November 25, 2024 • 27 mins
Hi guys
Today we are speaking on creating SPACE - mentally, physically, digitally and in our environment. Space is so important for our nervous system health and you will learn why!
I hope you enjoy
Get in touch with me:
www.neurospark.co.nz
@neuro.spark
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, beautiful people.
(00:01):
Welcome back to another episodeof Unlearn with Bianca.
On this podcast, we exploreeverything around self healing,
health, personal growth, mindbody connection, relationships,
and more.
Each of these episodes are hereto inspire you, to educate you,
to challenge you, so that youcan deepen the connection you
have with yourself.
(00:21):
Hey friends, I hope everybody isgoing good.
I cannot.
believe it is, there is lessthan a week until December.
I am tripping out.
So, I am a bit late with thisepisode because work has been a
priority this week, but I'mhappy to be back into it today.
(00:42):
And we are going to be talkingabout creating space and why it
is important when it comes toour nervous system health.
And when I say creating space,I'm really just referring to
room, whether it be mentally,physically, in your environment,
all of these things I'll cover.
(01:04):
Why this is important is becausewe cannot interject into a world
that we cannot see.
Meaning if we are really busy,and I know most of us are these
days, unless we are makingactive choices to create space,
it's very easy to get caught upin autopilot and feel really
(01:26):
overwhelmed.
And when we're in that state ofoverwhelm, which is often
chronic survival states, fightor flight, it's We can feel like
we're always on the back foot,we feel less influential in our
life, and then we feel like welack control.
And this is where it can becomea bit of a a cycle that it's a
bit hard to get out of.
(01:48):
I did a post on Instagram a fewdays ago about how the nervous
system is continuously codinginput, whether it be internal
input or external input.
It's always coding ourenvironment for either safety or
threats.
And when we are overstimulated,when there feels like there's a
(02:10):
lot of clutter, a lot of noise,constant demands, we get stuck
in this threat response.
So space can really provide uswith a buffer and a sense of
control, which helps us accessthat safety.
It also helps us return to amore regulated, rested state,
(02:32):
which is where the body canheal, which is where we have
recovery and we can selfreflect.
And one more brain fact for youguys, space also supports
neuroplasticity, which is thatbrain's ability to be retrained
because we need downtime forthis.
We need time and space for thebrain to rewire itself and
integrate new learnings.
(02:54):
so there's this quote that,again, going to attempt it, you
guys have probably picked up bynow, I'm not very good at
remembering specific quotes, butit's something along the lines
of like, the way you do onething is the way you do
everything, and how I kind oftake that is that, What happens
in one area of our life willreally reflect into another area
(03:15):
of our life.
And that can be both positivelyor negatively.
You know, if we are eating good,if we're exercising, then we
know that our mental health willalso improve because we will be
feeling on top of our game.
So as I go through this episode,I'm going to give you it.
Different categories of spaceand how to create space.
(03:39):
And I just want you to focus inon one thing, or if you want to
do a bit more, one category.
Because if you can startsomewhere, just trust and know
that it will have a positiveimpact on every other you.
Area in your life becauseeverything is interconnected and
(04:00):
the worst thing we can do whenwe're already feeling
overwhelmed is try and doeverything at once.
So pick one thing or pick just afew things within a category and
focus.
on that.
So the first thing I want totalk about here is our physical
environment and how to createspace within that.
So I have a bit of a secret thatI'm a bit embarrassed to share
(04:23):
with you guys.
I am naturally not the tidiestperson.
It has taken me a while to findways That helped me create tidy
spaces and tidy spaces arereally important because they
have been shown to reduce acognitive load, which is the
(04:43):
mental effort required toprocess information.
So we know that clutter is aform of environmental stressor
that demands our attention andit can wear down our energy.
So the first thing I want to sayon creating space is where can
you go through and tidy andclean your spaces.
(05:07):
Get that feng shui happening.
One thing that I am grateful forin my life is my ability to let
go of material things.
Because, I have actually livedin about, honestly, I'd say like
25 houses in my 32 years.
Growing up, my parents used tobuy houses and sell houses and
(05:29):
build houses.
And then I've been flatting,I've lived overseas.
I've lived in so many places.
And where that has reallybenefited me is that I've
realized that things are things,you know, often we actually
don't need as much as we hold onto.
And it is so freeing when youcan get rid of shit that you
(05:49):
just don't use.
It frees up so much space.
So I encourage you to go throughyour clothes, go through your
belongings And just get rid ofstuff that you haven't used in a
while.
If you feel like you can't quitepart with something and you
don't want to throw somethingout, something that's really
helped me over the years isboxing things up that I'm not
(06:12):
sure about and putting the boxaway, like storing it in the
garage or something.
Knowing that if I really wantedthat thing, I could go back and
find it.
And on the back of that, thething is is that clothes,
material items, They carry anenergy.
So I talk about this to mylightning process clients.
If somebody has been havingfatigue for a period of years or
(06:34):
a period of depression, and youknow, they go on, they go to put
on their, their same clothes.
They can't be clothes every day.
When you are trying to makechange and signal a new identity
to your brain, one of the mostpowerful things you can do is
actually to get rid of somethingThat represents the old
identity.
