Lana discusses how planning for the future while still being present begins with balance. Ask yourself what things are important to you when planning your future. Where would you like to be personally and professionally in a year, two years, or even five? What changes or moves do you plan on making in order to make things possible? What business strategies can you start implementing to make your goals a reality in a year from now? What personal development can you execute to make your life goals transpire in two years from now?

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

www.forbes.com/sites/julesschroeder/2016/05/31/playing-safe-can-actually-hurt-you-5-ways-to-take-risks-that-will-pay-off/?sh=a30d8936c6c9

Lana discusses how we can balance living in the present while still planning for the future. She breaks down how we can do this, how we can live life intentionally, and why it is important to say less and observe more. When we focus on enjoying the journey of life and not where we want to end up all of the time, we build our confidence, find gratitude, and learn patience.

Make sure that you are focusing on the details and experiencing the life right in front of you.

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

labs.psych.ucsb.edu/schooler/jonathan/sites/labs.psych.ucsb.edu.schooler.jonathan/files/pubs/cep_67_1_11.pdf

Lana breaks down the shift we need in our minds from wanting everything to be perfect to being grateful for what we actually have.

Wake up grateful and excited to live each day.

Tell those that support you how grateful you are.

Acknowledge your own accomplishments and be grateful to yourself.

Be grateful for where you are and what you have in life.

How often do you show appreciation? We tend to be so busy throughout the day that we take so much for granted. Are you thanking those that hold the door open for you? Did you thank the cashier when you went grocery shopping? Did you thank your server at the last restaurant you ate at?

Not only is appreciation, appreciated... it is also admired. I don't know about you, but I notice when I'm in the company of someone that expresses gratitude to those that help them, versus someone who seems to just accept service as if it is owed to them. Always remember, gratitude goes a very long way.

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

www.entrepreneur.com/article/238991

Lana discusses how we can train our minds to stay confident, optimistic, and motivated toward our goals.

The key to staying motivated is… never lose focus.

Focus on the action that you are engaging in and not the end goal. Consciously focus on what you are doing and not the outcome that you are hoping for. Staying motivated requires embrace, enthusiasm, and passion for the task at hand.

Commit to continuous learning. Be fully aware that it is impossible to know everything. Have a never-ending desire to gain more knowledge. Instead of always trying to show what you know, allow yourself to learn from others. Take an interest in things that draw your attention — careers, health, religion, cultures, etc. Learning is an amazing tool that allows us to grasp things better and to see perspectives other than our own. With that, we also become more capable of learning new ways to do things. Now that your mind is open to this new knowledge, you are more skilled. If that doesn't motivate you, I don't know what will!

Assist someone else. Give what you need a little more of. If you are feeling unmotivated, motivate someone else. If you are feeling a little unloved, provide love to someone else. Helping them to gain perspective can in-turn help you gain some as well.

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2015/08/31/dont-be-afraid-to-fail/

www.positivityblog.com/about/

www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2013/06/18/take-a-risk-the-odds-are-better-than-you-think/?sh=6c3a927c45c2

www.goalgettingpodcast.com/qod-138-if-you-cant-stop-thinking-about-an-idea-pursue-it-josh-james/

instagram.com/christinaswilcox.com

christinaswilcox.com

Nurjahan Boulden: Part 2

Before you listen to this week’s episode, please be cautious as we will be discussing gun violence and other trauma. If you think that this information could be potentially triggering for you, please be aware of and nurturing to your mental & emotional wellbeing and listen at your own discretion. I am so excited to have this discussion with Nurjahan, but just want to remind you that none of what you are hearing today is an attempt to diagnose. It should also not be taken as a replacement for professional care, or a reason to dismiss or delay it.

On Part 1, Lana has a conversation with Nurjahan about surviving gun violence, how to not let triggers consume you, and the inner work needed to heal. Please go back and listen to that on episode 10 first, if you haven’t already.

On this episode, Nurjahan breaks down her mantras:

I am a survivor

I allow myself to feel fully

I forgive myself

I trust myself

I am safe right now

I am whole

I am happy to be alive

Strong & supportive friends need support too, check on your strong friends.

Nurjahan’s Instagram: instagram.com/nurjahanboulden

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

www.releaseanxietytoday.com/guide/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjodxuhgNGA

If you are in a potentially life-threatening situation, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.

Get general information on mental health and locate treatment services in your area. Speak to a live person, Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline: 877-SAMHSA7 (877-726-4727).

If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. 800-273-TALK (8255) or use their live online chat.

