Cats up thing, little food for yourself life. Oh it's pretty bad. Hey, it's pretty beautiful. Thing beautiful that for a little more, it's exciting, said, he can cut your kicking with full thing with Amy.

Cats up thing, little food for yourself life. Oh it's pretty bad. Hey, it's pretty beautiful. Thing beautiful that for a little more, it's exciting, said, he can cut your kicking with full thing with Amy.

Brown, Happy Thursday, Four Things Amy Here. And I got back from that therapy retreat with my kids and Ben, my ex husband, the other day, and a big focus was on things we can do to take care of ourselves, like quick things you can do to reset, to get back to center, to get back to feeling more like ourselves, and that inspired the direction of today's episode. I've got a self care short list for you, just four simple ways to get in tune with yourself to feel your best or reset. Now, some things we've touched on before, but they're worth bringing back because maybe you miss that episode, or maybe you need the reminder I know I do. And finding small moments of refuge or ways that you can improve your mood or reset so important. Obviously. I just go back from a whole retreat where that was one of the main themes, and teaching our kids to do it at a young age, like I wish that I had these tools when I was younger, and I'm thankful to give this gift to my fourteen year old and my seventeen year old, and you can too. We just have to be intentional about sitting down with them and doing these tips and tricks with them. Now, life is moving at hyper speed all the time. We feel like we're constantly juggling things, work, relationships, responsibilities, you name it. So it's easy to feel like we're just running from one thing to the next, completely drained, and I don't want to live that way. I'm very thankful for the all new Nissan Morano for bringing us this episode. So whether you're listing in the car, on a walk, or doing things around the house, let's dive in first.

Brown, Happy Thursday, Four Things Amy Here. And I got back from that therapy retreat with my kids and Ben, my ex husband, the other day, and a big focus was on things we can do to take care of ourselves, like quick things you can do to reset, to get back to center, to get back to feeling more like ourselves, and that inspired the direction of today's episode. I've got a self care short list for you, just four simple ways to get in tune with yourself to feel your best or reset. Now, some things we've touched on before, but they're worth bringing back because maybe you miss that episode, or maybe you need the reminder I know I do. And finding small moments of refuge or ways that you can improve your mood or reset so important. Obviously. I just go back from a whole retreat where that was one of the main themes, and teaching our kids to do it at a young age, like I wish that I had these tools when I was younger, and I'm thankful to give this gift to my fourteen year old and my seventeen year old, and you can too. We just have to be intentional about sitting down with them and doing these tips and tricks with them. Now, life is moving at hyper speed all the time. We feel like we're constantly juggling things, work, relationships, responsibilities, you name it. So it's easy to feel like we're just running from one thing to the next, completely drained, and I don't want to live that way. I'm very thankful for the all new Nissan Morano for bringing us this episode. So whether you're listing in the car, on a walk, or doing things around the house, let's dive in first.

Right.

Right.

