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The JOY Factor: Mindfulness, Compassion, Positive Psychology, Healing, Yoga

The JOY factor ­is a podcast dedicated to helping YOU create a path to Joyful Living each and every day.
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The JOY Factor: Mindfulness, Compassion, Positive Psychology, Healing, Yoga
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Now displaying: 2020
Aug 17, 2020

Welcome to Episode 29 of The JOY Factor.

Our guest today is Jana Glass:

Jana started her career working with children and families struggling with mental health issues. She has experience in a variety of settings including in-home therapy, outpatient therapy, day treatment, and residential care. She founded Supportive Solutions twelve years ago to support people managing depression, anxiety, substance abuse, trauma and abuse, infertility, and grief.

Although she works with a wide spectrum of clients, her special interests include Healing Trauma, Substance Abuse, and Maternal Mental Health. Prioritizing this population including infertility, miscarriage, difficult births, pre and post-partum depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Jana is acutely aware of the challenges that can accompany individuals and couples on their journey to become parent(s). She struggled with infertility for over three years that included painful experiences of multiple miscarriages, surgeries and invasive reproductive assistance interventions, hospital bedrest, a difficult birth, NICU stay, as well as post-partum mood challenges. Jana was able to find healing through family and community support along with Brainspotting therapy. From these obstacles and challenges, Jana gained a unique ability to understand and empathize with clients still building their desired family. She works with families of all compositions including blended families, LGBTQ Families, and Individuals building their own family. Jana is passionate about helping to foster hope when faced with situations that appear hopeless.

Highlights and Glimmers from Today's Show

Brainspotting:

When trauma overloads our system, brainspotting helps our head and heart realign so that we are better able to make sense of what happened,  move on, and feel better. This healing approach expands our capacity to reflect on the experience and see it as just part of our story that we overcame instead of something that feels like it’s still happening in the present. We will always remember what happened but it won’t hurt anymore. 

As Jana would say,

“It takes its rightful place on the timeline of your life.”

“Creating the space for it to be different allows people to have more possibilities which breeds more hope. Having possibilities is enormous for people. “

There are many paths to healing and Brainspotting is an amazing one to include. The brain is powerful and knows how to heal.

There are many lessons to be learned along the way. 

Here are a few:

Learn how to give and receive support.

Really listen and try to understand. So many things can’t be fixed but showing you are present and attuned is more important than finding the right words.

Do what you can to stay curious. Try not to make too many assumptions about a situation. It’s ok to have ideas but try not to hold on too tightly and be open to where the day takes you.

Generate hope by making whatever safe connections you have available to you.

Work to build empathy. Be an ally by deeply listening or know your limits.

Expectations of the way things are supposed to be steals joy. Try to be more reasonable with how much you can do in a day and what you expect of others. 

Relationships are more important than anything else. So many different things that come up that don’t go the way we’d hope but we can navigate those times with more skills when we stay connected and nurture our relationships. 

Keep that love connection and relationship in the front-that’s how we tap back into the joy. 

There is a point to turn things around.  Focus on the rebound. We can fall down but we get back up. 

Be in the moment 

The small things are the big things. Every moment isn’t perfect but the times you can find a reason to smile or be silly are  beautiful. Right here right now. 

If you try one thing that didn’t work out for you keep trying. Go with the flow but stay on the path.

Jana’s Contact Information:

www.supportivesolutionsga.com

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

Resources Mentioned 

Postpartum Support International

Certification in Perinatal Mental Health

Look for folks who have specialized specific training in the area of perinatal mental health. 

Learn more about Brainspotting Recognize when you could use a little outside support. Never been a time where it’s more accessible to find help online. Including brainspotting.

Thank you for Listening

It is a true honor to bring this podcast to you and I am so grateful that you took the time to listen. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends and family. The JOY Factor Podcast

Do you have a second to complete this brief listener survey? It helps our show track who is listening so we can create topics of interest to you!  http://survey.libsyn.com/thejoyfactorpodcast










Mar 26, 2020

Hello and welcome to episode #28 of the JOY Factor Podcast. I’m glad you’re tuning in and thankful that so far, so good. My family is healthy and safe. I hope the same is true for you. The month of March seems like a blur and as we face this collective trauma of both the facts we have about COVID 19 and the uncertainty surrounding it, It’s normal to feel a mix of emotions right now. You might be angry one minute and exhausted the next. It may be tempting to deny what is happening or to compulsively check the news. All of the psychological reactions we are experiencing can be viewed through this lens of collective trauma. I’d like to also remind you that we have a beautiful invitation unfolding. There’s an opportunity to rise up together and operate out of a place of trust, faith, hope and JOY!

There’s a great meme with questions to ask yourself each day floating around the internet and when I saw it I thought- this is perfect for me to share with you all here. Not sure who made the original post but many thanks for everyone who is spreading such good reflections. As we run down this list I’m sending you a dose of compassion. This is hard. We are struggling. Some moments are easier than others. Daily life goes on but we all face significant challenges in the coming days. Take what you can use from our conversation but please go gently with yourself and those around you.