So get rid of the clothes andjust notice how much lighter you
(06:57):
feel.
Something I did recently was gothrough all my toiletries, all
my old makeup and got rid of awhole lot of stuff there.
And another way of creatingspace in our environment, A
ritual of going around andcutting off dead leaves of
plants, indoor plants, andgiving them a really good water
just to bring in that sense ofrenewal, keep everything in
(07:21):
check, is really powerful inthat environment And I would say
if you're listening to this andyou're like, yep My physical
environment needs some work.
I need to create some space Inthis area, I would encourage you
to start on the thing thatyou've been putting off the
most.
(07:42):
For example, in my case, it's mycar.
I just have a block aroundcleaning my car, because I'm not
really a car girl.
Just, you know, it gets me fromA to B.
But today I did it actually,because I was about to record
this episode.
It reminded me to actually doit.
Pick the thing that you've beenputting off the most and seek
that commitment to yourself.
(08:02):
If it's moving around furniture,do that.
If it's having a spring clean,do that.
If it's a particular area ofyour house, get into it.
And you will feel a lot betterfor it.
So the next category that isreally important when it comes
to creating space is spacearound technology and digital
(08:24):
devices.
So, this really comes down todigital boundaries, because when
we have boundaries around howwe're consuming things, as I
talked on in the last podcast,it creates so much more space
for our brain, and it creates somuch time for our nervous
systems to dip into a restedstate.
(08:47):
If we are constantly.
overstimulated, there is goingto be no space.
And there is such an issue herebecause the more we get that
dopamine hit through socialmedia or apps or whatever we're
doing, the more we want to do itand the more our nervous system
gets conditioned to be lookingfor that hit.
(09:11):
So this is one that I haverecently really Prioritize just
having those digital boundaries,um, making sure that you are
creating some space before yougo to sleep and turning your
phone off or at least not likesitting on your phone all night
(09:32):
and doing the same in themorning because these are the
times when our subconscious mindis really Thank you.
Operating and we're verysuggestible., Some other things
that have really helped mecreate space that have made me
feel so accomplished is deletingall of those photos that have
(09:55):
been sitting on my phone that Idon't look at.
And it's the same with emails.
If you're someone like me whogets a lot of emails and they
pile up pretty quickly and thenyou've got that big 4970 emails.
sitting on your phonebackground, um, that might be a
good idea to go in and have abit of a declutter and get
(10:17):
sorting through.
So something that I found reallybeneficial, and I do it twice a
year, is I go onto this websitecalled Unroll Me, and I can
probably put it in the shownotes, but basically.
You put in your email addressand it brings up a whole list of
all of the different things thatyou've subscribed to.
(10:38):
And what you can do isunsubscribe just all in one.
So you can go through and decidewhat emails you want to receive
and what you want to unsubscribefrom.
but it's super, super fast andit's saved me from receiving
many emails that I no longerwanted to receive.
Tidying up your apps as well.
Just have maybe like one or twodays every six months or every
(11:02):
three to four months where youcan do this.
Where you can go through and dothis digital cleans, deleting
the apps that you do not useanymore?
That maybe you had to downloadfor one thing.
And it's just kind of hangingout there.
Delete those apps.
And clear some space so yourbrain is not having to
constantly search througheverything to get somewhere.
(11:23):
I have also decided to turn offnotifications for a lot of my
apps.
Which helps with lessstimulation.
And recently I had thisconversation with someone who
said that the best thing thatthey had done was set their
display screen as just plainblack or plain white.
Again, to minimize, um, all thenoise that can be on the back of
(11:45):
our phone.
I personally like havingaffirmations or a vision board
or just simple photos, but youknow, it's something that I
thought, Oh, that's Thatactually makes a lot of sense.
Another thing that can create alot of space is going through
and tidying up your notes.
If you use notes or to do listson your phone.
I am someone who just takesrandom notes all the time and
(12:08):
half the time I go into them andI Don't even know what they're
all about.
So I spend a lot of timeactually every week sitting
down, going through them,looking at where they need to
go, what I need to do with thatnote so that nothing ends up
piling up too much.
And one more thing I think weneed to be really mindful of
(12:28):
when it comes to.
The digital space is overconsuming information.
It's something that I've beenreally thinking about as
somebody who loves to consumepodcasts, who loves to read, who
loves learning.
There is so much information outthere and I'm sure all of you
(12:51):
have had that experience whenyou've come back in from nature
or some time away where youhaven't you haven't been able to
connect to the internet oranything like that and you just
feel like a different person,right?
It's the same with this overloadof information.
Even though we can be doingsomething really healthy for us,
like walking, like being innature, I really encourage you
(13:15):
to sometimes do it without thenoise in the background.
So I often listen to podcasts onmy walk, but recently I have
challenged myself and I'vedecided that every second walk I
will do with no input.
Meaning I will just walk and Iwill, be with myself rather than
(13:38):
consuming information on daysespecially where I'm already
busy and I'm already on the goand my walk is just my little
break.
It's the same with if we'redriving.
Perhaps it's about changing themusic you're listening to.
I personally wouldn't want to bedriving in complete silence, but
maybe instead of educatingyourself through a podcast every
(13:58):
day, you could be putting onsome nice relaxing music.
In the background, if you've hada big day.
So it's little things like thisthat can really give a nervous
system some space.
It's just changing up what wecurrently do and getting
flexible with it as well.
Because sometimes we can handlemore information.
You know, sometimes we canhandle more screen time, but
(14:22):
it's about getting curious andreally thinking about those
times where it might not be sosuitable.
And you might need a differentapproach.
Okay, so now I want to get intosome things for our mind and
body that we can do that reallycreate space and positively
impact our nervous system state.
So the first one is more bodybased and that is stretching and
(14:46):
facial massage.
You can YouTube these, there areso many videos that you'll find
on YouTube for 10 minutestretches or facial massages.
But it's really about creatingmore space and fluidity in our
body because As I've saidbefore, the mind and body are
(15:07):
deeply connected.
So if we can create more spacein our physical body, if we make
space in our physical body, weare going to feel mentally more
spacious.
We are going to feel mentallymore flexible and adaptable.
And if you've got one of thoselingering, I wouldn't even call
(15:27):
them health issues, butlingering things, like maybe a
postural issue, maybe an achyback, maybe it's something that
you've been wanting to getsorted for a while.
For example, for me, I'venoticed I've got a bit of a
pelvic tilt, so what Iprioritize doing is going to the
pelvic physiotherapist.
I'm now getting someacupuncture, and it's not
(15:51):
something that was a pressingissue, but I know how important
it is for our body to be inalignment for our nervous system
health.
So, that is why I'm saying thisextra point.
Stretching is really important.
Creating space in our body.
But if there's that thing that'sjust sort of been on the back
burner.
Go get it checked.
Go and take steps towardsgetting yourself back into
(16:13):
alignment and getting supportwith your physical body.
Diaphragmatic breathing is thenext one.
It can be as simple as a boxbreath, four breaths in, holding
for four, releasing for four,and then pausing for four.
And just becoming aware of yourbreath throughout the day.
(16:37):
Our breath is probably thefastest way that we can create
that space within our body.
And what has really helped meover the years is just getting
curious.
To be honest, getting curiousand becoming more aware of where
I hold tension in my body,especially when I'm overwhelmed.
(16:59):
For me, it is my jaw, it's myleft shoulder, and my pelvic
floor, especially on the leftside.
So I'm very aware of where theseareas are.
And why this awareness is goodis because I, if I find myself
tight and with tension, I canbreathe into these areas.
I can do specific releaseexercises.
(17:22):
And again, it just comes back tothat space and even more so that
When we're creating space, theseare cues of safety for our
nervous system, which can keepus rested and able to move
through the day more easily.
The next one on my list is solotime.
(17:43):
I'm always an advocate forfinding some solo time and I
know everybody has differentlives, different commitments,
different responsibilities, butI truly think it is essential to
block time out.
For ourselves, even if it's fiveto 10 minutes in the day.
And why I think this is soimportant is because pausing
(18:07):
from constant interaction allowsthe nervous system to process
and integrate experiences.
And further than that, if we getmore time to ourself, we can
really start to reflect on whatis working for us, what is not
working so much.
So this can be Simply reflectingon your day, it can be getting
(18:31):
up in the morning and sayingwhat you're grateful for.
It can be taking a lunch breakby yourself.
It doesn't really matter whatyou're doing.
I just think it's so importantto have moments of solo time.
It is also so healthy for us tolearn how to be comfortable in
our own space with ourselves sothat we're sourcing that safety
(18:52):
from within.
So if you're someone who doesn'tusually make time To be by
yourself due to commitments, oryou feel uncomfortable about
doing it, I encourage you totime block.
Just start really small, putsomething in that you'll find
enjoyable.
Because this is space.
(19:12):
for yourself and your thoughts.
If you want to do something morestructured, it can be meditation
or mindfulness.
My favorite meditation app issomething called Insight Timer
because there's guidedmeditations and I think
sometimes the less we have tothink about it, we can kind of
click and just do something onthe spot, the more likely we are
(19:33):
to do things.
So Insight Timer has some reallygood guidance.
Meditations, short meditations.
If you are looking for somethinglike that, Something else that
you can do to really createspace is a mind dump.
Pen to paper.
So we could call it journaling,but really for me what works and
creates the most space is almostlike a stream of consciousness.
(19:58):
I usually do it in the morning.
I just call it like a braindump, and I, it's when I'm
feeling, especially when I'mfeeling overwhelmed and really
fuzzy and like I've just got athousand tabs open.
Um, I just, I just startwriting.
I actually do this on mycomputer, but you can do this
pen to paper as well.
(20:18):
And I just start writingwhatever's on my mind.
And I often will go into likepositives, not so positives
where I'm getting stuck, like todo list everything.
And I just get it out of myhead.
And then from there I can playaround a little bit.
And if I need to go over itagain.
Reorganize this information orthese thoughts.
(20:38):
I can do that from there, butalmost like a brain dump.
I think it's really healthybecause it allows us to let go.
There's nothing structured aboutit.
