Facing Dementia: The Pressure to Be Well

[00:00:06] Hi, this is the Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell podcast. Our heartwarming conversation is designed to lift you on your wellness journey. Grab your cup of tea and enjoy the podcast.

[00:00:27] Welcome everyone to Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell. And today we're going to turn the microphone around and I'm going to hand it over to Lauren Wittig. You know, Lauren from our Facing Dementia series. And Lauren has had her own podcast and has held the reins before. And so I'm just going to hand it over now. And Lauren, thank you for taking this on.

[00:00:52] Lauren Wittig This is exciting and a little nerve wracking. I haven't done this in a couple of years, but of course, I'd love the opportunity to ask you questions.

[00:01:02] Lauren Wittig All right. So, um, let's see what we're going to do here is, uh, we're going to explore how practices intended to support wellness can become, can quietly become sources of pressure, guilt, fear and self judgment, and how bio energetic wellness, which is Michelle's specialty, shifts us toward awareness, biofeedback, adaptability, joy and trust.

[00:01:29] Lauren Wittig And I just want to say real quick that I love how the perspective on what we've been talking about for what close to a year now is switching now. And I love that. So thank you for inviting me to flip the, flip the, uh, mic. Lauren Wittig Well, thank you. Lauren Wittig All right. Okay. We should probably talk about teas, huh? Lauren Wittig I think we should talk about tea. Lauren Wittig I think so too. So you're the expert.

[00:01:59] Lauren Wittig You're going to start with me today? Lauren Wittig I'm going to start with you today. Lauren Wittig Okay. All right. So I went to make the tea and this is actually one that's going to be for the next episode you and I are doing, but it was the one that drew attention. And so from the Cape Breton Tea Company, I have Huggin' the Holidays. And we do have, Nadine Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend. And I know it's just around the corner for you. And then we were thinking about the Christmas podcast.

[00:02:28] Lauren Wittig But what I wanted to bring attention to was the affirmation is wishing you the love of family and friends with health, prosperity, fun, and adventure for your new year. Lauren Wittig And with the way we've been focusing on joy and turning things around and gaining perspective, when we bring a sense of community back in, which is those family and friends, into the way that we want to have that joy-filled piece.

[00:02:55] Lauren Wittig That's what I think the tea wants to say. So what I'm going to say is this one's got apple, cinnamon, cloves. So it's something that we all find in the apple crumbles, the baked apples, things that are being harvested right now. And then there's a little bit of cocoa in here.

[00:03:14] Lauren Wittig So for those of us who need a chocolate fix, that's a great way to put everything together. So this is my comfort tea to go to. I just love this season. And how about you?

[00:03:26] Lauren Wittig I was so enjoying the green tea that we were talking about the last episode that I went back to green tea, but this time it's a green tea that has marigold petals and orange oil in it. And it's just really, it's got that light citrusy feeling to it, but that groundingness of the green tea. Lauren Wittig Beautiful. Well, cheers, Lauren.

[00:03:51] Lauren Wittig I'm glad that you're here with us today because this is a very different kind of way of looking at what we've done so far, what we've talked about so far. So in the last episode, I shared a realization that stopped me in my tracks. I was tired of doing things because they were supposedly good for my brain and then feeling badly about myself when I didn't do it.

[00:04:19] Lauren Wittig And this opened up a much bigger question that Michelle brought forward is, what happens when trying to be well becomes another source of stress? So exercise, nutrition, sleep, meditation, supplements, steps, water, time in nature, brain exercises, all valuable possibilities. But what happens when they become another list of things we're supposed to do correctly?

[00:04:43] Lauren Wittig So today we're doing something different. I'm taking the microphone and I'm interviewing Michelle and we're going to explore this through bioenergetic wellness lens, not to create another list of wellness rules, but to consider how awareness, biofeedback, intention, joy, and intuition can help us discover what supports us.

[00:05:07] Lauren Wittig So let's start. So last time I admitted that I had become tired of doing things simply because they were supposed to be good for my brain. I have spent months and months and months doing what's supposed to be good for my brain, and I'm sure most of it is. Lauren Wittig So somewhere along this journey, taking care of myself had really begun to feel like just another job, another must, should, ought. And when I didn't follow through, there was a lot of guilt and shame.

[00:05:37] Lauren Wittig So Michelle, let's begin there. How can something we're doing for our wellness actually become a source of stress? Michelle I think what happens for people is they're still looking at it through the lens of chasing wellness and looking at the symptoms.

[00:05:59] Lauren Wittig So if you look, you're always going to have that piece that I need to have more vitamins. I didn't walk enough today. There wasn't enough water in my day. I forgot to eat. I didn't plan for my meals. There's so many ways that we could judge ourselves and we could set ourselves up for why the symptoms are there.

[00:06:23] Lauren Wittig But if we were to flip everything around to a different perspective and look at in what way do I want my day to go? And we set it up right from the very beginning, same as we do with the podcast. We know where we're heading. We've talked about what we're going to do. We've talked about the tea, how it relates.

[00:06:43] We brought in the herbs and then we sip on the tea to get everything underway with the intention of bringing to the listener the opportunity to have a healing session while they listen. That's all been embedded. And that's exactly what we need to do in our day is embed wellness within our day. And when we're coming through that lens, then it's not a stress lens because every time you make a choice, it's for wellness.

[00:07:12] Instead of making a choice because I've got to chase the symptom. And I think that's where people get stuck. And then that's a lot of work because you're one, you're waiting for a signal. Do you don't feel well? Because you have to wait for the signal of not being well. And that means the lens is going to be skewed in some way. So if it's the lens of guilt as what you were experiencing, while grief, guilt and regret sits in the metal element. You look at Chinese medicine and that's lung and large intestine.

[00:07:41] So what symptom might have to manifest out of that guilt to come from there? That could be breathing shallow or tight or holding the breath. So do you want to wait for that to come through before you do something? Or would you just rather bring everything into balance? And if it was in balance, then you could just carry on from there. Which would make it much easier. Yeah. Yeah, I really like that perspective.

[00:08:10] Instead of trying to avoid something, you are trying to bring something good in today. Yeah. I had a really good example. This morning, I headed to my Tai Chi class. And my student, she's in her 70s. And she just came back from a trip. She just came back from a trip to Italy. And they had a lot of challenges on the way back.

[00:08:37] And she got in the car and I said, so how was your trip? And what came out of her was all the ways that the travels were wrong, where they got stuck, the hassles they had, the different things they had. That was the whole, like, 20 minutes was all the things that were wrong with the trip. And I thought, well, that's really interesting. So I just let her keep talking about that.

[00:09:04] And then she went down the road of what that affected her daughter and her son-in-law like, because they had to pick her up at the airport at 2 in the morning. And then what that meant for them. And then what that meant for what they were doing now. And she went down. And I thought, this is really interesting, because my question was, how was the trip? I'm looking for anybody who's watching the visual at the moment. The sun has decided it's going to come out and shine. And I am, like, totally white.

[00:09:34] But you have that great color around your neck, so we know where you are. So hold on to the color. Anyway, sorry for those people listening, you don't get to see this. Okay. We headed off to Tai Chi class. Once we got there, we set some intentions for things that we wanted. And the intention that she came up with was wanting to be more balanced, because she noticed with all the walking that they did, she was walking over to one side.

[00:10:02] And she wasn't walking straight. She was walking a little bit lopsided. And so she felt like she wanted to figure out how to find her center again. So that was her goal in Tai Chi class. So we did our class. We get in the car. And she starts into all the amazing things she saw on her trip. And I laughed because she was out of balance. So the lens that she was talking through was that lens.

[00:10:31] And I don't think people realize that when things are out of balance, you might have guilt, but you can also have criticism, judgment, all these pieces that you don't realize you're actually saying things or doing things. It's just how you feel. And so that's the way it works. But when it comes into balance, it transforms. And that's no effort. And I think that's the piece that people don't realize is when you've got everything right where you want it,

[00:11:00] it's no effort. And then the guilt doesn't have to be there. Yeah, that's great. So it's a lot of what we are expecting to see that we're finding. And so if we can expect to see joy and happiness and well-being, then that doesn't, energetically speaking, it doesn't draw it to us.

