Change your emotional habits and get over stressful times like a honey badger

This week has been one of those weeks.

Our internet cable literally broke down, the dryer must be fixed, and we have a roof construction going on in the house. The cleaning lady rescheduled. My little one started with a part-time nanny and I'm dealing with separation anxiety, probably more than the baby.

All the scheduling and rescheduling take time and so much energy!

People are coming in and out of the house all the time.

Men are climbing ladders outside my windows, looking in when I'm breastfeeding the baby in the living room or working in my office.

There is no privacy for the person who needs a lot of if and alone time to digest the world around me.

All this could drive me nuts. But, I'm not allowing it to happen.

I have seen this so, so many times and it’s time to take a different, healthier and happier route.

If I would let my emotions take the lead and start stressing, I give my power away and it all goes worse and it will take longer to get over it.

Eventually, I would burst the pressure to someone else, like we often do if we are not able to connect and feel our feelings, and that’s not right either.

Instead of losing my nerve and wasting my energy I observe and choose to respond and react to stressful emotions and chaos calmly with high self-awareness.

Our emotional reactions are learned habits.

We learn all the habits by repetition and by watching others. The way to change our habits is to turn inward and start making a difference. It’s very delicate but the impact in our life is huge: it’s the way to change your life and create new, better paths.

So I breathe, and consciously release the emotions of overwhelm and focus on getting through the week positively, taking care of things one by one and staying present in the moment.

I remind myself to stay centered and grounded like a honey badger. Honey badgers don’t care but focus on essentials, on what they want.

(If you haven't seen the narrated viral video about the crazy nastyass honey badgers, it's super funny. It tells something about my sense of humor. )

Also, laughing reduces the cortisol hormones in the body and calms down the sympathetic nervous system. Watch something funny or shake your ass when life gets too serious or you find it hard to calm down to meditate on it. Like kids in general, our inner child loves when we let loose and get playful.

It would be impossible for me to go through this week without other people’s help.

I appreciate the abundant amount of help. I appreciate help is available. All these people help our family enormously with their knowledge.

For a long time, it was really hard for me to ask for help from others.

I've always had this mentality of a super strong, over-functioning, independent Finnish woman who doesn't need anyone's help.

My old self was a kind of woman who can build her own house by herself if needed.

This is what one construction guy said to me years ago when he renovated my apartment in Helsinki after I showed him how the kitchen needed to be built. I wondered why I paid him as I could have done it myself.

I still remember how I felt inside that time.

After ending a 7-year relationship I felt completely lost, and my brain was scattered due to insomnia and the anxiety I suffered. I had no idea what I should do next in my life, so I tried to over-control everything I could and operated completely from my masculine side. I didn’t allowing myself to stop as I was so afraid of what I would need to face.

I was almost collapsing then but I pushed through. I managed to keep it together until I collapsed a year later.

It was then when I realized that I can't, and don't need to, try to survive on my own and do everything by myself.

I realized there are people who were actually able and willing to help me.

Little by little I started asking for more help in different areas of life.

Today it’s much easier for me as I’ve learned to ask for help and I know when I need to invest in myself and when my own resources are not enough. The most important thing is that I’ve learned to receive help.

As I’ve changed my behavior, I have noticed there’s abundance amount of helpful and kind people around me. All we need to do is to be open, reach out and ask for help.

Help is always showing up in a form or another. Sometimes it shows up as a person, in the form of group or company, a program, a book or online resource, or just a message that is pointing to the new direction.

Sometimes it asks courage to get over my fears to receive it and give myself an opportunity for growth and expansion. May it be personal health and wellbeing, family issue or my work and business.

Our level of self-worth measures the ability of receiving.

I believe we can learn to do pretty much anything successfully if we just put our energy and efforts in. I could still do all kind of things by myself but nowadays, if it’s not my cup of tea, I don’t want to.

I don’t need to know everything or do everything by myself, anymore.

It’s much easier to have set boundaries and focus on what we are best at and absolutely love to do. Let other people do use their expertise.

The most difficult part to getting over stressful emotions and moments is to learn to step out of your own resistant ego-mind and give yourself a permission to feel happy and good about yourself.

That can only happen when you are present and mindful about your thoughts, your feelings and the chatter of your ego-mind.

You have the power to change your reality and rise your energy by changing your emotional habits:

• Watch and observe your emotional reactions and responses.

• Get out from your own way and emotions.

• Make changes consciously.

• Choose to behave differently.

• Repeat and learn.

Don’t worry if you don’t get it right immediately but be determined. Life will give you as many rounds of practice as needed, until you have changed the old pattern.

Help is available when life feels complicated and it's hard to see clearly what to do and where to go next.

Or your internet cable needs fixing.

What is the area of life that you could use some help with?

Much love,

Jenni

My journey to emotional freedom

Like most parents, I want my daughter to have a wonderful, happy childhood and to be the best mama I can be for her. 

In my last blog I shared how becoming a mother drove me to the next level of spiritual growth and awareness.

I’ve recently discovered cultural and ancestral patterns that have been running in my family for generations. That means I’ve worked with old wounds that crawled up from my subconscious along with motherhood. Yes, I'm diving into the depths of self-healing.

I’m highly motivated to do this work because I don’t want to pass my old stories and limiting beliefs on to my daughter. I want better for her, and when I do the work everyone, both me and my family, will benefit from it greatly. 

Already before her birth, I knew what I want to teach my child about life.

• I want her to learn she’s good enough and capable of achieving whatever she decides to do in her life.

• I want her to know it’s okay to make mistakes; challenges can be overcome and embraced as important milestones of growth.

• I want her to learn how to feel her feelings so she can be her authentic self and express herself easily.

It’s important for me to show her that these skills are the greatest drivers of creating a happy and meaningful life.

It’s all what I didn’t learn until later in my adulthood when I started my own journey of growth and consciously creating the life I want to live.

I am also (almost painfully) aware my daughter will have her own life lessons she needs to learn and I cannot protect her or smooth the way for her completely, no matter how much I may want to.

But I can do my share and consciously change the conditioning that is not serving her or me.

As I have chosen to do this work, I get to learn and release these patterns in everyday life.