And again, it's just taking itfrom one space and putting it
into another where it is furtheraway from our mind.
So that is something that ifyou're not used to doing, it
(21:00):
could feel a little bitchallenging, but it does get a
lot easier.
For others, um, and I go throughperiods of this as well,
something more structured can bereally beneficial, even if it's
just reflecting on the day orthe day ahead.
Questions like.
What went well today?
What are you looking forward totoday?
(21:22):
Um, where is there anopportunity to learn today?
How would you do thingsdifferently tomorrow?
These just sort of reflectivequestions can also help us leave
the day behind or start a newday fresh and give this nervous
system the sense of closing theloop, closure and organization,
(21:43):
which again can help us exist.
A few other ways we can createspace in the mind and body is
looking at all of thosecommitments or payments that are
coming up for something, um, thegym membership you're not using,
all of these things that haveagain been on the back burner.
(22:04):
I've been meaning to get aroundto that.
I've been meaning to do that andactually taking some time to
close them or commit to them,you know, not this gray area
where you're paying forsomething you're not going.
Or you keep rescheduling afriend.
It's about, again, closing theloops.
(22:24):
That can be really, really goodfor us because it means clarity,
it means less mental clutter, itmeans less brain energy that is
going on in the background, andmore space.
Just more space to think, orchoose to do something
different.
And finally in this category,one more, which is expressing
(22:46):
our emotions.
I I've spoken on this before,but really it comes down to
making space to feel how we feelwithout judgment.
And That can be mentally orphysically.
Like if we're feeling reallytight in our body, it might be
like, I'm going to make space toshake it out, put on some really
(23:07):
loud music and shake it out.
Or I'm going to start my daywith, with a dance and really
just let myself go and dance infront of the mirror.
That can be a way of expressingif we're feeling tense in our
body.
If it's more emotions and mentalstress, it could be making space
(23:28):
to grieve or to process sadness.
So for me personally, I don'tknow if I've ever seen this on
the podcast, but if I'm feelingreally irritable and I can just
feel it is grief underneath thesurface, I often will.
I have a ritual I'll put on.
Particular songs, create somespace for me, some safety with
(23:49):
me, for me, in my own space, andI will let the tears come.
I will let myself feel how Ineed to feel or journal or do
whatever I need to do.
But it's about actuallyacknowledging, This is how I
feel.
I need to just create a windowof time for this, to pass this
through.
And on the other side, I alwaysfeel so much better.
So if we don't give ourselvesspace to feel how we're going to
(24:11):
feel and make the space, it endsup impacting us at a nervous
system level.
Anger is another huge one.
In self sourced, the groupcoaching program, I recently
finished.
I gave a few exercises to helpus move through anger, releases,
using a pillow.
There's a lot of things we cando.
(24:32):
So if you're resonating to thisone, I'll be running self
sourced again, um, in February.
And actually one more I want totalk on today is rituals that
really signal to your nervoussystem that a transition is
happening.
And this provides a sense ofcontrol and intention And that
(24:53):
fosters safety back into thenervous system.
So for example, you come homefrom a big day at work and your
ritual is, I'm going to getstraight out of my work clothes,
have a shower.
And then that is what signifiesI'm now leaving my work shirt at
work and moving into my evening.
(25:14):
For me, because I spend a lot oftime working from home, I have
become more aware that I need tochange out of clothes that I
wear during the day and intosomething different at night.
And I light a candle at night tosignify this is evening.
I am going to do my best toleave work here for tomorrow.
So it's about those littlethings that we can do,
(25:36):
especially if you're somebodywho She is space between work,
you know, home.
It's all, it's a bit fluid.
I think these transition ritualscan be really powerful and it's
about creating that mental spaceand not carrying mentally being
burdened with all that stuffearlier in the day into the next
(25:58):
part of our day which can bequite common if we're not
actually making the space.
To break that pattern.
So as we start to wrap up thisepisode, I really just want to
circle back to the start andremind you that just by picking
one of these things to focus onor one category to keep in the
(26:21):
back of your mind, you canreally influence other areas of
your life because Everything'salways interconnected.
So if we're focusing on ourenvironment, it's going to have
a positive impact on our mentalhealth.
If we focus on our physicalhealth, it's going to have a
positive impact on our mentalhealth.
You get what I'm trying to sayhere.
(26:42):
All of the things I've talked ontoday really promote relaxation
and space.
That gives us back our sense ofinfluence and control, which is
really important, especially ifwe're dealing with overwhelm.
I hope you guys enjoyed today'sepisode.
It has been a quick one.
I've got a really good episodecoming next week or the
(27:06):
following week on relationshipsand I can't wait to share that
with you guys.
As I'm wrapping up this yearI've got limited space left for
my lightning process trainings.
I have finished my grouptrainings for the year but I
have two spaces left for one toone trainings, online trainings
for the lightning process.
(27:26):
So if you are listening and youneed support with a chronic
illness or want to learn somereally powerful tools to retrain
your brain and your nervoussystem towards health and
happiness.
I would love to support you.
I hope you all have a beautifulweek.
And if you've got your eye onthose black Friday sales, Don't
go over consuming.
