The Empowering Working Moms Podcast-Real Talk with Dr. Prianca Naik

Episode 43: How to Have Better Boundaries

Welcome to the Empowering Working Moms Podcast with Dr. Prianca Naik! If you're a high-achieving type-A personality struggling with exhaustion and burnout, you're not alone. Our free on-demand masterclass will help you overcome burnout, eliminate overwhelm, and finally get your peace of mind back. In today's episode, we are discussing something that all our clients are working on - better boundaries. Boundaries are essential for maintaining physical and mental safety and are necessary for the human experience. You can create your own boundaries and live in alignment by saying "NO", not taking on too much work, and not people-pleasing. But it's also essential to consider your mental safety and pay attention to situations that make you feel uncomfortable. In this episode, we'll discuss handling situations where you don't feel safe emotionally and give tips on creating boundaries.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The importance of boundaries in combating burnout and exhaustion
• The concept of boundaries and their relationship to physical and mental safety
• Examples of saying no and people-pleasing
• Over-explaining and the realization that one can create their own timeline and comfort level without having to explain oneself
• And so much more!

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Hi there, everyone. I am so glad that you are tuning in today. Spring is in the air. Warm weather is here on the east coast to stay. I believe, I am so happy. So, thanks for tuning in today. If you are listening to this podcast, you're probably a high achieving type a mother and you're exhausted. Maybe even struggling with exhaustion and burnout. You've checked all of the boxes of success and still find yourself for some reason, not happy, but you don't have to feel exhausted anymore.

Imagine a life with no more burnout, more confidence, more peace of mind, and that is possible for you because it has been for me and my clients with a little bit of work. Not much time, you can be out of burnout and enjoying your life again. Check out my free on-demand masterclass, four steps, to overcoming burnout, getting rid of overwhelm, and finally, getting your peace of mind back. Link in the show notes.

Now, today I'm going to talk to you about something that all of my clients are working on and acknowledge they need. And that's better boundaries. I did do a past episode on boundaries episode number 22 in the context of healthy relationships and having an alcoholic spouse. I dove into what boundaries truly are. So, if you're not familiar with what boundaries are, I would check that episode out. But today, I'm going to broaden the conversation on boundaries. So, boundaries are a key component of combating burnout and exhaustion and without them, you will feel like you're drowning.

Many of us grow up in homes with poor boundaries and maybe our parents treated us like adults, or, or confidants. When we were only children, or we were raised to explain ourselves too often too much. And today, as adults, maybe we feel like we have to explain ourselves all the time. So, we don't need to, okay? That's the case. We don't have to over explain ourselves. We don't have to explain our lives to other people. Really soak that one in its true. If that feels foreign to you, just take some time to sit with that concept. Boundaries are especially critical in, well, let's just before I get into what boundaries are critical in, boundaries are important for maintaining physical and mental safety feeling safe is a core need of the human experience.

So, it is something that we have to maintain and we can maintain it with our boundaries. So, part of practicing boundaries. And what boundaries are critical in is saying, no, not taking on too much work, or things. You don't want to be doing for your own physical and mental safety like I mentioned and not people-pleasing. And when you say no, you can free up time and energy and then you're actually living in alignment. So, for example, you could say no to people that you don't hang out with maybe they're a bunch of people going to dinner and you don't want to join them just say no, that's totally fine. You're allowed to do that or maybe you say no to a project at work that you don't want to take on. You don't want to take extra work on especially if you're not getting paid more, right?

Those are things we can say no to and that is creating our own boundaries. So, in terms of our mental safety, I think this is really interesting, because most of us probably, don't take into account our mental safety. We don't actually think about preserving our sense of safety within ourselves. Meaning when situations make us feel uncomfortable, instead of putting our foot down, we might try and people please, and deal with the situation that way and that doesn't create increase safety for us. Really fascinating, mental safety of course, is different for everyone, but really pay attention to situations where you don't feel safe, emotionally and be aware and give some thought to how you want to handle them and how you can create boundaries when it comes to that.

I will say, for me I have a tough time shutting down personal question. I find sometimes people will ask me questions I'm not super close to and ask me details, quite detailed questions and I feel like the overstepping according to me and my comfort level but then I have a hard time shutting on the conversation or refusing to answer the questions that are tiring for me to answer. I don't want to explain because I don't want to seem rude, but that's my own narrative. That's my own story, that people think I'm rude if I don't placate them by answering their questions, they probably don't even care all that much right. But that is something I'm working on. But think about that when you feel uncomfortable and maybe similarly, you have a hard time walking away saying no shining on the conversation, whatever you have to do to keep yourself mentally safe, maybe you're not doing it so give some thought to that because that will really unload your burden make you feel more safe more at peace and this most certainly combats mental exhaustion and burnout. You also may be able to relate to the following. I have been an over explainer much of my life. I always felt like I had to explain myself if I wanted to say no to something or if I was running late or whatever it is.

Well, running late is you should kind of explain yourself cause that's rude but, um, if I want to say no to something, just giving a really long explanation when you can just say no, that's a full sentence. The current coaches me. However, realizes that I can create my own timeline in my comfort level. I don't need to explain myself and I can shut down the conversation. I can shut down questions or not comfortable and I'm protecting myself and that is not rude, and if the asker of the questions or recipient does not like that. Well, that's actually their problem. Okay. Now, if you feel physically threatened, this is a different story. I'm not going to dive too deeply into that, but you need to have a say, You plan there, either an Exit Plan, safety plan, talk to a professional on how to get yourself safe, call the police, whatever you need to do, but safety is a basic right of life. As I mentioned, especially physical safety.

I have talked about people pleasing because it contributes to burn out too. And often we bleed our boundaries in an attempt to please others. So, we think that by saying yes, they will like us more by taking on more projects, they will have a better opinion of us and we think that we can control other people's perception of us. So, we'll bend over backwards. We will do things will self-sacrifice take on extra as a physician, you could take on an extra call weekend and think that, you know, that's really gonna get you far with other people or in your career and really often we end up depleting ourselves. And don't even get the people pleasing result that we were hoping for. So, it's basically a waste of time. So really be aware of when you're sacrificing yourself, your time, your happiness for other people. Really be careful about doing that be mindful and you will find you have more energy to okay? And you're not going to feel as exhausted, you're not going to feel as burnout.

Being aware of our choice and everything takes back our power and extinguishes exhaustion. Awareness that boundaries are a simple way to decrease our exhaustion is important,. So, learning boundaries learning to implement them is a key component in crushing burnout. And also, a core pillar in my foundational coaching program for high achieving mom's called overcoming burnout for good. Boundaries can look like the following; becoming aware of when we are tired. When our plate is full and realizing that, that is not the optimal time to take on more work, more tasks, more projects, extra projects, even something as simple as making dinner, reservations for a group. Don't do it if you're already feeling overextended, you're not doing yourself any favors, okay? So, you really pay attention and be aware. Also being aware of when something feels uncomfortable, pausing, getting curious with yourself. Why? Why you're feeling uncomfortable and then act accordingly, make a decision to keep yourself safe perhaps or not answering a question or a text that you don't want to. This is really interesting because I think we're in a society where we're reachable at all times via text and email it's really unhealthy. There's a complete lack of boundaries and we have to create our own so if you don't want to get back to someone in that moment or at all, don't I'm giving you permission. You don't need my permission but you can totally do that and it's okay. And again, boundaries can look like saying no preserving your time for people that you truly care about and not wasting it with people that you're not truly connecting with aligning with maybe you don't enjoy the company. So, really be aware of when these kinds of situations come up. Be aware of people pleasing tendencies. Think about saying no, especially when you're already tired and really keep yourself mentally, and, of course, physically safe safety. And that is what boundaries can help us do. If you want to learn more about overcoming burnout, check out my free on-demand, Master clasp or steps to overcoming burnout, getting rid of overwhelm and finally, get your peace of mind back. It's on demand so you can watch it anytime link is in the show notes. Thank you for tuning in and I shall talk to you next week.

