November 10, 2025 • 39 mins
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by your own emotions? I have. It feels like a storm just comes in and takes over your inner world, leaving you tossed around by waves of anxiety, frustration, or sadness.
If you’ve ever felt that way, you are in the right place. This episode is our guide to moving beyond just "calming down" and into the practical, powerful world of mindfulness.
I was so excited during this recording because it truly helped me learn how to ground myself in those moments when my anxiety gets the best of me. I'm joined by the incredible psychotherapist Nina Shevon Steverson of Acclivity Mindfulness, who specializes in helping people heal from trauma and develop grounded, healthy emotional habits.
Nina redefines mindfulness in a way that just clicked for me: It’s not about fighting your feelings, but learning to become the calm "observer" of your inner world. She explains exactly what’s happening in our minds and bodies when we enter "survival mode" and, most importantly, gives us the tools to regulate our nervous system and signal safety to our brains.
This isn't just theory—it's a practical toolkit for taking your power back.
In this episode, you will learn:
- What mindfulness truly is (and what it’s not).
- A simple, powerful breathing technique you can use to immediately reset your nervous system.
- The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise to pull you back to the present moment when you feel your mind spinning.
- How to move from reacting to life to responding to it with intention.
- Why these accessible tools can be the first step in healing generational burdens and rewiring your brain for peace.
This is one of those conversations that can genuinely change your relationship with yourself. You won't want to miss it.
Get exclusive listener discounts at mydeals.page/jhrt. Click any deal, and the code LIFEPODCAST applies automatically at checkout to save you money and support the show.
Thank you for listening! We'd love to hear from you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr C (00:06):
Hola and welcome to the live podcast where we explore
how to learn, stay inspired,continue to purge, and evolve
into our best most competitiveselves.
I'm your host, Dr.
C, and today we're talkingabout emotional wellness.
Have you ever felt completelyoverwhelmed by your own
emotions?
(00:27):
I have.
Like a storm came in and justtook over your inner world,
leaving you feeling tossedaround with waves of anxiety,
frustration, even sadness.
If you have, you are in theright place.
Because today's episode isgoing to talk about moving
(00:48):
beyond the idea of just calmingdown and into the practical,
powerful world of minds.
I was so excited during therecording of this episode
because it really helped melearn more about how to ground
myself in moments where I'm inthe trick, in moments where my
(01:10):
anxiety is getting the best ofme.
And you are going to lovehearing from our guests.
So in this episode, our guestis Nina Shevin Stepperson.
Nina specializes in EMDR,internal family systems, and
mindfulness-informed care,helping people calm anxiety,
(01:31):
heal from trauma, and developgrounded emotional habits.
She also leads at LibertyMindfulness, a platform on
YouTube offering simple,powerful mental health skills.
This is an episode you will notwant to miss.
Nina, welcome to the livepodcast.
Thank you so much for havingme.
(01:54):
So excited that you're herewith us today.
So let's start with the basics,right?
Because mindfulness is a wordthat we hear a lot.
From your perspective, whatdoes it truly mean?
Nina (02:07):
So for me, mindfulness means being present with what is
without trying to fix, fight,or flee from it.
It's learning to become theobserver of your inner world
rather than being lost inside ofit.
(02:29):
And I often tell my clients,you're not your thoughts, you're
the awareness behind thethoughts.
And that shift allows us torespond to life instead of
reacting to it.
And this is just a littleexample that I use in session
with session when I'm trying toexplain it.
(02:52):
And I like this forperspective, right?
So imagine yourself like you'rein a bubble.
And in this bubble, it's likeyour bubble of peace, let's call
it, right?
And it's just like calm insidethere.
It's it's just relaxing, andyou're really safe in that
(03:16):
bubble.
But as you look around, there'schaos, there's this stressful
situation, and this triggeringperson, and this person giving
you a list of things you need todo, and the kids running around
screaming, and everyone wantingfrom you.
Okay.
(03:36):
And then you're inside thebubble, you're observing all of
this, but you aren't swirlingaround.
You're you're like at peace,and you can empath empathize
with people, and you can holdspace with people or people
(03:59):
without like owning andabsorbing all the emotion that
comes with the chaos.
Dr C (04:06):
Oh, yes.
I feel like you're talking tome.
Absolutely.
And so for those of us who feelthat chaos, can you pull back
the court curtain and like whatis actually happening in our
minds and our bodies?
Nina (04:25):
Okay.
So when the chaos hits, it'sbasically the anxiety,
typically, right?
And your body then goes intolike the survival mode.
So your heart starts racing,you breathing becomes really
shallow, your mind startsspinning, all sorts of stories
(04:46):
of threat, right?
You start to catastrophize, youstart to make up stories.
And one of the things I teachin with clients is we fall into
these thought traps, right?
Or another term is cognitivedistortion.
You start to see the worldthrough the lens of those
(05:08):
thought traps, right?
So mindfulness like helps toregulate your nervous system.
So when all that is going onand the chaos starts, being
mindful helps you just bring itdown.
Okay.
And just by slowing your breathand grounding in the present,
(05:30):
you send that signal to the bodythat you're safe, that all this
stuff that you're creating isnot real.
What is happening in thepresent is what is actually
real, what is actual reality.
Right?
So it's not like forcing calm,it's like creating conditions
(05:55):
where the calm can returnnaturally.
That makes sense.
That makes sense.
Dr C (06:01):
Absolutely.
That's such a clear way ofputting it.
I've never heard mindfulnessput that way.
So thank you.
Because it grounds me and ithelps me understand.
We hear we hear a lot of words,right?
And we don't necessarily knowwhat it means, how it impacts
us, and how we how we naturallyrespond without intention.
(06:21):
But when we put intention intoreally kind of understanding our
emotions, you know, that is tome where we could really like
start thinking about ourwellness in a different way,
right?
So I know this work is deeplypersonal for you.
And your YouTube channel, Iknow it wasn't a business plan,
you described it as a calling,as your way of giving back,
(06:45):
chart work as you called it.
Can you share the inspirationbehind that?
Nina (06:51):
Yes.
During my sessions, I foundmyself like teaching very like
the same grounding tools, thesame breath work, the same
(07:14):
visualizations.
And I I started almost like alittle toolkit, but I start when
I have a new client.
I start with this toolkitbecause none, none of these,
none of I've been in practicefor many, many years.
And no one has these tools.
It's so foreign to people,right?
(07:36):
And you know, and it'ssomething that I can always like
refer back to.
But what clients would alwayssay is, you know, I wish, I wish
I could take you home with me.
Or they'd say, you know, Iheard your voice in my head
reminding me to be mindful.
The only time I've heard, Iheard your voice in my head.
(07:56):
So around that same, around thesame time, I felt like this
nudge, honestly, I felt it wasGod saying, share what you have,
right?
And I didn't listen becauselife started laughing and I put
it on hold, and my own, youknow, my own stuff comes up.
And then I felt like Godstarted screaming it.
(08:19):
And um, you know, it becamelike every session with a new
client, they would say like thesame thing.
And they talk about howimpactful it was to learn this
skill.
And and, you know, it's justnot something we typically learn
growing up.
We we exist in the future.
A lot of people, I won't saywe, a lot of people exist in the
(08:44):
future or the past.
Dr C (08:46):
Wow.
Nina (08:46):
And they don't know how to exist in the present.
Wow.
And when you exist in thepresent, you can't be anxious
because usually you're anxiousabout something in the future,
right?