This thing is about hosting your own emotions. Inspired by Katie Gufstason. I recently got a newsletter from Katie that I loved. She's a therapist here in Nashville, and I had the privilege of attending one of her workshops a few years ago and I'll never forget it. It was so good. I believe that's where I got signed up to receive her newsletters and I always enjoy them. And in her latest one, she talks about her passion for hosting dinner parties. She loves the whole process, the planning, the cooking, the setting, the table, the conversations, and even cleanup. But what stood out to me most was this idea she had, What if we practiced hospitality internally? Now, her newsletter was so beautifully written, and I'd love to have her on one day to further talk about it, but for now, I'll summarize what she shared about hosting your own emotions. So I want you to think about hosting a dinner party, And if you don't like to host them, then think about when someone is hosting you. But for the sake of this, you're the host, and your guests are welcome as they are right. You don't judge them or kick them out. If they bring some weird energy to the table, you just let them be there, You listen, You create space for connection. Now, imagine treating your emotions the same way, instead of shutting them out or trying to control them. What if we welcomed our emotions like guests. What if we got curious about what they were trying to tell us? And here's something that we can try. These are some suggestions that Katie threw out there. Next time you're feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself what am I feeling right now? And then name it sad, anxious, excited, frustrated, whatever it is. If you can't name the feeling, I highly recommend googling a feeling wheel. If you don't have one, then just search it up on the internet and go to images and you'll see a plethora of feelings wheels they're going to be their click on one and then take a gander at all the different feelings that are there, and then you can name whatever you have going on. Then check in with your body where do I feel this feeling? Maybe it's tightness in your chest or tension in your shoulders. Also side note here coming up in another thing, where to talk about weird ways that our body might be telling us something is up other than the obvious stuff like tension in the shoulders I feel like so a lot of us hold it, or maybe in your hips. So check in with your body where do you feel the feeling, and then ask what is this feeling trying to tell me? Maybe it's saying, hey, I need rest or I need to set a boundary, or maybe it's I need a snack. Because sometimes it could be hunger. That makes me think of the HALT acronym HLT halt hunger, angry, lonely, and tired. So if you're ever feeling a little off, you just halt. You pause, and then assess, hmm, am I feeling hungry, angry, lonely, you're tired. Halt is a great thing to keep in mind for not only yourself, but if you do have kids, halt, or maybe even your partner sometimes if they've got something going on, you might be like, hey, halt, feeling a little hungry and lonely or tired. And the hungry one is interesting to me too, because it's not just physical hunger. It could be emotional or relational hunger, like needs that aren't being met but you're craving them, So be aware of that one. But by practicing emotional hospitality, we remove the shame from our feelings and we create a space for self compassion. So, just like a great dinner party brings connection and laughter, Katie's point in all of this was that learning to host your own emotions can bring clarity and peace. And I love that I was getting dressed this morning and I had on sneakers with my outfit they were so cute. I was comfortable, but something just felt off like I love a good comfy vibe, but this wasn't working. So I went back into my closet and I decided, Okay, I'm gonna tuck my shirt in. Now I'm gonna throw on a bell and then put these boots on that have a heel. I walked out of my closet when looked in the mirror, and I instantly felt like a different person. I got a hit of dopamine from my outfit, and my experience this morning was the result of dopamine dressing. Yep, how we dress can help us feel like the amazing people we are now. Some days the sneaker vibe may be working for me and that will make me feel amazing, but today it wasn't it. I was feeling bloss So I decided to try dopamine dressing. Now I've touched on this slightly before, but I'm revisiting it today because it can be life changing. Doctor Don Karen coined dopamine dress in her book which is titled Dress Your Best Life. And if you use this method when you're getting ready, it could help you release a rush of dopamine, which is that feel good neurotransmitter, the feel good hormone. He's the term dopamine dressing. Now, I will say a big rule with dopamine dressing is it's a personal choice. Like what makes you feel good may differ from what makes someone else feel good or what's in fashion or on trend. Like if you try to jump on some trend that you're just not fully buying into and you don't feel confident in it, even if people are like, oh, you look so cute in that. Like I've had that happen before, where I've tried to jump on a trend and I have received a compliment, but I don't think I got a dopamine hit from it. The compliment didn't really do anything for me because I felt so insecure in it. I'm like, this is ridiculous. I don't really like this trend, so that didn't work for me. You got to wear clothes that you like in order to boost your mood and things it will make you feel good, not what other people say will make you feel good. Now, if you need inspiration for dopamine dressing, I will say you can search this up on socials or online and you'll find a lot out there, but it can be a fun way to express yourself and how you're feeling, and you'll just have happier vibes and again you'll feel more confident. That's exactly what happened to me this morning. My confidence went way up. Now some tips for dopamine dressing, or you can start with statement accessories like a different shoe or a bag, or choose an outfit that you enjoy looking at or you feel good wearing, like when you look in the mirror, you love it, colors that you love like, consider how you might feel in certain colors or textures and styles. Which speaking of colors, the colors we wear can impact our mood. Like a quick little rundown of how different colors affect us. Yellow equals optimism and focus, Orange energy and confidence, Blue calm and productivity, Red excitement and boldness, Green balance and good decision making. Green is also positive vibes. So if you wake up one morning you're trying to get ready for work or your day and you're just feeling kind of blah, maybe throw on a color that lifts your mood, or try a different outfit that you know you feel your best in who cares if you even wore it the other day. If it's an awesome outfit, give it a go again. And if you naturally gravitate towards certain colors, that might say a lot about what you need right now, could be telling you something. And this is a small thing, but it's just another way to be intentional about how to better take care of yourself. So give it a try. Here.