My first Mother’s Day was quite an emotional one.

There were expanded feelings of happiness and joy when I got to spend the day with my little family, who pampered me so sweetly.  

There were also sudden feelings of self-doubt and anxiety, that I had not been able to recognize before. 

Instead of ignoring these intense feelings, I stopped to bring awareness to them and to find out what kind of stories lie behind these feelings.

I worried whether I can ever be a good enough mama to her as I feel flawed, vulnerable, and imperfect. 

These uncomfortable feelings revealed a huge insight for me:

I realized that if I don’t let my daughter see me as I am — and able to receive her love fully — I would be abandoning her emotionally and rejecting her love.

Then I as a parent would repeat exactly what I was unconsciously taught in my childhood: love needs to be earned and if I just give, give, give and be a perfect, good girl, then I’d be lovable.

It was a huge breakthrough for me to finally find the root cause for the fear of abandonment and the lack of sense of belonging. Both these have caused me all kinds of struggle, disease, relationship issues and fears. 

It took a while for me to understand how I had not been able to, and how difficult it was for me to fully receive love.

After realizing all this and changing my limiting beliefs, stories and patterns — and the energies related to them — I soon felt lighter and confidently rooted within my own being.

Now when I bond with my little girl I feel at ease. Looking at her loving eyes doesn’t make me hesitate any more. I started feeling deeper connection not only with her but with my husband, my parents and family - and especially with myself.

Self-acceptance and the ability to receive love are the foundations of deep and intimate relationships with ourselves and others.

By being our authentic selves and showing that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, our kids, and we as adults can learn to accept ourselves and understand we are good enough and lovable as we are. It’s never too late to start making these changes. 

When we choose to take responsibility and do the inner work it shifts our energy, helps to heal relationships and allows us to become free to do and be our authentic selves.

And that’s powerful and something many people are craving for, because when these old stories and conditioning are changed, you can change your habits; get healthy; release physical conditioning, limiting fears and blockages that prevent you from creating a happy, fulfilling life that looks and feels like you.

When we face any kind of difficulties with others one of the greatest questions we can ask ourselves is:

How am I creating this? 

I know it's not easy to take responsibility when it feels like everyone else is creating the issues or like life is resisting your aims. It takes some courage to ask this question of yourself and be willing to recognize and face the truth behind it.

But if you dare to take the path to growth and listen carefully, you will get insightful answers and your own wisdom and guidance will help move you forward. 

Changing ourselves is the only way to affect and change others. I’ve seen this happening in my own life and my clients' lives over and over again. 

Your happiness and wellbeing depends on you. You are not your limited by how or where you grew up or what others do.

Your life is your creation and in the same way you have created it so far, you can make changes and redesign it consciously. You only need to make the choice and get started.

Much love, Jenni

P.S. If you like this blog, head HERE to order my newsletter it was originally shared with my readers. When you subscribe you will get free resources, inspiration, guidance and much more.

RELATED BLOG: Are you repeating your parent's mistakes or your old family patterns?

Reflect on your year before setting New Year resolutions

The Holidays will soon be over here... I know you must be busy finishing up everything so you can relax for a couple of days before welcoming the New Year and setting your resolutions and visions.

I hope your year has been as successful and full of joy as you intended it to be. And I hope you are feeling proud of yourself (this was one of my “feeling” intentions for 2018) and those conscious accomplishments you made real this year.

Even if you feel that this year really sucked and you would just rather move forward without thinking about any of the mistakes or failures (that we all have had), hiding your head in the sand doesn’t help.

In fact, it does the opposite and only makes you carry those issues forward and replay them over and over again.

Nothing new can be built on regrets or resentment. You need to take the lessons and clean your mental and emotional closets to create space for the new.

So before you rush yourself to the new year… take some the time yet to stop and reflect on 2018.

Closing the book of life yearly is mentally, spiritually and emotionally as important as finalizing your bookkeeping and doing your taxes. Yes, we need to face the ugly truth and that’s helping you to let go of it. 

Making these end of year reflections is needed for reasons:

• You will clearly see how you have actually done and what you have accomplished (self-empowerment & praise!).

• You become free from self-blame and resentment (forgiveness).

• You know what is working or not working for you (wisdom).

• You can learn from your obstacles (growth).

After you have done this exercise, you can let yourself off the hook - the table is clean and you have clarity and your head is full of wonderful insights. You’ll feel free to plan your life forward.

Here’s how to reflect on your past year:

1. Make a nice cup of something and get a piece of paper or your journal.

2. If you have one, get out your list of desires and goals or your calendar of the year.

3. Start from January and go through your life month by month and list all the accomplishments and good things that happened during your year.

   • Think of the reasons why it worked out so wonderfully for you.

   • Don’t hold yourself back from paying attention to “small” things - they are just as important.  

4. Next make a list of things that didn’t work out: goals you didn’t achieve, mistakes or failures that happened.

   • Ask yourself what could you have done differently?

   • Write down the reasons why you think it didn’t work out. This is not to blame yourself, others or the circumstances. Reflect objectively.

   • What can you learn from it?

5. Go through your reflections to see what’s working for you, what makes you happy and what you want to continue doing next year - but also what do you need to let go of and clear from your plate.

It’s really empowering to clean the clutter and boldly remove some of the old things hanging on our to do lists that will never ever happen.

By doing this kind of exercise yearly you will stop repeating the same cycles and can change things confidently.

But also, we are often so hard on ourselves and too busy to praise ourselves enough... so celebrate your accomplishments!  

Then it’s time to set those powerful intentions, goals and desires for the next year.

If it’s not part of your yearly routine yet I highly recommend making a list of intentions and desires for 2019. It’s a simple list of everything you want to have, be and create during the next year and this - the power of intention - is proven to work really well.

This is my personal way to start the New Year and it’s amazing to go back to those old desires at the end of year and witness how amazingly things have flowed forward, how much I have done and achieved - and simply seeing clearly what do I need to let go.

If you have a question or another practice or exercise you like to use, please share in the comments below.

