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Tips for Improving Your Mental Health as a Trucker

The impact of having bad mental health can affect you in many ways. It can make driving dangerous for long distances as your concentration is impeded. It can affect your ability to make the right road decision, which could cause accidents. It is estimated that around 30% or more of illnesses that affect the transportation business are mental health-related, meaning a lot of work needs to be done. If you are feeling that you are suffering in terms of your mental health as a trucker, then perhaps a few of the tips below can help:

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5 Tips to Improve Your Mental Health as a Trucker

Sleep

Sleep is a big one. You need to prioritize it. Even if you are sleeping in your cab and want to get on the road, you need to change your mindset. If you regularly get less than 7-8 hours a night, you may be causing yourself a lot of harm. Some health problems due to lack of sleep include obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatigue, memory loss, etc. Make sure that you try and establish a nighttime routine. Avoid things like coffee too late, and don’t drink alcohol. When it comes to improving your mental health as a trucker, sleep is essential; you may not be able to get long spurts of sleep, but focusing on quality, deep REM sleep and having a sleep routine can help. Improving your mental health as a trucker with a simple sleep routine can be as simple as deep breathing, listening to relaxing music, and not having screen time 30 minutes before bed. 

 

Stay Connected

You must try and stay connected what your loved ones. It can get lonely out on the road, making you feel very isolated and affecting your mental health. Luckily modern technology has made it easier to stay connected with people. Why not use apps such as WhatsApp and Messenger to make sending messages, videos, and images easy? You can also use these things to make video calls too. Bring along some pictures that you can stick up inside your cab. A few sentimental objects will help too. If you are away for a few days, why not send a few postcards?  

 

Get Moving

Sitting around driving all day is not great for your physical health and is also bad for your mental health. Whenever you stop, you should try and go for a walk or a short jog and get some stretches in. Exercise can boost you in many ways. First, it will make you feel better as it gets the blood flowing around your body, which can remedy any aches and pains. It can help combat things such as depression and stress. It can even help you recover from trauma. Exercise has so many benefits that you should try and get at least twenty minutes a day in.

 

Seek Professional Help

If you are feeling partially bad and nothing is helping, perhaps you should try and see a counselor. There are many professionals for all mental health conditions, from a general sense of low worth to addiction. Something like LifeWorks Recovery may be of great help. Whenever you are feeling low, there are always places to go and people who understand and can help. So do not suffer alone. 

Surround Yourself With Other Healthy Drivers

No matter what, your mental health as a trucker is critical, and we must pay attention to the signs and triggers that might tell us we need a break, help, or time off. Are you taking care of yourself? Are you taking time to stretch, eat well and drink water? These three simple things can be life-transforming. Come check out Mother Trucker Yoga and find out how you can join the movement of drivers who want to improve their health and stay on the road!

Your first step… Grab Trucking Yoga Simple Fitness for the Long Haul the BOOK! 

 

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Trucking Yoga: How to Use Mindfulness When You Are Stressed Out?

Stress is a card we’re all dealing with these days— from deadlines and personal problems to traffic and unhealthy work-life balances. Here’s the surprise: mindfulness can help. Now, if you’re wondering what mindfulness exactly is, it’s the act of focusing on the present without judgment. This act is taught with many other activities such as trucking, yoga, and meditation and can have lasting effects in helping you de-stress. Let us tell you how to use mindfulness when you are stressed out.

Five best ways to use mindfulness when you are stressed out

You become aware of your thoughts.

Being tuned to what is happening inside your head and thoughts can help you unwind. You can step back and view them instead of taking them quite literally. This way, your stress response is not triggered, and you can take a backseat from being stressed.

Try to focus on what you’re thinking without judging or reacting to those thoughts. Acknowledge their presence and know that your thoughts do not control you, but instead, you control them!

Reaction becomes response

Sometimes, when you’re faced with a stressful situation, you react in its heat. And then comes regret. Mindfulness and trucking yoga make you pause for a moment and use your “wise mind” to assess the situation. Then you’re not just removing yourself from a panicking situation but also making a smart move on your part.

You are sensitive to your body’s needs.

Some forms of mindfulness, such as a body scan, can help you be attentive to your body. Are you asking yourself how that works? 

Here’s the answer: you focus on each of your body parts, focusing on how you feel there without any reactions or judgment. This helps you notice underlying tension in muscles or any pain that might have been brushed off during stressful days. 

