E13: 4 Core Elements Of Breaking Free From Anxiety

Anxiety got your spinning in circles stealing your time, energy, and joy?

Then make sure to grab your spot for Flowing 4Ward to not only learn the 4 core elements of taking control of your life and health but also create your own personalized plan to weave them into your life. 

Register for free right here: https://www.megan-nolan.com/4

In today’s episode we’ll dive into the 4 core elements of the Mindful Strength Method that will help you:

• Get intentional by using a game-changing tool that the most successful CEO's use 
• Boost your focus, productivity, & joy by 72%
• Learn the funnest way to stay in aligned energy all day that helps you tap into pure joy fast
• Overcome anxiety and learn to use your mind as the powerful tool it is (in just 15 minutes a day!) 

Loved all of this and are ready for the support, tools, and accountability to integrate it all into your life ASAP? Save 60% on your Goal Getter Power Session right here: https://www.megan-nolan.com/goal

Want to learn more 1st? Join us for Flowing 4Ward On March 28th   https://www.megan-nolan.com/4

 Please find the show notes below. Since it is a transcription there may be spelling errors and/or weird grammar. Ignore that and enjoy!

Hello, hello, and welcome back to another episode of the purposeful powerhouse podcast.
Today, we are going to be talking about The 4 core elements to not only breaking free from anxiety, but truly taking control of your life and your health so that you can achieve your goals without exhausting yourself so that you can be the leader that you truly are.
So that you can be the purposeful CEO that your vision and your goals and your dreams and your business inviting you to be.
But before we talk about these 4 core elements, I have an invitation for you on March 28th, I'm gonna be doing a live free brainstorming session that will be diving deep into these core 4 called flowing forward.
And you will walk away with a personalized plan to really integrate these 4 core elements into your life, into your routine, into your day to day so that you can see and feel and be the benefit.
So make sure to grab your spot for that for free.
It will be live and interactive.
There will be a replay available for a few days after.
So if you can't make it live at that time, you can definitely catch the replay and still get lots of benefit.
But, of course, joining us live, you'll get, oh, so much more, and there will be a special gift assist for people that join us live.
So As you may know, I am the creator of the mindful strength method, and there are 10 pillars to it.
To really bring it all together, but there are 4 core elements that we are gonna dive into today that I see and feel and know in myself to be the most impactful and therefore the most important towards helping you to not only take control of your life and your health, but to truly be thriving, to truly be happy to feel energized, to feel clear headed, focused, calm, confident, all those beautiful things.
And so We're gonna explore these 4 today, but I thought I would start with a little bit of a story because It's kind of perfect.
So you may or may not know from previous episodes or other trainings that you've done with me.
But I I live on Maui and we have chickens and roosters are pretty much our state bird.
Well, officially, it's the name a goose, which is a Canada Goose that lost the ability to fly long distances, much like myself, but there are chickens and roosters everywhere, including my backyard.
You maybe listen to the episode where I talked about adopting one named Turkey.
Anyways, this afternoon, as I was sitting and thinking about recording this episode, I could hear a little peep and I was looking out the window and there was a tiny little chick that was clearly separated from its pack brewed.
I'm not sure what a gathering of chickens is called, but it was freaking out.
And it's raining, and it was trying to climb up the the sand wall and there's roots and leaves, and it was definitely very stressed.
And I was watching it thinking, my goodness.
This is really interesting because If it took a step back or a few little steps and was able to take a different perspective on kinda get back to where it was trying to go, it would see that there were so many different routes to get there.
And so I share this because in that moment, when we are so deep in it with our business, with our life, we tend to get really sated.
Right? And it was trying to get up the wall by any means necessary, but it was slipping on the the wet leaves and on the roots and stuff.
And so it was, like, really desperately trying to get up the side of the wall and the sand wall behind my house here.
And I thought, wow, this is perfect because it didn't really the perspective to or the knowledge, I suppose it's a baby chick.
So, you know, I'm giving it a lot of credit here, but as an analogy, it hadn't really realized.
Okay.
Let me take a step back and take a look at this because this is the first core element that I wanted to share is expanding the vision.
And it's so important that we have a vision for your life and for your business so that it is what is pulling you forward.
I call this the golden thread of your vision.
It's what weaves everything together, and it's what pulls you forward And so it's so important that we periodically take a step back.
Right? So if we go back to our baby chick, if we had taken a few little steps or flutters back and realized, oh, okay.
I wanna get up there, but there's so many different ways that it could get there beyond the one that it was trying really uneffectively to use.