Much love and Happy Holidays,

Jenni

---

related Online course

related virtual workshop

download the free visualization meditation

How to Re-Program Your Mind Using Affirmations

Talk yourself into success and start consciously creating your life

We have all heard of affirmations: positive statements you repeat to yourself over and over. Their aim is to override old subconscious programming and change negative thought patterns and beliefs; in doing this, you set yourself free to do and achieve what you want, be it improving your health, career, relationships, finances or preparing yourself for any specific situation that requires stretching out of your comfort zone.

While it may sound good in theory, many people struggle to make affirmations work.

This is due to lack of specificity and knowledge of how to create affirmations that work personally for them in their specific situations.

Why affirmations may not work:

• You don’t fully believe in your goal or what you are saying to yourself.

• You’re using negative or future-oriented language in your affirmations, which is confusing to the mind which only operates in the present.  

• You are not aware of or paying attention to your mind’s objections.

• There is a subconscious block that is powerfully resisting the changes you desire.

• You don’t take the action that is needed to move forward.

To make affirmations work successfully, you need to first discover what thought patterns and objections you have. Thought patterns are based on past negative experiences that you hold in your mind. These are stored in your subconscious, which always affects your behavior, thoughts, feelings, and actions in different situations.

If you struggle in some area of life and feel that you can’t do what you want to do, then there are some learned limiting beliefs and subconscious blocks that keep you stuck in your situation. Luckily, we can release these self-limiting beliefs and blocks, and creating personal affirmations is one of the ways you can.

A Simple Exercise to Create Your Affirmations

Here's one simple exercise you can do to help reveal your limiting beliefs and create affirmations that work for you:

• Write your desire or goal down: what is it that you want to achieve?

• Get quiet and turn inward to listen.

• Ask yourself: why is it not possible?

• Write out all the objections your mind comes up with.

• Keep going until there aren't any objections coming up.

• When you have emptied your mind of objections, go through the statements and shift the sentences to positive.

• Use clear, authoritative, positive commands in the present tense: I feel, I can, I have, I am…

For example, say you want to elevate your career to the next level and find your dream job, but struggle with the habit of procrastination. You have all kinds of excuses as to why you don’t do the things you need to do (e.g., update your resume, make connections, etc.). For some reason, you keep yourself from following through with your plans.

To quit the habit of procrastination to find your dream job, you want to discover the self-limiting beliefs and emotional reasons behind the procrastination, and writing down the objections will show you these. You may think for instance, “What I want does not exist,” “It’s too risky to change jobs now,” “I’m not educated enough,” etc. All these self-limiting beliefs are raising inner fears: fear of the unknown, fear of success, or fear of failure.

When the subconscious objections come to the surface, you will often realize they are not true, and that already helps to release them. To empower your mind and believe new thoughts, create positive statements, such as: “I’m open for new possibilities,’” “It’s my time now,” “I have everything I need for my dream job.”     

Used consistently, affirmations will help you reprogram your mind and change your habits, which will change your reality.

How to use your affirmations:

• Repeat the affirmations consistently and daily, and write them down. It takes about 21 days to change any habit.

• Use your imagination to visualize and meditate on what you’re affirming — feel like you would if you already had what you’re affirming.

• Keep your affirmations where you can see them every day (phone, journal, Post-Its) so your mind has a better chance of accepting your new truth.

• Motivate and encourage yourself by remembering your desire and its purpose, the reason behind the reason—why it’s so important for you!

Affirmations are an incredibly powerful way to increase self-belief, courage and help you expand your life. Knowing what you want is the first step to having it—and simply convincing your mind that you can have it will help you change your habits and make it your reality.

If you enjoyed this post, you will love my weekly emails. They are weekly digest of the best human performance habits for self-mastery, personal, spiritual and professional growth, and real life stories around the web. Sign up here!

With love and gratitude,
Jenni

Transform your days for successful, productive feel good days

If you feel like your days never seem to go as planned, you’re not alone.

If my day is not planned, and there are no clear intentions and time slots reserved for each type of activity, then I’m hustling, starting 10 things without finishing any of them properly and then staying behind my schedule. 

Typically at the end of those days I feel that I have wasted the day, there’s self-blame, anxiety, and I feel as though I got nothing done! Not good.

This is a usual “chicken running without a head day" for many, I know.

During the first years of my entrepreneurial life I got exhausted and drained, as I felt as though I was never complete and there was always so much to do!

The freedom I had got after leaving my 9-5 job led to time management issues and I didn’t have clarity.

I just couldn’t stop working and forgot my personal needs and self-care, as I had no structure or boundaries at all. I was scared to think about how much more I needed to do to be more productive and effective  - in order to get the results I wanted. It led to adrenaline exhaustion until I realized that it was about me.

I needed to change my habits and introduce clarity and structure into my days.

It’s not how we should feel in the end, even there are always so many things we need to do. The list is endless but our energy isn’t.

That's when I changed my habits and implemented new methods that helped me to find my freedom while staying super focused and in high vibration.

I started enjoying great days, one after another.

Soon I was super happy to notice it worked: I had improved my productivity; creativity; my overall wellbeing; and increased my income. I felt good about myself and worried less. I felt that I was in control and complete every day by working a lot less and flowing forward with ease.

It was then I designed my Clarity Method and the planner that helps me to stay spiritually, mentally, and emotionally aligned and flowing steadily forward towards my desires and goals.

This is how you can create intentional, successful feel-good days:

1. Sketch your days and plan your schedule the night before. You win your mornings by planning them the evening before and deciding what you are going to focus on each day. It takes less than five minutes!

2. Start the morning with a consistent morning routine. If you have limited time, do a short meditation and visualize the day ahead. Use your mind to imagine how you want things to go and how you want to feel when you’re done. The calming and centering feeling will carry you through the day. 

3. Feeling grateful and appreciative from the bottom of your heart for what you have now is the fastest way to manifest, using the power of the mind consciously.

4. Set intentions, goals, and your three love-to-do's for the day.

5. Decide when your day starts and ends.

6. Plan time for self-care, downtime, breaks, and exercise.

7. "Close" your day. Pay attention to the good things that happened that day. Before you end your day, trackback what went well and take the lessons you need to learn - and feel the feelings away by briefly journaling!