Acknowledging an issue is already half the battle won, and you can take measures such as trucking yoga to release yourself from the pain.

You become aware of others’ emotions.

The entire practice of mindfulness is based on high focus; hence your focus; on the emotions of others can also help you contain a stressful environment. You are much more open to caring and understanding other’s emotions behind their responses to you, and once more, you can make smarter decisions with binocular vision.

You focus better

We’ve said this so much already, but we want to emphasize it repeatedly. Mindfulness helps you focus better! Not only is this an essential virtue of problem-solving, but you can understand what is causing you the stress. 

Focus is an important quality to have, especially if your career requires it, and mindfulness can help you get ahead!

Conclusion

Mindfulness, along with other trucking yoga practices, is a crucial tool to use in times of stress and panic. They allow you the space to breathe and calculate fall damage in a third-person POV, so you don’t make abrupt reactions in critical moments. We’ve collected some of the best reasons mindfulness can help, and implementing these will give you the boost you need! Now you know how to use mindfulness when you are stressed out.

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How to Strengthen Your Bond with Your Spouse After a Long Time on the Road

How to Strengthen Your Bond with Your Spouse After a Long Time on the Road

How to Strengthen Your Bond with Your Spouse After a Long Time on the Road Mother Trucker Yoga Blog Image 1

Spending time on the road can be tough on any relationship. If you’re not careful, it can be easy to grow apart from your spouse. If you’ve been feeling like your bond with your spouse has grown weak, there are things you can do to change that. And the good news is that it doesn’t have to feel like hard work or strain your relationship. Here are four tips to help you reconnect with your spouse and strengthen your bond after a long time on the road.

1. Communicate Openly and Honestly With Each Other

Communication is essential for any successful relationship, whether it be romantic or platonic. Communication is the key to resolving any issues that may arise. Communicating about how you’re feeling is essential if you know you’re spending a lot of time away from each other. Plus, expressing that you miss each other can help you feel comforted.

2. Make Time for Each Other is Great for Truck Driver Health

We often find ourselves in the situation of being so busy that we forget about the people we care about. We get so caught up with our work that we don’t take the time to appreciate them. To make sure you have time for each other, you must prioritize it. Make time for each other and spend quality time together, even if it’s just a few minutes a day. This is important during times when you are home from trucking.

3. Be Honest About Your Feelings (Both Good and Bad)

It is important, to be honest about your good and bad feelings. This will allow you to better understand yourself and your emotions. It also allows you to better understand the emotions of others. Being honest about your feelings can help you discover what is going on in your life. It can also help you identify what triggers certain emotions in the future. Communicating this to your spouse can also help resolve any tensions.

4. Seek Out Therapy

If you are feeling overwhelmed or distressed, seeking professional help is essential. Texting friends and family is not always enough. It is best to talk to a professional who can help you find the right resources for your needs. You may find that psychotherapy for adult and couples is a great option to help you work through any issues together. It is important to remember that you are not alone in this process, and there are many people who want to help you through it.

Reconnecting with Your Spouse

Road life can be tough on relationships, but following these four tips can help strengthen your bond with your spouse. Just remember to communicate openly and honestly, make time for each other, be honest about your feelings, and seek out counseling or therapy if needed. With a little effort, you can help rekindle the spark in your relationship and enjoy a stronger bond than ever before.

When considering a loved one, making time for each other is great for truck driver health and everyone benefits from how spending time with loved ones make us feel.

If you are feeling lonely, consider joining our community Accelerate Your Health with Mother Trucker Yoga and come alongside other drivers who want to improve their health and well-being.

 

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Be a Happier Driver: 10 Ways Being Thankful Impacts Mental Health

“I think the first question we should ask ourselves is “what IS gratitude”? When you look up the definition it talks about kindness, but to me what is most important is gratitude is the act in which we “return” kindness. 

10 Ways Being Thankful Impacts Mental Health

Gratitude is what keeps the cycle of kindness going.

It not only returns the favor to the giver of kindness, but it can transfer it to the next in line. It makes me think of the concept of Random Acts of Kindness, which are really gifts to someone new in the form of kindness that one was shown from another. Gratitude keeps us in that cycle of kindness towards one another. And when we step out of that cycle that is typically when you see people start to only think of themselves. Where the mountains in their own lives get too high to see over or even look back from and kindly help another up. And that not only affects their health but those around them as well. 