Right? And and you probably can relate to this.
I certainly have.
I've definitely felt like, you know, I was running at my goals and it was like, poof poof.
I would just run straight into the wall and then get up and try again, and it wasn't working.
But I realized, oh, look.
If I go around this way, then there's other ways to get there.
So how can you begin to expand the vision so much that it is really calling you forward and the version of you that lives in the vision that you get to become, which is the ultimate goal of All of this, right, is your own personal evolution and your growth and the depth of your understanding.
And that's an important thing too is when you're setting goals, think about the person that you get to become to really live into them.
Right? Because, you know, we can get obsessed with numbers and reach and followers and all of that.
But it really is about your journey.
Right? It's a warrior's journey.
And so how is this gonna serve your evolution and growth? Who do you get to become? What beliefs do you get to integrate and embody in order to bring that big big vision to life? So that's the first core element.
And so we wanna make sure that you're getting pulled forward by the vision rather than pushed forward by the pain in the past.
And I myself will tell you, you know, I was that baby chick trying to shine so hard because I just didn't wanna be in this situation anymore.
And, you know, and I didn't have that golden thread pulling me forward because I was reluctant to set goals because I had been disappointed so many Right? And so that's one thing to consider is are you clearing your energy after something happens? Are you integrating the lessons and then moving forward? Right? Because if we repeat those same stories to ourself in our head and we repeat the same patterns or we get tripped up in self sabotage by the saboteurs in the same way, that we're likely gonna keep trying the same thing and maybe seeing a little bit better, maybe less, you know, whatever it is.
So really taking a minute to clear your energy and pause and really continually shift back.
How do you wanna feel? Right? What is it that you really feel like you're called to do? What is your purpose here? Right? And so these are all questions that you can really ponder.
What do you really really want.
And that's what we wanna just kind of sit into.
And so, of course, at the flowing forward, we're gonna go deeper.
We'll talk about your north star emotions and how you can begin to embody those, but just as a starting point as an introduction into this first core element of expanding your vision, let's stop there.
So now that you know how you wanna feel and where you're gonna go, it's important that you are popping up the tank.
And what do I mean by that? Well, in case you forgot, you beautiful one.
Have a body.
You are not your body, you're not your mind, you're the thinker of all the thoughts and the awareness behind all of it, but you have a physical body.
And it's so important that you not only honor that love that make time for it, but ideally you are making yourself and how you feel a priority so that your body feels strong and energized.
Right? And so that's one of the pillars of being a purposeful powerhouse is moving your body on purpose to keep it strong and toned and energized.
So you feel confident.
You feel sexy.
You feel magnetic.
You feel like, yikes.
I feel good.
Right? And so one of the ways that you can do that that we are gonna explore and that is a really, you know, a foundation of mindful strength and taking control of your life and your health is how you start your day.
How do you start your day? Because you already have a morning routine The question is, how meaningful is it? Right? And so meaningful morning routines can be literally minutes if all you have.
Right? If you just get into a power pose while you're brushing your teeth and repeat your power statements, right, so you're activating statements that we, you know, we really wanna use over and over so you're repeating them to yourself with that clear intention in botting them in your physical body.
And so, you know, if you have 2 minutes while you're brushing your teeth or if you have an hour, right, whatever your morning routine is, it really the best one is the one that you're actually gonna do.
K.
So that's important to remember.
And this is one of the ways that you can really not only rev up your inner fire from a metabolic perspective, but also, you know, same, same really from an energetic perspective of getting yourself In the zone, getting yourself lit up, fired up, ready to go on point in flow because when you move your body.
When you have an exercise or a movement or yoga practice, first thing in the morning, it really does set the stage for more energy more joy, more groundedness, more consciousness throughout the day because you're not just getting up and on the go go go go go all day, like, choo choo.
You're on express.
From the minute you wake up, you got you got your phone, you're on the go, you go sit at your desk, you get out of your desk, and you're like, oh, good.
When did I turn a 100? So it's important to integrate movement into your day, especially first thing in the morning because it has an incredible effect on the overall function of your brain and your body.
Right? So it oxygenates your whole entire being, which, of course, includes your brain.
And so this is really important so that not only are you on point in flow aligned to your vision, and that's really the essence of a meaningful morning routine is doing things that really awaken your body, your mind, and your spirit, and align you with that beautiful vision that you just created in the first core element is Not so fun fact that posture is actually declining at the rate of technological advances.