8. Sketch your next day's schedule in the evening.

9. Decide what time you'll wake up and what are your morning routines and habits.

Repeat this daily and you'll feel energized, successful, and complete & content in the evening.

Repetition is a way to change your habits. I mean ANY habits.

Your habits are starting from your thoughts and feelings.

This helps you to see the results at the end of each day.

Declutter the stressful feelings and any bad mood which may have arisen. The less we hide these feelings but release and feel them healthily, the freer and more relaxed we are. 

It's rewarding to track back and follow up on your life daily. 

You learn a great deal about yourself and what works for you but also see what doesn’t really work and let go of that without resentment. You can always start again, at any moment.

Paying attention to good things in the mornings and evenings leads to instant gratification and positive cycles.

You will then unlock the power of the mind and attract more of what you want in life - it all starts from daily action!

Like one of my clients said, setting the daily intentions is like magic; things go as we intend to.

To help you get to create successful, intentional days continuously while enjoying and getting done what you wanted and needed to, download the printable daily page of my Clarity Life Planner!  

Use it for planning your days, habits, feelings, wellbeing, tasks and activities.

Love, Jenni

Alyson Noël: Don't believe what people say to you

Alyson Noël is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning, author of 26 novels. With 9 New York Times bestsellers and over 8 million copies in print, her books have been translated into 36 languages and sold in over 200 countries. 

You may have read her novel series The Immortals, Riley Bloom, Soul Seekers or Beautiful Idols. Her Young Adult novel, Saving Zoë, is soon to be a major motion picture starring Vanessa Marano, and Laura Marano, with Jeffrey G. Hunt directing. 

I met Alyson three years ago in Bali where I started writing my first book. We sat down to discuss how she created an impressive, successful career by following her passions and building amazing success as an author.

In this episode Alyson shares:

• How she became a full-time writer after working for multiple other jobs for a long time

• How she, after working with her first book for 15 years, got it published

• Her daily habits and pragmatic approach and guidance for aspiring writers

• When is the right time to go after your dreams

• Why failing and being rejected is important for your growth and success

• What "you only need one yes" means

• Why you need to take responsibility of your stories, gifts, and skills and make the effort to get them out to the world without believing what people say to you
  

Watch the video here

Or listen to the audio here: 

Once you have watched or listened to the show, we would love to hear from you.

What is your big dream? Do you have the story or an idea in your mind that doesn't leave you alone?

If you have something you want to put out into the world, share your idea in the comments below. Let us know how does your first baby step look like and when are you going to take it?

I guarantee magic happens, when you put the intention out there.

Like Duke Ellington said: "I don't need time, all I need is deadline."

Also, if you know anyone who would love this episode, please share with your friends! 

Love, 
Jenni 

P.S. Here's two book wonderful book recommendations about creativity: Story by Robert Mckee and The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron - Enjoy!

What I learned on the saddest day of my life

Overwhelm, anxiety, and feeling drained is, unfortunately, a new norm. I hear that every day from my clients.

And I can relate.

In this vlog I'm talking about the realization that helped me to change the course of my life and gave me the power to take it towards what I really desired and was passionate about: to find my purpose and authentic happiness.   

I'm also talking about why it's crucial to connect with ourselves emotionally, physically and mentally, and how to release the old blockages that keep you stuck in your situation.

You'll get guidance of how to start creating intentional life and why intentions really make a difference for your future.

There is a way out of the constant struggling and set yourself free. 

Watch the video or listen to the audio below.

If you like this vlog share with your friends! 

Boost your confidence and self-esteem and download my ultimate confidence boosting transformational audio here.

Thank you for watching! 

Love,
Jenni

I'll have what she's having

Have you ever been in the situation that there is something you want and need so badly, but it's just not coming to you? 

When we don’t get what we want, it’s easy to look others and say:

"If I could just get what she's having, then I would be or feel..." 

and maybe even believe that her life is easier than yours!

This, for sure, creates more worry, frustration, and anxiety, especially when comparison makes us feel bad about ourselves and inadequate, while the others seem to be living the time of their life and making things happen so easily. 

Comparison kills clarity (and confidence)

Other people's successes easily lead us to the wrong direction. It’s easy to close the eyes from what does it require to get there.

It is a survivorship bias, and it's leading deeper into the hopelessness, as we see the other's successes only on the surface and have no idea what they have gone through to get there. 

It's like a self-help book that gives you guidance of how to do things perfectly right but still it doesn't make you taking action and do and experience it in practice.

There is an endless amount of guidance, inspiration, and self-help books that are showing the right path that takes us to desired goals but in the end, it leaves us so very lonely, as there is a gap in between the idea and the goal: what is wanted and how to get there.

I went through all this felt when I started coaching and working for myself. The change was huge after working for corporates for a long time and then suddenly, I was being responsible only for myself, living in total uncertainty and having no idea how to get forward from there. It was lonely and all my patterns and blocks alarmed and change resistance wanted to stop me. 

My main problem? I had no CLARITY OF what I was doing. 

I threw myself in the worst situation without thinking and planning. I didn't do the work and be specific of:

1) what I was aiming to do
2) how I would get there
3) what if it wouldn’t work out (considering the risks) 

And I focused on the outcome, not the path. Plus I'm multi-passionate and that can cause a lot of distractions if you are not extra clear where you want to go. 

I’m not talking about plan B’s or negative expectations but more likely being a bit more realistic and following up if my plans and things started developing to the right direction. 

People said it should be easy to build a business and income for myself, as I had been in business for over 12 years. Well, it is not that simple - I did completely different work and it changes things a lot when you work for others and when you work for yourself.   

I carried on I was determined and I trusted my inner voice and calling - aNd I had made my commitments.

When I started the second part of this life (that's how I call it), I had promised myself to do anything to find out if it would be possible to be happy every day (it is, no matter the challenges!).

And I wanted to live meaningful life more than let my limiting fears lead it and I was ready to get over never ending thresholds that everyone must face - whatever they do.

