Episode 22 Simple Holistic Habits for Overall Wellness with Gennifer Morley

What does holistic wellness look like? How can different types of exercise positively aid the body and mind in different ways? Why should you pause?

MEET GENNIFER MORLEY

Gen is the owner of North Boulder Counseling, a thriving group therapy practice in Boulder, CO which specializes in anxiety at all ages. She is a Licensed Practicing Counselor and has spent her life outside and is curious about the human experience. Gen's goal in life is to promote freedom from anxiety and fear for as many people as possible. Gen is wildly and lovingly, disarming. With Gen, you will laugh, think and play every time. She is also a triathlete and a very low runner.

Visit her website. Connect on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Find candid and relatable videos on mindfulness, meditation, and holistic lifestyles changes that are accessible here.

IN THIS PODCAST:

• What is holistic?
• Exercise advice
• Mindfulness

WHAT IS HOLISTIC

Having a holistic outlook on your therapy, habits, and overall life practices means simply look at the entire picture.

Being holistic and working holistically means observing how everything impacts everything else.

This is why holistic counseling will not only look at which emotional issues someone is dealing with, but will also look at what a person's eating, exercise, and daily habits are because they too have an overall impact on someone's health.

EXERCISE ADVICE

Recent findings suggest that people who are anxious prefer to do weight training and people who are depressed may prefer to do cardio.

To really oversimplify her research, what she has found is that cardio is very good for depression and weight-training is really good for anxiety. (Gennifer Morley)

Lifting heavy weights forces you to go slow and focus on controlled, deeper breathing. In turn, this can greatly benefit someone who may be struggling with anxiety and who is always running on a fast-paced cycle.

If you are hyper-aroused or stimulated, doing a hypo-activity like weight training and deep breathing can be soothing to the nervous system.

Conversely, if someone is in a depression, doing cardio and running, swimming, or even going for a brisk walk can ramp up the body's functions and release happy hormones.

When it gets to where your muscles burn, it releases all kinds of endorphins but the research my friend is doing is actually talking about specifically about what neurochemicals get released … we're not talking about getting cute, we're talking about using exercise specifically in place of medication because its going to make chemicals go in your brain that are exactly what you need. (Gennifer Morley) MINDFULNESS

A pragmatic way of looking at holistic wellness and mindfulness is to practice becoming aware of when you are not doing okay, and on the other hand, when you are doing okay.

When you are on your healing journey, the first step is noticing when you are not doing so well and pausing the story in your head that your ego might try to tell you as to why you are not doing good. Simply notice pause, and take a little moment to be with yourself.

The pause can be merciful.

Even after a difficult event, you can still pause and retroactively care for yourself. All of this work relates to building your neuroplasticity skills and helps you to change your mindset and approach to yourself so that you can be kinder, more empathetic, and reach the highest version of yourself.

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