Tracy's Wellness Journey: My Mind is Set on Health

When we think about the word health, we generally think “absence of disease” versus health being a lifestyle where we are focused on nourishing our minds and fueling our bodies. The human body is so sophisticated that given the right environment, it can heal itself and thrive.

Over the last several years, I have explored and experienced numerous healing modalities with the intention of becoming my best self. I have shared intimate details about my personal wellness journey and the struggle to find balance and harmony in my life. 

Since the pandemic began, I have been on an intentional quest to build and create a healthy lifestyle that supports the vision I have for the kind of life I want to live. This is the year I lean in, accept personal responsibility, and hold myself accountable — it’s time to choose my own adventure.

I recently read this update from Emily Anhalt, PsyD, co-founder and chief clinical officer of Coa, a company focused on making mental health maintenance accessible:

 “Nearly 80% of employers have embraced the mental-health space with full commitment, increasing their investments in bringing daily meditation, emotional-fitness classes or subsidized mental healthcare to their staff. Given that burnout is the workplace injury of the 21st century and so many people feel like they need to choose between work and wellness, this is a life-changing shift that will shake up workplace culture and help people become more resilient.”

When I think about mental health, I certainly think about things like healing past traumas, reducing stress and building quality communication skills that support healthy relationships.  But I’ve also begun to think about mindset and what it means to be your own head coach.  Seventy percent of our waking behaviors are habit. Habits are learned experiences, both aware and unaware. Habits are shaped by the systems in our lives.

Mindset is not affirmations, quotes, or willpower. Mindset is a balance and harmony of our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. It’s about creating a balance between our conscious brain and the unconscious brain. We have between 10 thousand and 50 thousand thoughts per day and 80-90% of those thoughts are negative. The conscious brain says, “I’m good,” and the unconscious brain says, “What did I do wrong?”

The unconscious filters of mindset occur before we act and are based on our past experiences, current influences, our thoughts and perceptions, our emotions and beliefs and expectations. Cleansing this brain filter increases our awareness. When we adopt tools and habits that make us feel safe, we can move from survival mode to performance mode.  

Survival feels like:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Fear
• Pain
• Migraines
• Fatigue
• Self-doubt
• Immobility
• Inflammation

Performance feels like:

• Focused
• Strong
• Balanced
• Problem solver
• Clear thinking
• Coordination
• Logical decisions
• Confident
• Empowered

I believe that the examination of our minds, thoughts, feelings, and emotions is the starting point for a more personalized approach to healthcare. We first must become aware, then have acceptance surrounding the false stories we have told ourselves, acknowledge it’s a story and know that we have full control and can change the story and outcomes in our lives.

Who are you becoming? Where do you want to be one year from now? What’s the story that is stopping you or holding you back? Are you asking yourself the right questions? Are you feeding your brain with possibility and positivity? Are your daily habits supporting who you are becoming? What you say to yourself really matters. Your brain is always recording.  

What is your story? How will you be different in twelve months?

I’ll start. 

I am becoming a leader, an influencer, a writer, an educator, and a diabetes awareness advocate. I am a process and systems analyst for entrepreneurs, a business strategist, storyteller, a creative visionary, marketing maven, a community resource connector, and mind coach. I am an outdoor adventure enthusiast and athlete. I am a clean eater and chef that nurtures and cares for herself in such a way that I am unstoppable. 

Twelve months from now, I will be 45 pounds lighter. I will have traveled to Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and New England to explore the outdoors and breathe in life. I will bike, swim, walk and hike my way to being in the best shape I have ever been.

Walking my path and living my life to the fullest is part of my journey. It’s about becoming my best self and not holding myself back for any reason. That means surrounding myself with the people whose goals and ideals align with mine. We will cheer each other on to our best lives.

I am committed to lifelong learning, and I thrive in educational settings. I love to share what I learn. It is my calling to share my inner gifts with the world, to create higher forms of healing, beauty, inspiration, and awareness. It is time to let go of deeply rooted insecurities and learn to trust myself and my intuitive nature.  

With practice, my daily habits are improving and supporting who I am and all that I am becoming.