(27:48):
It's a message for me as well.
We need least stuff, not morestuff.
Anyway, have a beautiful weekand I look forward to seeing you
on the next episode.
Hello, beautiful people.
(00:01):
Welcome back to another episodeof Unlearn with Bianca.
On this podcast, we exploreeverything around self healing,
health, personal growth, mindbody connection, relationships,
and more.
Each of these episodes are hereto inspire you, to educate you,
to challenge you, so that youcan deepen the connection you
have with yourself.
(00:21):
Hey friends, I hope everybody isgoing good.
I cannot.
believe it is, there is lessthan a week until December.
I am tripping out.
So, I am a bit late with thisepisode because work has been a
priority this week, but I'mhappy to be back into it today.
(00:42):
And we are going to be talkingabout creating space and why it
is important when it comes toour nervous system health.
And when I say creating space,I'm really just referring to
room, whether it be mentally,physically, in your environment,
all of these things I'll cover.
(01:04):
Why this is important is becausewe cannot interject into a world
that we cannot see.
Meaning if we are really busy,and I know most of us are these
days, unless we are makingactive choices to create space,
it's very easy to get caught upin autopilot and feel really
(01:26):
overwhelmed.
And when we're in that state ofoverwhelm, which is often
chronic survival states, fightor flight, it's We can feel like
we're always on the back foot,we feel less influential in our
life, and then we feel like welack control.
And this is where it can becomea bit of a a cycle that it's a
bit hard to get out of.
(01:48):
I did a post on Instagram a fewdays ago about how the nervous
system is continuously codinginput, whether it be internal
input or external input.
It's always coding ourenvironment for either safety or
threats.
And when we are overstimulated,when there feels like there's a
(02:10):
lot of clutter, a lot of noise,constant demands, we get stuck
in this threat response.
So space can really provide uswith a buffer and a sense of
control, which helps us accessthat safety.
It also helps us return to amore regulated, rested state,
(02:32):
which is where the body canheal, which is where we have
recovery and we can selfreflect.
And one more brain fact for youguys, space also supports
neuroplasticity, which is thatbrain's ability to be retrained
because we need downtime forthis.
We need time and space for thebrain to rewire itself and
integrate new learnings.
(02:54):
so there's this quote that,again, going to attempt it, you
guys have probably picked up bynow, I'm not very good at
remembering specific quotes, butit's something along the lines
of like, the way you do onething is the way you do
everything, and how I kind oftake that is that, What happens
in one area of our life willreally reflect into another area
(03:15):
of our life.
And that can be both positivelyor negatively.
You know, if we are eating good,if we're exercising, then we
know that our mental health willalso improve because we will be
feeling on top of our game.
So as I go through this episode,I'm going to give you it.
Different categories of spaceand how to create space.
(03:39):
And I just want you to focus inon one thing, or if you want to
do a bit more, one category.
Because if you can startsomewhere, just trust and know
that it will have a positiveimpact on every other you.
Area in your life becauseeverything is interconnected and
(04:00):
the worst thing we can do whenwe're already feeling
overwhelmed is try and doeverything at once.
So pick one thing or pick just afew things within a category and
focus.
on that.
So the first thing I want totalk about here is our physical
environment and how to createspace within that.
So I have a bit of a secret thatI'm a bit embarrassed to share
(04:23):
with you guys.
I am naturally not the tidiestperson.
It has taken me a while to findways That helped me create tidy
spaces and tidy spaces arereally important because they
have been shown to reduce acognitive load, which is the
(04:43):
mental effort required toprocess information.
So we know that clutter is aform of environmental stressor
that demands our attention andit can wear down our energy.
So the first thing I want to sayon creating space is where can
you go through and tidy andclean your spaces.
(05:07):
Get that feng shui happening.
One thing that I am grateful forin my life is my ability to let
go of material things.
Because, I have actually livedin about, honestly, I'd say like
25 houses in my 32 years.
Growing up, my parents used tobuy houses and sell houses and
(05:29):
build houses.
And then I've been flatting,I've lived overseas.
I've lived in so many places.
And where that has reallybenefited me is that I've
realized that things are things,you know, often we actually
don't need as much as we hold onto.
And it is so freeing when youcan get rid of shit that you
(05:49):
just don't use.
It frees up so much space.
So I encourage you to go throughyour clothes, go through your
belongings And just get rid ofstuff that you haven't used in a
while.
If you feel like you can't quitepart with something and you
don't want to throw somethingout, something that's really
helped me over the years isboxing things up that I'm not
(06:12):
sure about and putting the boxaway, like storing it in the
garage or something.
Knowing that if I really wantedthat thing, I could go back and
find it.
And on the back of that, thething is is that clothes,
material items, They carry anenergy.
So I talk about this to mylightning process clients.
If somebody has been havingfatigue for a period of years or
(06:34):
a period of depression, and youknow, they go on, they go to put
on their, their same clothes.
They can't be clothes every day.
When you are trying to makechange and signal a new identity
to your brain, one of the mostpowerful things you can do is
actually to get rid of somethingThat represents the old
identity.
So get rid of the clothes andjust notice how much lighter you
(06:57):
feel.
Something I did recently was gothrough all my toiletries, all
my old makeup and got rid of awhole lot of stuff there.
And another way of creatingspace in our environment, A
ritual of going around andcutting off dead leaves of
plants, indoor plants, andgiving them a really good water
just to bring in that sense ofrenewal, keep everything in
(07:21):
check, is really powerful inthat environment And I would say
if you're listening to this andyou're like, yep My physical
environment needs some work.
I need to create some space Inthis area, I would encourage you
to start on the thing thatyou've been putting off the
most.
(07:42):
For example, in my case, it's mycar.
I just have a block aroundcleaning my car, because I'm not
really a car girl.
Just, you know, it gets me fromA to B.
But today I did it actually,because I was about to record
this episode.
It reminded me to actually doit.
Pick the thing that you've beenputting off the most and seek
that commitment to yourself.
(08:02):
If it's moving around furniture,do that.
If it's having a spring clean,do that.
If it's a particular area ofyour house, get into it.
And you will feel a lot betterfor it.
So the next category that isreally important when it comes
to creating space is spacearound technology and digital
(08:24):
devices.
So, this really comes down todigital boundaries, because when
we have boundaries around howwe're consuming things, as I
talked on in the last podcast,it creates so much more space
for our brain, and it creates somuch time for our nervous
systems to dip into a restedstate.
(08:47):
If we are constantly.
overstimulated, there is goingto be no space.
And there is such an issue herebecause the more we get that
dopamine hit through socialmedia or apps or whatever we're
doing, the more we want to do itand the more our nervous system
gets conditioned to be lookingfor that hit.
(09:11):
So this is one that I haverecently really Prioritize just
having those digital boundaries,um, making sure that you are
creating some space before yougo to sleep and turning your
phone off or at least not likesitting on your phone all night
(09:32):
and doing the same in themorning because these are the
times when our subconscious mindis really Thank you.
Operating and we're verysuggestible., Some other things
that have really helped mecreate space that have made me
feel so accomplished is deletingall of those photos that have
(09:55):
been sitting on my phone that Idon't look at.
And it's the same with emails.
If you're someone like me whogets a lot of emails and they
pile up pretty quickly and thenyou've got that big 4970 emails.
sitting on your phonebackground, um, that might be a
good idea to go in and have abit of a declutter and get
(10:17):
sorting through.
So something that I found reallybeneficial, and I do it twice a
year, is I go onto this websitecalled Unroll Me, and I can
probably put it in the shownotes, but basically.
You put in your email addressand it brings up a whole list of
all of the different things thatyou've subscribed to.
(10:38):
And what you can do isunsubscribe just all in one.
So you can go through and decidewhat emails you want to receive
and what you want to unsubscribefrom.
but it's super, super fast andit's saved me from receiving
many emails that I no longerwanted to receive.
Tidying up your apps as well.
Just have maybe like one or twodays every six months or every
(11:02):
three to four months where youcan do this.
Where you can go through and dothis digital cleans, deleting
the apps that you do not useanymore?
That maybe you had to downloadfor one thing.
And it's just kind of hangingout there.
Delete those apps.
And clear some space so yourbrain is not having to
constantly search througheverything to get somewhere.
(11:23):
I have also decided to turn offnotifications for a lot of my
apps.
Which helps with lessstimulation.
And recently I had thisconversation with someone who
said that the best thing thatthey had done was set their
display screen as just plainblack or plain white.
Again, to minimize, um, all thenoise that can be on the back of
(11:45):
our phone.
I personally like havingaffirmations or a vision board
or just simple photos, but youknow, it's something that I
thought, Oh, that's Thatactually makes a lot of sense.
Another thing that can create alot of space is going through
and tidying up your notes.
If you use notes or to do listson your phone.
I am someone who just takesrandom notes all the time and
(12:08):
half the time I go into them andI Don't even know what they're
all about.
So I spend a lot of timeactually every week sitting
down, going through them,looking at where they need to
go, what I need to do with thatnote so that nothing ends up
piling up too much.
And one more thing I think weneed to be really mindful of
(12:28):
when it comes to.
The digital space is overconsuming information.
It's something that I've beenreally thinking about as
somebody who loves to consumepodcasts, who loves to read, who
loves learning.
There is so much information outthere and I'm sure all of you
(12:51):
have had that experience whenyou've come back in from nature
or some time away where youhaven't you haven't been able to
connect to the internet oranything like that and you just
feel like a different person,right?
It's the same with this overloadof information.
Even though we can be doingsomething really healthy for us,
like walking, like being innature, I really encourage you
(13:15):
to sometimes do it without thenoise in the background.
So I often listen to podcasts onmy walk, but recently I have
challenged myself and I'vedecided that every second walk I
will do with no input.
Meaning I will just walk and Iwill, be with myself rather than
(13:38):
consuming information on daysespecially where I'm already
busy and I'm already on the goand my walk is just my little
break.
It's the same with if we'redriving.
Perhaps it's about changing themusic you're listening to.
I personally wouldn't want to bedriving in complete silence, but
maybe instead of educatingyourself through a podcast every
(13:58):
day, you could be putting onsome nice relaxing music.