So that means that the more advanced technology gets, the more our posture weakens.
And it's actually being called a postural D evolution.
Oh, no.
That doesn't sound pretty.
Does it? No.
And so what's happening is, you know, we went from walking on all fours.
We have all the ability to be standing upright, using tools, you know, walking with that nice, confident, upright and then gradually, we are becoming more and more stooped, more and more slumped, more and more sloughed, right, the ouchy slouchy pasta, which is the modern villain and, you know, his weapon of mass destruction, the chair, and technology, right, is really causing us all sorts of problems.
Sitting disease is a real thing.
Right? You've probably heard sitting is the new smoking, but when we sit, we're at risk for metabolic dysfunction.
So that means high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty acid accumulation in our blood, higher stress levels, um, weaker posture, which impacts are not only our confidence and our energy levels, but actually has a direct impact on your mental health.
Right? So weak posture is actually a predictor, not only of early death, not to shock you, but these are real stats, but also of mental health challenges.
And so if you are already someone like myself, I have high functioning anxiety and probably ADHD, if you already have one of those challenges, then having weak posture really lends to those challenges getting more and more intense.
Right? And this is because of the direct correlation between your mind and your body.
And the the route of that that connection is your your nervous system, right, your vagus nerve.
And when we are in that closed off contracted posture, you are signaling fight or flight to your body, whether or not you're really under stress.
Is a different question.
Right? But that's the correlation.
And so it's really important that you're doing things to get into strong posture.
Wake up your sleeping booty.
Yes.
Totally a thing.
We'll do more on that later.
Um, and really get into that embodied energy.
So the vibe of your vision, how can you really get into it, activate it so that you show up as your purposeful powerhouse self? So that's the 2nd core element is your meaningful morning routine that really does set the tone for the day.
Now after we do that, You already got, you know, your vision is top of mind, your goals, who you get to become, you're really sitting into all of that.
I'm willing to bet that the vibe of your vision is not cranky and tired and feeling like you're a hundred years old because all day long, you've been like, choo choo can't stop one Here we go.
Got a million more things to do.
Can't get out of my chair.
Oh, what I do? Got a grant and a groan.
And so it's important.
Both from a physical perspective because ideally you are getting up and down from, you know, a seated to a standard position throughout the day which helps to keep your energy up, your metabolism up, tension levels, pain levels down, stress levels down, energy levels up.
It's really important from all of those perspectives, but also from a clarity and a productivity and a performance and a not making mistakes, and an energetic perspective as well, which I realize are somewhat different things, but really it's all connected.
So, you know, hard to categorize it.
You know, as far as the the taking action and the doing things will be affected by that, but also your energy and how you feel will be affected by your physical body and your overall energy level.
And so it's important to take a little mindful moments throughout the day.
To be able to align your body, align your energy, have more play in your day because yes, even though you're a grown adult, It's really important for you to have play.
It you learn more easily.
It helps you to tap into joy.
You're in the the green zone of the energized and open and stay and play aspect of your nervous system.
And so taking power pauses throughout the day is so, so important.
And really power pauses are truly the funnest way for you to stay in aligned energy and tap into joy fast.
And so what's the power pause? It can be anything you want.
It's really just getting up and moving your body.
Right? You're not a rock.
You're not a tree.
It's so important that you have movement throughout the day.
Right? And so as we talked about this from the perspective of the evolution of technology is that you know, because we're so reliant.
Right? Think about this.
I'm recording on my computer.
I have my phone right here.
You might be listening on some sort ear device and listening on your phone.
You might be on YouTube.
Like, it's it's so prevalent in our life.
So it's really important that we are getting up and moving back into a strong posture.
Not a good posture or a bad posture, quote unquote, strong and weak.
Right? So we wanna think about it from that perspective.
When you're in a strong posture, you're open.
Your shoulders are back.
Right? This used to be things people would have contests about about posture and, um, eloquence and elegance, but now it's just if you look around, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Right? You see how we hold our phones down low by our belly button and we round our shoulders and our head is moving forward.
And it just looks like if you took the phone I forget who it is, but it was an incredible photographer who took all of these photos of people on their phone and he removed the phone and you look at the people and you just look at them and you kind of you really see like, oh, man.