An article from VeryWellMind noted that “gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative and is associated with several mental and physical health benefits. When you experience gratitude, you feel grateful for something or someone in your life and respond with feelings of kindness, warmth, and other forms of generosity.

They went on to say: “In general terms, gratitude stems from the recognition that something good happened to you, accompanied by an appraisal that someone, whether another individual or an impersonal source, such as nature or a divine entity, was responsible for it,” explain researchers Lúzie Fofonka Cunha, Lucia Campos Pellanda, and Caroline Tozzi Reppold in a 2019 article published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.”

What kinds of cycles are you caught up in? It might not be so bad to adopt this one.

This is where meditation comes in.

Meditation calls time out on us wherever we are in life to gain perspective, insight, and foresight. Meditation doesn’t necessarily change our lives, but rather changes our perspective on them and while we are currently in them. All the way down to our heart rate, our breath, and how we feel the feeling we currently have present in our bodies. 

 

As someone who has survived a life strangling eating disorder and several mental health obstacles, meditation and yoga allowed me to see that I wasn’t the only one. To see despite my own mountains, I could still offer a handout. And when I did, something magical happened…I felt good. And when I felt good, I wanted to do good. It made me more grateful and focused on the good rather than derailed and dismantled by the mountains. 

 

But unlike most. To me, meditation isn’t just sitting on a cushion for 20 minutes in a quiet room for 20 minutes twice a day. Meditation is the simple act of paying attention. Think of meditating in Times Square (pre-COVID). The busyness all around you and you standing still and observing. Not affected by the smells, sounds, sensations, or sights. You just take it in and appreciate it all. Notice it all, and notice your place in it all. Where instead of reacting, you are being present which will positively impact mental health.

So many of us are REACTING to life and that is because we are not in the moment, we are not practicing gratitude and this idea of a living meditation. We react when we are focused too much on the future and obsessing about the past. Your health is living proof of what being grateful and thankful can do for your life.

Try this:

A way to get back into the present moment is to take 30 seconds and mentally go through everything and everyone you can possibly think of and offer them a moment of gratitude. Feel it, see it, send it. Just like taking your medicine, this is your mental medicine.

So don’t just close yourself off in a room to practice meditation. See mediation as an opportunity to practice being present in your everyday life and that experience of being present will offer you the opportunity to practice gratitude through random acts of kindness. How? Because now you are more aware of the opportunities to do so. 

Be a Happier Driver: 10 Ways Being Thankful Impacts Mental Health health image

The health benefits of positive thinking and being thankful

Increased life span. Lower rates of depression. … Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Reduced risk of death from cancer.

The Mayo Clinic did research and discovered that positive thinking and gratitude create a great life!

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. They found health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

  • Increased life span
  • Lower rates of depression
  • Lower levels of distress and pain
  • Greater resistance to illnesses
  • Better psychological and physical well-being
  • Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke
  • Reduced risk of death from cancer
  • Reduced risk of death from respiratory conditions
  • Reduced risk of death from infections
  • Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

You don’t need to be a yoga person, a spiritual guru, or go to church every day to practice the art of gratitude and thankfulness. Try it out for a few days and notice how you feel. It’s hard to be angry when you are offering out thanks. When you shift gears mentally you can impact mental health immidately.

For another Daily Dose of Hope check out the Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP where you get access to Hope regularly alongside health and fitness-focused videos, audios, and downloads to help you get the most of out of your day, every day!

Try us free for 30 days with the code: MTY30

 

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7 Ways to Supplement Your Yoga with Increased Mental Function

You may be practicing yoga solo or alongside us here on our membership platform- Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Platform and APP and you are noticing physical and mental benefits. Trucking yoga is an easy way to add a little yoga to your life, even if you don’t own a yoga mat. And for drivers, when you combine a stressful day and physical exercise, you can find yourself fatigued or mentally tired at times. But we don’t want you to ditch the yoga or movements because your brain is drained, instead, let’s boost your brain with the following strategies. 

A poor diet, not getting enough vitamins and minerals, or poor sleep are significant contributors to brain drain. Fortunately, you can supplement your yoga with increased mental function with some simple changes to your life. Supplements, physical and mental workouts, and changing your diet can significantly impact your brain health. As a result, you will have increased focus, reduced tiredness, and an ability to boost both your creative and logical sides.

Supplement Brain Boosters

While exercising, you can use a lot of supplements. Vitamins and minerals are great for your health, of course. They make your muscles stronger, your bones more robust, and give you more energy. But you can also get brain tablets. Nootropics are unique formulas like Unlocked Supplement Co. (click here for more info). Vitamins and minerals work the same way, but brain-boosting recipes work differently. They’re tablets that improve your logic and memory. Improved logic and memory help you stay alert and responsive when driving or doing your job.

7 Ways to Supplement Your Yoga with Increased Mental Function Mother Trucker Yoga blog post

Easy Brain Workouts

You probably already work out somewhat. Maybe a little, perhaps a lot. You can also keep your mind active by doing puzzles such as Sudoku and crosswords.- Who doesn’t love those? You can consider anything that requires concentration or creativity as a brain workout. Activities like the above are wonderful ways to stimulate the brain and beat brain fog and mental fatigue, two things that plague truck driver health.

Some examples of activities that require you to use both sides of your brain are exercise reps, learning an instrument, or playing games. However, logic and creativity don’t always go hand in hand, especially in today’s world. And when you make it a priority to give your brain a workout both sides of your brain benefit from better neuron health.

In trucking yoga, we focus on movements that require you to cross the midline as those are easy movements to help stimulate your brain chemistry.

Two examples are cross-crawl workouts and windmills where you take your opposite arm to the opposite leg. 

Body Movement for Brain Health

If you exercise or do yoga regularly, you already help your brain. The brain releases serotonin when you move quickly and use your muscles. So you know that you’re doing things right when you have serotonin in your brain. When you’re done with a project, for instance, serotonin helps you feel good. It also allows you to feel less stressed by reducing cortisol. So you’ll have a healthier hormonal balance. Having too much cortisol is concerning because it increases feelings of depression, anxiety, and self-doubt. So natural serotonin (not from drugs or alcohol) always helps.

Eating the Right Brain Food

For your brain to stay healthy, you need a healthy diet. Your body can benefit from a variety of foods that help it exercise. Fruits and berries are loaded with antioxidants, caffeine is motivational (in small doses and healthy sources), and protein repairs muscles.

You may already eat these foods if you eat a healthy diet and good sources are fish and seeds high in Omega-3, dark chocolate, and certain berries. These help maintain cell structure, serotonin, and age-related brain issues like memory loss and lowered concentration. Chemicals in leafy greens such as broccoli and fresh spices also help.

Today take a look at your diet and take inventory, does your fuel match up? Truck driver health is critical to the health and success of the trucking industry.

A Good Night’s Sleep

You probably know how vital sleeping well is, whether you exercise or not. A new bed or mattress can be a significant expense, though. If you want to save money on your bed and mattress, there are a few things you can do. First, try buying a memory foam mattress topper. These work exceptionally well. In addition, try not to let your bedroom get too hot, or you’ll be restless. And finally, make your sleeping area quiet and dark so your brain can function well. These will help your brain go through the sleep stages. It needs to be considered refreshing, including much-needed REM sleep.

Increase Calcium Intake

Calcium maintains the proper communication between your brain and the body, which controls muscle contractions. Plus, it’s good for your brain too. Your brain and body are always talking to each other with neuron activity. Axons need it to transmit electrical impulses so synapses can work. As a result, the brain forms neuronal synaptic pathways. Calcium deficiency causes extreme tiredness, insomnia, confusion, and memory loss. But you can quickly get more calcium from milk and cheese, dark greens, and fish with bones you can eat, such as sardines.

Cut Out Alcohol

Alcohol is a socially accepted drug consumed by millions of people each day. However, it is a known contributor to increasing brain fog. Brain fog is a tiredness-related issue that reduces concentration and neuron activity. Quitting alcohol altogether helps minimize brain fog. But doing so can be challenging. Many people across the globe use alcohol to manage their feelings, but what ends up happening is they simply mask or numb them. Trucking yoga can help any person create space, breathe and improve mental function. Regardless of how much you drink, alcohol often leaves the user drained, in a mental fog, physically drained, and emotionally low. When it comes to truck driver health, alcohol also dehydrates your body, which results in headaches, lethargy, and trouble concentrating, something truck drivers should pay attention to. In addition, alcohol even reacts with many medications, making the symptoms worse or even dangerous in some cases.