Books and self-study programs rarely solve the deep unconscious patterns and personal barriers that keep people standing in their own way and when this goes on for while, it makes them believe they are not good enough, talented enough or smart enough to do what they want as the change also resists itself. 

Too many give up when there are obstacles and inner resistance that feels like you would be are standing in your own way. It's easy to stop believing when it feels lonely and difficult when there is no one to give the right answers. 

Too many are attracted by golden shiny objects without remembering that we can choose our struggles but we can't avoid our struggles - no matter what we do for work.

Choose and be clear of what you are having

You know everything you need to know - it’s there even if you don’t recognize it now. The better you know yourself, your desires and your genius, the easier it is.

By the way, success and failure are not that far from each other: "When failure becomes invisible, the difference between failure and success may also become invisible." (you are not so smart.com)

Now I want to hear from you: how has this been for you? How did you find your authentic success? What did you have to learn before it happened?

If you like this blog share with your friends! You can also join my newsletter here - when you SIGN UP you will get an ultimate confidence boosting transformational audio (which is so relaxing and helping you to get where you want to go). 

Love,
Jenni

6 steps to break a worry habit

A while ago I noticed an unhealthy pattern had sneaked in my life. It was a reminisce of my years in the corporate world, but I hadn't felt it for years, and the old familiar feelings rang my health and wellness alarms.

I don't play with health or happiness anymore, so I looked into my habits (of thinking and behaving) to understand what was causing it and to know how to make changes:

I had a productive phase going on and I was producing a lot of new content. Long to-do list made me minimize the meditation and writing time in the mornings. I worked late and then stayed up late spending "my time" in Instagram and reading work-related books and articles late in the bed.

It was hard to get up in the mornings as I was awake at some point during the nights. I felt tired in the middle of the day. To keep myself going, I had started drinking coffee on the afternoon. I felt tired and wired at the same time.   

I was overdriving myself so that at the end of the week my brain was foggy and my body was over-heated, meaning I felt the blood pressure and cortisol levels were high.

I told myself it's temporary (and at the same time I was afraid it was not) and then I stopped: I don't want to do it this way, no matter what it is - I have a choice.

When I saw all these things and it was clear: I was suffering adrenaline fatigue. I lacked downtime and boundaries. 

In yoga, there is a rule that after an inversion pose it's good to rest the same amount of the time that you have been upside down. 

The same rule works in life: during the busier times, it's important to recharge the batteries - physically and mentally - all the time.

Creativity and productivity - both - require space and time. It's tough to create new ideas and be focused when your mind is full. 

What I did to fix it: 

The moment when I realized what was going on, I wanted to take responsibility for it.

I did the clarity exercise below and reduced all the unnecessary worries - there were not that much left after it - I felt at ease. 

Also, I booked time for acupuncture, scheduled a sweaty yoga class, took a herbal path and did nothing but relaxing for a couple of days - I planned time to relax. I observed my mind carefully and skipped everything that was too overwhelming and making my brain buzzing. I changed the bedtime routines: no more mobile time or work-related reading. Instyle magazine makes me snooze in five minutes. 

In the long run, adrenaline fatigue can create diseases as the body responses to mind’s constant overwhelm negative chatter and requirements.
 

Get to know your stress-factors and know your habits:

• What habits of yours do you like, why?

• What habits do you want to change? 

We need to keep track of our habits and know how they affect us - it can be very unconscious. If we don’t know what is creating the stress, we can’t react and respond it.

6 steps to releasing the stressful chaos and worries:

Take a pen and paper or open your notebook, and start answering the following questions:

1. How do I feel now - in the body and mind?  

2. What issues are stressing you and causing this feeling? Write them all down no matter it's 99 issues and worries. 

3. What are the worries that you can't do anything about? The future is not in your hands, the now is.

4. What can you do to your list? Prioritize them. 

5. Plan how and when you get those things done (please don’t overplan and exhaust yourself as you can do only three foremost things per day).

6. Ask yourself why have you chosen to do it? Remind yourself about your what you accomplish when you get there and finish the sentence:
    
   “I am doing this because…” and decide to be excited about it. You need to decide it if you don't feel it.

There you go - now you have a clear plan and you know it's doable and you can affect.

This gives you the motivation, as we all have to eat our shit sandwich as Elizabeth Gilbert calls it: no matter we follow our passions, we still need to do the work, and often it's challenging. 

When you choose to struggle for the things that matter to you and are important, it's not that bad at all as you know it is meaningful to you.   

The worrying thoughts won’t take away tomorrow’s problems, but they will take away today’s joy. 

If you liked this post, please share it, tweet it, pin it, like it!

With love,
Jenni

Simple Way to Boost Productivity and Increase Focus

I have been the biggest procrastinator I know and the habit caused me a lot of struggle and self-doubt as I was just not able to follow through my plans and desires. (By Gretchen Rubin's framework my tendency type is Rebel, meaning that I often resist all, inner and outer, expectations - mostly my own).  

It has been a huge learning curve for me to learn how to say no, also for myself, and set boundaries, when I just want to do this and that quickly, and ideas pop up in my head, which just distracts me (nowadays I write the them down “for later” so that I make myself to believe that I don't miss a thing).

I know so many of us who work themselves or manage their own time and schedule and struggle a lot with their time management. I wanted to share a technique with you that helps to get things fast and efficiently and it helps you to commit your goals and tasks.

How to increase your productivity, do things efficiently and keep your focus? 

This is called Pomodoro method (Pomodoro means tomato in Italian), which is amazing when you don’t have much time and you want to get things done fast and optimize your time and effort.

Many people use way too much time for simple things as they just don’t do it. This method increases your productivity when you start using it (and it makes you happier). 

Francesco Cirillo was cutting tomatoes when he got the idea of the Pomodoro Technique on the 80’s. 

How would it feel for you if you would feel complete at the end of every day?

First of all (this is my preparation advice):

• Plan your months, weeks and days (read here how to do it and download the free daily planner).

• Splitting your time in chunks keep you on your happy tracks.

• Clarify the outcome what you want and need to do.

• What would make you feel complete with the task?

• What is the tiny little thing that you need and want to get done?

• Minimize all the distractions: email, phone, social media accounts - everything that could distract you.
  