So if you exist in the momentand allow yourself to learn
(09:07):
that, your whole life can beimpacted.
And so, like, we weren't taughtthat.
Like, we we grew up with thehustle bustle and the always
moving parts, and that is whatyou look at as success is how
many things you can juggle, youknow, and that's not healthy,
(09:29):
right?
Dr C (09:29):
And and I love how you put it, uh, you know, we're either
living in the past or we'reliving in the future.
Very rarely are we living inthe present.
That that that really hit homebecause I'm sitting here going,
yes, that is so true.
I'm always thinking aboutwhat's next.
I'm always thinking about okay,what's on my calendar?
What do I have to do?
(09:50):
What is the deadline?
What's the report?
What's you know, meeting,whatever it is.
Always thinking in the future.
Wow.
And and how much am I missing?
Because I'm not in the present.
Absolutely.
Nina (10:05):
Absolutely.
Can you even enjoy the thingsthat you are working for, right?
Because if you were alwaysthinking of the long list, can
you enjoy just the moment, youknow?
And so, like part of going outon this limb and starting this
YouTube channel was like not forbusiness, not for like another
(10:28):
like a side hustle, but it waskind of an offering.
It's my way of putting calminto the world because in the
way the world is right now, Iyou know, I feel so helpless and
I can only do so much oneclient at a time to help, you
know.
And for some people, therapy isa luxury.
(10:49):
It's not there's still thestigma attached, but for some
people, they just can't affordit, right?
So this is like a tool that Ican anybody can access.
And for that moment, for thattoo, and I do it short because
you know, I think it's hard forpeople that are new to this
(11:11):
practice to sit for 10 minutes,sit for 20 minutes, you know.
And so I do them, make themshort to just get you used to
actually being still.
You would be shocked at, youknow, I have a client that's
never done this before andthey'll sit for two minutes and
it feels like forever.
Forever.
No, right.
(11:31):
I'm not used to that.
So, like you and make themshort so that it can get you
into get people into thepractice.
Dr C (11:41):
Yeah.
And that's what I was thinking,you know, it may be short, but
it's like building a muscle,right?
When you work out a day, sobuilding that muscle.
So I'd love that it's shortbecause you know, you can take
time to kind of start gettingused to it and really learn the
skills.
So I have been on your YouTubepage and very helpful.
(12:01):
I have actually used some ofyour breath work.
So thank you for that.
And so very excited to continueto learn how to be how to have
these techniques, right?
And build my muscle, build,build my my inner, inner uh
resilience and really I want tobe in the present.
I don't want to look back andgo, wow, I spent so much time
(12:23):
worrying about what happened orwhat's gonna happen that I
didn't enjoy the present.
So I definitely uh I'm thankfulthat we're having this
conversation because itreinforces the benefits and also
reinforces that the only way toget good at it and comfortable
with it is by doing it.
Nina (12:41):
Over and over again.
Yeah, and truthfully, once youstart and you get used to it and
it starts to feel good and youstart to like be able to carry
that with you beyond the twominutes or three minutes or five
minutes, and you can walkaround and be in your bubble,
the sense of peace that comeswith that.
(13:01):
Yes, yeah, but yes, it's amuscle, it's rewiring your
brain, you know.
Dr C (13:08):
And you and you said it, right?
We weren't raised this way,right?
It wasn't some, it's notsomething you learn at school,
it's not something you learn athome.
You learn it if you're intherapy, right?
And so, or if you just happento stumble upon it and and and
learn it that way.
So I appreciate I appreciateyou talking about this and and
(13:28):
transparently speaking about whyyou created the YouTube channel
because you're right, noteveryone can afford therapy.
And there's also a a shortage,right?
It's sometimes it takes verylong to get into therapy or to
find a therapist that speaksyour language, understands your
culture.
I mean, there's so much thatyou want to feel comfortable
(13:49):
when you when you have therapy,and so there's a lot of factors
that go into choosing atherapist.
Yeah, awesome.
Nina (13:57):
Thank you for thank you for bringing that up because
that is something that I love toshare because not everybody um
thinks about that.
And the therapeuticrelationship is really, really
important.
And for those that go totherapy and they're like, oh,
therapy is not working.
Oh, I didn't, you know, Ididn't feel like I got anything
from it.
I really think it's you justdidn't find the right person
(14:19):
that you connected with.
Dr C (14:20):
Yeah.
You know, I think about therapyas dating, right?
Any any relationship, whetherit's a friendship, a a romantic
uh relationship, uh a familymember, a real, but it's still a
relationship.
And so find your home, right?
Find where you're comfortable.
And you know, you're gonna itonly works if you could feel
safe and you could betransparent about what you're
(14:44):
really going through.
So yeah, I I agree.
I think it's it's okay to sayit doesn't, it's this one's not
working, but don't give up andkeep looking up and find find
your home.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Nina (14:57):
And a lot of therapists do um consults, they just do like
15-minute free consults that youcould just interview them.
Like I've had many clientsinterview me and I kind of
interview them because sometimesfor the therapists, you might
not be a good fit for them, youknow, and they can recognize
that.
So that that is something thatyou know to keep in mind.
Dr C (15:23):
I've never heard of that concept that a therapist would
say you're not the right fitclient for me.
Nina (15:30):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
A hundred percent and and and agood therapist should, because
if it's a situation that eitherthe therapist is not and have
does not have expertise in, orit's a situation that's close to
them, like if there is traumathat is not resolved or that
(15:54):
therapist is working on that,you know, and you're with a
client, there's a lot oftransference and
counter-transference issues thatcan occur, especially if that
therapist is not in her own intheir own supervision.
So that's something we'retrained to look at.
You know, if that client is nota good fit, it's okay.
(16:18):
It's not rejecting the client,it's giving them referrals to
therapists that will better suittheir needs because that's the
most important thing.
You want the client to be ableto benefit, and they're not
gonna benefit if the therapistis working on their own stuff
through the client.
Dr C (16:37):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, but thank you for thatbecause you know, I had never
really thought aboutinterviewing a therapist, right?
And then interviewing you.
So that gives us agency, itgives us uh autonomy and control
and really designing and kindof really thinking about who is
who is the best match, right?
And and making sure that it itreally is when you when you when
(17:01):
you meet with them for theconsult.
So that's that's amazinginformation.
Thank you for that.
So Nina, let's get practical.
Let's really uh let's startthinking about.
So if someone is listeningright now, right?
Maybe their heart is racing,their mind is spinning, they
need to flourish, not justevolve, not just sorry, not just
survive.
Um can you walk us through asimple immediate practice that
(17:24):
we can use and where we can findour center?
Nina (17:28):
Sure.
I I have a couple.
Is that okay if I do sure?
Let's let's start with one.
These are very basic thebuilding blocks, I would say,
right?
Preschool.
So so the first thing is deepbreathing.
(17:49):
And you know, for for peoplethat are familiar with even the
word mild mindfulness, theythey're past preschool, right?
They're further along, butthere's a lot of people that
aren't.
And for those that aren't, Ithink that it would be
beneficial to just talk aboutthat.
Okay.
Lots of folks walk around andthey don't know how to
(18:13):
debreathe.
Right.
And you say breathe, andthey're like, what does that do?
That sends your body intoflight or fight mode because
you're then short on oxygen whenyou're doing that.
You know, you'rehyperventilating.
You're instead of calming youdown, that's like sending you
(18:35):
up, you know, up the hill ofemotions and and fear, you know.