Episode 42: Urgency Creates Clarity for a Better Life

Welcome to the Empowering Working Moms Podcast with Dr. Prianca Naik. Spring is around the corner, and with it comes sunshine and hope. Today, Prianca talks about death and how we often live as though we have forever to do what we dream of. However, life is too precious to waste time on jobs we hate, relationships that make us miserable, or anything that steals our joy. Priyanka shares some thought-provoking questions to help us get in touch with living in alignment with who we are and who we want to be. What would you stop doing if you knew you had one year to live? What would you do more of? What legacy would you want to leave behind? So, tune in and get ready to prioritize your values and start living your best life.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Introduction to the program and its benefits.
• Importance of acknowledging the reality of death and how it impacts our priorities and values.
• Questions to help prioritize values and live in alignment with who we are or want to be.
• Urgency in living a life that aligns with our values and priorities.
• The importance of seeking happiness and living a life of integrity.
• And so much more!

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media: https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Before we dive in, I want to give some info from behind the scenes in my program. I had a client saying to me before even finishing my program that she was having major shifts; with better relationships, being more present with her kids, felt like she was a better mom, was sleeping better and not only finding balance but happiness EVERY SINGLE DAY.

enrollment is open for my foundational group coaching program for professional moms who want to end burnout and overwhelm to finally have peace of mind and joy daily. Book a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

I heard a podcast recently talk about death in the most interesting way and I wanted to share it with you

So many people just live as if they have forever to do things. Or push things off to …I'll do this when… When none of us actually knows how long we have to live this one precious life.

It's so precious…that in episode 40 I talked about bucket lists because I think its so important to do the things we've been wanting to do. Why wait?

Here are some questions to help your brain prioritize your values and help you to live in alignment with who you truly are or want to be.

These questions are meant to create urgency. If you knew you had one year to live, what would you stop doing? If you knew you had one year to live, what would you do more of? If you knew you had one year to live, what legacy would you want to leave behind? If you knew you had one year to live, what impact would you want to make? If you knew you had one year to live, what would you do for your career and what would you do for fun?

These questions put a fascinating lens on our lives. They put a timeline on us. Force us to really cut out the fat and get down to what we truly want to do

I did this exercise and found that I pretty much am doing exactly what I would be doing if I had a year to live so I feel good about that. However, one thing I would like to cut down on and stop doing is consuming social media.

Put some time into this…write down the answers to these exercises and see what comes up. It might surprise you. I would love to hear from you.

Enrollment is open for my foundational group coaching program for professional moms who want to end burnout and overwhelm to finally have peace of mind and joy daily. Book a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

Episode 41: How Change Can End Burnout

Welcome to the Empowering Working Moms Podcast with Dr. Prianca Naik! In this episode, Dr. Prianca talks about change and its critical part of the coaching process. She explains that humans crave stability and routine, which can lead to feeling stuck in a rut. However, change is the only constant in life, and it's necessary to transform ourselves and create different results. Dr. Naik acknowledges that change can be scary because it often comes with grief, but it's also an opportunity for growth and new outcomes. She encourages listeners to embrace change and accept that it's always happening. Tune in to this episode to learn how to overcome resistance to change and pivot towards your desired outcomes. Also, Dr. Naik is enrolling in her foundational group coaching program for professional moms who want to end burnout and overwhelm. Book a call with her to learn more!

In this episode, you will learn:

• She returned after a break and opened enrollment for her group coaching program.
• The importance of change in personal transformation and coaching, despite resistance and fear.
• The human desire for stability and routine can make one feel stuck or in a rut.
• Change is a constant in life, even though it may be scary and cause grief.
• The importance of embracing and accepting change and recognizing our adaptability as human beings.
• And so much more!

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media: https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Before we dive in, I do want to let you know enrollment is open for my foundational group coaching program for professional moms who want to end burnout and overwhelm to finally have peace of mind and joy daily. Book a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

Human beings crave stability and routine. Yet we find ourselves tired, not enjoying life, on a never-ending escalator or hamster wheel.

So maybe part of the answer to get rid of that is change…

Change is the only constant and part of life

Change is scary! Human beings crave safety and routine. Good to a certain extent…but shifting/pivoting…those are the conduit to new and desired outcomes!

Death is change…yet rarely discussed in our society.

We can't fathom certain changes

Two things we can and should do with change.

1-Embrace change:

It's a catalyst of new desired results…

2-Accept it as a constant in life that change is a fact of life. And our acceptance can decrease our resistance and suffering and lighten our load.

Clients come to me with various issues. And they feel stuck.

Well what is the way out when you're doing the same things again and again?

Change!

I'm not suggesting changing careers or making huge changes quickly…although if you want to you should go ahead…you can always change your mind.

But if you are resistant to change, I encourage you to take a baby step to make some type of change. If you regularly get a certain latte, try something else, do something small outside of your comfort zone.

Book a trip somewhere different Embracing change: 1. Go with your instinct 2. Know you can always change your mind 3. Imagine the possibility of something different 4. Think that you could be one change away from your dream of some sort

Accepting change: 1. Knowing it is always happening 2. It's a constant in life 3. It is often the currency of our desired outcome and results.

These practices that I've discussed today: Embracing change Accepting change

Both are tools to help us be energized and find peace and joy every day.

Enrollment is open for my foundational group coaching program for professional moms who want to end burnout and overwhelm to finally have peace of mind and joy daily. Book a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

Episode 40: Create Joy Always By Being You

Welcome to the Empowering Working Moms Podcast with Dr. Prianca Naik! In today's episode, she talks about the importance of being a human being outside of being a mom and checking off your bucket list. Do you remember whom you were before becoming a mother? It's time to get reacquainted with that person and enjoy hobbies and activities outside of being a mom. But beware of the conditioning that we need to be productive always and that having too much fun is not okay. There is no rulebook on how much fun you can have, and it's up to each person to determine how much fun they need to feel fulfilled. So, incorporate those hobbies and activities that bring you joy, and remember that it's okay to have fun! Also, don't forget to check out Dr. Priyanka Naik's group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted and are looking to enjoy the life that they worked so hard to build.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The importance of being able to be a human being outside of being a mom and checking off your bucket list
• Remembering who you were before you became a mother and getting back in touch with that person
• The concept of not having too much fun and feeling guilty about doing something that is not productive all the time
• Incorporating hobbies and activities that bring joy into your life and not apologizing for them.
• And so much more!

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media: https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPTION]

Good morning. Hi. Thank you so much for tuning in today. I am energetic as usual, it's super early I haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet. And it's not my modus operandi to be up so early but I have a busy day and I want to get this podcast out to you. I will tell you that I did not apply for a surgical residency because I knew I just couldn't deal with the surgeon. You know wake up at 5 something AM lifestyle. I remember having to wake up at 4 in medical school for my surgical rotation and it was the worst. So, that being said, I'm going to get started on today's topic, which is really being able to be a human being outside of being a mom and checking off that bucket list.

Before we dive in. I want to let you know that enrollment is open right group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted to enjoy the life that they worked so hard to build book call with www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you see where you are. And see if you're a good fit for my program. Do not be shy. I love talking to each and every one of you.

