body and mind, so you can use this one if:

• you're feeling disconnected from your body
• you're feeling up in your head with your thoughts
• you're experiencing some uncomfortable sensations in your body
• you want to explore trying to bring some ease and more comfort into your body

It can be nice in the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle or anytime, PMDD or otherwise!

So I invite you to check it out and see what you think about this one.

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

Do you find it hard to take care of yourself when you've also got kids to parent, a demanding job, a partner to show up for, and bills to pay? Then you need to listen to this interview with Ali Cornish.

I reached out to Ali because I wanted to talk to another chronic illness warrior who has embraced simple living, minimalism, and mindfulness. Because I've learned that while we may have different diagnoses, often those of us living with chronic illness will have very similar experiences and challenges and desires for our own lives.

 Ali very generously shares with us:

• Her chronic illness journey
• Some of the traumas she has experienced in her life 
• How she got her first taste of minimalism while still in high school 
• How her relationship with minimalism and simple living evolved over time with her changing experiences and needs as she moved through different seasons of life

We also reflect on the difficulty of making time for self care when we have demanding jobs, people who need us, and bills to pay.

Ali Cornish is a freelance writer and founder of Ever Thrive, who lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and two young sons. She was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in 2016, but has been living with its symptoms since 2011. Ali has lived mostly pain free since adopting a minimalist lifestyle, as well as an anti inflammatory plant based diet.

An advocate for naturopathic healing, she's also found relief from debilitating pain by drastically reducing stress in her life and work. Since her diagnosis, she has shared her story through Everthrive, a website dedicated to simple and essential living.

Ali is inspired by nature, mindful living, and living a low tech lifestyle. She weaves this ethos into her minimalist way of life, all of which have assisted in managing her AS symptoms.

Here's where you can find Ali:

Everthrive website

Instagram @everthrive

Mentioned in this episode:

The PMDD Stress Cycle - Hear about it in Episode 2:

Managing PMDD Stress with Mindfulness

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane