Insights

Modeling the act of closing out each day in a peaceful manner is an important part of our role in the world. We teach people strategies to arrive at inner peace through all circumstances. 
 
We have learned the action part of life really takes place in real time which is within the current moment. The past is something that can never change. The future is something that is a gateway to endless possibilities. Although we don’t know what the future will bring, the choices we make within current moment definitely have the potential to impact our mark on the future and expand the possibilities. 
 
With this in mind, we have found it to be crucial for the mind, body and heart to end the day with a sense of self satisfaction and inner peace. Being mental health counselors, we have come across many circumstances where that last moment played a crucial role in life’s process whether it was healing or rejoicing. 
 
Sitting at a funeral and listening as a 13 year old girl explained her last moment with her mom was an argument ending with her slamming the car door was heartbreaking. This was definitely a reminder for us to continue to evaluate how we close out moments as we don’t know what the next instance might bring. 
 
Circumstances are something we can not control. The way we respond to what is given whether it is something we want or don’t want is the only thing we can. Our children watch the way we respond to things and learn from the example we give. Therefore, taking a step back and thinking about what behaviors you are modeling for your children, as well as how it may impact your relationships with them as well as others is an important part of the parenting process.
 
Moments present themselves to us as parents and life gets busy. Taking the time to say, “I love you,” or stopping to give a hug as you close out the moment at the drop off in the morning can be a “game changer”. Many of us jump into many different roles throughout the day. Taking the time to encourage a friend or coworker has the ability to have a ripple effect of that energy. Even through disagreements, taking the time to find neutral ground as you close the moment opens the door to inner peace. 
 
As life gets busy and as you jump in and out of different roles, keep in mind if this was the last moment you had interacting with this person, would you be at peace with how you closed it?
 
Working with children and adults experiencing stress and anxiety, utilizing different tools to support them having the best opportunities to obtain peace is something we take pride in at Relax Relight Renew.
 
Through techniques we utilize in our practice, promoting different tools to support reducing the flow of cortisol through the body, provides avenues for release of stress. We have found having the ability to slow down directly supports maintaining a relaxed state. 
 
Studies have shown the more relaxed a person is, the better equipped they are to learn new information and maximize their potential to become the best version of themselves. We are excited to play a part in the lives of so many people to make that possible. Every moment is an opportunity!

We have found laughter to be one of the ways to shift our thoughts into a more relaxed state. Studies have shown utilizing laughter reduces the flow of cortisol in your system. As you laugh, your body brings in rich oxygen that stimulates endorphins in your brain. While this endorphins are released, your blood flow increases as well as the relaxation of your muscles. Having a flow of endorphins produces “happy chemicals in your brain” which studies have suggested contributes to a decrease anxiety and depression.

Working on strategies to support people finding ways to increase laughter in their daily activities is something we incorporate in our practice. We have found that laughter supports connections and strengthens communication. At times you can find yourself on an emotional roller coaster, feeling as if you are falling into a pit of despair. Finding a new path to shift away from the burdens that are bringing you down can be established by the introduction of laughter. With these new passageways it can create a new avenue to inner peace. It’s a matter of shifting perspectives to what is undesired to something that could possibly be positive.

Some references of this practice over time have been shown through multiple sources. The beloved movie, “Pollyanna” introduces the concept of “The Glad Game,” in which Pollyanna uses this tool to bring optimism and joy to all those around her. The famous scene in Disney’s Mary Poppins of Uncle Albert and how as they laughed, they floated to the ceiling. In the movie Monsters Inc. on the scale of screams vs laughter, laughter was ten times more powerful. All of these are excellent examples of the positive effects of laughter on the mind, body and overall well being.

Let us help you get you back on track utilizing the tools of laughter and implementing them into your daily life.

Building character is a lifetime masterpiece. Your character is the core of the authentic you. In contrast, reputation is what others think of you based on your consistent actions over time. At times, our reputation may get bruised as we sometimes don’t measure up to what people expect. Our focus should always be on refining our character, not polishing our reputation. Developing a strong character takes work and it begins with how we view ourselves.

The perception we have of ourselves impacts the way we move through live and how our character is shaped. In addition, it contributes to how we see ourselves both internally and externally.

A study was conducted on a group of women. Three out of four said that they were overweight. Only one out of four was truly overweight. Looking at this study reveals lots of times we try to measure up to what we believe others expect of us. Society places emphasis on external characteristics and, at times, goals that may or may not be realistic which can significantly impact self esteem. This study is an excellent example of this.

Building character and a healthy self image, starts with having the ability to self love. Experiences whether seen as negative or positive get stored in our mind as reference pieces. You can think of it as an old VHS tape that plays in your head as you move through life. As new experiences happen, your mind will play the tape of other circumstances to compare with the current one. This can have a direct influence on your view and response in the current situation. Depending whether your reference is positive or negative has a strong correlation on your view of yourself.

We believe there is a connection with your body, heart and mind. Although your mind will always have a memory of any circumstance, we have found your body has the ability, given the right resources, to flip the polarity of the video your mind may play. Once the polarity is flipped, the body has the ability to erase the connection to the negatives the mind may play. It works similarly to flipping the polarity of an old VHS tape, where it erases whatever was on it. This opens a pathway to drop the emotions attached to the circumstances and to create a shift to see a different perspective. By allowing this shift, it creates a path to build a healthier view of oneself and strengthen one’s character.

Helping individuals build healthy self images is one of our many fortes. We always appreciate the privilege of supporting people in the journey becoming the best version of themselves and developing strong character.

The way we move through life depends on the way we perceive things. Perceptions play a pivotal role in outcomes. For example, the movie Maleficent showed how perception and perspective have the ability to shift the view of a character, making it difficult to distinguish whether that character is a hero or a villain. It all depends of your perspective.

We have all heard the saying, you can see the glass as half full or half empty. As we work with people to become the best versions of themselves, we have found guiding people to shift their perspectives to a positive outlook supports the best opportunities for growth.

Circumstances are something we have absolutely no control over, but we always have control over how we respond to them. Sometimes a simple shift in perspective creates a pathway to turn an unfavorable circumstance into a valuable opportunity to grow.

Finding things to be grateful for in difficult times, as well as favorable ones, allows a flow of positive energy to be present. As we raise our vibrational frequency, we create a pathway to attract more positive outcomes and experiences.

An important factor we have found to change and examine perspectives is to always place yourself on the receiving end of an action. Doing this mirrors a shift in perspective. It’s what we call the ripple effect. When we take the perspective of moving through life being the change we would like to see, we become kind and generous while paying forward what we want to experience. This helps us create peace within ourselves and our circumstances.

Let us help guide you on changing your perspective and the becoming the ideal person that you want to become!

We are always working on ways to enhance our clients journey to becoming the best versions of themselves. While exploring building blocks to self love and acceptance, we found a common thread around unconditional love. Experience of unconditional love has a tremendous influence on how we perceive ourselves and our ability to self love. In addition, loving oneself can start with self care and positive guidance.

Love is an action, but what is unconditional love and the difference between the two? Despite love being an action, to some, it comes with conditions. Unconditional love is accepting someone fully without any judgment. It is an emotion that is not dependent on circumstances or expectations. It is a selfless and unwavering affection for another person. It’s a love that has absolutely no demands or expectations of something in return. Unconditional love when faced with difficulties or challenges becomes stronger and always remains constant no matter what circumstances present. In fact, unconditional love can only show up in an unfavorable circumstance.

As we studied the concept of unconditional love, we found its root begins with one’s relationship with their parents. Parents who give unconditional love to their children support a firm foundation for that child to develop the ability to have self love and healthy relationships as an adult. It was noted people who had not experienced unconditional love in childhood, had more challenges trusting unconditional love when shown in adulthood. This prompted us to immediately figure out strategies to support people throughout the lifespan giving and receiving unconditional love.

Understanding unconditional love is not a trait but an action. Unconditional love prompts individuals to decide and make a conscious choice of who one wants to show up as within the circumstance. Placing yourself on the receiving end of an action is the best way to navigate the choice of you want to make. If your goal is to pay kindness forward and be the change the world needs, let unconditional love be your guide. By tapping into strategies that we can support, you will be able to give and receive unconditional love despite past experiences. With this new skill set, you will able to be the best version of you!

While working with clients, we have found that in life approximately 80 percent of the time most people are in the mist of a “don’t want” showing up. The only control we have around unfavorable circumstances is the way we respond to them. We work on strategies to support people finding ways to navigate these instances in order to enhance stress reduction.

As “don’t wants” show up, there is a physical response that happens within your body. Cortisol and Adrenaline are stress hormones and as your body experiences stress, these levels increase. When the levels of prolonged cortisol and adrenaline occur, you may have difficulty sleeping, weight gain, sugar cravings, low libido, feeling exhausted, feeling irritable, etc.

We have found slowing down and taking a pause allows us to recognize the “don’t want” and that this is a distraction from obtaining peace. Taking time to evaluate and explore how things align with your value system provides an avenue to change perspectives. Through that process, we support our clients utilizing strategies to move forward and seek solutions in a positive direction.

Learning to play the game of life is a constant movement of circumstances beyond one’s control.
In order to keep moving forward, one must learn to jump through obstacles. Moving forward provides a better possibility of winning. In the game of life moving forward, allows you to learn and grow.

Looking at a “don’t want” as a building block to making positive permanent changes in your life is the goal. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Learning to look at a different perspective on something you “don’t want” can support finding inner peace and ultimately win-win solutions.

Let us support you in changing the 80 percent “don’t wants” into 80 percent of opportunities to unlock your full potential.

Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is how you move forward after a mistake. It’s through a mistake where we have opportunities to learn and grow. A mistake is actually evidence that you are trying. 

Lots of times we have found people dwell on the past and allow mistakes to define their self confidence. We teach our clients to concentrate on learning from the experience and moving forward. By analyzing what caused the mistake by identifying the root cause, it opens an avenue to set a pathway of how to prevent similar mistakes in the future. 

We have found in certain mistakes utilizing laughter increases the likelihood the mistake does not define your self confidence. When our mind spins and holds onto a mistake as a reflection of our self worth it gives it fuel to define us. At times utilizing laughter as a path to move forward with trying again creates relief. 

There are other circumstances when a mistake involves someone else. We teach our clients how important it is to take responsibility and corrective steps to apologize and seek forgiveness from others. Taking ownership and providing accountability to what corrective actions will be taken in the future to prevent that mistake from recurring supports success within the relationship. 

The most important lesson we teach our clients is to forgive themselves. So many times we see clients hold on to their mistakes and allow them to define their self image. As we learn to show ourselves compassion and understanding, we build stepping stones for a brighter future.  By practicing self compassion, we can overcome harsh self judgment. We teach our clients to challenge their thoughts and beliefs that may lead to self judgment. 

We have found dwelling on past mistakes has a potential to block our ability to be present in the current moment making better choices. Embracing being a lifetime learner gives us the ability to learn from mistakes. 

It is important to come alongside and motivate others to do well and encourage them to be their true self without judgement. This allows them to feel the freedom to ask questions and make mistakes. Staying open to new ideas and life lessons supports connection and building bridges. 

Making the most of what is, learning from what was, and having faith in what will come is the path we motivate our clients to travel. It is sometimes through our greatest mistakes, we uncover our greatest opportunities to succeed.