So, it's okay to be human. All right. That's a part of being perfect. And we're also allowed to be people outside of being moms. Do you remember who you were? Before you became a mother? Feels like another lifetime, right? It feels like so long ago that we were people outside of our motherhood journey. What kind of activities did you like to do? What were your hobbies? Who were you hanging out with? Where are we going? What were you doing? What were you doing when you were in college or in the beginning of working? And would you like to get acquainted with that person? Or would you like to get back to that right? And it's such an interesting thing to think about because when our kids in our lives, it feels like we've been moms forever feels like we've known them forever. Right? But we were people before we became moms. And there's something really beautiful about getting in touch with the person that you once were. But I do want to also talk about the concept of not having too much fun and this is something that I think we're conditioned to do and my clients, I know struggle with this as well. Especially my physician clients. It's this idea that we're supposed to be productive all the time, that either we're supposed to be working, seeing patients earning money that way or we're working at home, being productive, getting stuff done. But the concept of having fun, it's as if we're doing something wrong. And I wonder if part of it is when we were studying for exams in medical school, we had so many exams we have so much studying to do all the time. And if we were having fun, it's almost like we weren't supposed to be doing that.

And I remember specifically before I got into medical school, I didn't think I produced anything. I think my self-worth my sense of self-worth was pretty low. And I remember any time when I would have fun where I got into med school, I felt guilty. So that certainly bleeds into my life now where if I'm not seeing patients or I'm not coaching clients, and I'm doing something I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'm not supposed to and I'm really working on I've been working on rewiring that and deciding that there is no rulebook on how much money you can have. And, you know, it's really up to each person, how much fun she needs to feel fulfilled or you know, whatever extracurricular activities you want to pursue, you don't have to apologize for it. So, a client of mine actually, when we first started talking, she said that she wanted to play the guitar, and that used to be a hobby of hers and she never found time to do it. And she actually ended up incorporating it into her schedule. And crazily enough she and her daughter are practicing together which is super cool. But you could have an activity that you want to do alone. You don't have to involve your children. Something that brings me tremendous joy is just dancing. I feel so happy. And I do it every day and I do it often. I might do it in my bathroom by myself. Check out my Instagram video for Valentine's Day where I'm dancing in my bathroom. You can see how much fun I'm having. You can find me a Dr. Prianca. But yeah, that's when I feel like myself and they feel carefree. So, I'll do it by myself. I'll also do it with my kids in the kitchen and blast music and that actually had me thinking recently about how can I incorporate dance into my life even more? Can I take a dance class? Maybe? Maybe I will. But that's my point. I you know, I for myself, I want to get more into my hobbies and I do find time for myself. And it helps refresh me because I work on being a human being on top of being a mother having achievements but also enjoying myself. It refreshes me to be present with my kids and it increases my patience for them. Because I allow myself to nurture myself and my desires, right and I encourage you to do the same.

Now, I'm gonna address the bucket lists. Okay? What are some things that you've been wanting to do your whole life and you haven't done? What are some things that you wish you'd done in your 20s but never had a chance? Write them down. Make a list somewhere on your note's app on your phone, for example. Make a list of all the things that you would like to do in your lifetime. It's so important to look at what has not been checked off. What have you been putting off saying to yourself? Well, I'll do that when because as more it's just as we don't know how much time we have in this earth and really thinking about our mortality. puts a little bit of pressure and a timeline on things to get them done. So, I for one, I always wanted to go to a little town in Spain, and that was something I wanted to do in my 20s I never did. And I'm planning to go this year because life is short and precious and beautiful. Right?

And just remember when it comes to judgment and other people judging what you're doing, are you having too much fun? Are you doing this, are you doing that while traveling a lot or whatever, they may have to say. No one is going to remember much of what we did. The impact we had Yes, the connections we make yes with that. And I read somewhere that literally in another 150 years, there's going to be another generation of people who won't even remember us what difference. We take life too seriously. Sometimes we're too intense about it.

We go crazy over money and our jobs. There other things in life that matter more when I asked my clients to work on their vision earlier, like early on and coaching with me. So many of them talked about the importance of connecting with their families. Connecting with their friends wanting to pursue their hobbies, and yet nobody's taking the time to do these. So, ask yourself what it is that you really want to be doing outside of work outside of the home and make a list and commit to doing at least one thing this year incorporating one hobby this year and one little baby step at a time. So even if it's 5-10 minutes a day of Guitar Practice like my client is doing to that or to the lessons, we're just getting outside your comfort zone. I recently signed up for a conference where I know no body and I purposely did this because I'm going to be forced to meet people, make new friends and expand my world. And it's scary, but also nothing meaning tremendous growth comes from scary hard things, right? So, we have to push ourselves a little bit outside of our comfort zone and decide that we don't care what other people think.

So that's my episode for you today to really get going on your one precious life, do the things where the sequence like I talked about in last week's episode, do what you want to do, because no one's really watching in this, that there is no judge of what the perfect life is, the perfect thing to do it so that you can do something for yourself. Do something that you've wanting to do you will feel satisfied and fulfilled. Try that and let me know how it goes.

Enrollment is open my group coaching program launching in March for professional moms who are mentally exhausted and want to enjoy the life that they worked so hard to build. Book a call with me www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me apply to work with me. I'd love to talk to you. The link is in the show notes. Thank you so much for tuning in for this brief and mighty episode, and I will talk to you next week.

Episode 39: Manage Your Mind to Feel Better

Welcome to the Empowering Working Moms podcast episode 39! Your host, Dr. Prianca Naik is here to help professional moms in survival mode take hold of their lives and thrive. If you're ready to take decisive action to create your best life, this is the show for you! In this episode, Dr. Naik talks about being picky about how we allow our brains to function and what we allow to take up space in our precious brains. She shares a quote that has significantly impacted her and the importance of having a sieve of input that goes into our brains. Being intentional with our thoughts, energy, and airtime allows us to find peace and fulfillment and enjoy every day. Listen in and get ready for real talk about the realities of being a working mom. And remember to check out Dr. Naik's group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted and want to enjoy the life that they work so hard for.

In this episode, you will learn:

· The importance of being intentional with how we use our brain space and energy, and the impact it can have on finding peace and fulfillment in our lives.

· The concept of mind management and standing guard to the door of our minds, being particular about what we allow our brains to focus on and indulge in.

· The benefits of being disciplined in how we expend our energy, and not wasting it on things that don't matter or that we have no control over.

· The realities of being a working mom and the need for real talk and honest conversations about the challenges and joys of balancing work and motherhood.

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Hello there everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. I feel like I am in an awesome mood because here in the Northeast it feels like spring is not that far away and the winter has been relatively mild. I've been connecting with some really interesting people and that has been really cool. I've had some great leisurely time with my children and yeah, things are wonderful, right now, not to say that things are perfect because they are not, because I'm human and nobody's, perfect. And there's always, you know, they're always challenges going on, but definitely a shift in my mindset and attitude through this hard work has really helped me to create this wonderful peaceful and fulfilling life.

Before we dive in, I want to let you know that enrollment is open for my group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted and want to enjoy life, that they work so hard for. So, book, a call with me, apply to work with me to get inside this robust awesome program. I have been working my tail off on it in the past couple of months and I'm super excited because group really provides this community for women to feel I like and know that they're not alone, www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you see where you are. And if you're a good fit for this program, the link is in the show notes.

So today, I want to talk about being really picky about how we allow our brains to function and what we allow to take up space in our precious brains, all right. And a quote, that really has, had an impact on me in the past couple of years, given to me, by my own coach, is stand guard to the door of your mind, stand guard to the door of your mind. That is a quote by Jim Rohn. And I actually have that quote up on my bulletin board that I have sitting in front of my desk. And I have a bunch of posts on there and vision board type stuff, and quotes and sayings and that was actually on there for a good year.