So, get comfortable and let me share a few daily questions to ask yourself while you are washing your hands, coughing into your elbow, avoiding your face, keeping a safe distance from others and….best of all! Staying home when you can. You know the drill right? LOL

  1. What am I grateful for today?

The brain responds favorably to gratitude. What are you grateful for right now? What’s the smallest thing you can stop and give thanks for? Can you help other people cultivate some gratitude?

  1. Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?

Find someone to check on. If you don’t have family or friends you feel close to, now is the perfect opportunity to reach out. Is there a neighbor you sometimes see but never speak to? What about the staff at your local grocery store? Let them know you are thinking about them. Figure out a way to reach out. Another thing- maybe you’re the one who could use a hand. What do you need to loosen the grip around in order to ask for help? I highly encourage you to dig deep and put your needs on the table. What comes around goes around my friends. We’re in this together so let’s act like it.

  1. What expectations of normal am I letting go of today?

Those of us working from home and trying to do some sort of homeschooling have quickly discovered the need for a new playbook. What was normal last week is now yesterday’s news. What are your expectations for yourself? Your partner? Your kids? Anyone in your life? What are you capable of? What are your limitations? Take a deep breath. Sigh it out. You are not alone. All of humanity is

  1. How am I getting outside today?

It’s spring here in Maryland and I am on the hunt for new buds and blooming forsythia. I hope wherever you are It’s possible to breathe in some fresh air and experience the grounding safety of the outside world. What’s your plan for today?

  1. How am I moving my body today?

Take walk, jiggle and shake your body, move any limb you can. Stretch, lift weights, jog. Figure it out and plan ahead. Ditch the uncomfortable gear and prepare by having good walking shoes nearby. Check out our resources page for more details on free ways to get movinig.

  1. What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in?

When we bring creativity on to the scene we open up a world of possibility. What can you build, grow, paint, bake, draw, shape, move design? The list goes on and on. Look around your home and consider what’s there to help activate your creativity and then set up (or dust off your workspace and give it a go!

  1. When I safely arrive at the other side of this pandemic how would I like to be able to reflect on my own personal growth and healing? What tools and resources would you like to be able to recognize gaining for strengthening? I think it’s a powerful thing to reflect on how adversity can help us reach toward potential we weren’t aware of having. What would it be like to look back and recognize how this experience helped you grow?

I would love to hear your reflections on these questions! Find the thejoyfactorpodcast on Facebook and subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast platform. Your joy factor is right here with you. It’s ok to smile, it’s ok to laugh, to dance, to rest. Take good care of yourself. Compassion means noticing that you are struggling, remembering that it is human to struggle and responding with kindness and care. Take a breath in, on the exhale, let go of whatever might be needing to be released. Repeat and take care.

Jan 20, 2020

Today's sponsor is Feals

Today’s Show

When we empower girls and women, we empower families and communities to thrive. Join us as we learn more about just how powerful intentional nature-based rites of passage can be for girls living in today’s world and the caregivers who raise them. Whether you have a daughter or not, today’s guest will inspire you to connect with nature and perhaps create a spark of joy as a result. 

Lorene Wapotich is the Founder of Celebrating Her Rite and Feet on the Earth Programs. She has dedicated her life to connecting people with nature, self, community, and the magic of life through deep nature-connection mentoring and community-based rites of passage. Lorene is a dynamic teacher, passionate speaker, and national lecturer and workshop leader on girls coming of age ceremonies and rites of passage. She has over 25 years experience as an outdoor educator, wilderness guide, and herbalist in the Wise Woman Tradition. Lorene holds a Bachelors Degree in Wilderness Leadership and Natural History Education from Prescott College, and a Masters in Education from Lesley University with a focus on girls’ development, nature-based mentoring, and rites of passage.

What We’ll Learn

  • Where the phrase “rites of passage” comes from and what it means.
  • How we can empower girls and women to boost confidence, courage and grit by challenging them to overcome limitations and celebrate their accomplishments.
  • How the elements (earth, air, water, fire) of the natural world can guide the process of personal growth and exploration.
  • How to discover or reclaim your passion. 
  • What are the many benefits of spending time in nature?

Resources Mentioned

Today’s show sponsor: Feals premium CBD

Connect with Lorene Wapotich:

Lorene's Author Facebook Page

Celebrating her Rite Facebook

Feet on the Earth- Facebook Page

Instagram-

Feet on the Earth Website

 

Thank you for Listening

It is a true honor to bring this podcast to you and I am so grateful that you took the time to listen. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends and family. The JOY Factor Podcast

Do you have a second to complete this brief listener survey? It helps our show track who is listening so we can create topics of interest to you!  http://survey.libsyn.com/thejoyfactorpodcast

Brought to You by: Feels 

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