No matter where you are in life or in your yoga journey, any one of the above seven could help you improve your mental health and truck driver health. Here at Mother Trucker Yoga, we believe it’s about the small simple changes that lead to the big results so you can feel good again™.

 

 

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World Suicide Prevention Day: 6 Strategies to Improve Driver Mental Wellness

Everyone talks about mental health, and unfortunately, the term “mental health” has a more negative connotation than positive. After talking with dozens of people from various backgrounds, most felt the time “mental health” felt there was something wrong with you, and therefore, you need to take care of your mental health. 

How did we get to this place? This place where we are looking for solutions, answers, and strategies for aspects of our health only when we are in a state of turmoil, anguish, or pain? 

I used to feel embarrassed to tell others that I had “mental health” like a disease. And if I dare mention I need mental health help, I would be mortified of the other person’s response. 

A few years back, I began to change my conversation around mental health. And since the term “mental health” has the stigma of being broken and therefore needing help. I decided to change the term of mental care to mental wellness. 

Mental Wellness is the state in which one makes the state of the mind, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors a priority. Whereas the actions were taken are both proactive and reactive, but really, as a means of a simple lifestyle integration. 

Today is Suicide Prevention Day. It’s kind of a bit strange to have a day focused on this when right next to it is National Hot Dog Day, Love Your Dog Day, and Grandparents Day. But I suppose a day is better than nothing. 

As someone who has stood face to face with suicide more than once, to me, suicide is a feeling of last resort, that all hope is lost, and any other actions taken will not be successful. I believe people are driven to suicide by many factors, and the why is not for argument’s sake, but from my own experience, I reflect on the what and the how. How did I get to that place, and what could have helped or been different? 

To anyone out there that is struggling with their mental wellness, I want you to know that you are not alone. 

I also want you to know that I see you and hear you. The words you don’t speak. The side of yourself you do not show. I see you. 

And instead of posting a suicide prevention hotline number on our blog, I thought it would be more helpful to share some of the mental wellness strategies I have used over the years. And when it comes to truck driver health issues, mental wellness should be a priority. 

6 Things To Improve Mental Wellness and Aid In Suicide Prevention

#1. Believe you are worth it. 

Or at least say it to yourself until you do. For years I didn’t, and I recognize that this was a learned behavior, a lie I was telling myself based on what I saw someone in my own life do over and over again. If you have breath in your body, then there is still a purpose for you. 

This tiny spark inside me kept telling me don’t lose hope. It was quiet and almost impossible to hear or see among the thoughts of self-destruction, self-hate, and sadness. But it was there. Today look in the mirror and tell yourself you are worth it. Despite what the mind says back, fight that other self (I called it my addictive mind) and say it anyway. When it comes to truck driver health, as a driver, you may already feel isolated and alone and that makes it even easier to allow your mind to spiral. Speak positively about yourself every day. 

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#2. Healthy Expression. 

It is easy for an outsider to tell someone depressed, suicidal, or lost hope to seek help. But the paralyzing effects of negative, depressive, self-destructive thoughts are paralyzing. It can take all you have to get up out of bed and get a drink of water, let alone get dressed and go to work. So rather than suggesting you journal, practice yoga, deep breathe (check out our deep breathing meditation for drivers), meditate, or call a safe friend when you are in that moment. Do it when you are feeling good. You need to cultivate habits in those impossible moments and practice them in the more accessible ones by doing the actions. 

Because our thoughts become our emotions, and our actions become our outcomes, and the cycle continues. And before you know it, every day is the same.

Dr. Joe Dispenza says “that if you keep thinking in the past, you will keep creating the same life”. If you continue to allow your brain to only think about what has happened to you in your life up to this point, you will only get a repeat of what you have had in your life up to this point. That means the same thoughts, emotions, and actions on autopilot. Disrupt that cycle when you are having a good day so that you can do it on those not-so-good days too.

#3. Change the cycle of your day. 

Routine is good when it is good. But routine can also be a toxic habit that leads us down the same pathway we have been down repeatedly. By changing the cycle of your behaviors and routines, you can increase the chances of changing your thoughts, emotions, and now outcomes. 