[00:11:27] It doesn't draw the low energy stuff is the way I would call it. The high energy, if we're in a high energy, that's more of what we're going to attract to us. And it's more of what we're going to notice. So I think that's a great way of intertwining my intuitive energy work and your physical aspect that you bring to it. Okay. And I even had to admit when I got to class, because I've been reflecting, doing a lot of work with,

[00:11:57] what does it mean to look through a bioenergetic wellness lens? And I realized when I start Tai Chi class, I usually ask, what do they want to bring to the circle? Is there an ache, a complaint, something that's happened, anything that they'd like to have different? So I was framing it, anything they'd like to have different. But I was still asking for the symptom. And I realized that and I was like, oh, after all the training,

[00:12:22] I still have that lens that comes from that medical model of looking for symptoms. Yeah. And so I had to reframe it. And it was, what would you like more of in your life? Because you chose to be in Tai Chi today. And everybody looked at me and they were like, what? And then they didn't know what to answer that way. Because nobody knows what to do with that. What would I like more of? I don't know. I'd like less of this, but I don't know what I'd like more of.

[00:12:49] And that I know is going to be a learning curve to get the wording correct. But can you imagine how life is going to change when our choices are, what would I like more of? Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Totally. Okay. That's, yeah. You're always like flipping my perspective about things. And I love that in these conversations.

[00:13:11] So this is more of the idea of moving towards well-being, happiness, joy, good health, whatever, as opposed to I'm doing everything I can to avoid dementia. Exactly. Got it. Got it. Okay. So that's something that I know from my own practice as well, that you should focus on the higher energy things, the higher vibration things, rather than the low vibration things, which are what we don't want.

[00:13:41] And so, yeah. So I'm going to add, we've got the joy calendar that we came up with, and I'm going to have to, to like make notes about this perspective shift and post it right here on my computer. So I, until I remember to just be in that space all the time. That's, that's great. And I think it's interesting if you look at, for people listening, if you followed this series,

[00:14:06] or if you haven't, being able to go back and listen to those conversations and the evolution of them. Yeah. Because this is a really interesting piece is how you evolved through this process and got to the place where you can even look at joy. Yeah. How can you go from that diagnosis piece to being in a place of joy? But then also what would have happened if the lens had been changed right away in the delivery, right? You have a precursor to dementia.

[00:14:37] Well, that's one way of delivering it. Or the other is this is the first day of the rest of your life. What are you going to do with it? Yeah. Right. And dementia is not even on the list. It's just, what do I want to do? And then away you go. But of course, the precursor of that is, you know, that you want to make sure you do everything so that the brain has everything it needs to be maximized. Yeah. Yeah. Lots of people would love that. Yes. Yes.

[00:15:07] All right. So let's talk about something a little, that's adjacent to what we were just talking about, which is when healthy choices become shoulds. I talk about the horrible shoulds and oughts. I ought to do it. I should do it. But it's the easiest way to beat myself up. And I'm sure I'm not the only person that does that. So how do we recognize when a healthy intention has crossed over into pressure?

[00:15:33] I think that's when you end up with, you feel like you have to, you have to push something to make it happen. And it isn't in flow. And I know that's a hard one for people, especially people. I'm going to talk from my own perspective. We make lists. We have lots of things we want to get done. We berate ourselves if the list doesn't happen or we didn't do it in the right order.

[00:15:59] But when you start coming from a place of intention, things aren't going to go linear. You know what has to happen around you in order for that intention to happen. So if, let's say, if I want to work on a project on my computer and I have, in my case, I have tea that needs to be bagged. I have tea that might need to be ordered. I've got the classes that I teach.