Then we are getting into the traditional Pomodoro method:

• Set the timer for 25 minutes.

• Start working - you only have to work for 25 minutes, so it’s not a big deal right?

• When the alarm peeps, take a 5-10 minute break.

Repeat for four times (100 minutes) and then take a longer 20-minute break (great time for meditation, just taking it easy, get some fresh air and empty your mind).

Why it works?

1) You set a clear intention for what you want to achieve.

2) You minimize all the distractions and focus 100% and you will get more done in 20 minutes than in hours.

3) You allow yourself to work in small time junks, which is so much easier than climbing to the huge mountain at once and feel overwhelm by it!

4) Small steps - fantastic accomplishments and you will feel complete, satisfied and rewarded after you are done.

Don’t go to social media during the breaks if you don’t really have to. You only get distracted and overwhelmed or end up in a social media rabbit hole and suddenly two hours is gone. Or you start comparing yourself to others and self-doubt takes over. So say brave no for social media!

As Francesco's brilliant idea proves: the best ideas always come when you least expect them! No pushing, no struggling - but with life with ease attitude!

Hope you enjoyed this!

Let me know in the comments below in what ways were you able to boost your productivity or what is the biggest block for you.

With love,
Jenni

10 tips for better sleep (and health and wellness)

We all know how important sleep is for our well-being. Lack of sleep affects the mind, happiness, and weight and can cause all kind of side-symptoms.

People who suffer from insomnia are ready to do anything to get some sleep, I know that from my own experience. Years ago I suffered from insomnia and I know all about the horrors it can cause. In the end, when I took the responsibility of it, I used all these methods to create new evening routines and balance my distracted mind and create a new mindset about sleeping.

10 tips for better sleep

1. Create healthy evening routines. Adults need routines as well. What are your evening routines? Is it serving your sleeping? Modify your routines, if needed and follow them even while you are traveling and on the weekends. Reserve enough time for your sleeping routines in the evenings.

2. An hour before bedtime: no social media, internet, games - switch off all the gadgets. No work related reading either but something empowering and positive. TV doesn't belong in the bedroom: it makes your sleep worse and keeps your brain up and running all night. It doesn't remove the stressful thoughts but just distracts your mind other ways. What to do instead? Journal, read, just relax, draw, stretch, meditate or be present and have a conversation with your family.

3. Set your alarm early in the evening. So that you don't need to think about it just before bedtime.

4. Write your worry list & work through your thoughts about the day before getting into bed. Don't try to go to bed with stressful thoughts. Write down all the things and thoughts running in your mind - I mean everything including the negative feelings. It helps you to release anxiety that often sneaks in in the middle of the night and then keeps you awake. Remember, what you can't change or affect is not useful worry about. Don't carry the baggage you can't release.

5. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool. Dark blue is a great, calming color.

6. Cut off caffeine already on the afternoon (tea, coffee, soda) - it affects to your body. Switch to decaf coffee and tea.

7. Cut off alcohol: many believe that nightcap or couple of glasses of wine can make it feel easier to fall asleep, but you are more likely to wake up frequently.  And you slowly create a need/addiction with alcohol. If you are ready to explore cut off alcohol for a couple of weeks and you will feel calmer, sleep better and feel more energized.

8. Take deep breathes (meditate). Close your eyes and breathe. Or put your legs up on the wall and just breathe for 5 to 10 minutes. Very calming and tranquilizing, slowing down your system and stress levels.

9. Avoid heavy exercise or heavy meals late in the evening.  

10. If you wake-up in the middle of the night, don't panic - it's fine. Get up, do something calming, reading or meditation and when you feel tired again, go back to bed.

These tips can help to calm down in the evening and release the stress and tension that often disturbs the mind and prevent sleeping. If you suffer from long-term insomnia or if you feel fearful about sleep already in the evening or need to use sleeping aid often or every night, it is good to take it seriously and work things out to avoid more serious issues and exhaustion.

You can learn to sleep again and find new ways to calm yourself down and sleep well again. There are different ways to ease the distracted mind and release insomnia - hypnotherapy is a fast and effective natural therapy method that can help you to learn to sleep again: Read my more here.

If you want to know more could it help for you contact me here.

What do you do in the evenings to make sure you sleep well? 

Sweet dreams!

Much love, JennI

Mindfulness on the go and why it is good for all of us

Have you ever felt so stressed out or busy that it feels your head is almost exploding, and it's not even mid-day, but you feel overwhelmed, frustrated or anxious?

Is the feeling so strong that you know, there is no way to get over it and in the end, it ruins the rest of your day?

And you may release your stress load to your significant other or the kids later. And it might be that you have no idea where the emotional burst came from, but you just couldn’t hold yourself back, and you don’t understand yourself why you had to be so mean or hurtful.

It can be explained as a rough day or with tiredness but that burst causes pain to everyone, and it often starts an emotional snowball effect. In the long run, if these confrontations are not solved and talked through, the unreleased emotions cause all kind of relationship problems and then, you know, there are different paths.

Even if you would not feel that strongly and can push the emotions out of mind, you are just packing the frustration up for the later explosions.

If we don’t handle our past experiences and emotions, we keep creating the emotional congestion and pile it up, which formulates the issues, diseases, addictions…

Happiness and emotional balance is all about communication, at first with ourselves and then with the others.

In today’s video, I am talking about how to be mindful on the go and practice this crucial skill of feeling and being, observing what's happening in the body and the mind (and listen to your superpower intuition).

Observing your emotional state helps you become calmer, tranquil and your emotions just don’t shake up your world that drastically. There are ways to balance your emotional state, get to know yourself better and get over the stressful moment when it hits.

And how can you practice it on the go? Watch the video here:

 

We all ride different levels of energy and emotions every day. We all do mistakes, and we can’t and don't even have to, be zen, in control and mindful in every moment of the day - it’s okay to feel - perfect doesn't exist.

When you become more aware of the moments every day, you automatically increase your happiness as can make better choices for yourself.

Practicing mindfulness helps you to manage your thoughts, become more compassionate and accepting towards yourself and others.