This thing is about hosting your own emotions. Inspired by Katie Gufstason. I recently got a newsletter from Katie that I loved. She's a therapist here in Nashville, and I had the privilege of attending one of her workshops a few years ago and I'll never forget it. It was so good. I believe that's where I got signed up to receive her newsletters and I always enjoy them. And in her latest one, she talks about her passion for hosting dinner parties. She loves the whole process, the planning, the cooking, the setting, the table, the conversations, and even cleanup. But what stood out to me most was this idea she had, What if we practiced hospitality internally? Now, her newsletter was so beautifully written, and I'd love to have her on one day to further talk about it, but for now, I'll summarize what she shared about hosting your own emotions. So I want you to think about hosting a dinner party, And if you don't like to host them, then think about when someone is hosting you. But for the sake of this, you're the host, and your guests are welcome as they are right. You don't judge them or kick them out. If they bring some weird energy to the table, you just let them be there, You listen, You create space for connection. Now, imagine treating your emotions the same way, instead of shutting them out or trying to control them. What if we welcomed our emotions like guests. What if we got curious about what they were trying to tell us? And here's something that we can try. These are some suggestions that Katie threw out there. Next time you're feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself what am I feeling right now? And then name it sad, anxious, excited, frustrated, whatever it is. If you can't name the feeling, I highly recommend googling a feeling wheel. If you don't have one, then just search it up on the internet and go to images and you'll see a plethora of feelings wheels they're going to be their click on one and then take a gander at all the different feelings that are there, and then you can name whatever you have going on. Then check in with your body where do I feel this feeling? Maybe it's tightness in your chest or tension in your shoulders. Also side note here coming up in another thing, where to talk about weird ways that our body might be telling us something is up other than the obvious stuff like tension in the shoulders I feel like so a lot of us hold it, or maybe in your hips. So check in with your body where do you feel the feeling, and then ask what is this feeling trying to tell me? Maybe it's saying, hey, I need rest or I need to set a boundary, or maybe it's I need a snack. Because sometimes it could be hunger. That makes me think of the HALT acronym HLT halt hunger, angry, lonely, and tired. So if you're ever feeling a little off, you just halt. You pause, and then assess, hmm, am I feeling hungry, angry, lonely, you're tired. Halt is a great thing to keep in mind for not only yourself, but if you do have kids, halt, or maybe even your partner sometimes if they've got something going on, you might be like, hey, halt, feeling a little hungry and lonely or tired. And the hungry one is interesting to me too, because it's not just physical hunger. It could be emotional or relational hunger, like needs that aren't being met but you're craving them, So be aware of that one. But by practicing emotional hospitality, we remove the shame from our feelings and we create a space for self compassion. So, just like a great dinner party brings connection and laughter, Katie's point in all of this was that learning to host your own emotions can bring clarity and peace. And I love that I was getting dressed this morning and I had on sneakers with my outfit they were so cute. I was comfortable, but something just felt off like I love a good comfy vibe, but this wasn't working. So I went back into my closet and I decided, Okay, I'm gonna tuck my shirt in. Now I'm gonna throw on a bell and then put these boots on that have a heel. I walked out of my closet when looked in the mirror, and I instantly felt like a different person. I got a hit of dopamine from my outfit, and my experience this morning was the result of dopamine dressing. Yep, how we dress can help us feel like the amazing people we are now. Some days the sneaker vibe may be working for me and that will make me feel amazing, but today it wasn't it. I was feeling bloss So I decided to try dopamine dressing. Now I've touched on this slightly before, but I'm revisiting it today because it can be life changing. Doctor Don Karen coined dopamine dress in her book which is titled Dress Your Best Life. And if you use this method when you're getting ready, it could help you release a rush of dopamine, which is that feel good neurotransmitter, the feel good hormone. He's the term dopamine dressing. Now, I will say a big rule with dopamine dressing is it's a personal choice. Like what makes you feel good may differ from what makes someone else feel good or what's in fashion or on trend. Like if you try to jump on some trend that you're just not fully buying into and you don't feel confident in it, even if people are like, oh, you look so cute in that. Like I've had that happen before, where I've tried to jump on a trend and I have received a compliment, but I don't think I got a dopamine hit from it. The compliment didn't really do anything for me because I felt so insecure in it. I'm like, this is ridiculous. I don't really like this trend, so that didn't work for me. You got to wear clothes that you like in order to boost your mood and things it will make you feel good, not what other people say will make you feel good. Now, if you need inspiration for dopamine dressing, I will say you can search this up on socials or online and you'll find a lot out there, but it can be a fun way to express yourself and how you're feeling, and you'll just have happier vibes and again you'll feel more confident. That's exactly what happened to me this morning. My confidence went way up. Now some tips for dopamine dressing, or you can start with statement accessories like a different shoe or a bag, or choose an outfit that you enjoy looking at or you feel good wearing, like when you look in the mirror, you love it, colors that you love like, consider how you might feel in certain colors or textures and styles. Which speaking of colors, the colors we wear can impact our mood. Like a quick little rundown of how different colors affect us. Yellow equals optimism and focus, Orange energy and confidence, Blue calm and productivity, Red excitement and boldness, Green balance and good decision making. Green is also positive vibes. So if you wake up one morning you're trying to get ready for work or your day and you're just feeling kind of blah, maybe throw on a color that lifts your mood, or try a different outfit that you know you feel your best in who cares if you even wore it the other day. If it's an awesome outfit, give it a go again. And if you naturally gravitate towards certain colors, that might say a lot about what you need right now, could be telling you something. And this is a small thing, but it's just another way to be intentional about how to better take care of yourself. So give it a try. Here.