[00:16:27] And I go, okay, today it's going to look like this. One, two, three, four, five, six. And I sit down and I go, what is my intention for today? Maybe I pull a card. Maybe I pull a tea. I find the intention that kind of resonates with the quality of day I want to have. I set my intention. I sip my tea. And then I go, okay. And instead of sitting down at my computer to start that project, I go do the dishes.

[00:16:56] I make the bed and I start the laundry. Now someone would say, oh, that's an ADHD person. But actually what it was, was me organizing myself in a physical way to be able to understand when I sit down at my computer, the mental capacity. But if I question myself and go, you need to just go sit at the computer. Well, my brain might not be ready to produce what it. So all these other activities have come in because they know what the ultimate intention

[00:17:24] is going to be for me, but they also know which order. I say they is the random they out in the universe knows what order everything needs to come in in order for me to sit down and succinctly do that task instead of laboriously over several hours. And that's where the effort disappears, the push disappears, and you create. Okay. Okay. That's fascinating to me. I never thought about it that way.

[00:17:52] I usually beat myself up for delaying getting started because I'm doing, I do the same thing. It's like unload the dishwasher, load it back up, do a little laundry, whatever. And so now I'm going to stop beating myself up for that because that's just getting me physically moving so I can be more focused later. Yeah. And I think people don't realize that in order for the brain to function, the shoulder seams and the hip seams need to move.

[00:18:22] There is a signaling that comes from the body that goes to the brain and back again. And so if we just get up and sit down at the computer and go start, we didn't prep the brain in any way. And so the movement is really important for that. So those little chores we do around the house, bending and stretching and moving and all of those pieces are feeding the brain.

[00:18:49] But then the brain is waking up and it's able to now, it's in the back sorting through the things that is going to be required for us to consciously work on the project. But that subconscious piece needs to have a chance to wheel itself through. And these are all the things we don't know about. So we have to let go in order for them to happen so that then we can be the best we can be later.

[00:19:15] Okay, that's a very valuable lesson for me at least. I'm sure there's others out there who will also have an aha moment like I just did. I always have aha moments when we talk. Okay, every single time. Okay, so is there language we've talked about shoulds and nots? Is there other language that might come up if we're trying to force ourselves to do something as opposed to being healthy?

[00:19:46] Well, we can definitely listen to the words that we're using. And so you definitely have things that are judgmental kinds of phrases. Or you'll continue to add to the list, make the list longer. And it's irrational for us to get the list done in one day, probably four. But we still make the list longer. And we often put things on the list because we think we should. There's the should. We should remember them.

[00:20:15] But they're not even a priority. But we want to remember them. So we almost need a list of things to not forget. They don't actually need to be on the list of things to get done. They just don't forget about them. And then one day they'll just be done and you'll be crossing them off and going, oh, I did all that. But they were there, but they're not something that's pressing that you have to bring to the front.

[00:20:39] But you have to think about what is the framework that you're working within? Because if it's that stress, time is running out, somebody expects this of me. Oh, yeah. All those thoughts that are running through your head, then that just becomes burdened onto the body. And then you're going to start holding your breath and tension is going to come up. And then it's no longer fun. So the joy calendar runs into trouble.

[00:21:10] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That all sounds very familiar to me. So there's some words like I have to or I failed. You know, that's one that we can really beat ourselves up with. I didn't do enough. I ruined my progress because I took a day off and I was supposed to be further along. Don't we all say that? Yes. Or even I need to be more disciplined. That's one that I often feel I'm not very disciplined about things.

[00:21:39] And my husband is very disciplined. So it's easy to see what that looks like for me, but it's not the way I live life. So those are just some that had come to mind. And so what about not just the words, but what about looking at, you know, this is where I go is looking inward to the body.

[00:22:02] And how does that affect whether we're thinking in a less kind way to ourselves or can we tell by the body if we're being nice to ourselves or we're not being nice to ourselves? Well, if you my favorite way to do that is to when I'm sitting in the chair, am I sitting up straight? That's my indicator.

[00:22:27] Because if I'm slumped in the chair, okay, number one, I don't have enough energy to do what I'm doing. And number two, I'm not providing inner energy source to my system in order for it to function. Definitely not my brain because it's already been compacted into the spine. There isn't going to be any nourishment heading to the brain. And likely the breath isn't going to be there either. But it's always by how do I feel seated?

[00:22:54] And when we started Tai Chi this morning, we were all feeling very heavy. And so we were talking about the space between the joints, but none of us had that. It was all like all of the ribs were stacked on top of the hips and the hips were stacked on top of the legs and the feet felt really heavy. And when we finished, it was like we were suspended from the ceiling. And it was, they say a string of pearls. Your spine is a string of pearls.

[00:23:22] And you've got space between each pearl. And you could feel that. And then it's good. You go, yeah, it's light. That's going to not be with the burden while I'm trying to do it. So if I listen to my posture and I follow it, I know I need to go do something different and get that posture back in place. Or I'm all set to do what I'm going to do.

[00:23:47] And then when I start into my project and particularly work on the computer, you kind of focus in. You narrow closer. You move closer to the screen. You get really focused. And I always have to remind myself, come back. See the wider view. Sometimes they say, look away for 20 seconds, you know, every 20 minutes. But really, you need that to, what is my posture doing? Where is my breath? Am I seeing a full view so that I have all possibilities present?

[00:24:15] Or have I narrowed myself so far down, I can only see a couple options? And then am I going to have the best product out of what I'm trying to accomplish? Yeah. So that's really about just being aware of yourself. And it'll be different for each of us, I'm sure. For me, I notice my shoulders come way up when I'm feeling stressed or I'm overwhelmed or I feel like there's just too much coming at me at once.

[00:24:44] And then things start to hurt. So that is something I don't think I was taught to be aware of my body at all when I was a kid. Just nothing. I mean, I did dance, but I was disconnected from my body. I know because I was so klutzy. But still, I didn't have that.

[00:25:07] I know a lot of the kids that I grew up with who were good dancers or they were doing gymnastics or the boys were playing sports. Girls didn't play sports as much back then. They seemed to have some connection to their physical self. And I just never had that. So it's been an adulthood education to tune in and to really ask my body, what's the problem?

[00:25:36] I don't think anybody paid attention. Because even if you were a dancer, if you trained ballet or Highland, because I did Highland instead of ballet, that was very rigid, tight, compact. And we weren't thinking about our breath. We weren't thinking about what is the spine doing. We were focused on getting the right shape, the right look, the right angle, matching everyone else in the room.

[00:26:04] There was no individual anything at that point. And at school, it would be sit in your desk. There was no difference in sitting. You could sit slumped. You could sit sideways. You could cross your legs, not realizing that all those positions that you were taking was putting stress into different systems.

[00:26:27] But then discovering now that how you sit and how you extend and how you lift is what gives you energy. But they were talking about that at school. It was just like, read and do your work and don't talk to your neighbors. Quit passing those notes out. Yep. All those things that we were doing. But there was no consideration for that.

[00:26:52] And even, you know, if it was a little bit before our time, which was, you know, to stand up tall, but put your shoulders back. And so create that disharmony in that the shoulder in the front has to open. But now you've got those muscles in the back holding really tight. That military style. That was considered proper posture.

[00:27:19] But nobody would hold on to that because it was too much effort. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So that's really just talking about awareness of ourselves there. And that is something that we all need to learn to do with kindness, not looking for what's wrong. Maybe what's telling us something's not right.

[00:27:44] So I do find that generally when I'm working with a client energetically, wherever the pain is, is not where the problem is. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So, okay. So let's see. So what are your thoughts about this idea that something can be considered healthy generally, but not necessarily what I need at the moment?

[00:28:14] And I could bring an example into this because this happens all the time at the market when I'm selling the teas. And people will come up and they'll ask me for a sleepy time tea. Mm-hmm. And then they'll say doesn't have, and then they'll list whatever ingredient because they read that ingredient solves that problem. And what happens with that is it could be healthy for you. It could be supportive for you.

