DECOMPRESS

M. Have some stuff on my mind. Need to decompress.

C. Let’s hear it. What’s on your mind?

M. Thank God, things are getting better, but I’m still feeling a bit frazzled

C. Go on

M. Didn’t sleep great. More specifically, I went to bed close to 12:30 and it took me a long time to fall asleep.

C. What happened?

M. We’re staying at a hotel and watched TV until really late. N needs it on to fall asleep. I did a poor job with my pre-sleep routine. I didn’t take a hot shower, which normally helps me to fall asleep. The room was hot. And I went to be nervous about not being able to fall asleep.

C. Okay, what else?

M. Like I said things are getting a lot better, but I was/am feeling overwhelmed. I have a lot on my plate, both personal and professional.

C. Go on

M. Plus, I got this email threatening to take all my accounts. It frankly scared me. It turned out to be an email scam. I researched it and found out it’s ********. Still pissed me off that there are f’ing a-holes in the world that do this and that people fall for it. F*** them!

C. Go on

M. Well I’m obviously a bit tired today, but I did take the time to go through my personal and business to do’s and plan out my game plan for Monday and the rest of next week.

C. Did this help?

M. It did. It was useful to write this out and update my calendar. I obviously still have a lot to do, but I now at least have a better handle around how I’m going to get it done.

C. Great

M. I’m feeling a bit discombobulated because I’m out of the house and feeling tired.

C. What else?

M. Well, I’m pissed at f’ing M because he never f’ing calls me. F*** him!

C. Do you want my advice on what to do about this?

M. Please

C. F*** him. In other words, use this anger to drive you to work hard on yourself and your business. No more second fiddle. Put your foot on his f’ing throat. Channel your intensity in a positive way. Having said this, continue to lean into kindness whenever you interact with him. You no longer need to depend on him. If you work on a project together, which is still very possible and good for both of you, be kind AND assertive. Don’t let him treat you like his subordinate. You can do this is a positive manner and acting with complete confidence in yourself. Make sense?

M. It does. It’s helpful to vent here and to direct the anger in a positive way while not being consumed by it. So, thanks for the advice.

C. What else?

M. Well, the other thing that bugged me was that I ate too much “healthy” food last night before going to bed.

C. Go on

M. I ate something like 4 protein bars plus a bag of low carb chips. So, while these were on my permitted list of foods, they’re processed foods and combined to over 1000 calories. I ate these because I was stressed.

C. It’s okay. It happens. Don’t make it worse by beating yourself up about it. Tonight, just follow your evening routine, and, make sure to take a hot shower. Be smart about your media consumption. Try not to overwhelm your brain with so much digital content. Mellow out before bed. Do your gratitude list. Think kind thoughts about CC. Drink water. Stop eating after 8 pm, 9 at the latest. One more thing.

M. Yes?

C. Please stop checking email after 5pm. I know this is hard, but do this instead: pray. Do your “Our Father’s” and “Hail Mary’s” along with your other prayers. Pray for a relaxed mind. Do loving-kindness prayer. Calm your heart and mind. Also, don’t watch or read the news after 8pm. Just by glancing a few websites, you’ll know what’s going on. The news angers you. You know what’s going to be said. The news is meant to scare you. Everybody is just criticizing each other. Your brain doesn’t need to hear all of this criticism or see images that trigger anger.

M. Makes sense

C. Before you do anything, you might want to consider asking yourself, “Is this good for my brain or bad for my brain?”. You’ve battled depression and anxiety for a long time, it’s time to start be kinder and nurturing to your brain, heart, and spirit. Make sense?

M. It totally does. I feel like in some ways I’m addicted to watching the news and political commentary.

C. I get it. It’s a distraction and in many ways very interesting, but try to find other ways to focus your time, emotions, and energy.

M. Got it. Definitely makes sense.

C. Good. Was this helpful?

M. Yes, big time. Thanks so much. I feel a lot better now.

C. Great. Take care and we’ll talk later.

M. Thanks again.

C. You bet.