So we want to slow it all theway down.
Okay.
And we could do this together.
So it helps if you put youryour hand on your belly because
you want your when you breathein, you want your belly to go
(18:58):
out like a balloon.
Okay.
So as you're breathing in, youwant to take a long, slow, deep
breath through your nose, outthrough your mouth.
Okay.
So if it feels safe, you canclose your eyes.
(19:26):
And then you take another deepbreath in through your nose.
And exhale slowly through yourmouth.
On the next breath, I want youto just soften your shoulders,
(19:47):
unclench your jaw, just kind ofrelax your body.
And I want you to then breathein again.
Slow deep breath.
And then breathe out.
(20:10):
And then we'll do one last timewhere you inhale, but you kind
of visualize that you'reinhaling calmness.
And you're just exhalingtension.
How did that feel?
Dr C (20:36):
I closed my eyes.
At first, I was just breathingwith my eyes open.
But when I closed my eyes, Ifelt I was grounded in the
breath.
And having my hand on my bellyhelped me control that breath.
You're right.
I don't extend my belly when Ibreathe in.
(21:00):
So I have to think about itwhen I'm doing it.
So yeah, having my hand on mybelly definitely helped me,
like, oh, that's right.
I'm not breathing deeply, butdefinitely closing my eyes
helped me feel calmer, helped mefeel like I was in control.
And it kind of shuts out theworld.
Yeah, yes.
It felt like I was, it was justme.
(21:20):
Yes.
Yeah.
Nina (21:21):
Yeah.
And so, like, even just threeconscious breaths, right, can
help to like reset your nervoussystem when you're starting to.
I give the analogy to clientsabout going up a hill, right?
And it's like your the engineis revving.
So you have a situation happenthat is painful or triggering or
(21:46):
anxiety-provoking, and youstart to creep up the hill,
right?
And another thing happens, youcreep up the hill and nothing
happens.
You creep up the hill, right?
If you're able to just takethese three breaths, you start
to go down the hill.
You know, before you reach thetop, we wanna we wanna bring it
down.
Okay.
Yes.
(22:06):
All right.
So another one.
unknown (22:11):
Okay.
Nina (22:12):
And so this one is good for let's say you're at the top
of the hill.
Dr C (22:16):
All right, so I'm already, I'm already really upset.
Nina (22:19):
So you're really upset.
You're just okay.
Dr C (22:21):
You're this is the one I need.
I'm building my muscle.
Okay, so this is the one I needto start with.
Let's go.
Nina (22:31):
So this one is a grounding exercise, and this is a really
simple grounding exercise, andprobably pretty common.
A lot of people have used thisone, and it's the five senses.
Have you heard of that one?
No, no.
So, so with the five senses,this grounds you in present.
So you're really upset aboutsomething, you're up that hill,
(22:53):
and you could do this right now.
Dr C (22:55):
Okay.
Nina (22:56):
Name five things that you can see.
Dr C (23:00):
Okay, my computer, my TV, the window, a hat that says
Puerto Rico on it.
That's three things amicrophone, a USC banner, and a
bunch of Zeta Phi Beta sororityincorporated uh things.
(23:21):
I had to throw that one in.
Of course, yes.
Nina (23:30):
Now, name four things you can touch.
Dr C (23:34):
Okay, I could touch the microphone, I could touch my
headphones, I could touch thecomputer, and I could touch my
keyboard.
Okay.
And three things you can hear.
I can hear you.
I can hear like just the sound,the ambient sound of the room.
And I don't have my fan onbecause I'm not having a half
(23:58):
flash on.
So I don't hear my fan, which Ialways hear.
Nina (24:02):
Every time I see one of those little fans, I think of
me, right?
Okay, and then we go to twothings you can smell.
Dr C (24:15):
So this is gonna be interesting.
I'm gonna tell you why.
I lost my smell in 22 when Ihad COVID.
Oh so very rarely do I smellsomething.
It's so rare that when I dosmell something, my brain's
like, what is that?
What's going on?
Something's happening.
And then I kind of like, oh mygod, I can smell.
So what happens when one ofyour senses is compromised?
Nina (24:39):
Usually, usually the other senses take over and they're a
bit more heightened.
Dr C (24:43):
Okay.
So I would skip the smell.
Nina (24:47):
Yep, yeah, you could skip this, or if it if it's like you
can tell by strong fragrances,like if you have a bottle of
perfume or some hand lotion, youcan just take that out and try
to smell that if that helps, youknow.
But yeah, you would you canskip that one.
The point is to just get yourmind in presence.
(25:07):
So doing all the other oneskeeps you in presence.
And the last one is taste.
So, like, you know, one thingyou can taste.
And okay, in the moment youmight not be eating anything,
but a lot of times people havewater with them, they have a
mint or gum or tea or something.
Just take a sip.
So these things, this I thinkthis one is one of the most
(25:31):
practical, and this is thefoundational stuff to have in
your toolbox, really, becauseyou can do this anywhere.
You could be in a conferenceroom and get real annoyed at
work and be able to do this, andno one will know that you're
grounding yourself, right?
So I think this is this is oneof the ones that really help to
(25:54):
just anchor your mind back inthe now.
Another thing is practicing it,practicing it so much that it
just is your go-to.
Not just this, but anymindfulness skill.
If you're able to practice itenough that it's your go-to,
(26:14):
then you you start to payattention to your body and you
know when you're starting todysregulate.
So at the first instance of it,you can start to like kind of
bring yourself back down.
Dr C (26:26):
I love that.
Thank you.
I I feel calmer, I really do.
Just by just by doing that.
And I think it's amazing howyou know sometimes simple things
can be so powerful.
So thank you for that gift ofgiving us two actionable ways to
kind of ground ourselves andand bring ourselves back to a
neutral state so that we can bein the present and and really uh
(26:50):
enjoy the present.
And also, you know, we to yourpoint, get out of that fight or
flight, right?
Get get out of the if we're ata if if if you look at a
spectrum of one being completelycalm and ten being about to
just turn the table over, right?
Uh that that really can helpwith kind of bringing you to a
neutral state.
And so appreciate thatdefinitely.
(27:12):
So we have tools for themoment, but how does
consistently showing up withmindfulness help us evolve over
time and maybe change ourrelationship with ourselves or
our emotions?
Nina (27:27):
Consistency.
So if you're consistent, if youestablish a mindfulness
practice and you are consistentwith it, that's where the
transformation happens.
Because at first, mindfulnessjust feels like a pause, but
over time that pause becomespower, right?
(27:48):
You start noticing yourpatterns, your tones, your
triggers.
You you notice.
I just just now I talked aboutbody awareness.
You you you get better bodyawareness.
And rather than like beingruled by them, you're you're and
(28:10):
feeling kind of out of control.
You you get to choose how yourespond.
Dr C (28:16):
Oh, I love that.
So we have power.
Nina (28:19):
We don't feel you have power, you gain your power back.
You don't feel out of controlby the emotions.
You're able to, you're able tobe in charge of those emotions.
So it's that rewiring that wetalked about.
And it's more compassion andand it gives you more clarity.
And and another point is itcarries over, right?
(28:42):
Like it carries over to yourfriends and your family and has
the capacity to heal like whatwe call like generational
burdens or generational cursesthat get passed down in
families.
It really, it really doesbecause you know, a lot of times
dysregulation shows as likeanger, anxiety, you know, abuse.
(29:04):
It's a lack of control of thoseemotions.
And if you're able to establishthat like consistent
mindfulness practice, you canrecognize the patterns and you
can recognize when you'redysregulating, and you can
recognize the patterns inyourself and your family and
your friends.
Because no one has the right todisrupt your peace.
(29:26):
Like that is your right to be,to have that sense of peace.
And there's a lot of peoplethat exist so disconnected and
so dysregulated and so deep intheir own hurts and their own
emotion that it just like spewsfrom them, right?
(29:47):
And it's very easy to pick thatup.
And if you are you know whatpeace feels like, you know when
that's happening, and you can.
I love that.
Dr C (30:01):
Yeah.
So, you know, I know you'rethinking of making content for
children.
And I can we talked earlier inthe episode about how we're not
brought up this way, right?
We're not brought up to tobreathe and and to learn how to
kind of regulate ourselves oreven know what our triggers are
so we walk we can anticipate,right?
(30:22):
When we're when we're in asituation like, oh, this is this
is this is gonna trigger me,right?
And so how do you how do youprotect yourself?
How do you go in?
How do you how can you bestrategic in really kind of
taking care of your yourself andenvironments like that?
So how does starting thispractice early shape a person's
life?
Nina (30:43):
It can have like an incredible impact.
It really can.
Children learn what we model.
And you know, when we teachmindfulness early, even if it's
something as small as like,let's take a breath before we
speak, let's count to 10.
(31:04):
With my kids, I use a lot ofsmell the roses and blow out the
birthday candle.
Dr C (31:11):
I love that.
Inhale and exhale.
I love that.
Nina (31:14):
Inhale and exhale, we count a lot, we count a lot.
And and also like allowing kidsto feel, right?
Because they're not, they'relittle, they don't know how to
regulate yet, but you know, withthem crying it out or feeling,
(31:35):
they know that later on youwill, it's important to talk to
them about that.
So you were crying, you criedit out.
Were you feeling sad?
Were you feeling angry?
Were you feeling frustrated?
So learning what those feelingsthat they're feeling when
they're doing whatever, it helpsthem learn that body awareness.
(31:58):
Like what's what where am Ifeeling it?
Am I feeling it in my chest?
Am I feeling it in my face?
Am I feeling, you know, in mystomach?
So all of that is importantbecause they carry that with
them as they go.
If a if a kid is feeling angryand that angry ganger is in
(32:18):
their stomach, anytime they feelthat that dregulation or that
pang in their stomach, theyknow, oh, I'm getting, I'm
starting to get irritated, I'mstarting to get angry, I need to
take a breath, I need to kindof pay attention to why I'm
angry right now.
Dr C (32:36):
And I love I love being able to name it, right?
Because a lot of times we can'tnecessarily name our emotion.
So I feel like if you can'tname your emotion, you can't
kind of get to the root of whyyou're having that emotion and
then get to the point of how doyou how do you get to it, how do
you work through it, right?
Nina (32:56):
Right.
And if you if you like payattention, you will feel that
emotion in your body somewhere.
And I don't know if you've everdone that, but like try it next
time.
Next time you feel an emotion,you're gonna feel it somewhere.
Dr C (33:15):
And what is that what does that mean?
So I'll I'll pay attention nexttime.
Um, but I'm I'm thinking mystomach, maybe you know, I'm
thinking I I probably more thanlikely feel a lot of my stress
in my stomach.
So does it matter where youfeel it?
It's gonna be different foreverybody, and but the but the
(33:36):
strategies will be the same,it's just being aware of where
you feel it in your body andkind of understanding what it is
and where it's coming from.
Is that because it's gonna feeldifferent, right?
Nina (33:46):
So, like you might have like hold your stress in your
body, I hold it in my shoulders.
So if I'm going doing myday-to-day and I'm just you know
going through the day and Ifeel really tight at the end of
the night, oh, this was a reallystressful day.
Okay, I need to like do what Ineed to do to get that kind of
(34:07):
tension eased, right?
Sometimes we go through our dayso much that we don't pay
attention, and then we start tohave these pain.
Oh, my leg hurts, oh my god,migrate, and that's like your
body telling you it's sendingyou a message, and if you start
(34:29):
to pay attention, that hey,every time I feel this hot
feeling, I must be gettingirritated at this conversation.
What and then it gives itallows you to be more self-aware
because then you can kind of goback and think, why am I
getting irritated by thisconversation?
Right.
(34:49):
So the body awareness piece isreally important.
Dr C (34:54):
I love that.
Thank you.
Nina, I'm so grateful for yourtime, your wisdom, most of all,
your heart.
I you're very passionate aboutthis, and you're obviously very
you're an expert, right?
You know what you're talkingabout.
And I love that you talkedabout how you're even how you
even use it with your ownchildren.
(35:15):
You know, sometimes we tend tothink those that are therapists
or someone in a leadershipposition, they got it all
figured out, right?
They got it made in the shade.
And so just to hear you talkabout your own stress and where
you feel it, and and youunderstanding, like, okay, I
have to do something about it,or talking to your children and
helping them really understandtheir how how to deal with their
(35:38):
emotions.
So thank you for for beingtransparent and for really
helping us with some easytechniques and also
understanding that we can go toyour YouTube channel and we
could continue to learn somemindfulness strategies and
activities.
And I'm really looking forwardto the children section that
(35:58):
you're you're building outbecause I have four
granddaughters and I know thatthis is going to be very
beneficial for them.
And so thank you so much.
Thank you for sharing yourgifts with us today.
Nina (36:12):
No, I was just saying thank you for having me.
It's it's been it was a such alike wonderful, peaceful,
energetic conversation.
Dr C (36:22):
It was very I feel very calm.
I do, and not just because youknow we're talking about
mindfulness, but I really feltthe breath work helping me.
So I so for everyone listening,please go to subscribe to act
this.
Please say that please say it.
Nina (36:39):
Acclivity, mindfulness on YouTube.
Dr C (36:43):
My Latina tongue for some reason keeps saying
accessibility.
So I apologize.
Nina (36:53):
It's okay.
Acclivity means I know it'slike an unusual word, right?
But it means to rise.
And when I thought of naming mypractice, I really wanted, I
thought of, you know, we wewe're we're all kind of stuck
sometimes.
We all feel stuck, and youknow, we want to rise out of
that stuckness.
So I that that's why it's someaningful to me, that acclivity
(37:16):
word, even though it's a veryunusual word, it's not a word
that people use all the time.
Dr C (37:21):
Well, I learned a new word.
Acclivity means rise.
And so please make sure you arevisiting the Acclivity
Mindfulness on YouTube channeland enjoying the mindfulness
practices that Miss Nina hasdeveloped for us all in using it
for your own toolkit.
(37:42):
And also tell a friend, tell afriend and let them understand
the benefits of mindfulnesspractices, and please share this
with a child as well so thatthey can start understanding how
to regulate themselves and nametheir emotions from the very
beginning of their lives so thatwhen they become adults, they
are practicing mindfulness andhaving an amazing, amazing uh
(38:05):
wellness opportunity forthemselves.
So thanks again, Nina, forjoining us.
Wow, what a powerful episode.
What a calming conversation.
As we close out this episode, Iwanted to leave you with a few
takeaways from the chat withNina.
The first one is that ouremotional storms are real, but
they don't have to define us.
With mindfulness, we can learnto be the calm observer, the
(38:29):
anchor, rather than the shipbeing tossed on the waves.
Second, the power of simpleaccessible tools.
Remember the groundingexercises Nina walked through.
The breathing, anchoring yourbreathing, and also using your
senses.
Five, four, three, two, one.
You have the ability to sootheyour own nervous system in just
(38:52):
a few moments.
And my invitation to you thisweek is to try just one of them
the next time you feel thatstorm brooding inside of you.
And finally, the beautifulreminder that this is hard work.
It's about showing up forourselves with compassion so
that we can better show up forthe world around us, for those
we love, lead, and mentor.
And for everyone listening,please deepen your practice by
(39:16):
subscribing to Nina's incredibleYouTube channel and checking
out her programming in AcclivityMental Health Counseling.
Until next time, keep onlearning, stay inspired,
continue to flourish, and neverstop evolving.
I'm your host, Dr.
C, and this is the LifePodcast.
Hola and welcome to the live podcast where we explore
how to learn, stay inspired,continue to purge, and evolve
into our best most competitiveselves.
I'm your host, Dr.
C, and today we're talkingabout emotional wellness.
Have you ever felt completelyoverwhelmed by your own
emotions?
(00:27):
I have.
Like a storm came in and justtook over your inner world,
leaving you feeling tossedaround with waves of anxiety,
frustration, even sadness.
If you have, you are in theright place.
Because today's episode isgoing to talk about moving
(00:48):
beyond the idea of just calmingdown and into the practical,
powerful world of minds.
I was so excited during therecording of this episode
because it really helped melearn more about how to ground
myself in moments where I'm inthe trick, in moments where my
(01:10):
anxiety is getting the best ofme.
And you are going to lovehearing from our guests.
So in this episode, our guestis Nina Shevin Stepperson.
Nina specializes in EMDR,internal family systems, and
mindfulness-informed care,helping people calm anxiety,
(01:31):
heal from trauma, and developgrounded emotional habits.
She also leads at LibertyMindfulness, a platform on
YouTube offering simple,powerful mental health skills.
This is an episode you will notwant to miss.
Nina, welcome to the livepodcast.
Thank you so much for havingme.
(01:54):
So excited that you're herewith us today.
So let's start with the basics,right?
Because mindfulness is a wordthat we hear a lot.
From your perspective, whatdoes it truly mean?
Nina (02:07):
So for me, mindfulness means being present with what is
without trying to fix, fight,or flee from it.
It's learning to become theobserver of your inner world
rather than being lost inside ofit.
(02:29):
And I often tell my clients,you're not your thoughts, you're
the awareness behind thethoughts.
And that shift allows us torespond to life instead of
reacting to it.
And this is just a littleexample that I use in session
with session when I'm trying toexplain it.
(02:52):
And I like this forperspective, right?
So imagine yourself like you'rein a bubble.
And in this bubble, it's likeyour bubble of peace, let's call
it, right?
And it's just like calm insidethere.
It's it's just relaxing, andyou're really safe in that
(03:16):
bubble.
But as you look around, there'schaos, there's this stressful
situation, and this triggeringperson, and this person giving
you a list of things you need todo, and the kids running around
screaming, and everyone wantingfrom you.
Okay.
(03:36):
And then you're inside thebubble, you're observing all of
this, but you aren't swirlingaround.
You're you're like at peace,and you can empath empathize
with people, and you can holdspace with people or people
(03:59):
without like owning andabsorbing all the emotion that
comes with the chaos.
Dr C (04:06):
Oh, yes.
I feel like you're talking tome.
Absolutely.
And so for those of us who feelthat chaos, can you pull back
the court curtain and like whatis actually happening in our
minds and our bodies?
Nina (04:25):
Okay.
So when the chaos hits, it'sbasically the anxiety,
typically, right?
And your body then goes intolike the survival mode.
So your heart starts racing,you breathing becomes really
shallow, your mind startsspinning, all sorts of stories
(04:46):
of threat, right?
You start to catastrophize, youstart to make up stories.
And one of the things I teachin with clients is we fall into
these thought traps, right?
Or another term is cognitivedistortion.
You start to see the worldthrough the lens of those
(05:08):
thought traps, right?
So mindfulness like helps toregulate your nervous system.
So when all that is going onand the chaos starts, being
mindful helps you just bring itdown.
Okay.
And just by slowing your breathand grounding in the present,
(05:30):
you send that signal to the bodythat you're safe, that all this
stuff that you're creating isnot real.
What is happening in thepresent is what is actually
real, what is actual reality.
Right?
So it's not like forcing calm,it's like creating conditions
(05:55):
where the calm can returnnaturally.
That makes sense.
That makes sense.
Dr C (06:01):
Absolutely.
That's such a clear way ofputting it.
I've never heard mindfulnessput that way.
So thank you.
Because it grounds me and ithelps me understand.
We hear we hear a lot of words,right?
And we don't necessarily knowwhat it means, how it impacts
us, and how we how we naturallyrespond without intention.
(06:21):
But when we put intention intoreally kind of understanding our
emotions, you know, that is tome where we could really like
start thinking about ourwellness in a different way,
right?
So I know this work is deeplypersonal for you.
And your YouTube channel, Iknow it wasn't a business plan,
you described it as a calling,as your way of giving back,
(06:45):
chart work as you called it.
Can you share the inspirationbehind that?
Nina (06:51):
Yes.
During my sessions, I foundmyself like teaching very like
the same grounding tools, thesame breath work, the same
(07:14):
visualizations.
And I I started almost like alittle toolkit, but I start when
I have a new client.
I start with this toolkitbecause none, none of these,
none of I've been in practicefor many, many years.
And no one has these tools.
It's so foreign to people,right?
(07:36):
And you know, and it'ssomething that I can always like
refer back to.
But what clients would alwayssay is, you know, I wish, I wish
I could take you home with me.
Or they'd say, you know, Iheard your voice in my head
reminding me to be mindful.
The only time I've heard, Iheard your voice in my head.
(07:56):
So around that same, around thesame time, I felt like this
nudge, honestly, I felt it wasGod saying, share what you have,
right?
And I didn't listen becauselife started laughing and I put
it on hold, and my own, youknow, my own stuff comes up.
And then I felt like Godstarted screaming it.
(08:19):
And um, you know, it becamelike every session with a new
client, they would say like thesame thing.
And they talk about howimpactful it was to learn this
skill.
And and, you know, it's justnot something we typically learn
growing up.
We we exist in the future.
A lot of people, I won't saywe, a lot of people exist in the
(08:44):
future or the past.
Dr C (08:46):
Wow.
Nina (08:46):
And they don't know how to exist in the present.
Wow.
And when you exist in thepresent, you can't be anxious
because usually you're anxiousabout something in the future,
right?
So if you exist in the momentand allow yourself to learn
(09:07):
that, your whole life can beimpacted.
And so, like, we weren't taughtthat.
Like, we we grew up with thehustle bustle and the always
moving parts, and that is whatyou look at as success is how
many things you can juggle, youknow, and that's not healthy,
(09:29):
right?
Dr C (09:29):
And and I love how you put it, uh, you know, we're either
living in the past or we'reliving in the future.
Very rarely are we living inthe present.
That that that really hit homebecause I'm sitting here going,
yes, that is so true.
I'm always thinking aboutwhat's next.
I'm always thinking about okay,what's on my calendar?
What do I have to do?
(09:50):
What is the deadline?
What's the report?
What's you know, meeting,whatever it is.
Always thinking in the future.
Wow.
And and how much am I missing?
Because I'm not in the present.
Absolutely.
Nina (10:05):
Absolutely.
Can you even enjoy the thingsthat you are working for, right?
Because if you were alwaysthinking of the long list, can
you enjoy just the moment, youknow?
And so, like part of going outon this limb and starting this
YouTube channel was like not forbusiness, not for like another
(10:28):
like a side hustle, but it waskind of an offering.
It's my way of putting calminto the world because in the
way the world is right now, Iyou know, I feel so helpless and
I can only do so much oneclient at a time to help, you
know.
And for some people, therapy isa luxury.
(10:49):
It's not there's still thestigma attached, but for some
people, they just can't affordit, right?
So this is like a tool that Ican anybody can access.
And for that moment, for thattoo, and I do it short because
you know, I think it's hard forpeople that are new to this
(11:11):
practice to sit for 10 minutes,sit for 20 minutes, you know.
And so I do them, make themshort to just get you used to
actually being still.
You would be shocked at, youknow, I have a client that's
never done this before andthey'll sit for two minutes and
it feels like forever.
Forever.
No, right.
(11:31):
I'm not used to that.
So, like you and make themshort so that it can get you
into get people into thepractice.
Dr C (11:41):
Yeah.
And that's what I was thinking,you know, it may be short, but
it's like building a muscle,right?
When you work out a day, sobuilding that muscle.
So I'd love that it's shortbecause you know, you can take
time to kind of start gettingused to it and really learn the
skills.
So I have been on your YouTubepage and very helpful.
(12:01):
I have actually used some ofyour breath work.
So thank you for that.
And so very excited to continueto learn how to be how to have
these techniques, right?
And build my muscle, build,build my my inner, inner uh
resilience and really I want tobe in the present.
I don't want to look back andgo, wow, I spent so much time
(12:23):
worrying about what happened orwhat's gonna happen that I
didn't enjoy the present.
So I definitely uh I'm thankfulthat we're having this
conversation because itreinforces the benefits and also
reinforces that the only way toget good at it and comfortable
with it is by doing it.
Nina (12:41):
Over and over again.
Yeah, and truthfully, once youstart and you get used to it and
it starts to feel good and youstart to like be able to carry
that with you beyond the twominutes or three minutes or five
minutes, and you can walkaround and be in your bubble,
the sense of peace that comeswith that.
(13:01):
Yes, yeah, but yes, it's amuscle, it's rewiring your
brain, you know.
Dr C (13:08):
And you and you said it, right?
We weren't raised this way,right?
It wasn't some, it's notsomething you learn at school,
it's not something you learn athome.
You learn it if you're intherapy, right?
And so, or if you just happento stumble upon it and and and
learn it that way.
So I appreciate I appreciateyou talking about this and and
(13:28):
transparently speaking about whyyou created the YouTube channel
because you're right, noteveryone can afford therapy.
And there's also a a shortage,right?
It's sometimes it takes verylong to get into therapy or to
find a therapist that speaksyour language, understands your
culture.
I mean, there's so much thatyou want to feel comfortable
(13:49):
when you when you have therapy,and so there's a lot of factors
that go into choosing atherapist.
Yeah, awesome.
Nina (13:57):
Thank you for thank you for bringing that up because
that is something that I love toshare because not everybody um
thinks about that.
And the therapeuticrelationship is really, really
important.
And for those that go totherapy and they're like, oh,
therapy is not working.
Oh, I didn't, you know, Ididn't feel like I got anything
from it.
I really think it's you justdidn't find the right person
(14:19):
that you connected with.
Dr C (14:20):
Yeah.
You know, I think about therapyas dating, right?
Any any relationship, whetherit's a friendship, a a romantic
uh relationship, uh a familymember, a real, but it's still a
relationship.
And so find your home, right?
Find where you're comfortable.
And you know, you're gonna itonly works if you could feel
safe and you could betransparent about what you're
(14:44):
really going through.
So yeah, I I agree.
I think it's it's okay to sayit doesn't, it's this one's not
working, but don't give up andkeep looking up and find find
your home.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Nina (14:57):
And a lot of therapists do um consults, they just do like
15-minute free consults that youcould just interview them.
Like I've had many clientsinterview me and I kind of
interview them because sometimesfor the therapists, you might
not be a good fit for them, youknow, and they can recognize
that.
So that that is something thatyou know to keep in mind.
Dr C (15:23):
I've never heard of that concept that a therapist would
say you're not the right fitclient for me.
Nina (15:30):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
A hundred percent and and and agood therapist should, because
if it's a situation that eitherthe therapist is not and have
does not have expertise in, orit's a situation that's close to
them, like if there is traumathat is not resolved or that
(15:54):
therapist is working on that,you know, and you're with a
client, there's a lot oftransference and
counter-transference issues thatcan occur, especially if that
therapist is not in her own intheir own supervision.
So that's something we'retrained to look at.
You know, if that client is nota good fit, it's okay.
(16:18):
It's not rejecting the client,it's giving them referrals to
therapists that will better suittheir needs because that's the
most important thing.
You want the client to be ableto benefit, and they're not
gonna benefit if the therapistis working on their own stuff
through the client.
Dr C (16:37):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, but thank you for thatbecause you know, I had never
really thought aboutinterviewing a therapist, right?
And then interviewing you.
So that gives us agency, itgives us uh autonomy and control
and really designing and kindof really thinking about who is
who is the best match, right?
And and making sure that it itreally is when you when you when
(17:01):
you meet with them for theconsult.
So that's that's amazinginformation.
Thank you for that.
So Nina, let's get practical.
Let's really uh let's startthinking about.
So if someone is listeningright now, right?
Maybe their heart is racing,their mind is spinning, they
need to flourish, not justevolve, not just sorry, not just
survive.
Um can you walk us through asimple immediate practice that
(17:24):
we can use and where we can findour center?
Nina (17:28):
Sure.
I I have a couple.
Is that okay if I do sure?
Let's let's start with one.
These are very basic thebuilding blocks, I would say,
right?
Preschool.
So so the first thing is deepbreathing.
(17:49):
And you know, for for peoplethat are familiar with even the
word mild mindfulness, theythey're past preschool, right?
They're further along, butthere's a lot of people that
aren't.
And for those that aren't, Ithink that it would be
beneficial to just talk aboutthat.
Okay.
Lots of folks walk around andthey don't know how to
(18:13):
debreathe.
Right.
And you say breathe, andthey're like, what does that do?
That sends your body intoflight or fight mode because
you're then short on oxygen whenyou're doing that.
You know, you'rehyperventilating.
You're instead of calming youdown, that's like sending you
(18:35):
up, you know, up the hill ofemotions and and fear, you know.
So we want to slow it all theway down.
Okay.
And we could do this together.
So it helps if you put youryour hand on your belly because
you want your when you breathein, you want your belly to go
(18:58):
out like a balloon.
Okay.
So as you're breathing in, youwant to take a long, slow, deep
breath through your nose, outthrough your mouth.
Okay.
So if it feels safe, you canclose your eyes.
(19:26):
And then you take another deepbreath in through your nose.
And exhale slowly through yourmouth.
On the next breath, I want youto just soften your shoulders,
(19:47):
unclench your jaw, just kind ofrelax your body.
And I want you to then breathein again.
Slow deep breath.
And then breathe out.
(20:10):
And then we'll do one last timewhere you inhale, but you kind
of visualize that you'reinhaling calmness.
And you're just exhalingtension.