Start small. Start with something small and easy like drinking a glass of water in the morning, and as you drink it, tell yourself this is healthy for me. Do that every day, and after 90 days, you will have completed 90 new behaviors and told yourself 90 times you are healthy. Do that for a year, and that’s 365 times you have engaged in healthy behaviors and 365 times you have told yourself you are healthy. It all adds up. 

#4. Surround Yourself With Wellness. 

I don’t mean to sit in the middle of a health food store and never leave. I mean, on those good days, make a list of people, places, and things you can do, go to see, listen to, watch, and have that make you feel good. At one point in my life, I found myself consumed with Joyce Meyer’s books. I read them all. I particularly loved the Battle Field of the Mind. I read them over and over. They gave me hope, strength and shifted my thoughts away from the unhealthy cycle and, even if just for a brief moment, into a more healthy one. 

What are you currently doing on social media? If you find yourself consumed with groups and pages where people complain, are angry, and breed negativity. It might be best you delete them immediately. The same goes for people in your life. Find groups, connections, and affiliations where you feel safe and breed a positive vibe, where if needed, you can express yourself and even ask for help. And if you ever find yourself reading a post like that, reach out. Don’t just comment with praying hands emoji or saying I’m here for you. Sometimes the action of half help can make it worse. Instead, reach out directly to them. Private message them and start a conversation, or even call them. You might just save someone’s life.  

What music boosts your mood? I know how tempting listening to the downward spiral number one hit songs where singers share about their pain, hurt, and destruction. But don’t go there. You are only reconfirming how you feel and not allowing yourself to get out of it. What makes you feel good? Surround yourself with it. 

#5 Do It Anyways.

Some things make us feel good AFTER we do them. But getting ourselves to do them is often the problem. The key is not to think and do it. I love how I feel when I do my hair. I also love how I feel when I exercise and go for a walk every day. But the moment I give myself time to think about it, the weight of the world has now seeped in and taken over. So don’t think. And the momentum you feel and receive from the boost in endorphins afterward is the moment that will keep you coming back for more. 

#6 Know when it’s time for more.

I got to the point where I felt there was no hope for me. And although I was not in a place where suicide was on the docket anymore, I felt hopeless, empty, and lost. Physically I felt like I was going to vomit thinking about what I was about to do, but the alternative of living this way any longer outweighed what I was about to do. The day I spoke these three words to someone I trusted, I felt a relief I had never felt before. “I need help.” I had no idea what that helped looked like at that moment, but my ego had finally broken its last piece, and I no longer cared about anything other than not feeling this way. 

Who can you reach out to today? Who is safe? That person didn’t have all the answers that day and what came next was scary too (lots of new things), but nothing is as frightening as where I had already been. I had already experienced hell, so what could be worse? 

I want you to know that there is hope, help, and your mental wellness is a priority. And suicide does not have to be your only solution. Taking care of your mind, thoughts, and emotions is essential and trumps any other tasks you have in your life. Every effort you make is worthy, impactful, and shows you still see that spark at the end of the tunnel. You are worth it. Your mental wellness matters!

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12 Things to Say to Yourself Everyday

What we say to ourselves might be the most powerful thing we can do for our health and well-being.

Some joke about the current state of their health.

Some pretend it’s not an issue.

Some respond they had no idea.

But the truth is, bottom line, we know. We know if we are in a healthy state of being or not. I’m not talking about being a fitness model or professional athlete or size zero. The state of health I am speaking of says you can move, breathe and live with ease. You sleep well, feel good, and have a good attitude towards life and yourself.

Your Health Is Not a Means of Punishment

After spending more than half my life struggling deeply with addition, I 100% understand how the conversation inside your head plays into how you live life and the choices and actions you make that play into that.

It might seem silly, but you are enough. And many use their health as a means for punishment. Many choose everyone else and everything else over their health even when the reality is they can’t be 100% all-in when their health is less than optimal.

Today I’m not here to tell you to eat healthy, because correct me if I’m wrong. We all know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables, less processed and greasy foods. We all know we should be drinking more water and less soda. We know that! You know that! I know you do. So the big question is, why don’t we?

When I began my journey into recovery, I realized my choices were directly related to how I felt about myself. When I felt like I was a loser, ugly, a nobody, I made choices that reflected that. But when I had a moment that I felt good about myself, I made choices that reflected that.

On days that I am stressed, the moment I allow myself to “think about it,” I choose the couch, a snack, other needs above mine. But when I catch myself and act accordingly when I get up and move, eat the damn salad, I find I am a better version of myself. I have better internal conversations. And that is worth something.

