In this segment on WKMG channel 6 news, Dr. Brooke Stuart, a holistic and functional medicine doctor, talks about the importance of opting out of the norm and choosing to set the tone for the week, on your own terms, knowing that you are capable and that you can take complete responsibility for your life experiences. For the full segment, you can check out the video above or visit the link here.
Dr. Stuart centers around maintaining a positive mindset and setting achievable goals, especially during stressful times like the COVID-19 pandemic. She emphasizes the importance of being present, owning one’s power, and setting the tone for the week on a Monday. She suggests focusing on small, manageable goals and celebrating the process of achieving them. Additionally, she highlights the significance of finding balance, checking in with oneself, and adapting to changing circumstances. Dr. Stuart encourages individuals to embrace small wins, break down goals into manageable steps, and focus on setting intentions and committing to them for the week. The conversation underscores the importance of self-care, connection, and celebrating accomplishments as part of holistic wellbeing during challenging times.
Throughout the segment we discussed the importance of focusing on the present moment and setting small goals to navigate the challenges of the pandemic and here are the key takeaways:
- Own Your Power, Own Your Week: owning your power to set the tone and pivot as you navigate your experiences- knowing that how you care for your body, mind, time, schedule, routine, etc. in a time where you can feel powerless and reactive is an important statement that you can make one choice at a time. These action steps communicate an immense message of safety to your system, signaling presence and capability and sense of I’ve got this, it does not have me.
- Check in with Yourself, Opt Out of the Pressure: staying in the present moment and honoring yourself as you transition back into a vulnerable world, opening and re closing, you can still tap in, go at your own pace, and make the decisions that feel right to you- here, you can authorize yourself to say both yes and no, to change your mind and navigate accordingly, using your inner compass as your guide. When you tap into your own truth, with courage, right and wrong begins to dissolve and you can just simply move forward.
- Shift Your State: you can shift your state in many ways, through perception, language and physiology- so if you are feeling a bit off, shift your state! Here, you can focus on resilience and mastering the transitions by taking a moment to redirect through engagement in an empowering lifestyle choice, for example, to get some sun, take a walk outside, listen to an empowering message, plant a vegetable, hop on a call with a friend, support a local business that you love, etc. My favorite way to engage this change is through the heart based practice, where 3 minutes can change everything!
- Address Distress: we all need safe spaces, where we are truly heard and listened to- talking to a professional or a trusted friend or family member, someone you can have an open conversation with on how you are feeling and what you are truly thinking at this time is extraordinarily important. It can also be helpful to be this person to others- connecting without getting caught up, where you don’t necessarily have to fix anything, where you can just be there with compassion, knowing your presence is healing in it of itself (for both parties).
- Healthy Ecosystem: continuously creating an ecosystem conducive to health and growth, where it becomes easier and easier to spiral up is an important gift that can fuel the trajectory of your life and relax the system in the moment at the same time. This could translate into letting go of a specific habit or bringing one in such as simply drinking more water, eliminating processed food, or trying a meditation app to clear your mind. Sometimes, doing things we thought we weren’t capable of or didn’t have time for actually brings in more time, space and confidence in a serendipitous way. In essence, I encourage you to give it a whirl! ;)
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If you have questions or are unsure of where to begin, feel free to book a free consultation, where Dr. Brooke Stuart can guide you to the best of her ability inside or outside the practice and programs!
Full Transcript Here
Julie: As the coronavirus disrupts our lives, it can be good to take a deep breath and pause for a moment.
Kirstin: Yes. The perfect day to do that is today, Monday. Even though you can have a lot on your mind to start the week, it’s important to not look too far ahead and take things one step at a time.
Candace: We love those bullet points. And speaking of, I recently chatted with Dr. Brooks Stewart of holistic counseling and functional medicine about the best ways to accomplish a Monday mindset, especially during a pandemic.
I mean, it’s a really stressful time in our lives.
Brooke: Absolutely. So, as people are kind of entering into Monday and into this new world, I think it really can serve people to really focus on what is now, right. Obviously, there’s so much emotions that can come up with COVID. People are feeling unmotivated, they’re grieving the loss of what once was. They’re processing a whole array of feeling, but I think the way through it is to continuously be present to kind of own your power. And being a Monday, right, it’s the perfect time to set the tone for the week.