In the background, if you've hada big day.
So it's little things like thisthat can really give a nervous
system some space.
It's just changing up what wecurrently do and getting
flexible with it as well.
Because sometimes we can handlemore information.
You know, sometimes we canhandle more screen time, but
(14:22):
it's about getting curious andreally thinking about those
times where it might not be sosuitable.
And you might need a differentapproach.
Okay, so now I want to get intosome things for our mind and
body that we can do that reallycreate space and positively
impact our nervous system state.
So the first one is more bodybased and that is stretching and
(14:46):
facial massage.
You can YouTube these, there areso many videos that you'll find
on YouTube for 10 minutestretches or facial massages.
But it's really about creatingmore space and fluidity in our
body because As I've saidbefore, the mind and body are
(15:07):
deeply connected.
So if we can create more spacein our physical body, if we make
space in our physical body, weare going to feel mentally more
spacious.
We are going to feel mentallymore flexible and adaptable.
And if you've got one of thoselingering, I wouldn't even call
(15:27):
them health issues, butlingering things, like maybe a
postural issue, maybe an achyback, maybe it's something that
you've been wanting to getsorted for a while.
For example, for me, I'venoticed I've got a bit of a
pelvic tilt, so what Iprioritize doing is going to the
pelvic physiotherapist.
I'm now getting someacupuncture, and it's not
(15:51):
something that was a pressingissue, but I know how important
it is for our body to be inalignment for our nervous system
health.
So, that is why I'm saying thisextra point.
Stretching is really important.
Creating space in our body.
But if there's that thing that'sjust sort of been on the back
burner.
Go get it checked.
Go and take steps towardsgetting yourself back into
(16:13):
alignment and getting supportwith your physical body.
Diaphragmatic breathing is thenext one.
It can be as simple as a boxbreath, four breaths in, holding
for four, releasing for four,and then pausing for four.
And just becoming aware of yourbreath throughout the day.
(16:37):
Our breath is probably thefastest way that we can create
that space within our body.
And what has really helped meover the years is just getting
curious.
To be honest, getting curiousand becoming more aware of where
I hold tension in my body,especially when I'm overwhelmed.
(16:59):
For me, it is my jaw, it's myleft shoulder, and my pelvic
floor, especially on the leftside.
So I'm very aware of where theseareas are.
And why this awareness is goodis because I, if I find myself
tight and with tension, I canbreathe into these areas.
I can do specific releaseexercises.
(17:22):
And again, it just comes back tothat space and even more so that
When we're creating space, theseare cues of safety for our
nervous system, which can keepus rested and able to move
through the day more easily.
The next one on my list is solotime.
(17:43):
I'm always an advocate forfinding some solo time and I
know everybody has differentlives, different commitments,
different responsibilities, butI truly think it is essential to
block time out.
For ourselves, even if it's fiveto 10 minutes in the day.
And why I think this is soimportant is because pausing
(18:07):
from constant interaction allowsthe nervous system to process
and integrate experiences.
And further than that, if we getmore time to ourself, we can
really start to reflect on whatis working for us, what is not
working so much.
So this can be Simply reflectingon your day, it can be getting
(18:31):
up in the morning and sayingwhat you're grateful for.
It can be taking a lunch breakby yourself.
It doesn't really matter whatyou're doing.
I just think it's so importantto have moments of solo time.
It is also so healthy for us tolearn how to be comfortable in
our own space with ourselves sothat we're sourcing that safety
(18:52):
from within.
So if you're someone who doesn'tusually make time To be by
yourself due to commitments, oryou feel uncomfortable about
doing it, I encourage you totime block.
Just start really small, putsomething in that you'll find
enjoyable.
Because this is space.
(19:12):
for yourself and your thoughts.
If you want to do something morestructured, it can be meditation
or mindfulness.
My favorite meditation app issomething called Insight Timer
because there's guidedmeditations and I think
sometimes the less we have tothink about it, we can kind of
click and just do something onthe spot, the more likely we are
(19:33):
to do things.
So Insight Timer has some reallygood guidance.
Meditations, short meditations.
If you are looking for somethinglike that, Something else that
you can do to really createspace is a mind dump.
Pen to paper.
So we could call it journaling,but really for me what works and
creates the most space is almostlike a stream of consciousness.
(19:58):
I usually do it in the morning.
I just call it like a braindump, and I, it's when I'm
feeling, especially when I'mfeeling overwhelmed and really
fuzzy and like I've just got athousand tabs open.
Um, I just, I just startwriting.
I actually do this on mycomputer, but you can do this
pen to paper as well.
(20:18):
And I just start writingwhatever's on my mind.
And I often will go into likepositives, not so positives
where I'm getting stuck, like todo list everything.
And I just get it out of myhead.
And then from there I can playaround a little bit.
And if I need to go over itagain.
Reorganize this information orthese thoughts.
(20:38):
I can do that from there, butalmost like a brain dump.
I think it's really healthybecause it allows us to let go.
There's nothing structured aboutit.
And again, it's just taking itfrom one space and putting it
into another where it is furtheraway from our mind.
So that is something that ifyou're not used to doing, it
(21:00):
could feel a little bitchallenging, but it does get a
lot easier.