I recently took it down because now I really live by it. I don't need a reminder but the concept of this quote is to truly have a sieve of the input that goes into your brain and being really particular about how you're allowing your brain to like what you're allowing it to focus on to indulge in and what you don't allow it to and this practice will truly free up so much energy for you, I guarantee it because we end up spending so much precious brain space and energy on things that just don't matter. On nonsense, obsessing over things that we have no control over or we spin out, you know, a lot of my clients, especially before they learn a lot of the tools that I teach, they will spin out, they won't practice mindfulness right before they come to me, and they'll be obsessing wasting brain space on narrative stories. What people think of them? It's interesting, because the other day, I was getting ready and I wanted to wear sequins. That's kind of been my modus operandi recently. And yeah, sequence is a little over the top one might say, right? I was meeting a couple of friends of mine and I thought to myself, who cares, what anyone thinks about the sequins on? It makes me happy. And instead of worrying about what people would think, giving all the brain space to it all the energy, I quickly made a decision to Don the sequence. I was totally happy in the sequence and I ended up having a great time, but the point of that is just not wasting moments of our precious lives our precious time and brain energy on things that just don't matter.

So, a lot of this work that I'm talking about in this episode is really about mine management and living our lives with intention. Like I talked about in one of my first episodes of this podcast but really being intentional with how we spend our brain, space energy, what we give are time to okay, because unless you become disciplined and really think about this, you will find yourself exhausted, and you might wonder why. And some of that exhaustion truly comes from wasting our precious, you know, thoughts and brain space and energy. And remember, honestly, a lot of people are not happy and there are so many people struggling and they're not satisfied. They're not enjoying their lives. So, we really have to think about doing something different than what we're doing or what maybe we've been taught and really train ourselves to be tight with how we expend our energy in order to find peace and fulfillment. And enjoy every day, you really have to implement this process and full disclosure, my son is running around and screaming. If you could hear him in the background, he's just being a four going on five-year-olds. I have a babysitter who's helping me so I can record this podcast but I'm actually just going to record this and get it out because I want you guys to hear it and done is better than perfect so I'm not going to drive myself crazy trying to find another time to record it because I really think that this is information that you're going to benefit from, but I do call the title of this podcast real talk because I am getting real talking to you about the realities of being a working mom.

What does it mean to stand guard to the door of the Mind truly?

Well, it means paying attention to who you're talking to what you're listening to or what you're consuming, who you're spending time with, how you're allowing yourself, to think, what you're allowing into your brain, what thoughts you're allowing yourself to indulge in and really becoming aware of all of these things and I think this is a list worth writing, down the who you're talking to, what you're listening to, who you're spending time with how you're allowing your brain to think, what thoughts, you're allowing yourself to indulge in, right being aware of these really can keep you disciplined with how you're spending and using that brain power. And that's really the issue, right? That with a full-time job even part-time. But when you're working, you are Mom, you have a partnership maybe and you're doing all the things, wearing all the hats, and there's just no energy to waste on things that don't matter. And also, just putting garbage content into our brains. So, for example, who you're talking to, sometimes, there are people who are draining and maybe there's somebody, you know, who is a friend, maybe not a friend. And they're always complaining to you 24/7, complaints and that's what you listen to because you want to be kind and compassionate, but there is a limit to how much negativity we can listen to. So, just really being mindful of where you are in your current state. And if you really have the bandwidth to listen and what are your boundaries with listening to, let's say, a negative person, negative talk and limits for yourself, really being paying attention to who your spent, who you are spending your time with, or even if you are trying to step into a different Identity or mindset than really thinking about surrounding yourself with people who are doing the same, and not sharing your dreams with people who might naysay, right? Because that's not helpful, and also certain people you may decide you don't want to talk to it all and that's okay.

That's what I'm saying. It's okay to do that as long as you do it with kindness and compassion, but you don't have to be a people pleaser. You don't have to sacrifice your well-being and put yourself in harm's way to be a good human being. So, what you're listening to, right? That means who you're listening to what you're listening to Whose advice are you taking? What podcast maybe are you listening to? Are they helpful? I know mine is so you're here listening, and I'm grateful for that. Let's say you're listening to the news all the time and it makes you feel sad. Maybe you need to take a break with that. If you're talking to somebody who wants to Poopoo, your dreams or tell you that, you know, oh, that's not going to happen and they're - maybe that's something that you want to consider and you don't want to tell that person about your dreams, etc. And this goes along with who you're spending time with. So, if let's say you have friends who gossip all the time and that's just not who you want to be or what you surround want to surround yourself with then you may want to reconsider. Are those the kinds of people that you want to hang out with also how are you allowing your brain to think as in what thoughts are you indulging in for example, thoughts, like I'm not good enough or I cannot do this or this is never going to happen or I'm not happy or any of those that perhaps are not serving us, right? So, we don't want to, we can acknowledge that those are thoughts. We can acknowledge that they exist but we don't have to marry ourselves to them. We don't have to indulge in them and give them our time and an excessive importance and room in our brains we can just see them for what they are and decide to not go down the rabbit hole with them, really consider what's helpful, what's not, where you want to go in your life, what kind of a person you want to be and create that sieve accordingly to really guard the mind because the person that we want to be, who we want to become the kind of life that we want?

We want our thoughts to line up with that, because really, it's our thinking that creates our experience of this life and all the negativity that we might think which, of course, we're going to think that's just how it is. We want to be mindful and not entertain them as much. And really having pause and presence and empowering ourselves to decide what thoughts were going to indulge what memories we want to focus on, what we want to give energy to or how we want to spend our energy, the more the more in tune with that that we become the more we can truly safeguard our energy and the less we're going to feel exhausted truly because the mental exhaustion comes from a lot of wasted brain spacious and energy on top of an already pretty full life.

And one more thing I will bring up is answering people's questions for people that you might not want to answer. So, if you find explaining something about your life, be at your job, or something personal and it's exhausting for you, then don't force yourself to do that for other people. You're allowed to decide what you want to talk about, right? And this was a really interesting and difficult concept for me to wrap my head around, because I think as are covering people pleaser, I would always worried that somebody's going. Going to be think I'm being abrasive or rude if I don't answer their question. I have to answer, I have to prove myself, I have to, you know, over-explain and I no longer do this. And I've been practicing when they're things and questions, people ask me. I have ideas in my head of what to say like a one or two sentence go to and that has actually worked out remarkably. Well for me, in fact, it was not a month ago. I think I went to a group dinner with about seven or eight women and somebody put me on the spot and ask me a really personal question that I did not feel comfortable getting into in front of this large group of women who many of whom, I don't know that well or some of whom, I don't know very well and I didn't really think that the question that was asked was anybody's business, really the answer to it. So, I had I paused So I have the presents and I pause I'm able to practice mindfulness. I went to my go-to sentence and I said it and it was totally fine. I don't think anyone thought I was rude and the dinner just moved on we didn't get into it because it would have been tiring for me and so just being able to have boundaries and safeguard your energy and what you're talking about and deciding whether or not you want to talk about something else totally okay, right? So, try some of these tips, try being mindful of what you're consuming. Who you're talking to what you're talking about, what? You're having your brain, say, your negative self-talk, and really pay attention and make an active decision as to how you want to spend your brain energy. Just like we decide how we're going to spend our time. Try any of these tips and let me know how it goes.

Enrollment is now open for my group coaching program for professional moms who are exhausted in survival mode and they just want to enjoy their lives because they freaking deserve to because they work so hard. So, book a call with me, www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me, I'd love to talk to you, see where you are and see, if you're a good fit for this program, thanks for tuning in and I will talk to you next week.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the empowering working moms podcast, real talk with dr. Priyanka Nayak, if you are ready to get unstuck and out of survival mode to live your best life, I want to invite you to book a free 30-minute consultation call with me to get started. Visit www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me Link in the show notes.

Episode 38: How to Achieve Inner Peace and Happiness

Breathe easy with Dr. Prianca Naik in the Empowering Working Moms Podcast! In this must-listen-to episode, Dr. Naik shares her personal journey and the power of mindfulness meditation in finding inner peace as a working mom. Say goodbye to stress and sleep deprivation as she teaches you how to use the breath as an anchor for stability and presence. Don't miss this inspiring episode on the importance of taking care of yourself for a better you.

