Let's talk about affirmations! What are they? Positive affirmations are statements or phrases you repeat to yourself to challenge negative or unhelpful thinking patterns. Do they even work? Yes! You can make them work for you with just some practice and intention. In this episode, we will learn more about affirmations and why they're so beneficial and then we'll do some affirmations together! 

Need an affirmation playlist? Check out this AMAZING playlist by @selfloversintherapy: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ZI7UZuuBxpvbCupkwZY7c?si=b5f3981fe25940ba

References: 

Cascio, C. N., O’Donnell, M. B., Tinney, F. J., Lieberman, M. D., Taylor, S. E., Strecher, V. J., & Falk, E. B. (2015). Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(4), 621–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv136

Sherman, D. K., Bunyan, D. P., Creswell, J. D., & Jaremka, L. M. (2009). Psychological vulnerability and stress: The effects of self-affirmation on sympathetic nervous system responses to naturalistic stressors. Health Psychology, 28(5), 554–562. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014663

Steele, C. M. (1988). The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 261–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60229-4

Yaricza Meza, failed many times before she succeeded and has been unstoppable since. As a full-time business owner and mom, she has learned how to juggle work and being a mom while making time for herself and her mental health. Yari shares insight on her journey to becoming a hairstylist and how that pushed her to work hard. Once she became a mom, the mom guilt started and she challenged herself to take care of herself the way she takes care of others. Join us and she shares more on her business mentality, tips on how to work through mom guilt, and what it's like to pursue a passion that is often looked down on.

A trigger is a psychological stimulus that can be as subtle as a scent or a memory taking you back to a traumatic experience. In mental health terms, it is something that can affect our emotional state and may cause us to feel strong emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, or feeling out of control. Being triggered may primarily show up in how you behave; you might isolate yourself from others, become argumentative, shut down emotionally, or criticize yourself. So how can we deal with triggers? Although the answer is not that simple, we can begin the healing process by practicing self-reflection and self-compassion. In other words, learning to be kind to ourselves and making space for our emotions. Tune in to learn more, happy healing! 

Have you ever wanted to speak up for yourself but your heart starts racing, you begin to overthink it, and end up not saying anything at all? I know I have! Mitzy Ruelas, an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, shares her experience on how she became passionate about advocating for others and provides us with some tips on how to advocate for yourself even when it feels scary. Mitzy lived a cross-border life as a child and speaks on how her early life experiences planted the seed of advocacy and influenced her later career choices. She shares how she had a specific way of how she thought her journey was going to look but life has a funny way of realigning us to what our true passions are. Sometimes we might pursue a career because of outside influences, so how do we continue to advocate for our own passions while still making our family proud? Listen in while we try to tackle some of these questions and explore what intergenerational trauma is. Happy healing friends!  

What does it mean to be a man? Such a simple question requires a complicated answer because there is no one way to define masculinity. From a young age, men are socialized to think that they are not man enough when they share their feelings or show emotions. In this episode, Nicholas Marquez shares his experience of being a stay-at-home dad and how his perspective on masculinity has shifted over time. Join us as we scratch the surface on a topic that might have some of you feeling uncomfortable (because it involves sharing your feelings). Happy healing!  

"I'm not good enough. I'm a failure. I don't belong here." What are the stories you tell yourself that hold you back from pursuing your dreams? What messages repeat in your head that stop you from healing? In this first episode of the Please Expand podcast we will be discussing limiting beliefs. Everyone has them and sometimes we can't pinpoint what they are without some self-reflection. These beliefs are developed in childhood and can be hard to overcome, but good news is that we can challenge these beliefs and shift our mentality in order to become our best selves! Listen in to learn how to identify and challenge our limiting beliefs. Happy healing!