For others, um, and I go throughperiods of this as well,
something more structured can bereally beneficial, even if it's
just reflecting on the day orthe day ahead.
Questions like.
What went well today?
What are you looking forward totoday?
(21:22):
Um, where is there anopportunity to learn today?
How would you do thingsdifferently tomorrow?
These just sort of reflectivequestions can also help us leave
the day behind or start a newday fresh and give this nervous
system the sense of closing theloop, closure and organization,
(21:43):
which again can help us exist.
A few other ways we can createspace in the mind and body is
looking at all of thosecommitments or payments that are
coming up for something, um, thegym membership you're not using,
all of these things that haveagain been on the back burner.
(22:04):
I've been meaning to get aroundto that.
I've been meaning to do that andactually taking some time to
close them or commit to them,you know, not this gray area
where you're paying forsomething you're not going.
Or you keep rescheduling afriend.
It's about, again, closing theloops.
(22:24):
That can be really, really goodfor us because it means clarity,
it means less mental clutter, itmeans less brain energy that is
going on in the background, andmore space.
Just more space to think, orchoose to do something
different.
And finally in this category,one more, which is expressing
(22:46):
our emotions.
I I've spoken on this before,but really it comes down to
making space to feel how we feelwithout judgment.
And That can be mentally orphysically.
Like if we're feeling reallytight in our body, it might be
like, I'm going to make space toshake it out, put on some really
(23:07):
loud music and shake it out.
Or I'm going to start my daywith, with a dance and really
just let myself go and dance infront of the mirror.
That can be a way of expressingif we're feeling tense in our
body.
If it's more emotions and mentalstress, it could be making space
(23:28):
to grieve or to process sadness.
So for me personally, I don'tknow if I've ever seen this on
the podcast, but if I'm feelingreally irritable and I can just
feel it is grief underneath thesurface, I often will.
I have a ritual I'll put on.
Particular songs, create somespace for me, some safety with
(23:49):
me, for me, in my own space, andI will let the tears come.
I will let myself feel how Ineed to feel or journal or do
whatever I need to do.
But it's about actuallyacknowledging, This is how I
feel.
I need to just create a windowof time for this, to pass this
through.
And on the other side, I alwaysfeel so much better.
So if we don't give ourselvesspace to feel how we're going to
(24:11):
feel and make the space, it endsup impacting us at a nervous
system level.
Anger is another huge one.
In self sourced, the groupcoaching program, I recently
finished.
I gave a few exercises to helpus move through anger, releases,
using a pillow.
There's a lot of things we cando.
(24:32):
So if you're resonating to thisone, I'll be running self
sourced again, um, in February.
And actually one more I want totalk on today is rituals that
really signal to your nervoussystem that a transition is
happening.
And this provides a sense ofcontrol and intention And that
(24:53):
fosters safety back into thenervous system.
So for example, you come homefrom a big day at work and your
ritual is, I'm going to getstraight out of my work clothes,
have a shower.
And then that is what signifiesI'm now leaving my work shirt at
work and moving into my evening.
(25:14):
For me, because I spend a lot oftime working from home, I have
become more aware that I need tochange out of clothes that I
wear during the day and intosomething different at night.
And I light a candle at night tosignify this is evening.
I am going to do my best toleave work here for tomorrow.
So it's about those littlethings that we can do,
(25:36):
especially if you're somebodywho She is space between work,
you know, home.
It's all, it's a bit fluid.
I think these transition ritualscan be really powerful and it's
about creating that mental spaceand not carrying mentally being
burdened with all that stuffearlier in the day into the next
(25:58):
part of our day which can bequite common if we're not
actually making the space.
To break that pattern.
So as we start to wrap up thisepisode, I really just want to
circle back to the start andremind you that just by picking
one of these things to focus onor one category to keep in the
(26:21):
back of your mind, you canreally influence other areas of
your life because Everything'salways interconnected.
So if we're focusing on ourenvironment, it's going to have
a positive impact on our mentalhealth.
If we focus on our physicalhealth, it's going to have a
positive impact on our mentalhealth.
You get what I'm trying to sayhere.
(26:42):
All of the things I've talked ontoday really promote relaxation
and space.
That gives us back our sense ofinfluence and control, which is
really important, especially ifwe're dealing with overwhelm.
I hope you guys enjoyed today'sepisode.
It has been a quick one.
I've got a really good episodecoming next week or the
(27:06):
following week on relationshipsand I can't wait to share that
with you guys.
As I'm wrapping up this yearI've got limited space left for
my lightning process trainings.
I have finished my grouptrainings for the year but I
have two spaces left for one toone trainings, online trainings
for the lightning process.
(27:26):
So if you are listening and youneed support with a chronic
illness or want to learn somereally powerful tools to retrain
your brain and your nervoussystem towards health and
happiness.
I would love to support you.
I hope you all have a beautifulweek.
And if you've got your eye onthose black Friday sales, Don't
go over consuming.
(27:48):
It's a message for me as well.
We need least stuff, not morestuff.
Anyway, have a beautiful weekand I look forward to seeing you
on the next episode.
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