[00:28:44] But your body has different priorities. And you're assuming that you're not sleeping is because there's a sleep problem, which is what you just said. Usually the problem is not where the pain is. Mm-hmm. So if you're having trouble sleeping, it's usually not because there's a sleep problem. There's usually something in the daytime that puts you out of balance, which creates the problem at bedtime. Mm-hmm.

[00:29:06] And so, yes, these ingredients might be really great for helping you sleep, but the body might not actually need that. It might need something earlier in the day. And so we need to look at the big picture of what is it you are doing. And again, this is not trying to solve it by using herbs as a medicine, but saying, I don't like to take medicine, but I'll treat the herb like a medicine. Yeah, right. Then you're still doing the same thing.

[00:29:35] But instead, you're looking at how did these herbs work together to lift meat up? And how do they work together? Same as how do you and I in our conversation support each other with a new perspective? It's the same thing. How do those herbs work together to give that different perspective? And so we have different priorities that happen through the day. And in bioenergetic wellness, we can use muscle monitoring or biofeedback from the body. It could be through the breath.

[00:30:05] It could be through posture. It could be checking in with muscles. We can find out what the priority actually is. And then when you're making a choice, it's for the wellness because that's where you're heading. I want balance and flow. So the choice now becomes this is a priority for wellness. Please add it in. So like hugging the holidays, choosing that tea. It's like, ah, I want to be connected with the ideas of family and friends and how do we support each other?

[00:30:34] And how do we support each other on that journey of discovery and fun? Mm-hmm. And then that's what I'm moving towards. Instead of, I have a pain in my knee today, so I could take a painkiller, but also if I use these two herbs, that might help. And then you can see even how it went small in the conversation over the whole picture. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay.

[00:31:06] Yeah, so I've heard you say that bioenergetic wellness is a very person-led methodology or modality. Mm-hmm. And so are there any things that you would have people ask themselves as they're trying to learn to do that, to be aware? Something simple like, is this good for people? Oh, I'm always asking, is this good for my dog? Yeah.

[00:31:37] Can I give her part of this or should I not? And if I haven't looked it up, I don't give it to her, you know? But I don't know that we as people really think about that. Somebody said it's good for everybody, but everybody's not the same. So. Yeah. And that's where, if you go back to intentions or goal setting, is what is your intention?

[00:32:00] So if your intention right now is that you want to be really creative and you want to be creative in a fun way. So today, everything that I want to touch, I want to have that kind of quality to it. And what you are going to attract to yourself to do is going to be in that genre.

[00:32:23] So if I was going to go, I want to have creativity and I want to have joy and I want to just play today. And I'm not going to go to the list of seven things. I can start with the top one, which is laundry. And then I'm going to move over to clean out the garbage bin. And that has nothing to do with my intention. Now, those things might need to get done.

[00:32:48] But if I put a few other things ahead of it, like I want to make cookies or I want to bake today because I've got friends coming over and I'd really like to have something that I personally made. And I put that in the oven and then I go and throw in the load of laundry. Well, I did joy. And I'm still on joy when I pick up that laundry because I'm like, okay, joy's in the oven right now.

[00:33:15] And then I'm going to do, I'm just going to throw that laundry in and then I carry on to the next piece that is part of my intention for the day. And those other things just kind of fall into place. And even if it was you had to clean out the garbage bin, well, by the time you've created some great big piece and now you have a whole bunch of leftover cardboard and you have some tape and things that you were using. And that creativity and you go, yeah, that needs to go in the garbage bin. It's kind of a mess in here.

[00:33:44] I should really clean that up. And then it's all done. You come back to the project and you're like, well, that's accomplished. And there's my creativity at the same time. But instead of saying these are the tasks I need to get done. And now that I have them all done, I'm going to move over here to do creativity and joy. And then you go, well, I can't think of anything I want to do. I don't know where to start. Right.