They look so defeated.
They look sad.
They look like kind of, you know, withdrawn and and closed off.
And it's just because they had their phone, but it was removed from the photo.
And so if you look around and you see you see that prevalence of this weak posture, and so power pauses are just a great way to get you up, get you moving, have it be something that you enjoy.
Right? So we do these weekly, um, throughout the week, and you're welcome to come and those out.
You can see some links in some of the other episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:3 pacific.
So they're about 15 minute sessions where you just get up and you get moving and it's it's fun.
It's playful, and that's really helpful for your whole system.
Right? And so it doesn't have to be you joining us live, although I would love that if you'd like, but it's really about just taking some time to prioritize how you feel so that you you say up and open and not closed off and shut off and in pain or intention.
That tends to happen when we're working on the computer for long periods of time.
So that's the 3rd core element.
And then really the the foundation of all of this, of everything inside the mindful strength method, is learning to harness the power of your mind cultivating what is called mental fitness.
Cultivating strength in your ability to respond to life's challenges with a positive outlook.
And really what this boils down to is be coming aware of your thoughts and how your mind operates so that you can catch it in its antics and tricks, which are all self protective mechanisms.
Right? So self sabotage is a form of self protection.
They are responses that we learned as children.
Right? We were modeled them by our parents, caregivers, whoever looked after you when you were below the age of seven.
And so they are things that are so hardwired into us that we perceive them to be part of our personality.
And so you know, a lot for a long time.
I just said, I'm anxious.
I'm anxious.
I'm anxious.
And I'm not anxious.
I experience anxiety, but because I have a hypervigilance because that was modeled in my family, definitely by my mom, is that, like, always looking and that worrying and that fluttering and and being kind of flustered.
That's You know, if I'm not mindful, that tends to be my default handling.
And so there's that we wanna learn to witness that so that you can truly harness the power of your mind because it is really powerful.
When we use it, when we pause, right? So when we have the vision in mind, when we're set up and we're feeling strong and energized, we take a power pause to catch our self Where is my focus? Where is my tension and bring it back to that place of alignment and integrity and in the vibe of your vision? And so that you can move intentionally from that place.
Because otherwise, what tends to happen is we default back to these patterns and these stories that are ones that we've practiced so much that we just kind of think they are who we are.
Right? And so it's really important to remember that you're always evolving and you always have the capacity to decide who and how you're gonna show up at Right? And that's really the essence of a power pause is you get to stop, drop, and realign.
And so you're realigning with that version of you that is in the vision.
The one that you started the day as in that's how we just kind of keep bringing all of these components back together and it becomes not only a way to take control of your life and your health, but it becomes a way of life because it's really showing up for yourself and caring so much about how you feel that you make yourself and your health a priority.
And luckily, it doesn't take very long.
The mental fitness framework only takes 15 minutes a day, and it's so impactful.
And so Really, what it is is it boils down to is how we strengthen these muscles is basically you're creating new pathways in your brain.
Which is absolutely incredible because your brain has a plasticity to it.
That means it can be molded and shaped.
And so it's so important that we're doing these things throughout the course of your life to be thriving now, of course, but also to set yourself up for sustainable success in your business because you're the driving force.
Right? You're such an important factor, and you're the visionary.
You're the one, you know, showing up and doing all the beautiful things, but if you're treating your health and your life and yourself as an afterthought and kinda like, I'll get to it later.
I'm so busy.
I'm so busy.
And your saboteurs are telling you don't have time.
Then that's when we start to get really tripped up in the patterns of self doubt and inner critic and anxiety and overworking, overthinking people pleasing, having a hard time delegating all of those different mechanisms of self sabotage that the basically mind tricks.
Right? And so Really, because our mind will just be chattering away, and that's really so important is to have these little moments to come back.
Because, you know, as someone who identifies as a busy brain human, we all are, right, 60 to 70,000 thoughts, most of which he had yesterday, most of which are negative, It's so important for us to cultivate the ability to take command of your mind and harness its power.
Because otherwise, it's just gonna run the show.
Right? It either we learn to control it or it will control us because it's just hardwired, and it's hardwired for your survival.
And thank you very much, Brain.
Lovely love you, but it doesn't always have your vision at heart.