We got the third.

We got the third.

Thing earlier in the first thing about Katie's newsletter, we talked about our feelings doing a check in with your body, like maybe you've got tension in your shoulders, and that's trying to tell you something. But our bodies have weird ways of telling us when we're holding onto emotions as well. Like I was angry, very angry not too long ago, and my body got hot and itchy. It was a mixture of anger and resentment that was coming up, and I needed to work through it. It was probably the most angry I've been in a long time. But Cat and I recently talked about itching being a sign of anxiety or stress. So my first thought, if I'm being honest, was that a mosquito bit me. And then I couldn't find the bite, and I was like ugh. Then I soon realized like, oh, my body is simply having a very strong reaction to my very strong feelings. Now, another example might be yawning. Like you may yawn and think you're just tired or bored, but yawning a lot can actually be a sign of stuck emotions. It can be your nervous system's way of trying to release stress, and it's not just yawning or itching other Sneaky signs of stagnant emotions include tingling in your hands or feet. Yeah, that could be a sign, or fidgeting feeling restless, like, because sometimes your desire to move your body in that fidgety way is your body trying to shake off stress that you don't even know that you've got going on. So if you've been feeling weirdly off, your body might be begging you to reset. And the best way to do that move move more than just fidgeting, Like get up and move, do some breath work, get outside, or even just stand up and do some stretching, shake out your hands, taking deep breaths just next to your desk, like if you can't make it outside or you can do. What I'm going to share with you next thing. I've talked about the five four three two one Ground method before, credited to psychotherapist Betty Alice Ericsson, and I'm sharing it again now because I used it to reset with my kids the other day and it was magic. It reset us all it worked for me for Stevenson's to share a boom boom boom. We did it together and it was so fun to see it work for them. I hope that they use it anytime that they need it. It is perfect for those moments when your brain is just moving way too fast, when you're stuck in your head, you're spiraling, or you're just feeling off. It helps pull you back to the present. And it works using your five senses, so you don't need any tools. You know, sometimes journaling is great. Maybe you don't have your journal, you don't have a pin, you don't have paper. All you need here is your five senses. Five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. What happens is when you use all of your senses, you anchor yourself in the moment. Like if I were doing it right now, I would say, I see my microphone. I see my empty water bottle, which is an awesome little shout out there because that means I drank the water that was inside of it. I see the light outside the window. I see my laptop and my nail polish, which I need to paint my nails desperately. It's on my to do list today. We'll see if I get to it. But that is a little dopamine hit for me. When my nails are done, I just feel like a better person. So a little example of that there. If I were to do Four things I can touch. I feel the warmth of my coffee mug, which doesn't have coffee in it right now, but has macha, the texture of my sweater, the coolness of my rings on my fingers, and the cushion of my chair. Three things I hear. I hear my dog below me kind of breathing, hopefully y'all can't hear she's asleep. I hear a hint of birds chirping outside, a tiny hint out my window, and then I hear my own voice in my headphones. As for two things I can smell, well, I smell my dog, and then a hint of my perfume that I put on earlier this morning, and then finally one thing that I can taste, my macho latte that I made. So this method is great Again, it forces us to slow down when we do it. And it was fun doing this with my kids because I liked watching them look around to come up with five things that they were seeing, and we all came up with different things. So it also just shows you all that is around you that you're not paying attention to at times. So this will help you slow down, even if just for a minute. It's a simple, effective way to reset. So whether you're in the middle of a stressful work day, or you're feeling overwhelmed at home home, or your kids are bickering like mine were, gather them together. Hey, kids, come on, we're gonna go outside. We're gonna do the five four three two one method. It'll work, and it'll also provide a quick mental refresh for you if that's what you need. All right, So to recap, I gave you four simple ways to check in with yourself and find small moments of refuge in your day. You can host your emotions like a dinner party, get curious about what they're trying to tell you. Use dopamine dressing and color psychology to boost your mood with what you wear. Pay attention to your body's weird signals yawning, itching, fidgeting, That could all mean you need a reset. And then a way to reset is the five four three two one grounding trick that we just did. It'll get you out of your head. So which one of these resonates with you the most? Any in particular? Do y'all have any that y'all want to share with me? If you try any of these, let me know if you've got some ones you want to share four things with Amy Brown at gmail dot com. Thank you for being with me here today and again. This episode has been brought to us by the all new Nissan Morano because finding moments of peace in our busy lives matters. It really does. See you next week