In this episode, you will learn:

· The importance of breath in creating inner peace and stability.

· Dr Prianca's personal story, a high-powered professional mom.

· The adverse effects of sleep deprivation and anxiety on the speaker's life.

· The journey of finding peace through mindfulness meditation, exercise, and sleep.

· The benefits of focusing on the breath, include reducing stress and anxiety, and becoming more present and fulfilled.

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Before we dive in, I do want to let you know enrollment is open for my group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted in survival mode and want to enjoy the life they've worked so hard for. Book in a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

Dr. Prianca discusses her post-partum journey as a first time mom and the impact of mindfulness meditation.

While we are alive, we can count on it to be there. The breath serves as our anchor to stabilize us. When we connect to it we connect to our body and get out of our heads.

You may exhale to signify the beginning of an arduous task. You probably take a long breath, sighing, when you feel overwhelmed or fatigued and afterward, may feel a sense of relief. It may fail you when it halts upon the reception of shocking news. The sudden passing of a relative drives the breath away momentarily. You soon realize it returns without even a millisecond of thought to go searching for it.

It's always there. So we can use it to our advantage. The breath centers you if you focus on it when feeling sad, angry, lost, anxious, depressed, or lonely. Mindfulness meditation allows the meditator to focus on the present moment, get distance from thoughts and feelings, instead of getting carried away with them or becoming one with them. The breath is the key piece of this practice.

The power of the breath is paramount not only in our survival, but our thriving too!

Practicing mindfulness can center us, ground us, stop us from spinning out in our brains get distance from our thoughts and feelings and ultimately be in the present moment too.

I use it as my anchor throughout the day to save my brain from fatiguing. I also use it when I'm hugging my kids. I focus on my breath and keep myself in the present moment instead of allowing my mind to wander to my to-do list.

Pay attention to what I'm discussing today and apply it because noticing our breath is something we can do that is effective in our mental health and FREE!

It's always there as long as we are alive

It is our anchor

We can use it to stabilize ourselves, ground ourselves

Get out of our heads and into our bodies

We begin to get in the habit of tuning in, we can use it to help us create peace every day.

How to focus on your breath:

Counting breaths

Noticing rising and falling

Observing length of breath

Noticing breath, noticing thoughts, not getting sucked in, then going back to the breath

Headspace starter is how I learned to sit and meditate; then I began using it throughout the day.

Situations in which you can use the breath:

First thing in the morning, last thing at night

When you're stressed

When you want to take in any given moment

Enrollment is open for my group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted in survival mode and want to enjoy the life they've worked so hard for. Book a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

Episode 37: How to deal with to-do lists

The never-ending to-do list is the bane of many working moms' existence. It can cause a lot of suffering if you let it. In this episode of Empowering Working Moms Podcast Real Talk with Dr. Prianca Naik, she shares that accepting that it is never-ending is critical to make peace with it. She discusses that categorizing, compartmentalizing, and taking a break are the three most important things a mom can do to win over these to-do lists. She also shares steps to take not to be overtaken by these. There's more to unpack in this episode, so tune in and enjoy!

In this episode, you will learn:

• The never-ending to-do list
• Making peace with the list
• Categorizing
• Compartmentalizing
• Taking a break
• Steps to have power over the list

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Before we dive in, I do want to let you know enrollment is open for my group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted in survival mode and want to enjoy the life they've worked so hard for. So book a call at priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you; the link is in the show notes.

One of my clients came to me not wanting to face each day even though she loved her job and had a lovely partner. She found herself stressed, constantly fatigued, with an inability to enjoy her life. Through our work together, she is now bouncing back from things that would have made her upset in the past very quickly and enjoying every single day making the most of her time with her kids.

The never-ending to-do list is the bane of many working moms' existence. It can cause a lot of suffering if you let it.

Acceptance of this list is critical. Accept that it's never-ending; even when you check things off, new things find their way onto it.

Keeping this in mind, we can decide to make our peace with it. As our frenemy, it will always be there, but we need to learn to live with it because it's not going anywhere.

You've got your work to-dos and life to-dos. Sometimes people may even ask you to do things for them, which creates even more to-dos!

Refer to the episode on boundaries for learning how to say no to stop unnecessary stuff from making it onto your list

Categorize to-dos, with the most urgent being the most important or time-sensitive. Make sure to take time to do these weekly. Set aside 30 minutes weekly to take care of nagging tasks.

Compartmentalize the to-do list. Decide not to think about it when you're not working on it during its designated time.

Take a break

Have faith in yourself that you'll always get everything done on your to-do list just like you have and just like you always will.

How I make sure my to-do list doesn't overtake or bother me, and how I have power over it.

1. I make my to-do lists on fancy stationery I've had custom-made via Etsy. That makes them more fun to look at and interact with
2. I acknowledge that the to-do list will always exist and will never be complete

This allows me not to sweat it or allow it to cause me stress. Instead, I make peace with the to-do list as a frenemy knowing it will never go away.

1. Doing a few things that are easy when you don't feel like doing anything, i.e., small tasks
2. Check boxes or crossing off; you may already do this
3. Saying no to extra things you don't have time for…even to your parents, husband, boss, whomever (power of no episode)
4. Prioritize the absolutely have-to-get-done stuff

Enrollment is open for my group coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted in survival mode and want to enjoy the life they've worked so hard for. Book a call at priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you; the link is in the show notes.

Episode 36: How to manage unexpected stress for moms

Stress and anxiety are the things that plague working moms. Often, they try to control the circumstances through various planning to get control of their lives and feel that sense of stability. In this episode of Empowering Working Moms Podcast Real Talk with Dr. Prianca Naik, she shares that it is futile to attempt to control circumstances because life is constantly throwing curveballs. The key is accepting that the universe continually likes to laugh at us and that our plans and control are ineffective. She shares some strategies that create a sense of calm and centeredness when things go awry. To learn more about Dr. Prianca's systems, tune in and enjoy!

In this episode, you will learn:

• Controlling the circumstances in an attempt to get control of our lives
• Examples of situations during which things get thrown off
• Practicing gratitude can help shift our mindsets to what is working
• When these moments happen, remember, "this too shall pass."
• When we resist this suffering, we add extra layers of pain to ourselves

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPTION]

Well, hello there. Thank you so much for tuning in. I took a little bit of a hiatus from this podcast and I am shuffling things around in my life, to create more time and space to bring these recordings to you. Because I love this podcast so much and I appreciate you so much for listening.

So before we dive in, I do want to let you know that enrollment is open for my new group coaching program for professional moms in male-dominated fields, who are mentally exhausted in survival mode, but they want to enjoy the life that they work so hard to build and I'm launching this in March.

If you want to hear more about this program, get started on truly loving your life again because you deserve to book a call, priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me. Link is in the show notes and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you see what's going on with you and see if you're a good fit.

Today I want to talk about something that really affects all of us because stress and anxiety is something that Type A working moms are totally played with am I right? But the thing is, we often try to control the circumstances around us. We plan plan plan in an attempt to get control of our lives and feel that sense of stability. I'm going to tell you that really just does not work because life is constantly throwing us curveballs. The universe constantly likes to laugh at us and laugh at our plans. I'm going to dive into today creating peace and ease by using these strategies.

Remember that trying to control things around us and outside of us actually does the opposite of creating peace and stability. It's truly a waste of time because we really have no control over anything outside of ourselves. As we are currently in the winter here in North America illness is upon us, meaning that illness is upon our children as well, meaning sick kids are staying at home from school and....who is taking care of them? Can I get an Amen? It's the moms, right?