Nurjahan Boulden: Part 1

Before you listen to this week’s episode, please be cautious as we will be discussing gun violence and other trauma. If you think that this information could be potentially triggering for you, please be aware of and nurturing to your mental & emotional wellbeing and listen at your own discretion. I am so excited to have this discussion with Nurjahan, but just want to remind you that none of what you are hearing today is an attempt to diagnose. It should also not be taken as a replacement for professional care, or a reason to dismiss or delay it.

Lana has a conversation with Nurjahan about surviving gun violence, how to not let triggers consume you, and the inner work needed to heal. The ladies talk about common anxiety reactions and why we do them. Nurjahan walks us through the night she was shot and her mindset during the event. How did she process what was happening? What was she focusing on in the moment? And who helped her release guilt for surviving? The ladies talk about how dealing with trauma is the only way to heal it, and that trying to run from it only prolongs the process and pain. Nurjahan talks to us about what things might still trigger her and how she actively works against those things so that they don’t consume her.

We hear Lana and Nurjahan talk about how some of the stereotypes they have been put into has contributed to their strength, and why they believe generalizing isn’t the way to go. What does talking about your trauma do? How we can we prepare ourselves to talk about it? How do we teach people to give us what we need in that moment?

Strong & supportive friends need support too, check on your strong friends.

Nurjahan’s Instagram: instagram.com/nurjahanboulden

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjodxuhgNGA

If you are in a potentially life-threatening situation, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.

Get general information on mental health and locate treatment services in your area. Speak to a live person, Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline: 877-SAMHSA7 (877-726-4727).

If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. 800-273-TALK (8255) or use their live online chat.

Lana discusses the essentials that we need to survive.

1. Food

2. Water

3. Oxygen

4. Nervous system 

Our nervous system is how our brain communicates with our bodies. It basically controls everything that we do, it is how we are capable of thinking, feeling, walking, talking, etc. It is made up of our brain, spinal cord, and all of our nerves.  

The American Psychological Association includes 3 strategies necessary to reduce stress responses – and those are maintaining a healthy social support network, engaging in regular exercise, and getting an adequate amount of sleep each night.

The brain controls how we function, like think, feel, remember things, learn, speak, and walk. But it also controls the things that we are less mindful of like breathing, heart rate, food digestion, and natural body regeneration.

Keep a mental, or even written note, of the way your body behaves when in good spirits versus how it behaves under stress. Recognize the changes that you feel and monitor what things make it better or worse. Learn to understand the patterns your body goes through so that you can nurture your nervous system in a more proactive vs reactive way.

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress/effects-nervous

www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing

www.healthline.com/health/eye-health/20-20-20-rule#definition

www.merckmanuals.com/home/brain,-spinal-cord,-and-nerve-disorders/biology-of-the-nervous-system/overview-of-the-nervous-system

instagram.com/iamtabithabrown

Lana discusses the important reasons for making time for yourself, she provides a list of ideas for what you can do to make that happen and a list of questions that you can use as self-reflection during this time.

Reasons (in short):

It helps loosen the tension in your body and release control.

It helps your mind take a rest and not be filled with a bunch of anxiety inducing thoughts.

It is a challenge for us to let ourselves slow down, our minds, our bodies, and give ourselves some self-love.

It helps us notice things we wouldn’t normally notice when we are moving quickly from one thing to another.

It helps us creatively.

Solitude helps us to connect with ourselves, helps us to check in with ourselves and how we are doing and feeling.

How we feel is how we treat people. We can’t be good to someone else when we can’t be good to ourselves.

They are like mini mental vacations. By taking that needed daily time for ourselves, we are giving ourselves time to reset.

Find the incentive in your time. It will help you look forward to that time alone and make it a priority.

Boost your self-esteem.

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

instagram.com/adrienelouise

ywabreath.com

Yoga with Adriene

Lana is joined by nutritionist and health practitioner, Maria Viall. The ladies talk about everything nutrition, common misconceptions, and if diets are actually sustainable. Maria breaks down what drove her to pursue a career in the wellness industry and why certain methods we are using to try to get healthier may not be working. They discuss how food should & should not be viewed, and how our perception of it is an essential component of our health. Hear all of the ways in which we can do our best to stay on track to a healthier gut and clearer mind, especially during this pandemic. Listen to Maria’s analogy on how our bodies are like cars. How much water should we be drinking? How many meals should we eat a day? What time should we be eating? How do we knock those afternoon crashes & cravings?

Maria’s Instagram: instagram.com/mariaviallhealth

Maria’s Website: mariaviall.com

Podcast Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeyandlemonpodcast

Podcast Website: whiskeyandlemon.com

Lana’s Instagram: instagram.com/heylanamercedez

Lana’s Website: lanamercedez.com

Resources:

Natural Habits