How did that feel?
Dr C (20:36):
I closed my eyes.
At first, I was just breathingwith my eyes open.
But when I closed my eyes, Ifelt I was grounded in the
breath.
And having my hand on my bellyhelped me control that breath.
You're right.
I don't extend my belly when Ibreathe in.
(21:00):
So I have to think about itwhen I'm doing it.
So yeah, having my hand on mybelly definitely helped me,
like, oh, that's right.
I'm not breathing deeply, butdefinitely closing my eyes
helped me feel calmer, helped mefeel like I was in control.
And it kind of shuts out theworld.
Yeah, yes.
It felt like I was, it was justme.
(21:20):
Yes.
Yeah.
Nina (21:21):
Yeah.
And so, like, even just threeconscious breaths, right, can
help to like reset your nervoussystem when you're starting to.
I give the analogy to clientsabout going up a hill, right?
And it's like your the engineis revving.
So you have a situation happenthat is painful or triggering or
(21:46):
anxiety-provoking, and youstart to creep up the hill,
right?
And another thing happens, youcreep up the hill and nothing
happens.
You creep up the hill, right?
If you're able to just takethese three breaths, you start
to go down the hill.
You know, before you reach thetop, we wanna we wanna bring it
down.
Okay.
Yes.
(22:06):
All right.
So another one.
unknown (22:11):
Okay.
Nina (22:12):
And so this one is good for let's say you're at the top
of the hill.
Dr C (22:16):
All right, so I'm already, I'm already really upset.
Nina (22:19):
So you're really upset.
You're just okay.
Dr C (22:21):
You're this is the one I need.
I'm building my muscle.
Okay, so this is the one I needto start with.
Let's go.
Nina (22:31):
So this one is a grounding exercise, and this is a really
simple grounding exercise, andprobably pretty common.
A lot of people have used thisone, and it's the five senses.
Have you heard of that one?
No, no.
So, so with the five senses,this grounds you in present.
So you're really upset aboutsomething, you're up that hill,
(22:53):
and you could do this right now.
Dr C (22:55):
Okay.
Nina (22:56):
Name five things that you can see.
Dr C (23:00):
Okay, my computer, my TV, the window, a hat that says
Puerto Rico on it.
That's three things amicrophone, a USC banner, and a
bunch of Zeta Phi Beta sororityincorporated uh things.
(23:21):
I had to throw that one in.
Of course, yes.
Nina (23:30):
Now, name four things you can touch.
Dr C (23:34):
Okay, I could touch the microphone, I could touch my
headphones, I could touch thecomputer, and I could touch my
keyboard.
Okay.
And three things you can hear.
I can hear you.
I can hear like just the sound,the ambient sound of the room.
And I don't have my fan onbecause I'm not having a half
(23:58):
flash on.
So I don't hear my fan, which Ialways hear.
Nina (24:02):
Every time I see one of those little fans, I think of
me, right?
Okay, and then we go to twothings you can smell.
Dr C (24:15):
So this is gonna be interesting.
I'm gonna tell you why.
I lost my smell in 22 when Ihad COVID.
Oh so very rarely do I smellsomething.
It's so rare that when I dosmell something, my brain's
like, what is that?
What's going on?
Something's happening.
And then I kind of like, oh mygod, I can smell.
So what happens when one ofyour senses is compromised?
Nina (24:39):
Usually, usually the other senses take over and they're a
bit more heightened.
Dr C (24:43):
Okay.
So I would skip the smell.
Nina (24:47):
Yep, yeah, you could skip this, or if it if it's like you
can tell by strong fragrances,like if you have a bottle of
perfume or some hand lotion, youcan just take that out and try
to smell that if that helps, youknow.
But yeah, you would you canskip that one.
The point is to just get yourmind in presence.
(25:07):
So doing all the other oneskeeps you in presence.
And the last one is taste.
So, like, you know, one thingyou can taste.
And okay, in the moment youmight not be eating anything,
but a lot of times people havewater with them, they have a
mint or gum or tea or something.
Just take a sip.
So these things, this I thinkthis one is one of the most
(25:31):
practical, and this is thefoundational stuff to have in
your toolbox, really, becauseyou can do this anywhere.
You could be in a conferenceroom and get real annoyed at
work and be able to do this, andno one will know that you're
grounding yourself, right?
So I think this is this is oneof the ones that really help to
(25:54):
just anchor your mind back inthe now.
Another thing is practicing it,practicing it so much that it
just is your go-to.
Not just this, but anymindfulness skill.
If you're able to practice itenough that it's your go-to,
(26:14):
then you you start to payattention to your body and you
know when you're starting todysregulate.
So at the first instance of it,you can start to like kind of
bring yourself back down.
Dr C (26:26):
I love that.
Thank you.
I I feel calmer, I really do.
Just by just by doing that.
And I think it's amazing howyou know sometimes simple things
can be so powerful.
So thank you for that gift ofgiving us two actionable ways to
kind of ground ourselves andand bring ourselves back to a
neutral state so that we can bein the present and and really uh
(26:50):
enjoy the present.
And also, you know, we to yourpoint, get out of that fight or
flight, right?
Get get out of the if we're ata if if if you look at a
spectrum of one being completelycalm and ten being about to
just turn the table over, right?
Uh that that really can helpwith kind of bringing you to a
neutral state.
And so appreciate thatdefinitely.
(27:12):
So we have tools for themoment, but how does
consistently showing up withmindfulness help us evolve over
time and maybe change ourrelationship with ourselves or
our emotions?
Nina (27:27):
Consistency.
So if you're consistent, if youestablish a mindfulness
practice and you are consistentwith it, that's where the
transformation happens.
Because at first, mindfulnessjust feels like a pause, but
over time that pause becomespower, right?
(27:48):
You start noticing yourpatterns, your tones, your
triggers.
You you notice.
I just just now I talked aboutbody awareness.
You you you get better bodyawareness.
And rather than like beingruled by them, you're you're and
(28:10):
feeling kind of out of control.
You you get to choose how yourespond.
Dr C (28:16):
Oh, I love that.
So we have power.
Nina (28:19):
We don't feel you have power, you gain your power back.
You don't feel out of controlby the emotions.
You're able to, you're able tobe in charge of those emotions.
So it's that rewiring that wetalked about.
And it's more compassion andand it gives you more clarity.
And and another point is itcarries over, right?
(28:42):
Like it carries over to yourfriends and your family and has
the capacity to heal like whatwe call like generational
burdens or generational cursesthat get passed down in
families.
It really, it really doesbecause you know, a lot of times
dysregulation shows as likeanger, anxiety, you know, abuse.
(29:04):
It's a lack of control of thoseemotions.
And if you're able to establishthat like consistent
mindfulness practice, you canrecognize the patterns and you
can recognize when you'redysregulating, and you can
recognize the patterns inyourself and your family and
your friends.
Because no one has the right todisrupt your peace.
(29:26):
Like that is your right to be,to have that sense of peace.
And there's a lot of peoplethat exist so disconnected and
so dysregulated and so deep intheir own hurts and their own
emotion that it just like spewsfrom them, right?
(29:47):
And it's very easy to pick thatup.
And if you are you know whatpeace feels like, you know when
that's happening, and you can.
I love that.
Dr C (30:01):
Yeah.
So, you know, I know you'rethinking of making content for
children.
And I can we talked earlier inthe episode about how we're not
brought up this way, right?