[00:34:08] And so it's reframing how you put the day together and being open enough to not follow the linear path of scheduling. So, and as you and I have talked about with the joy calendar, you put the joy items on the list, but then you also leave big spaces because those big spaces are where you get to play. And it'll weave you through your day, but you need to have the space in order for that to happen. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:34:38] That's definitely, I love seeing space on my joy calendar. But I always like to have a couple of things that are joyful that I've planned for the day on my calendar. And then there's things that you have to do because, you know, that's the way life works sometimes. But those, those empty spaces, for me, it's often about rest. Because I'm going to take a break and go sit down and pet on my puppy dog while I do some puzzles on my iPad or, you know, whatever it is.

[00:35:08] And when I find myself stacked up, I get pretty tense. Yeah. So I don't, I don't let that happen very often. So, all right. So I like that, that setting the intention for the day to bring joy. For me, it would definitely be joy and creativity because it's like my favorite things.

[00:35:32] And I'm retired, so I can, I can sort of, you know, I don't have to be anywhere on any given day for the most part. All right. So let's talk about, I'm looking at my script here. We've spent a lot of the series exploring dementia and the research of it a lot, especially in the beginning days when I was so, you know.

[00:36:01] Doing that deep dive. Oh, deep dive. Deep dive into it. I don't even allow myself to look at those books anymore that I have. So, you know, it's just like I can't, I don't want to take on any more of that. But so we spent a lot of the series exploring that research. And so now we're talking about listening to our body, right?

[00:36:24] And for me, a lot of it is intention, as well as intentions and listening. But how do we bring that in? Should we just not go the medical route? Or can we do both? How do you, as a bioenergetic wellness expert, how do you approach that?

[00:37:17] Mm-hmm. It's only as good as the experiences that have been explored so far. And it's only been where they've decided they want to spend time looking at research. Mm-hmm. So we can have some knowledge come to us, but we don't have all the knowledge. And we could get wrapped up in the bit that they do know and be oblivious to everything else that we don't know.

[00:37:45] And in bioenergetic wellness, we don't have to worry about the symptoms and the possibilities and outcomes. What we want to know is what is the quality of life we want to live, which is what you've been pursuing for this whole year. Mm-hmm. And so, yes, it's nice to know all of that research fit. You were lucky enough to have a test that said you have a precursor. These are the things that you could look at.

[00:38:13] That's all science that is really important. And the medical model is there to guide you. And the bioenergetic wellness route parallels that. But it says, you as a person, how do you want to live? What is quality of life to you? And how do you want to bring energy and vitality into your day? Now, you can still go do your appointments. You can still do your check-ins. You can still have recommendations that come in.

[00:38:43] But you already know what it is your intention is for living life now. And then you stay in that track of providing all the things that you need to be in that vitality position. And then you can go in and out of the appointments. But you get to come back to who you want to be.

[00:39:04] Instead of you get a diagnosis, your whole life is just shattered because the picture was not what you thought it was going to be. We're not really sure what it is supposed to be as we age. We'd like to age gracefully. But who knows if that's the way it's going to be. But we don't know what our next steps are. So we base it on each appointment.

[00:39:30] And we base the next on what is that next expert going to tell me? And then how is that going to affect me? And then what does the next expert tell me? And then how is that going to affect me? So everything is reflective of other people's opinions. Instead of here's how I want to live my life and the quality or the creativity or the fun or the joy or all the pieces I want to include. And here's the choices I'm making so that I can live that life.

[00:39:59] And then I can make any adjustments I need because the research, the science, the experts have something that can add to that. And so instead of us always going into the medical model and responding, instead it's how does that medical model feed into my wellness plan? And then we can make decisions based on that. Okay. Yeah.

[00:40:28] That's kind of where I am right now. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. It's I have a doctor that I work with. He's a functional medicine doctor. So it's not your typical. You got 20 minutes with the doctor at best and he's going to write your prescription. But I am really I'm looking at things going. I that does not bring me joy. I know it's it's one of those things is supposed to be good for your brain, but not for me.

[00:40:56] And it's better if I do things that do bring me joy, because that's going to energetically as in my speak is going to lift me up and and make me more vibrant and make me more resilient and all of those wonderful things. And so, yeah, that's that's it. That's where I am now. It's that's really nice.