Right? One of my coaches, Tracy Lit always says either you're your dreams win and your fears lose or your fears will win and your dreams will lose.
And so when it comes to the mind, because it's focused on survival, It will perceive anything that's new and novel and unfamiliar as threatening, uh, and and activate fear And when we're in fear, the amygdala is activated, and that's when we default to these cell protective mechanisms that we learned as children to handle stressful situations.
But luckily, as you just learn, you can rewire that and it doesn't take long.
It's only 15 minutes a day.
So, those are the core 4.
Expanding your vision, making your morning routine more meaningful, taking power pauses throughout the day, and learning to harness the power of your mind.
And so they are so foundational.
Think of it kinda like the, you know, the Four corners of the house.
And so really grateful to be able to share these with you.
And, you know, I can definitely still hear the little baby chick chipperin outside chipperin.
Am I not be aware, but you know what I mean? Um, I'm not sure if you'll be able to hear it.
Sometimes you can.
Sometimes you can.
But really just take a minute to remember that, you know, we get to decide how you show up, how you show up in your business, how you show up for yourself, and whether or not you are making this a priority in a way that suits you, serves you, helps you to feel so centered, so grounded, so calm, that you're able to rise to the challenge.
Right? You're able to go out and do the things.
Do do the launch, have the calls, create the rocking podcast or whatever it is that you are up to and then be able to regulate and come back to center without having to gives so much that you have to shut down and collapse into exhaustion after the fact.
And that's really what this is about is having these tools in place so that Your mind isn't kinda causing you to spindle over the place wasting time and energy and stealing your joy, but you're in control.
You're in control of how your body feels, what your mind is focused on, what your your emotional state is because, you know, it's all governed and impacted by your nervous system state.
And and all of these 4 pillars core elements that we've been speaking to are really supportive to a thriving and happy and regulated nervous system and a resilient nervous system because you are taking these things and integrating them in your day and is the consistency of these little habits that not only help you to get out of self care overwhelm and anxiety overdrive but really truly help you to thrive.
I had to say it because it rhymed.
You know, I love my rhyming.
So That's what I have for you today.
I hope that that was really insightful and helpful.
And so I would love to have you join us for flowing forward.
Gonna be a live and interactive a brainstorming session that's happening March 28th.
If you happen to be catching this in the future, all good, you can definitely still join us for other amazing offerings that are happening, or you can go ahead and grab yourself a goal gutter session.
So goal gutter sessions are 90 minute power sessions, um, diving deep into these core elements.
Creating a energy bit boost blueprint, a step by step plan for you to keep your energy up throughout the month, throughout the launch, throughout the promo, whatever it is that you're doing, so that you are truly in alignment with your vision.
You're feeling calm and grounded.
You're recognizing these old patterns of self sabotage, that can cause you to feel anxious or stressed out.
Nip them in the bud because you'll identify the number 1 self sabotage pattern that tends to happen to you so you can avoid that frustrating, time wasting, anxiety, procrastination, perfectionism, whatever it is.
K.
So we'll dive into that and create a plan of not attack.
A plan of avoidance, I guess.
I don't know.
You know what I mean? To make sure that you're not getting tripped up by it, I'll figure out a better way to say that.
But Also, we are going to really create your own meaningful morning routine.
So if you're not able to join us for the flowing forward, brainstorming session.
Or if you're just like, take me to the fast track, Megan, I want help and I want it now, then go ahead and grab one of the goal getter sessions there 60% off, and they are incredibly value packed.
You get loads of different bonuses, accountability, support, a month in the power pause movements.
You have unlimited access to those sessions.
So that is gonna also be in the show notes.
So if you just wanna jump ahead and get some support because, you know, you're ready for it, you know, that your vision and your goals and your dreams are calling that forward out of you, then go ahead and grab your goal getter power session.
But If you're able to join us for flowing forward, we'd love to see you there.
And in the meantime, you're doing amazing things.
I'm really proud of you.
I know that this life thing can be challenging sometimes, and sometimes it feels like you're just getting in tumbled in the washing machine of life, but hopefully these tools and this podcast will be our supporting you so that you can learn how to think on purpose and use your mind as the powerful tool it is to move your body on purpose to keep it strong and healthy and energized so that you show up on purpose as the purposeful powerhouse CEO that you truly are.
So some love, and I will see you soon.
Or, yeah, come back soon for another episode if you can't see me because you're listening to the audio version of this.
Okay.
That's all for now.
Hope to see you at flowing forward