If push-ups, sit-ups, and squats were the answer, then we’d all be fit.

If meal plans, food apps, and simply eliminating a food group were the answer, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

But it has to start with you.

The Link Between Thoughts, Feelings, And Behavior

An article on Forbes said: “Your thoughts are a catalyst for self-perpetuating cycles. What you think influences directly how you feel and how you behave. So if you think you’re a failure, you’ll feel like a failure. Then, you’ll act like a failure, reinforcing your belief that you must be a failure.”

The article discussed that once we draw a conclusion for ourselves, we are likely to do two things:

  1. Look for evidence that reinforces your belief.
  2. And discount anything that runs contrary to your belief.

Once you do that, you are going to act based on the above. It’s your thoughts that are determining your actions, your choices, not a fancy app or workout program. Those can help, but if they don’t help address the mental and emotional, you may find yourself spinning your wheels and wondering why nothing is changing.

12 Things to Say to Your Self Everyday Mother Trucker Yoga Blog Image 1

Shift Gears

When you find yourself stuck in a corner, reinforcing negative beliefs or thoughts that hurt you rather than help you challenge yourself, there are several things you can do that include self-talk.

  • Talk out loud to yourself.
  • Say CANCEL CANCEL; when you say that within 20 seconds of thinking or saying those negative thoughts, you can rewire your brain away from those thoughts.
  • Do it right away in the morning. When you start the day out on the right foot, the rest of your day is more likely to go that way. Drink a large glass of water, go for a quick 10-minute walk, deep breathe, recite positive affirmations like, I love myself, I am enough, I got this. 
  • Engage in activities, programs, and groups that don’t overwhelm you where they mean well, but you feel like you won’t be able to do that in the end. To figure this out, you have to listen to the conversation in your head. Sometimes, you need to push through, but make sure the pushing is through an overwhelm of information that you aren’t even applying. (Mother Trucker Yoga Program)

It must start with how you talk to yourself.

You are worth it.

You are good enough.
You can work out.

You can eat healthily.

You have what it takes!

That self-talk is the first conversation you should be paying attention to in your daily life and the one that creates all other conversations you have here on out.

Notice your internal response after reading those statements?

Are you rejecting them?

Embracing them?

Do they inspire you?

Or make you feel uncomfortable?

 

Get clear on that, and you, my friend, have your next step!

Things to say to your body everyday mother trucker yoga blog

If you think this is too simple. You are right. It is, and that is why most think it’s not worth it. But the truth is. What you say to yourself is worth focusing on. If your kids listen to everything you say, is your brain not listening to everything you say too?

If you want to learn why Mother Trucker Yoga and how we are different than the rest. CLICK HERE 

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4 Simple Steps to Mindfulness In A Stressful World

The idea of being “mindful” is now just as common language as “ya all” or “selfie”. What used to be the art of paying attention has morphed into the art of mindfulness. But what exactly is mindfulness? But what does mindful mean? And I know what you are thinking. I’m not about to ask you to wear yoga pants, sit on a yoga mat, and chant the night away (although it might do a few people some good).

Dictionary.com says

mindfulness

[ mahynd-fuhl-nis ]
Is the state or quality of being mindful or aware of something.

Psychology.

  1. a technique in which one focuses one’s full attention only on the present, experiencing thoughts, feelings, and sensations but not judging them: The practice of mindfulness can reduce stress and physical pain.
  2. the mental state maintained by the use of this technique.

This way to mindfulness blog mother trucker yoga

The simple art of paying attention, being alert, present, and aware in a non-judgemental way. In yoga and mediation part of the practice is to observe, notice, and just take in. For most of us, we cannot help but float back into the past and drift off into the future when various things arise. The idea of replaying what happened, or predicting what will all while mixing in our feelings with what is.

To me, mindfulness is the practice of separating from all of that. Not to be dull and lacking in life. But the opposite. The art of seeing, feeling, and being a part of what actually is. I believe that nearly all frustration comes the moment we step out of them now. Mindfulness says stay with me, breathe and take it one breath at a time.