And then when we're working and our work gets thrown off. Because of these illnesses where we have to step in and take care of our children when we're supposed to be working and this is just par the course, right? This is just something that we know arises every single winter and though it might not be fair, working on acceptance of this and realizing it's going to happen can ease some of our suffering and stress about it. There's no use of freaking out about any of this. I'm going to give you some examples of situations during which things get thrown off.

Let's say you are working on having good sleep hygiene and you want to have a good night's sleep. You stop revenge staying up late. Now one of your kids decides that they've either wet the bed, they're up throwing up, whatever and they wake you up and they put a complete kibosh and wrench in your plan, right? So that's one, great example which happens pretty often to us mother's where our sleep gets thrown off.

When this happens, all you can do is try to get back to sleep using some mind-body techniques. I like to use really starting to relax my toes and working my way up the body. As I focus on my breath, sometimes I count my breath and often I will fall back asleep. Now, if that doesn't work, I will try my best to find time during the day, if I can get in a quick nap. If it's the weekend, maybe I can nap with my kids are napping and if your kids are too old to nap, I suggest having some rest time or quiet time in their rooms, even for a little bit. Just so you get a breather and a break for yourself during the day.

The next example, I'm going to give you a something that happened to me last week. So, I actually was all ready, I got dressed I put on makeup which isn't you know, that's not my usual modus operandi and I was all excited to go to Manhattan for a doctor's networking event by SoMe docs and I put my business cards in my purse ready to roll. I was actually meeting up with my old college roommate, Carolyn beforehand and was excited about that. I hadn't seen her since the summer and wanted to connect with her. Literally as I am at the train station and the train pulls up,nI look down at my phone and my babysitter has texted me that she's sick. vNow, this babysitter is reliable so I believe her and I take that second to not get on the train. I make a few phone calls. I send a few text messages to see if anyone else can cover her and care for my children while I go to this networking event and low and behold, there's no one available. So I end up going home. Meanwhile, I've already activated my ticket and paid for the ticket to go to Manhattan on my phone. And of course, I'm all dressed up now with nowhere to go.

Instead of being in a frenzy, instead of being completely frustrated, I had gratitude that my babysitter coincidentally texted me before I got on the train. It would have been much more of a headache to get off on the train stop cross the tracks to go to the other side, get another train going back, and get back on time to be home, when my children were dropped off. I was grateful for spending an evening with them and funnily enough, my older child was having some bowel issues. I'm sure you can relate if your kids are from 0 to 5 age range or maybe even older and it was actually good that I was home to help him with that. So that ended up working out to be honest and I just took the evening to relax and I realized that I was going to bed earlier than if I had gone to this event and come home probably later than, you know, when I was home. So, I just practice gratitude for all the goodness that came up and often when these kinds of things happen. I wonder if maybe the Universe saved me from a car accident or something bad happening. You just never know because you never know what would have happened, right?

Let's fast forward to the next day. Here's another incident where my day was thrown off course I the following day. I actually after this whole thing, my date my daughter's daycare called me that she had one episode of vomiting and they wanted me to pick her up and luckily, I was not seeing patients that day. I did have a podcast episode scheduled with a very special guest whom hopefully I will end up recording that with her and sending that out to you guys. But basically, I had to cancel that and pick up my daughter and instead of being frustrated with the fact that I had to reschedule the podcast recording with my special guest, I had gratitude for the fact that I wasn't on call seeing patients would have been a lot more hectic to shuffle around my day in a range for her pick up. But luckily, I was home and I could do it because what I'm doing when I'm working on my coaching business, I work from home, which is awesome, and it's much more flexible than being on call. In these instances I truly was not in a huff about either one of them and I just practiced gratitude which I think is such an awesome tool. I've talked about gratitude before but it's really useful in moments where you feel like your life is being shaken up or you're being inconvenienced. It's also really useful when you're having a bad day or something bad is happening to you. Gratitude can help shift our mindsets to what is working because so often our brains really, as a survival mechanism, were wired to look at the bad and that can really create an unhappy life experience for us. So, if we practice gratitude not only in these moments but also day-to-day, if you just say a few things that you're grateful for every single day, it can be so useful in just having a more peaceful experience every single day.

I actually just had one more example of this happen this morning. So literally, I'm recording this podcast in the morning and my older one was not feeling. Well, he was nauseous, he woke me up and I tried to get back to sleep and actually it was, it was an awkward time to go back to sleep because it was basically, I think 5:45 a.m. That's always kind of tough to come back from and I have a very important appointment tomorrow actually where I have to be a couple hours away from my home and I had arranged for some backup child care in case one of my kids get sick, but the person who is helping me has an appointment of her own and she's really not going to be back until noon. So, from the hours of 8:00 to noon. I need some backup and so, basically, my brain was working on those arrangements just in case my son ends up being sick, which we'll have to see how the day goes, but instead of panicking, instead of stressing, instead being anxious about it, I know that I will figure it out. Just like, I always have, just like, I always will, everything truly is figure outable. And if you can also remember that you're a problem solver, you're intelligent, you have the answers within you, you don't have to spin out and freak out about something adding an extra layer of suffering to it.

So right now, today, I'm going to take moment by moment. I have a plan, a back-up plan for the eight to noon and that's what I'm going to do and it's totally going to be okay and tomorrow is going to come and go and then I'm moving on with my life. So, remember, when these moments happen, also, this too shall pass. Not only is everything figure out-able but these moments are so finite, they're so short in the scheme of your lifetime. That there's no point in allowing them to steal your joy because they're going to happen again and again but they don't last forever, right? So, remember that. Keep these tools in your back pocket. The gratitude practice, which I suggest doing every day, but definitely during these moments, the idea that this too shall pass is going to come, it's going to go. There's no point in adding extra layers of stress, to yourself and that, everything is truly figure out-able-like Marie Forleo's book title says and really learning to live by that mantra. This mantra comes back to me regularly, keeping me centered and grounded and it really allows me to know I have my own back. This keeps me peaceful and calm. When previously I would have spun out with and made myself miserable, really and truly embracing the discomfort in the moment and allowing it to happen will cause less resistance and less suffering in the end. And remember that suffering is a universal human experience is part of our experience and when we resist this suffering and really play into it, we add extra layers of pain for ourselves.

So if you can see the benefits of the curveball, see how you have solutions, right? And if you don't believe me, think of past solutions during which you solve your issues or work them out, or if the worst did happen, how bad was it truly? And when you handle the situation like a boss, reflect on how well you did remember that part too because so easily we dismiss our own management of stuff. I mean we are going around like machines and it's amazing, right? The more we acknowledge what a great job we're doing the more we can improve our self-concept and appreciate ourselves and then the more we do not have to look outside of ourselves, we don't have to seek external approval and the more inner peace we will have.

So, try any and all of these methods. The next time the universe decides it wants to have a huge laugh at you, laughs its tail off at your expense by putting a wrench in your plans and you throwing a curveball at you. If you want to get started on having this kind of inner peace every day, make the most of your life, have a fulfilling life, get out of exhaustion and survival mode, book a call with me to join my group coaching program. I am launching it in March. www.priancanaikamdcoaching.as.me. Let's get started. Let's go. Thanks for tuning in and I will talk to you next week.

Episode 35: Help For Stressed Moms: Finding Joy

As working moms, it is so easy to feel overwhelmed over the day-to-day duties of motherhood. Along the way, we lose the magic and forget how to have fun. On this episode, Dr. Prianca Naik share a lot of tips on how we could find joy even with the heavy tasks that we face each day. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode, you will learn:

• Part of being happy is having fun
• How can you lighten your life?
• Outside of being moms we are human beings.
• Getting back into the things that bring you joy.

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

Before we dive in, I do want to let you know enrollment is open for my 1:1 coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted, in survival mode, and want to enjoy the life they've worked so hard for. I have 4 spots in the month of January so book in a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you. the link is in the show notes.