Thing earlier in the first thing about Katie's newsletter, we talked about our feelings doing a check in with your body, like maybe you've got tension in your shoulders, and that's trying to tell you something. But our bodies have weird ways of telling us when we're holding onto emotions as well. Like I was angry, very angry not too long ago, and my body got hot and itchy. It was a mixture of anger and resentment that was coming up, and I needed to work through it. It was probably the most angry I've been in a long time. But Cat and I recently talked about itching being a sign of anxiety or stress. So my first thought, if I'm being honest, was that a mosquito bit me. And then I couldn't find the bite, and I was like ugh. Then I soon realized like, oh, my body is simply having a very strong reaction to my very strong feelings. Now, another example might be yawning. Like you may yawn and think you're just tired or bored, but yawning a lot can actually be a sign of stuck emotions. It can be your nervous system's way of trying to release stress, and it's not just yawning or itching other Sneaky signs of stagnant emotions include tingling in your hands or feet. Yeah, that could be a sign, or fidgeting feeling restless, like, because sometimes your desire to move your body in that fidgety way is your body trying to shake off stress that you don't even know that you've got going on. So if you've been feeling weirdly off, your body might be begging you to reset. And the best way to do that move move more than just fidgeting, Like get up and move, do some breath work, get outside, or even just stand up and do some stretching, shake out your hands, taking deep breaths just next to your desk, like if you can't make it outside or you can do. What I'm going to share with you next thing. I've talked about the five four three two one Ground method before, credited to psychotherapist Betty Alice Ericsson, and I'm sharing it again now because I used it to reset with my kids the other day and it was magic. It reset us all it worked for me for Stevenson's to share a boom boom boom. We did it together and it was so fun to see it work for them. I hope that they use it anytime that they need it. It is perfect for those moments when your brain is just moving way too fast, when you're stuck in your head, you're spiraling, or you're just feeling off. It helps pull you back to the present. And it works using your five senses, so you don't need any tools. You know, sometimes journaling is great. Maybe you don't have your journal, you don't have a pin, you don't have paper. All you need here is your five senses. Five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. What happens is when you use all of your senses, you anchor yourself in the moment. Like if I were doing it right now, I would say, I see my microphone. I see my empty water bottle, which is an awesome little shout out there because that means I drank the water that was inside of it. I see the light outside the window. I see my laptop and my nail polish, which I need to paint my nails desperately. It's on my to do list today. We'll see if I get to it. But that is a little dopamine hit for me. When my nails are done, I just feel like a better person. So a little example of that there. If I were to do Four things I can touch. I feel the warmth of my coffee mug, which doesn't have coffee in it right now, but has macha, the texture of my sweater, the coolness of my rings on my fingers, and the cushion of my chair. Three things I hear. I hear my dog below me kind of breathing, hopefully y'all can't hear she's asleep. I hear a hint of birds chirping outside, a tiny hint out my window, and then I hear my own voice in my headphones. As for two things I can smell, well, I smell my dog, and then a hint of my perfume that I put on earlier this morning, and then finally one thing that I can taste, my macho latte that I made. So this method is great Again, it forces us to slow down when we do it. And it was fun doing this with my kids because I liked watching them look around to come up with five things that they were seeing, and we all came up with different things. So it also just shows you all that is around you that you're not paying attention to at times. So this will help you slow down, even if just for a minute. It's a simple, effective way to reset. So whether you're in the middle of a stressful work day, or you're feeling overwhelmed at home home, or your kids are bickering like mine were, gather them together. Hey, kids, come on, we're gonna go outside. We're gonna do the five four three two one method. It'll work, and it'll also provide a quick mental refresh for you if that's what you need. All right, So to recap, I gave you four simple ways to check in with yourself and find small moments of refuge in your day. You can host your emotions like a dinner party, get curious about what they're trying to tell you. Use dopamine dressing and color psychology to boost your mood with what you wear. Pay attention to your body's weird signals yawning, itching, fidgeting, That could all mean you need a reset. And then a way to reset is the five four three two one grounding trick that we just did. It'll get you out of your head. So which one of these resonates with you the most? Any in particular? Do y'all have any that y'all want to share with me? If you try any of these, let me know if you've got some ones you want to share four things with Amy Brown at gmail dot com. Thank you for being with me here today and again. This episode has been brought to us by the all new Nissan Morano because finding moments of peace in our busy lives matters. It really does. See you next week