Mindfulness also asks us to be kind. To be kind to ourselves, to others, and to the world. [Check out The Daily Meditation and what Hope had to say about Gratitude…]

One of the best ways to practice mindfulness is to apply this idea to the little things. Because it’s the little things that add up to big things over time. If you don’t want cavities when you are older, focus on brushing your teeth today, and when brushing your teeth, do just that. Treat your teeth, the action of brushing with the utmost reverence and importance. And notice how you feel afterward.

4 Simple Steps to Mindfulness

1. Start now. Start simple.

Many people decide to step into mindfulness and create this elaborate plan of how they are going to meditate 20 minutes twice a day, and go for long nature walks, and do an hour of yoga daily. Adapting all those things has never done any of them, even in the slightest is a recipe for failure. Most won’t even get out of the gate and decide that it’s too much. I prefer to focus on keeping things KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid. Now I’m not insulting your intelligence, but rather suggesting we start simple.

Instead of starting to apply the practices of mindfulness when you are the most stressed, the most overwhelmed, the most distracted. Start when it’s easy, when and where you don’t have to change much of anything. When you brush your teeth, only brush your teeth. When you go to the bathroom, just go to the bathroom (I know crazy right). When you are cooking, or eating just do that one thing. Pay attention to every aspect of it. Be present. You may be surprised by how you feel after. Taking an everyday task you already to and turning it into a mindful one.

 2. Approach With An Open Mind.

We as humans like to predict. We like to know all the answers… Well most of us do. And I want to challenge you to approach one situation each day for a week with a completely open mind. Notice if you start to predict how the situation will play out in your head before it’s over. Take note if your mind has already predicted the future before anything has even happened.

Take inventory of your feelings before, during, and after and how do you feel? For me, the practice of mindfulness is not sitting on a cushion in a dark quiet room. Mindfulness is me being more present, more alert, more aware, and more engaged in what I am doing, how I am feeling, and despite all of that continuing. Mindfulness has given me more confidence in hard situations, ones I would normally avoid otherwise.

3. FOR Peace Breathing.

Pause F.O.R. Peace Breathing was introduced to me when I first started on my yoga journey. It wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t complicated, and it didn’t require any equipment. All it needed was you and your willingness to step back and breathe.

When you stop and take a breath in a stressful situation, you stop the hormones released by the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) and start to live again. It is a simple tool that you can use every single day to prevent and release stress when it starts to bubble up.

Steps of F.O.R. Peace Breathing

Pause F.O.R. Peace Breathing un-complicates what our minds often make complicated. It makes you STOP and use the tool you were born with to deal with stress in your life.

What Does “F.O.R.” in Peace Breathing Stand For?

1. FOCUS

Focus on one, long, deep breath. Inhale deeply, feeling your diaphragm and belly expand (not your chest). Exhale through your nose or mouth for the same count, or longer. Be fully conscious of this breath.

2. OBSERVE

Observe your mind. Does it wander during this breath? Where does it go? Can you try again to be right here, right now?

3. REFOCUS 

Refocus if you need to. Bring your mind back to your breath. If your mind wanders, return to one deep breath.

4 Ground yourself physically.

Sounds silly, but we are all a part of something greater than ourselves. And science has already proved that we are all made up of energy. And when we are in nature our bodies have a way of restoring that energy within us with the positive energy around us. Ever been around someone who you felt like just zapped the life right out of you? Have you ever gone into a building, or slept somewhere were you just felt drained the next morning. Or the opposite. You are around someone who just lifts you up. Or slept somewhere and said that was the best night’s sleep ever. That might not be a coincidence.

Today, take inventory of who and what you surround yourself with. If all you do is spend time in a concert jungle, it might be time to step out into nature. Pull off at an oasis with a small park or grassy hill. Layout in the sun, or take a bit of time and reconsider who you surround yourself with. Being mindful asks you to do things with a purpose. And that purpose may be for you to take better care of you.

Take the Mindfulness Challenge!

Do you want more practical tips for being more mindful and peaceful in a stressful world? Join our 5-day Mindfulness Virtual Challenge September 7-11, 2020! Click HERE to sign up to join us!

 

What does mindfulness mean mother trucker yoga blog

Continue down the mindfulness path to a happier and healthier you with some of Mother Trucker Yoga’s other great content!

14 Ways to Reduce Stress and Overwhelm Blog

10 Tips for a Functional Body Blog

10 Steps to Goal Setting as a Truck Driver

 

Did you love this article?

Leave us a comment on what you thought. Or ways you work to stay more mindful.

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