Part of happiness is having fun. We lose the lighter part of ourselves with:

-responsibilities

-hardships

-darker, heavier things that happen

So, ask yourself how you can recreate that…it's different for everyone.

But we can lighten up our life, lighten our loads by implementing fun. I like to laugh. I try not to take things too seriously.

What fun can look like:

-planning a vacation, the mere act of this

-a night out with friends

-a conversation with an old friend

-taking a week to self-indulge-create it: get extra babysitting, have family watch the kids; make it happen…we aren't victims of our circumstances

-create weekly outings…I personally have a babysitter weekly so I can go out to eat because it's something I love doing. It brings me tremendous joy. I don't have to feel guilty about that…I am present and connect with my kids as discussed in episode which then alleviates time, I take for myself… we are allowed to be human. We are allowed to be people outside of our children regardless of societal pressure.

-pick one activity you love…can be anything from exercise to a latte, to coffee…commit to doing this regularly

-dance, dance, dance

-figure out what lights you up what makes you feel good? Recently I realized…I was used to dressing down with Covid. When I see patients I wear scrubs, when I am at home, even coaching clients, I'm wearing athleisure…I have decided to start dressing up, coordinating my outfits because that is fun for me. Think of an equivalent that's fun for you.

-singing -- get friends together for karaoke…this has been on my list…otherwise sing in the shower…sing in the car…with your kids or solo

-what was fun when you were little? Painting? Coloring? Get back into that…with your kids or without!

-festivities of any kind…enthusiasm…creating that

-sky diving, going to an amusement park -- rollercoasters!

-what about wrapping a gift for yourself…that would be fun to receive.

-hiking

The purpose of this episode is to increase your awareness in empowering yourself to enjoy your life. You have the freedom to create the life you want. Everything is a choice. So why not choose fun?

Enrollment is open for my 1:1 coaching program for professional moms who are mentally exhausted, in survival mode, and want to enjoy the life they've worked so hard for. I have 4 private spots so book in a call priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me and apply to work with me. I would love to talk to you the link is in the show notes.

Episode 34: How to Make More Time with Your Kids

As a working mom, do you constantly feel guilty about not being able to spend more time with your kids? Mom guilt is a perennial feeling within every mom, and one thing that adds to it is the issue of not being able to spend more time with kids. In this episode of Empowering Women's Podcast Real Talk with Dr. Prianca Naik, she shares that according to a longitudinal study of parent time, published in April 2015 in the Journal of Marriage and Family, the amount of time parents spend with their kids has minimal bearing on how children turn out. In addition, other data states that today's mothers spend as much time or more than the stay-at-home moms of the 1960s. So today's moms are setting unrealistic expectations and putting a ton of pressure on themselves. Thus, Dr. Prianca advises every mom to focus on quality over quantity which can be achieved with practice and intentionality. She also shares practical ways to obtain this. So if you want to learn more, tune in to this episode and enjoy!

In this episode, you will learn:

• Focusing on quality over quantity
• Ways that can help moms connect with their children
• Establishing rituals and being consistent with it
• Anchor points- taking a moment to hug them and breathe and be present
• Being mindful of connection points as they come up
• Making time for their events
• Spending time with children on holidays
• Looking back to one's childhood and demonstrating and propagating the times that one's parents were present, and making up for where they were lacking.
• Creating special time and how it works
• Providing a safe space for grace and forgiveness

To end burnout and exhaustion and get your peace of mind back, check out her free masterclass on 4 steps to overcome burnout, get rid of overwhelm, and get your peace of mind back.

https://program.stresscleansemd.com/4-secrets-to-living-a-life-you-ll-love-podcast

If you want to work with Coach Prianca Naik, MD, go to

www.priancanaikmdcoaching.as.me to book a 30-minute consultation call

Follow Dr. Prianca on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/prianca.naik

https://www.instagram.com/doctorprianca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianca-naik-md-0524a196/

Join her FREE Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/646992382603860

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

You are listening to the empowering working moms podcast. Real talk with Dr. Priyanka Naik, a show to help professional moms in survival mode to take hold of their lives and thrive. If you're ready to take powerful action to create your best life, then this is the show for you. I'm your host, Dr. Priyanka Nayak, board-certified internal medicine physician and certified life coach. Now let's get to it and dive in. You are listening to the empowering working moms podcast episode number 34.

Well, hello there listeners, I am so glad that you're tuning in. I feel like my voice sounds like I have a cold but I don't know. I think that's the side effect of having two small children in school there's always some virus kind of lurking in the background. So excuse my voice if you find it unpleasant, but I'm doing the best I can. So here we go. Before we dive in, I want to let you know that enrollment is open for my one-on-one coaching program. I work with professional moms who are mentally exhausted, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. And you can relate. They're in survival mode, but they want to enjoy the life that they've worked so hard to build. And I help them do that. I have four spots opening up in the month of December. So book a call with me, Priyanka, Nayak, MD coaching.as.me, and apply to work with me, I would love to talk to you and get to know what's going on with you. And we can talk about how I can help you. The link is in the show notes. Now let's dive in.

A common issue that clients come to me with is not spending enough time with their children. And as you can imagine, this adds to the ever-present mom guilt that we all deal with. And of course, this adds to a lack of satisfaction, peace, and fulfillment, I often encourage them to focus on quality over quantity. And this is something that we can do with a little bit of practice and intention. The amount of time that parents spend with their kids actually has very little bearing on how children turn out, according to a longitudinal study of parent time, published in April 2015, in the Journal of marriage and family. Other data that's pretty interesting is that today's mothers spent as much time or more than the stay-at-home moms of the 1960s. So we're truly setting ourselves up for unrealistic expectations and putting a ton of pressure on ourselves. So we can never control our kid's perception of how we parent or how we show up. But we can shift our effort to make our time more meaningful with them. Let me tell you this too. It is okay to not like small children's activities. I'm not a really big fan of coloring or playing with Legos or magnet tiles. It's just not my jam. And I know that's okay. I always think that because I'm so big on mindfulness and talking about thoughts, feelings, the coaching staff, mindset stuff, I think I'll be particularly useful in, you know, the double digits, adolescence, and definitely when my kids are adults.

Right now I like to read and I also like to teach, if my son is open to it, I did grow up in a household where my mom or Well, Santa would give us stocking stuffers of flashcards with the states and capitals that happened in the first grade. So I knew all my states and capitals by the time I turned seven or eight, I think, of course, I've forgotten them since then. But my mom would basically have me memorize a certain amount every day. And then when she came home, she would quiz me and if I was lucky, she'd forget to, you know, make good on that quiz. But that's, I think, because I grew up that way I do kind of enjoy teaching and going over stuff. And of course, life coaching involves teaching as well. So that's my area to shine. So that being said, I don't guilt myself for not wanting to get in there with the magnet tiles, the play dough, and all that stuff. So there are several ways that we can really increase our quality more than our quantity and that is more meaningful and makes a meaningful impact on our children's lives. And with it some a little bit of intention and planning. We can also relieve ourselves of the guilt that we're not spending enough time.

So here are some ways rituals are really important. One way to connect with our children. This can be anything from giving them a hug when they wake up, snuggling with them, either in the morning or the evening, having them help you make your morning coffee, or helping them make their bed. It's just consistent stuff that happens pretty much every day. You can also do what I do, I like to ask a set of questions after school, I pick up my son, he gets in the car. And in the car, I will ask him, He's four years old. So How was your day doesn't really work? So I will say, what was something that made you smile today? What was something that made you frown today? What is one thing that you're proud of today that you did? What is one thing that you learned? He doesn't always answer these questions, but he knows that I'm engaging with him. And I will ask him questions. So that goes on for maybe five minutes. And then I turned to music on but I have made that connection because that's our reunion time. And when I pick him up, I give him a big hug and a kiss when I get them from school. So that's also how I connect with him. We also practice gratitude practice every single evening before I put them to bed. So our ritual consists of reading a couple of stories. And then once the stories are done, I put them into bed. And we both say something that we're grateful for. You could also have holiday rituals.

