Transcript

Okay, so this is a video for anybody who's in the midst of some kind of creative process and wants to f*****g tear their hair out.

I am in that place.

I am creating something and I feel like the whole thing is s**t.

Everybody's gonna hate it.

Nobody's gonna like it.

It's not even gonna work.

It's just garbage and all my thoughts are garbage.

Everything about it is garbage.

It’s unclear and I don't know what I'm doing and it feels

JUST

AWFUL.

And here's what I know, having been through this type of process before with other things that I've created:

This stage is totally normal.

This is something that my brain just does as I'm creating something where it tries to convince me that it's a piece of s**t.

And so, if you're in that place right now and need a witness…

Hi, I see you. You're doing awesome. You're doing the work. If it feels like crap right now, that's okay. You're not alone. We can do this!

The creative process can be really f*****g messy and I want you to keep going and you can keep going.

We can keep going.

One of the best tricks that I've ever figured out in terms of getting that process to stop feeling as messy and uncomfortable is to stop focusing on “This is s**t. Everything's s**t. This process is awful. This is horrible.”

You acknowledge that. You're like, "Oh God, this is where I am and it's hard and I know that this will pass."

But then you start focusing on why are you doing this? What is it that you want out of this creation? Why do you want to tell this story? Why do you want to put this piece of music out into the world? Why do you want to create this thing and share it?

When you focus on “the why” that usually takes the focus off of you and it puts it on the audience, somebody else, the people that you're going to share it with and what it will mean to them.

And what it could mean to them, because we don't necessarily know what it's going to mean to them, but what it could do for them because that's usually why we're offering our art, our creativity, whatever it is that we're offering into the world.

Think about the other people that will benefit.

Think about why it is that you want to share this thing and put this thing out into the world and that might help.

But again, I see you.

I know it's hard.

We can do this.

Yay!

If you need help with any kind of a creative process, I’m probably the coach for you. As a professional actress, I know the ups and downs of living life as a creative person. We can explore your goals and get you focused on them in a way that excites you AND allows for a lot of self-compassion as you navigate the labor pains of creativity. I’ll hold you gently and playfully accountable so that you can keep sharing your gifts and talents with the world.

Find out more about me as a coach and use my Google form to get set up with a totally free, no pressure, full 60-minute coaching session. Honestly, it might be all you need. And it’s free, so what have you got to lose? 🥳

Quick side note: My kid was sick the day I recorded this, so you may hear him coughing in the background. You may also hear the occasional airplane flyover. I invite you to just be present with an extra sounds and observe them as part of your present moment.

Transcript

(00:00:01):

Welcome to your Monday Mindful Moment.

We're going to do something a little different today.

We're going to connect with our breath, as always.

And then we're going to practice loving kindness, flowing loving kindness out to the world and to ourselves.

So go ahead and find a comfortable position for your body.

Begin to focus on your breath and the sensations that you feel as your breath moves in and out of your body.

And allow your body to relax more and more into the surface that's supporting you today.

Focus on the connection that you have with your breath.

Noticing what it feels like to take an inhale.

Noticing how your body moves as you breathe in, how your belly and chest rise.

And then noticing the sensations you feel as you exhale, releasing air back out of your body, allowing your belly and chest to fall again.

And now bring to mind a person or creature that you love, and allow the experience of holding this person or creature in your mind to fill you up with pure loving kindness.

And now begin to flow intentions to them.

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

May you live with ease.

And now expand your loving kindness and flow it to everyone in the world, even people you find challenging and perhaps wish to find less challenging.

And flow the same intentions to them.

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

May you live with ease.

And finally, include yourself in this flow of loving kindness.

May we all be safe.

May we all be healthy.

May we all be happy.

May we all live with ease.

I'm going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but feel free to remain in loving kindness meditation, connecting with your breath and anyone and everyone you wish to flow loving kindness to today, including yourself.

Feel free to remain here for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Quick side note: My kid was sick the day I recorded this, so you may hear him coughing in the background. You may also hear the occasional airplane flyover. I invite you to just be present with an extra sounds and observe them as part of your present moment.

Transcript

Welcome to your Monday mindful moment.

This is a chance for you to connect with your breath find presence right here in this present moment and perhaps set an intention to be more mindful this coming week so go ahead and get comfortable.

Relax your body into the surface that's supporting you.

And find your breath, however it's flowing right here, right now.

Notice your inhales and your exhales.

Notice how it feels as air moves into your body, fills up your lungs, and then moves back out of your body.

Just mindfully notice the sensations of that cycle.

And notice also how your body moves as you breathe.