Let me know what you think, and how you feel about this, in the comments below!

Much love, Jenni

How to use visualization and the power of mind

I had a beautiful brunch with my friends yesterday. We were celebrating my upcoming 40th birthday. I feel that I'm stepping in real adult- and womanhood, but at the same time, I feel ageless and good about getting old. Age is just a number and our attitude has a lot to do with how old we feel, and I never want to forget to play, be curious, have fun and try new things out - so what would really change?

Life is not a number, and I will never forget to play, be curious, have fun and try new things out - so what would really change?

Then, my friends were asking me about my visions for the year - what next?

Of course, my friends know that I live what I teach: use vision boards, reminders and different kind of techniques (habits) daily to keep myself happy and aware of where I am going in life - day by day (watch the last week's video of planning and procrastination).

I start my mornings quietly on my yoga mat. I try not to touch my mobile phone before anything else than a cup of coffee. I have all notifications off on my phone, so I don't get distracted (strongly recommended to everyone! Social media, emails and your phone just sucks you into distraction and overwhelm in a second).

My morning habits are part of my life that I don't even think about it anymore and don't want to live without - those moments in the morning time are my time. It sounds organized, but it's not like that at all: I flow with my morning schedules.

I do meditation, journaling, planning, and visualization - which is the IT tool that I talk about in my video below. It's The Secret all those books are all about.

On this video I'm talking about how to use visualization for short-time and long-term desires.

Visualization is simply about creating mental images for the future. It's about using your mind and imagination consciously, which you are doing every day and moment - unconsciously, the mind is fast - and that is how the brain works. It not about pushing through with a great determination towards the goals and forgetting what happens outside that track.

Visualization is a powerful tool helping us keep moving forward, and make things easier, daily life happier and you will become more trustful when you set your visions, define your goals and then - let go and get to that daily planning and life. Go!

To get back to my friends' question - I didn't know what to answer to my friends!

It’s a delicate and sacred thing when to share your dreams and visions publicly. I could have said I want to publish my book (I really do) and all those other things, just to say something. But I couldn't, as I haven't taken the next necessary steps yet. I did a new vision board recently, and now I concentrate on embracing today and feeling grateful of all what I have (the second part of THE secret) and there are many new things that need my focus and energy now - like my birthday celebrations! I have set my visions and I know it will happen - when the time is right.

Have you ever done a vision board? Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. And if you take my challenge from the video, I definitely want to hear how it goes.

With love, Jenni

Hypnotherapy - the way to make fast changes

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a state of relaxed focus, it is a natural state, which in hypnotherapy session is created intentionally by following the systematic methods. 

How does it feel like being in hypnosis?

There is nothing mystical or woo-woo related to hypnosis: you already know how it feels like. Each of us enters such a state at least twice a day - it’s the same pleasant, dreamlike state when you fall asleep and waking up, daydreaming or just being in a relaxed state, “zoned out” in your own world. This also happens when you are focused on doing something you enjoy or something monotonic or you reach the flow state: when you are running, driving, listening to the music, drawing, watching the horizon, the view or the waves on the beach.

Hypnosis is a state of concentration where you are totally present with yourself and open to messages about breaking habits or making changes that are limiting or threatening your health and wellness now.

As a long-time meditator, I see hypnosis as a technique that takes a person to the timeless state that most people, who are practicing meditation, are looking for: a heightened awareness and focus. 

What you need to know about hypnosis

• You are in control at all times.

• You are aware of what is happening and where you are.

• You can only be encouraged to do what you want to do. Hypnosis works with your will, morals, and ethics - not against it.

• While you are in hypnosis, you can talk and you will have a conversation with your therapist. 

Many people I have worked with have suspected they probably cannot be hypnotized but they have all been very suggestible. You can be taken into hypnosis easily, as long as you wish to.

What is hypnotherapy and why it works

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that is used to create subconscious change in a client in the form of new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, feelings or changing in other positive ways.

Hypnotherapy uses the power of the mind and impacts on it in hypnosis. It is a process that enables new patterns of behavior

Among its uses include motivation and confidence, pain control, infertility, birth, weight, insomnia, anxiety, depression, exams, addictions, public speaking, fears, phobias and sports psychology. All these conditions can create physical issues and RTT offers a solution to both physical and mental improvements.

Using hypnosis, you can become a non-smoker, reduce your weight, increase your confidence and self-esteem, beat phobias, pass exams, sleep like a baby, be healthy and fit, boost your motivation to achieve your goals, relax more, be calmer and present, reduce or stop drinking, enhance your performance at work and playing sports, heal quickly, give birth naturally, solve problems, have better relationships, and much more. 

It is both stimulating, effective, empowering and very relaxing. You will already leave the first session feeling empowered, transformed, energized and positive.

We can't really control what is happening in the future but we can affect it a lot, set the positive expectations for the future and hypnotherapy is certainly a way to release what is holding us stuck and keep us struggling now.

Rapid Transformation Therapy 

I studied personally with the world-renowned therapist, speaker, and best-selling author Marisa Peer. Her method, Rapid Transformation Therapy (RTT) is a powerful therapeutic modality, which has been developed by Marisa over the past 30 years.

RTT goes beyond traditional hypnotherapy helping clients release the physical and mental issues usually only in 1-3 sessions. RTT embraces many of the positive aspects of hypnosis and hypnotherapy that are known to produce a transformative effect on clients: the use of trance, regression and hypnotic conditioning.

Among its uses include motivation and confidence, pain control, infertility, birth, weight, sugar, insomnia, anxiety, depression, exams, addictions, public speaking, fears, stressful situations, phobias and sports psychology.

All these conditions can create physical issues, and RTT offers a solution to both physical and mental improvements and targets the three ways the mind works:

1. The mind does what you really think you want it to do: every habit of action is run by a habit of thought.

2. The mind responses to pictures it creates based on the repeated words and thoughts.

3. The mind is wired to be safe and wants to stay in familiar.

When the thoughts and the words are changed, the action and behavior changes in conscious and subconscious mind.

The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination!

If you want to feel happy and relaxed, hypnosis is offering a way to treat the causes of unwanted behavior, stress, and struggle. Once the cause is identified and dealt with, the behavior can change.