Another practice that's important in increasing quality that goes along with this is really putting the phone away. So for bedtime, I bought a clock because I no longer wanted to use my phone as a timer, slash knowing the time. And it's really important, I put my phone away while I'm reading stories with them unless I happen to be on call, and I have to take phone calls for work, the phone is away in my room so that I can give them my attention. And if we put our phones away, we're not distracted for that specific time with our children, and we're truly connecting with them. So that's another important thing to do. And really think about, if you don't need your phone for work, are you able to put it away for a certain period of time, because after your kids go to sleep, you can have your reunion with your phone. You can also participate in coloring or arts and crafts with small children. But when you do this, if you're not if that's not your thing, and you're not enjoying it, you could do that, let's say for a limited amount of time. Let's say one day on the weekend or two days of the weekend, you could do it but really just having it be short periods of time.

Another way to have that quality is to have anchor points in your day. So you know, when you say bye to your kids, you really take a moment to hug them and breathe and really be present. And if you notice that your mind is wandering to the to do list because I feel like that's where my mind always goes, you center yourself back and you breathe and you connect and you really take in that hug. Similarly with when you pick them up, do the same thing as I mentioned, but really being mindful of the anchor points of the day. When you're with your kids, those short periods of time, those short amount of time where you can connect, really be present for those and make the most of it that way. You're not you no fussing over like the specific amount of time because we all know that as working moms. We are wearing a million hats we've got so much on our plate the to do list is unending. As I'm saying this, I'm just like, Yeah, this is so overwhelming, right? But with all that going on, we just have to give ourselves grace and do the best we can to truly be mindful and present for specific moments with our children. We can also be grateful for our children and practice gratitude in the sense that we can make our feelings known to them. Don't be shy about how you feel about your kids. Let them know how much you love them how you love them unconditionally, and that they mean so much to you, right? Because what's better than that for them to grow up knowing that love and then of course, this is probably for another episode. But if we demonstrate our unconditional love for them, then they themselves can love themselves unconditionally. And that is such a tenet of a peaceful, wonderful, fulfilling life. And I do actually teach self love in my coaching program as a part of my self empowerment module. If you haven't already, check out episode 11 during which I discussed practicing self love for inner peace.

Another thing you can do to increase your quality over quantity is when your children try to connect with you, if they're talking to you make some time for them. Now, that's not to say that you should drop everything all the time every, every time your kid needs something. But if it's not a good time, you can say, hey, let me finish this email, and I will be right with you, or I will be with you in a half hour and then really be present and listen to them hold space for them. When they're having difficult emotion. Let's say this is especially true for toddlers, when my toddler is having a tantrum, I do my best not to get sucked into, you know, the triggering anxiety I might feel when he's crying and screaming and I say, Hey, I know you're angry, I'm here. And this is a way that we can really be present with him and for them. And really be mindful of these connection points as they come up. During the day, if you really start paying attention, you're going to find more moments during which you can connect. So just pay attention. Also, try looking back on your childhood, this is a great exercise to really see what we remember. What do you remember that your parents were there for? Where were they present? And how did it mean a lot to you? Or, conversely? Where were they when or where were they absent? And maybe it upset you? How can you show up in that way for your own children.

Basically demonstrating and propagating the good all the times that your parents were present, and then maybe making up for where they were lacking. And really being intentional about being present for those moments. Also making time for their events, be it concerts, or dance performances, or sports, or anything else really, or if they ask you to come trying to make time to do it. Now, I want to add though, if you can't make time, or it's super overwhelming, or making time is causing you more grief than really helping, it's okay to forgive yourself. You can't be there 100% For everything, and that is okay. It's okay to have a career. It is okay sometimes to prioritize yourself for your own sanity. Or, for the doctors out there. It's really hard to reschedule patients, right if you're in clinic. And if there's a last minute event, it might be really difficult for you to shuffle things around to shuffle patients around and that's okay. Please give yourself permission to be human. Forgive yourself and give yourself grace, you are doing the best you can. And that truly is enough. And when it comes to mom guilt, and working, just remember that you are setting a fantastic example of a diligent, hard working mom who manages so much. I will give a shout out to my mom in this episode, because she worked her tail off she was in private practice. She's an internist. And she sets such an incredible example for me of hard work and giving her job her all but also really doing her best to be present for my sister and me and be a good mom and seeing that hard work growing up really inspires me today to work so hard in my profession, be it in seeing patients or serving my clients. And I'm so grateful for that. So for those of you who had stay at home moms and you're, you know, feeling guilty about working and wishing you spent more time here's a perspective from a kid who whose mom had a serious career. Another suggestion I have is if you have a little bit of some vacation days to play around with or you've got some flexibility and you can take time off. I highly encourage you to spend time with your kids on their holidays. The ones like Martin Luther King Day or Veterans Day and take special time with them to do an activity and really connect I try my best to not be working and be present with my older one. On those days. We'll do something as simple as going to the dollar store picking up a bunch of arts and crafts or going to Michael's we both love going out to eat so he and I had a special little brunch together where he got to eat pancakes and chocolate and he was having us While time, so that is something that you can do, which is a little bit more time intensive, but maybe something that, hopefully I'm hoping my own kid will look back on and remember, but either way, I know I'm doing the best I can. Now I want to touch upon something called special time. And this is a ritual that psychologists have studied. And they definitely purport helps with having a positive impact and a greater connection with our children. Special time is basically five to 10 minutes per day, I five minutes is enough. So you can set a timer for five minutes, you do a special activity with your kid, you can create a bin with activities that only are done for special time. So I actually have some paints and crayons and little activities in a bin from a lot of it's from the dollar store. Again, I'm plugging Family Dollar, the Dollar Tree, and they sit in my room so that my son can't play with them. Otherwise, they're only for special time. Set a timer. Try and do five minutes a day or as many days as you can. It's not always possible. I know. And no questions, no instructions, no criticism, really, you only have to do five minutes. And there's an acronym that goes along with this. It's called pride. So praise. So you say hey, you know I love doing this special time with you or you're doing such a great job coloring, reflect eco, slash imitate, so you do what he or she is doing. So I'm going to color just like your coloring. Describe, oh, we're getting our crayons, and we're coloring now. And E is express enthusiasm. Wow, this is really fun. I love our special time together, truly go through these steps. They're mechanical. But I know my son, he will ask for a special time or he really looks forward to it. And this is yet another way where I'm building the connection in a shorter amount of time. And there's not a ton of time lost and he feels that impact. Try any some or all of the tactics I've discussed today to truly increase that quality and connection, the presence with your children it will make a huge difference. You're going to be feeling better, I promise. And I truly believe I don't have a crystal ball but I think that these kids are going to reflect upon our efforts and remember that quality over the quantity of course because time we know it's really tough when you're a working mom. So try any and all of them let me know how it goes. Feel free to find me on Instagram Priyanka nyac. MD coaching, send me a DM let me know how these tactics work for you. And I also want to let you know that enrollment is open for my one on one coaching program. I work with professional moms the seemingly perfect life who are truly mentally exhausted and in survival mode to enjoy the lives that they work so hard to build because they deserve it. I've got four spots open in the month of December. So book a call with me Priyanka Nayak MD coaching that as.me link in the show notes and I will talk to you next week. Thank you for listening to this episode of the empowering working moms podcast real talk with Dr. Priyanka Nyan. If you are ready to get unstuck and out of survival mode to live your best life, I want to invite you to book a free 30 minute consultation call with me. To get started visit Priyanka knife MD coaching that as.me link in the show notes