Feel as your belly and chest rise and fall with each breath cycle.

And feel as your body relaxes more and more with each breath.

And as you're focusing on your breath, if you notice that your mind wanders away from the experience of breathing, you notice thoughts or moods emerging in the mind, you can just gently acknowledge those.

Let them be.

They too are a part of your present moment experience.

So you can witness them and then choose to return your focus to your breath.

Choose to return your focus to your experience of breathing.

Noticing how each inhale and exhale is unique.

Each one is a little different from the last one.

Just staying present with your experience of the breath and your experience of this present moment.

And now I'm going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but feel free to remain in meditation, connecting with your breath for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Today we’re back meditating with our good friend the breath to see if it has something to tell us.

Just observing and being in conversation with your breath in this moment.

Get comfortable, press play, and enjoy!

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

I’m starting something new, which I hope you will find beneficial. I’m going to be releasing short mindfulness meditations on Mondays.

Like the title says, I’m calling this a Monday Mindful Moment. And since it’s short, I could also call it a Monday Mini Mindful Moment, but that feels like too much alliteration even for me!

So find a comfy spot, settle in, and press play.

I hope you enjoy!

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Okay, so you're super stressed out.

I get it. There's a lot going on in your life right now.

Grab a piece of paper and write down everything that you have going on right now.

What are your responsibilities?

What do you have going on in your life?

What's just stressing you out?

What’s weighing on your heart and your mind?

Write it all down.

Every single bit of it.

Put it all on that piece of paper.

I realize it might be really scary and overwhelming to look at all of that stuff at once on one sheet of paper. But trust me, this exercise in self acknowledgement can really help you to know that you're not broken.

Of course you're exhausted. You have a lot going on.

Of course you're stressed. You have a lot going on, and a lot weighing on your mind.

You're not lazy.

You're not broken.

There's nothing wrong with you.

There's just a lot on your plate right now.

Once you have everything written down, I want you to close your eyes and place your hands on your heart (if that feels good to you).

Now, take a deep breath and say…

"I have a lot on my plate right now and I'm doing the best I can."

Because you are.

You really, really are.

You're doing excellent human-ing in this world. I promise.

Last thing, once you've done all of that awesome, amazing inner work and you've acknowledged yourself and you've acknowledged everything that's on your plate right now in life, I want you to pick one nice thing that you can do for yourself right now.

Have a cup of tea.

Take nap.

Watch your favorite show.

Find a baby cat video on YouTube.

Take a walk.

Call a friend.

Cry.

Have a nice snack.

Take a bath.

Take a hot shower.

Do something nice to nurture yourself.

It will really help. ❤️

If you feel like stress has taken over your life, I want to help you get back to living a life you love. I have a few openings on my coaching roster and would love to help you find simple, effective ways to ease stress and regain energy. I’ll help you mindfully acknowledge and nurture yourself in ways that work for you.

I offer a 60-minute, complimentary session, and then if we decide we’re a good fit, it’s just $75 per 60-minute Zoom session (90-minute sessions are $105). You schedule and pay as you go, allowing you ultimate flexibility and control over your coaching journey.

Click the button below to check out my website for more info on me and my approach to coaching.

Want more stress busting tools?

Accessing Calm is my collection of super simple, fun mindfulness life hacks I use every day to calm down quickly when stress is high.

These are the tools that help me release tension from my body and keep my mind from spinning out of control with worry and frustration. 😭 ➡️ ☺️

Click the button below to find out more and use the promo code “calm” to get the full collection for just $11.

In the episode I talk about the importance of setting an intention (aka making a plan) for how you will approach the holidays so that if they tend to suck for you, they can hopefully suck less.

And if you want help making your intentional holiday plan, schedule a free session and we'll tackle it together. Then if you want, you can add on-going support from me throughout the holidays via email, messenger, Marco Polo, or your favorite app for only $50.

Other things mentioned...

Mindful Creators can add mindful self care to your holidays: https://mindful-creators.teachery.co/join

Janette Dalgliesh gave us "permission to relax" and you can find out more about her work here: https://www.janettedalgliesh.com/

My website: https://www.thealignedactor.com/

The Visual Swish process can help you eliminate your bad habits!

The NLP process Perceptual Positions can help you gain new insights and understandings within your relationships.

My show notes:

I got a marketing email that triggered me. It bothered me to the point that I had to investigate why. This episode explores how I did that.

Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@amyschloerb 

Check me out on Insight Timer: https://insig.ht/81R4D3NwdKb?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=live_stream_share 

Check out my website: https://www.thealignedactor.com/home 

Find out how to work with me: https://www.thealignedactor.com/life-coach