Candace: When you’re saying owning your power and kind of creating those little things you wanna get done throughout the week, what’s an example of that? I mean, are we talking like small goals?
Brooke: I think it’s going to be different for everyone and typically large goals, right? Those are more overarching themes, and there’s mini goals to get there, but I think people can find a lot of peace by just tapping in and focusing on the process itself.
So, for example, if you wanna produce a video, okay, well what can you do, right? Maybe you order something off of Amazon to begin to create it, or if you wanna plant a vegetable, maybe you start to research plants. I mean, as simple as it is, it can bring a lot of life by just focusing on those mini steps and one thing turns into another and then you have really created something during this time.
Candace: How would you kind of gear that, you know, that focus of a kind of owning your power and checking in with yourself for people who are kind of stuck at home?
Brooke: Absolutely. So I think that there’s a lot of finding your own relative balance. So whether you feel comfortable connecting through a Zoom call or you require space and you just wanna go take a walk on the beach or a drive and just get outside, whatever feels right to you. I think it’s that checking in with yourself and then applying it over and over and over again, and knowing that it can change and that it’s okay if it does change.
And sometimes you may want more connection. So, you know, within the rules and regulations, allowing yourself to transition into meeting up with friends in a different way, if you feel comfortable doing that, and allowing yourself to also take space when you need it, and not just allow it to come down on you so quickly. But at the same time, I think too, something that isn’t really typically talked about at this time is to allow yourself to enjoy your experiences. And to celebrate these little kind of “ wins” of reopening, but navigating it in a way that just feels right to you and where you’re kind of honoring yourself within the rules and regulations because this is a collective thing. Society is opening up together and no one really knows the right way how to navigate it. So just embracing it as part of the journey and really just allowing yourself to do it in your own way, within what feels right to society.
Candace: So small wins. It’s, it’s knowing that you have a goal, whether it’s changing your perception or changing your surroundings a little bit, just break that down into smaller goals and try to stretch them out over a couple of days. Don’t try to accomplish everything all at once.
Brooke: 100%. Because that can become so paralyzing if we feel like we have to do everything at once or, oh no, I’m so broken. It’s kind of opting out of that and just saying, look, it is what it is, and I can begin from this place. It’s the perfect place. I’m right here, right now. Let me come back into the present moment. Reconnect, reset, and remember that I’ve got this in terms of moving forward and setting the tone for the week.
Candace: It is Monday. Yes, viewers are watching this. What piece of advice can you give them to start this week? What can they work on?
Brooke: I love that. So I think the best way to take all of this information and consolidate it is to focus on two things.
Setting your intention for the week and then committing to it by choosing just one to three things of what you can focus on and accomplish what you can do. Right? So having an intention, maybe you write it on a post-it note, right? Maybe it’s to connect. Then you focus on the commitment piece and you think of three ways that you can actually connect, zoom, call a walk with a friend, and maybe you check in with yourself through a simple headspace or meditation app.
Connection, connection, connection, activated.
More Resources
- Growth Stories: Spiral Up, How to Pivot During a Pandemic
- Alternative Methods For Mental Health | Destination Health Podcast
- On Mental Health, High Performance and Cultivating a Growth-Oriented Mindset In The Workplace | UCF Exchange 2022
- Methods To Help Your Mindset For Spring
- Sign up for our Fullscript dispensary here to receive 15% off all physician-grade supplements + protocols
More From Dr. Brooke
Dr. Brooke Stuart is the founder of Let Go & Grow®, Co-Founder of Lead Lab, and a holistic doctor in private practice, where she works with a unique combination of holistic counseling and functional medicine to personalize treatment plans for her patients as she partners with them to unlock their own, intrinsic ability to heal! She works with patients locally in Orlando, FL, and virtually worldwide. She also works with groups, families, couples and children upon request to address the root cause of a wide range of health issues including but not limited to: stress-related disorders, thyroid and hormonal imbalances, blood sugar dysregulation, compromised detoxification, gastrointestinal and cardiometabolic issues, and more.
- For more on her private practice, check here.
- To book Dr. Brooke to speak or work with your team or organization, check here.
- To read more about Dr. Brooke Stuart’s journey into holistic medicine, professional and functional medicine training, affiliations, and credentials, check here.
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