What to expect in the first session?

1. I will explain what hypnosis is and the theory of the mind

2. We will discuss the issue that you want to treat

3. We will do the hypnosis

4. You will get your personalized audio to listen at home

5. We will book a time for a follow-up session

IS HYPNOTHERAPY FOR YOU?

You must have a desire and dedication to be open for the changes you want to see in your life. You also understand that making long-lasting habitual and behavioral changes takes at about 21 days you will need to listen to your personalized audio for the next 3-4 weeks. When these three things are met, hypnotherapy has the highest success rate.

HOW you can work WITH ME

The initial session takes 2-hours, follow-up sessions are an hour long.

Coaching Therapy is a combination of transformation therapy and coaching is a one-six week long personalized program. This and all the other coaching commitments only via consultation calls as we want to make sure that you understand that there is work to be done outside of sessions.

The first online session including a follow-up call is $390

Follow-up session is $190

I meet most of my clients online via video calls, which gives me a possibility to work with people all around the world. I do have a private practice in Manhattan, New York.

BOOK YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT OR TIME FOR INITIAL CONSULTATION VIA THE LINK BELOW. Or if you have any questions, just send us an email at info@jenniglad.com.

YOUR FREE 15-minute initial CONSULTATION: You can ask any questions that you might have and we will talk about your concern and how hypnosis can help you and what do you want to address and change. I will ask some questions to gain clarity and insight into your experience.

MEMBER OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL HYPNOTHERAPISTS

Hypnosis helped me to get rid of my sugar addiction

I asked Jenni to help me do a real and long-lasting life change toward a healthier, balanced lifestyle - and especially to get rid of my sugar addiction and food binging.

Sugar addiction made me tired and unmotivated, and my brain was foggy. My blood sugar went up and down, and so did my mood! I was often angry or irritated without knowing the reason, and it made me feel horrible. Strict diets and health programs were working only for a short while, but soon after, I was back to my old habits. I didn't have the willpower to change my habits permanently, and it was a painful struggle! I was disappointed in myself, and there was a lot of self-blame.

After the first session with Jenni, I felt how my brain started dealing with new information, i.e., organizing itself for a new way of thinking and changing behavior. I wanted to listen to my personalized audio every night, and I started feeling more balanced day by day!

In just three weeks time, significant (unbelievable!) changes started to happen; my attitude changed and I felt more compassion and acceptance. My approach toward food changed too in the fact that now, I want to eat clean and healthy food.

I started enjoying meals with all my senses, and I am excited about cooking healthy meals for the family! I do not need to gorge myself anymore. I feel my metabolism has started to run properly; I can visualize the fat cells shrinking, and my weight is steadily decreasing every week.

Chocolate and candy have crossed my mind, but I do not have a compelling need to eat them; they do not interest me anymore. Once I had some candy at the movies, and I was not able to eat it as it tasted way too sweet!

A huge healing process started from inside out. In such a short time I was able to release the old issues that were inducing my self-sabotaging behavior; I understood and very gently accepted why I had to be that way. The past is not affecting me anymore.

I had my second video call after three weeks. Then, we worked with my mindset and boosted my confidence - it was really empowering! The third session was to complete our work together and make a plan how I will keep myself on the right track.

I enjoy myself and my life so much more now, and I see my changes also positively affect the people around me, my family, and the atmosphere in my home. My skin is glowing, and I am full of joy and energy.

Jenni is a gracious and trustworthy therapist and coach who warmly but firmly leads and helps her clients to gently see and let go of issues that can be painful and difficult to face. Transforming my habits was essential for me and affected all areas in my life. I can't thank you enough.

Karoliina, Helsinki

Achieve what you want with Coaching Therapy

My area of expertise is to work with people who have deep, often unconscious, patterns that are stopping them from getting the success they want and need. I help people to release these blockages so that they can accomplish their desires.

There might be a blockage or deep belief that is keeping you from success and sabotaging you from moving forward. It can be very frustrating, and even painful, creating all kind of physical and mental concerns. But your past, or issues, are not who you really are - you can become free from your limitations and start transforming your life.

We create our reality from deep beliefs that become thoughts and then actions, habits, and values and in the end - all this creates the reality that leads your life now, but also if nothing is changed, leads to the future:

When you change your beliefs and thoughts you will change your life.

You might be struggling with issues like stress, achieving goals, money, sleeping, low self-esteem, confidence, anxiety, continuous illnesses and accidents, relationships and bad habits, or lack of energy, addictions, phobias and ability to stay mindful and focused - just to mention some examples. We are all individuals having a unique background and special gifts and I can help you to stop suffering from your issues.

Maybe you have done everything you can, but you still haven’t been able to make the changes and get clarity what you really want and what's your place in this world. That can be painful, I know that from my own experience. 

I have formalized my coaching methods, and I use Marisa Peer’s phenomenal Rapid Transformation Therapy and hypnotherapy to helping you to quickly release what needs to go and then become free for creating the life and happiness you want and deserve.

I have created a unique practice that successfully helps people achieve their desires effectively with amazing results. Read more of my client experiences here.

How I work

I meet my clients locally in Manhattan and online via video calls:

One-time Transformation (2-hour) RTT session - depending on the issue it is possible to make long-lasting changes in just one session. Please contact with the form below for more information.

Coaching Therapy package (Three sessions) combination of transformation therapy and coaching that carries you further towards your goals. Please contact with the form below for more information.

Premium coaching commitments are available by application/referral only. I usually work with my clients privately for 6 months, and we go through a tailor-made process that helps you to make the changes you crave and develop yourself so that you can move towards your authentic desires and passions. Please contact with the form below for more information.

Mindfulness, meditation talks and workshops - Please contact with the form below for more information.dfasd

To book your session or for more information please contact me by filling up the form below:

[contact-form to="info@jenniglad.com" subject="Contact from website"][contact-field label="Name" type="name" required="1" /][contact-field label="Email" type="email" required="1" /][contact-field label="Subject" type="text" /][contact-field label="Message" type="textarea" /][/contact-form]

Warmly, Jenni