Think wellness is just for Instagrammers and yogis? Think again. According to mindset and wellbeing coach Samantha Flook from The Core Health, no matter who you are, where you’ve been or where you need to go a thriving mindset is key.
“When you lead with a healthy and flowing mindset, the rest of your life will follow suit – work, relationships, confidence, movement, you name it,” explains Samantha. “The way you approach, connect and reflect from any experience in your life will be the result of how you choose to show up each and every day!”
So, it will come as no surprise that shifting your mind comes with some healthy benefits. “Learning to mindfully respond instead of negatively react with a long held habit, and observing our experiences and feelings instead of attaching to them, we begin to find ourselves accessing a lot more freedom from overwhelm, more nourishing control within our choices (with a lot less pressure and judgement) and the element to work through challenging situations with ease, all by listening to ourselves and taking manageable and achievable actions to get there,” says Samantha.
She adds that by creating space between ourselves and what no longer serves us – we’re talking negative thoughts and habits – we’re better equipped to step back, listen to ourselves and reflect.
If you’re ready to move through self-doubt, step-up into your healthiest and most confident self, follow Samantha’s top ways to kickstart your wellness journey: on repeat!
1. Breathe
“Everything begins with the breath. Before you rush, hold yourself accountable to stop and take three long, slow and deep rounds of inhales and exhales in and out the base of your nose with your eyes closed. This tells the body to be present, not to rush and releases happy endorphins into your system.”
2. Movement
“Movement releases stress from the body, clears the mind and creates new perspectives. Boost your movement with what feels available to you – a walk, yoga class, gym session. Don’t base your movement on the calories or amount of time; but instead on how it makes you feel. What movement can you commit to this week?”
3. Nourishment
“Start by seeing where you can make some healthy swaps – from take-out to eating-in, from fried to baked, from soft drinks to kombucha, where can you begin to make at least one healthy swap this week? One swap a week is 52 swaps a year – keep it simple! Also, focus on eating the rainbow; a wide variety of colour means a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.”
4. Creativity
“It’s essential to give the mind some ‘play’. If we don’t break from our norm, we can begin to feel rundown, bored and potentially lost, and boosting creativity is shown to encourage productivity and motivation within all areas of life. Whether it’s drawing, cooking or reading, hold yourself accountable to do one ‘new’ activity or task each week. Where can you invite some play into your schedule this week?”
5. Stillness
“More doesn’t necessarily mean more success, achieved or more fulfilment. Are you allowing yourself to take time out, without your phone or needing to tick something off? Stillness invites so much energy into the body. But to switch off our minds and find fulfilment within ourselves, first we must bring in little bits of stillness into our days. For example, meditation, walking without your phone, rounds of breathing. Notice when you’re rushing to invite some stillness into your practice.”
Want more? Upstate is joining forces with Samantha for our first-ever wellness event on June 20! To secure your seat to this exclusive event we are asking for a donation for any amount, with all proceeds going to youth mental health charity One Eighty. On the night, you’ll be treated to an inspirational workshop and nourishing food from Buffet By Bonnie.