We're not brought up to tobreathe and and to learn how to
kind of regulate ourselves oreven know what our triggers are
so we walk we can anticipate,right?
(30:22):
When we're when we're in asituation like, oh, this is this
is this is gonna trigger me,right?
And so how do you how do youprotect yourself?
How do you go in?
How do you how can you bestrategic in really kind of
taking care of your yourself andenvironments like that?
So how does starting thispractice early shape a person's
life?
Nina (30:43):
It can have like an incredible impact.
It really can.
Children learn what we model.
And you know, when we teachmindfulness early, even if it's
something as small as like,let's take a breath before we
speak, let's count to 10.
(31:04):
With my kids, I use a lot ofsmell the roses and blow out the
birthday candle.
Dr C (31:11):
I love that.
Inhale and exhale.
I love that.
Nina (31:14):
Inhale and exhale, we count a lot, we count a lot.
And and also like allowing kidsto feel, right?
Because they're not, they'relittle, they don't know how to
regulate yet, but you know, withthem crying it out or feeling,
(31:35):
they know that later on youwill, it's important to talk to
them about that.
So you were crying, you criedit out.
Were you feeling sad?
Were you feeling angry?
Were you feeling frustrated?
So learning what those feelingsthat they're feeling when
they're doing whatever, it helpsthem learn that body awareness.
(31:58):
Like what's what where am Ifeeling it?
Am I feeling it in my chest?
Am I feeling it in my face?
Am I feeling, you know, in mystomach?
So all of that is importantbecause they carry that with
them as they go.
If a if a kid is feeling angryand that angry ganger is in
(32:18):
their stomach, anytime they feelthat that dregulation or that
pang in their stomach, theyknow, oh, I'm getting, I'm
starting to get irritated, I'mstarting to get angry, I need to
take a breath, I need to kindof pay attention to why I'm
angry right now.
Dr C (32:36):
And I love I love being able to name it, right?
Because a lot of times we can'tnecessarily name our emotion.
So I feel like if you can'tname your emotion, you can't
kind of get to the root of whyyou're having that emotion and
then get to the point of how doyou how do you get to it, how do
you work through it, right?
Nina (32:56):
Right.
And if you if you like payattention, you will feel that
emotion in your body somewhere.
And I don't know if you've everdone that, but like try it next
time.
Next time you feel an emotion,you're gonna feel it somewhere.
Dr C (33:15):
And what is that what does that mean?
So I'll I'll pay attention nexttime.
Um, but I'm I'm thinking mystomach, maybe you know, I'm
thinking I I probably more thanlikely feel a lot of my stress
in my stomach.
So does it matter where youfeel it?
It's gonna be different foreverybody, and but the but the
(33:36):
strategies will be the same,it's just being aware of where
you feel it in your body andkind of understanding what it is
and where it's coming from.
Is that because it's gonna feeldifferent, right?
Nina (33:46):
So, like you might have like hold your stress in your
body, I hold it in my shoulders.
So if I'm going doing myday-to-day and I'm just you know
going through the day and Ifeel really tight at the end of
the night, oh, this was a reallystressful day.
Okay, I need to like do what Ineed to do to get that kind of
(34:07):
tension eased, right?
Sometimes we go through our dayso much that we don't pay
attention, and then we start tohave these pain.
Oh, my leg hurts, oh my god,migrate, and that's like your
body telling you it's sendingyou a message, and if you start
(34:29):
to pay attention, that hey,every time I feel this hot
feeling, I must be gettingirritated at this conversation.
What and then it gives itallows you to be more self-aware
because then you can kind of goback and think, why am I
getting irritated by thisconversation?
Right.
(34:49):
So the body awareness piece isreally important.
Dr C (34:54):
I love that.
Thank you.
Nina, I'm so grateful for yourtime, your wisdom, most of all,
your heart.
I you're very passionate aboutthis, and you're obviously very
you're an expert, right?
You know what you're talkingabout.
And I love that you talkedabout how you're even how you
even use it with your ownchildren.
(35:15):
You know, sometimes we tend tothink those that are therapists
or someone in a leadershipposition, they got it all
figured out, right?
They got it made in the shade.
And so just to hear you talkabout your own stress and where
you feel it, and and youunderstanding, like, okay, I
have to do something about it,or talking to your children and
helping them really understandtheir how how to deal with their
(35:38):
emotions.
So thank you for for beingtransparent and for really
helping us with some easytechniques and also
understanding that we can go toyour YouTube channel and we
could continue to learn somemindfulness strategies and
activities.
And I'm really looking forwardto the children section that
(35:58):
you're you're building outbecause I have four
granddaughters and I know thatthis is going to be very
beneficial for them.
And so thank you so much.
Thank you for sharing yourgifts with us today.
Nina (36:12):
No, I was just saying thank you for having me.
It's it's been it was a such alike wonderful, peaceful,
energetic conversation.
Dr C (36:22):
It was very I feel very calm.
I do, and not just because youknow we're talking about
mindfulness, but I really feltthe breath work helping me.
So I so for everyone listening,please go to subscribe to act
this.
Please say that please say it.
Nina (36:39):
Acclivity, mindfulness on YouTube.
Dr C (36:43):
My Latina tongue for some reason keeps saying
accessibility.
So I apologize.
Nina (36:53):
It's okay.
Acclivity means I know it'slike an unusual word, right?
But it means to rise.
And when I thought of naming mypractice, I really wanted, I
thought of, you know, we wewe're we're all kind of stuck
sometimes.
We all feel stuck, and youknow, we want to rise out of
that stuckness.
So I that that's why it's someaningful to me, that acclivity
(37:16):
word, even though it's a veryunusual word, it's not a word
that people use all the time.
Dr C (37:21):
Well, I learned a new word.
Acclivity means rise.
And so please make sure you arevisiting the Acclivity
Mindfulness on YouTube channeland enjoying the mindfulness
practices that Miss Nina hasdeveloped for us all in using it
for your own toolkit.
(37:42):
And also tell a friend, tell afriend and let them understand
the benefits of mindfulnesspractices, and please share this
with a child as well so thatthey can start understanding how
to regulate themselves and nametheir emotions from the very
beginning of their lives so thatwhen they become adults, they
are practicing mindfulness andhaving an amazing, amazing uh
(38:05):
wellness opportunity forthemselves.
So thanks again, Nina, forjoining us.
Wow, what a powerful episode.
What a calming conversation.
As we close out this episode, Iwanted to leave you with a few
takeaways from the chat withNina.
The first one is that ouremotional storms are real, but
they don't have to define us.
With mindfulness, we can learnto be the calm observer, the
(38:29):
anchor, rather than the shipbeing tossed on the waves.
Second, the power of simpleaccessible tools.
Remember the groundingexercises Nina walked through.
The breathing, anchoring yourbreathing, and also using your
senses.
Five, four, three, two, one.
You have the ability to sootheyour own nervous system in just
(38:52):
a few moments.
And my invitation to you thisweek is to try just one of them
the next time you feel thatstorm brooding inside of you.
And finally, the beautifulreminder that this is hard work.
It's about showing up forourselves with compassion so
that we can better show up forthe world around us, for those
we love, lead, and mentor.
And for everyone listening,please deepen your practice by
(39:16):
subscribing to Nina's incredibleYouTube channel and checking
out her programming in AcclivityMental Health Counseling.
Until next time, keep onlearning, stay inspired,
continue to flourish, and neverstop evolving.
I'm your host, Dr.
C, and this is the LifePodcast.
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