The Mindful Kind

Hello and welcome to episode 193 of The Mindful Kind podcast!

In this episode, I've shared some interesting research and helpful information about habit formation from an awesome book I found on Blinkist called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

You'll learn about chunking, which is an automatic process that helps your brain save energy and forms the basis of habit formation.

You'll also hear about the three-part loop which makes up a habit, including a cue, a routine and a reward.

I've shared some of my own experiences with habits and how understanding habits has helped me change unhelpful habits and stick with positive habits!

Thank you to Blinkist for supporting this episode of The Mindful Kind podcast. Blinkist is a brilliant app which shares the key highlights from thousands of non-fiction books so you can read them (or listen to them) in around 15 minutes! Head to www.blinkist.com/themindfulkind to get a free 7-Day trial.

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 192 of The Mindful Kind podcast about relaxation strategies for stress.

This is the third and final episode of the relaxation mini-series! Be sure to check out episodes 190 and 191 to find out more about the benefits of relaxation and relaxing types of meditation.

In this episode, you'll hear about 3 relaxation strategies for stress, including:

• Mindfully tuning in to one of your senses
• Using the 4-7-8 breathing technique
• Writing in a journal.

Here are some journaling prompts you can try if you're feeling stuck:

• What are some of the thoughts running through my mind at the moment?
• How am I feeling right now?
• How can I look after myself?
• What are the most important things I need to focus on?
• Who can I turn to for support?
• What can I learn from this situation?

Be sure to check out my 7-Day Relaxation Challenge and the Relaxation Meditation Album here: www.rachaelkable.com/192

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 191 of The Mindful Kind podcast and the second episode of the relaxation mini-series!

In this episode, I've shared some of my initial struggles with meditation and how meditation has gradually become one of my favourite activities for intentional and meaningful relaxation.

Three types of relaxing meditations I talk about in this episode include:

• Relaxing with each exhale
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Visualisation

If you're looking for a beautiful relaxation resource where I guide you through relaxing meditations step-by-step, be sure to check out my new Relaxation Meditation Album here: https://www.rachaelkable.com/relaxation-album

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 190 of The Mindful Kind podcast and the first episode of the relaxation mini-series!

I'm so excited to let you know about the brand new free relaxation challenge I've created which you can sign up for here: https://www.rachaelkable.com/podcast/190

You'll receive a beautiful PDF workbook, email support from me for the duration of the challenge and a deep breathing video class at the end of the challenge!

In this episode, I've shared three soothing and relaxing activities, including:

• Lying on your bed with your legs up the wall and listening to meditation music
• Taking a bath with soothing aromas
• Doing something creative and fun

I've also talked about why mindfulness is so important during relaxation practices and you can also learn more about that in my book, The Mindful Kind: https://www.rachaelkable.com/themindfulkindbook

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 189 of The Mindful Kind podcast.

In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts on a struggle I used to experience regularly, which I call the "Happy Later Fantasy".

When I was indulging the "Happy Later Fantasy" I was escaping my reality (because I felt like it wasn't good enough) to picture my "perfect future" and all the happiness I would feel one day.

The problems with doing this on a regular basis?

1. I was practicing the opposite of gratitude by focusing on all the things I didn't like in my life
2. I wasn't taking responsibility for finding happiness in my daily life - I was just waiting for it to magically appear once I achieved certain things.

Here are 3 tips to stop indulging in the "Happy Later Fantasy":

• Be more mindful and appreciate the meaningful moments in your daily life
• Deliberately create happiness by engaging in hobbies and self-care, spending time with loved ones and exercising regularly
• Let go of pressuring yourself to have a "perfect" future

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 188 of The Mindful Kind podcast.

In this episode, I've taken some time to think about what I'd like to achieve by the end of the year. I set goals based on different life categories and I'd love to invite you to do the same!

Those goal setting categories include:

• Self-care
• Health
• Relationships
• Work
• Fun

Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter at www.rachaelkable.com/subscribe and head over to www.rachaelkable.com/podcast/188 to grab a free copy of my Celebrating Your Goals workbook.

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Welcome to episode 187 of The Mindful Kind podcast!

In this episode, I'll be sharing some of my own experiences with the benefits of minimalism, including:

• valuing things (like relationships and meaningful work) other than material things (I also mention a book called Lost Connections by Johann Hari and some interesting research starting at Chapter 8)
• more time
• more financial freedom
• less time spent cleaning and organising
• less overwhelm

Don't forget to head over to my blog to also discover 8 minimalism hacks: https://www.rachaelkable.com/blog/minimalism-benefits-and-hacks

I'd also like to say a huge thank you to all my listeners - The Mindful Kind just reach 4 million downloads! I'm completely blown away:)

Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 186 of The Mindful Kind podcast.

In this episode, I'm really excited to be talking about what emotional intelligence is and some simple tips to cultivate it.

The tips include:

• Being mindful of your emotions
• Learning about common cognitive distortions and how they can influence your emotions
• Sharing about your emotions and listening to other people talk about their emotions

In the episode, I mention a few different resources you can explore:) Here are the links:

5 Soothing Mindfulness Techniques for Winter

Subscribe to my newsletter

Episode 182 and 183 of The Mindful Kind podcast about cognitive distortions

Episode 24 of The Mindful Kind podcast about being a mindful listener

Episode 105 of The Mindful Kind podcast about simple ways to practise communication

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 185 of The Mindful Kind podcast.

In this episode, I've explored the concept of Mudita (vicarious joy), including what it is, why it's important and how I'll be cultivating Mudita in my own life.

Here are the ways I'll be cultivating Mudita:

• By asking my friends and family about the joyful experiences in their lives
• By feeling happy for people's "highlight reels" on Instagram
• When feelings of jealousy or envy occur, I'll try to lean into Mudita
• By becoming more present for the experiences of joy in my own life

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 184 of The Mindful Kind podcast.

I'm getting a little candid on this episode and sharing how I'm putting in an effort to be a more positive person. I tend to find it easy to focus unnecessarily on negative things and I'm trying a few different strategies to try to change that!

Here are my tips for cultivating more positivity:

• Start conversations on positive notes
• Exercise (even when you don't really feel like it)
• Practise gratitude every day and in different ways
• Treat yourself with joyful activities

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, so please come over to my Facebook: www.facebook.com/rachaelkable or Instagram: www.instagram.com/rachaelkable to let me know!

Don't forget to check out some of my other episodes about positivity!

• Episode 160, Make a List of Things to Do For Fun
• Episode 114, Outlooks on Life: Optimism
• Episodes 65-69, The Positivity Series

And head over to my blog to read A Powerful 5-Step Guide for a Happier, More Mindful Life: https://www.rachaelkable.com/blog/powerful-guide-for-happier-mindful-life

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.