[00:41:21] So I got out of the and this is where being in making choices so that you have vitality and that's going back to the awareness. This all stacks on top. So the awareness of I can sit up straight and I can feel the pearls in my spine and I can feel that big breath and I can feel myself being in balance and harmony or I don't have any of that. I notice I'm really breathing shallow.

[00:41:49] I've been lying in the lazy boy chair, binge watching TV for days and I haven't done anything from vitality and I don't have a clue what my intention or my goal would be. And you're lost. You're lost in an activity that isn't supporting you. So it's about it's about going towards your future instead of sitting in your present and then just staying in your present. Actually looking for how am I going to move into my future?

[00:42:18] And then how do I want that future to look? Yeah. And for me, it would be maybe even more than look. How is it going to feel? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because that's I want to feel good. I want to feel happy. I want to feel resilient. You know, all of those things, whatever is happening that that is creating that or that I've brought into my life is going to be something good for me.

[00:42:47] And yeah. So I think that's great. I definitely have moved from fear. Once I found out I carried a copy of the gene, which shouldn't have been a surprise given how much dementia is in many generations back in my family. But now I've like, I can do this differently. I don't have to do it the way my mother did it or my grandmother did it. I can do this differently.

[00:43:17] I have different. And that's I think anybody goes back and especially listens to the early parts of this series are going to find I do things very differently. Exactly. But I'm not I'm not disallowing the medical aspect at all. I'm just focusing on the things that I know make me better and listening to my doctor and he explains things to me, you know, and if I go, OK, that makes sense.

[00:43:46] That feels like something that would be good for me. Then we put it in the protocol. And that's and that's the person then knowing what they should be observing, what they're looking for and what they're aware of. Noticing what they're experiencing. Making sure they have a goal or an intention, they know where they want to head and how they want to head there.

[00:44:14] They might not know how they're going to get there. And that's the journey because it's never going to be straight. It's going to be windy. But that takes away the strain and the effort. And then that allows for the ability to be resilient, that when circumstances continue to change. You've already set in place where it is you want to be going and how you want to be experiencing that.

[00:44:39] So you can evaluate whether you need to make a decision about a circumstance or whether you just pass by it. And then how it might affect you and whether you need to let it even affect you. But you have then you know how you need to respond to it because it'd be really easy to have a new piece of research come in. And then you go, oh, and then fly over to that. But it actually didn't have anything to do with your trajectory. It sent you on a detour that wasn't helpful.

[00:45:10] And then you can just say, that's not important for me, so I don't need to worry about it. And carry on with what you're doing. And it's the biofeedback piece of bioenergetic wellness that is missing in most everything else. And this is a great way to be able to add this to the way you live or the way that you function, the way you work, the way you meet with people.

[00:45:37] There's just so many applications that it comes back to adding more vibrancy to your life. Yes. Yes. Okay. So. Okay. I'm just looking to see where we are in this. But it's not a linear conversation. So it is never a linear conversation. And you've yeah, just. All right.

[00:46:07] We haven't talked about community much and the importance of it. Mm hmm. And I know for me, you are a big, important part of my community. And we still have not met each other in person. I know. And I know that part of a lot of what I've been doing has been connecting with community that I had available around me, but I had not reached out to. And I'm finding that for me.

[00:46:34] That if there's something that is fun to do, that's bringing me joy, that that is good for my brain, but has a social aspect to it. And I'm a super introvert. But if there's a social aspect to it, I find it even more powerful. So, you know, so I'm learning to kind of look for those opportunities to expand my community even further.

[00:46:59] And so where does community come into the bioenergetic wellness? Yeah, it's in everything. And you're just describing exactly how important it is. So from a perspective of wellness, when we interact with each other with the intention for healing, which is the intention I hold all the time. That's like my underlying always present is every interaction is a healing interaction.

[00:47:27] If it isn't, I'm going in a different direction. And I will just leave the conversation because it's not helpful. But that is my intention. So that's the opportunity that every person that we come in contact with gives us a sense of community, even if it's two people, even if it's the dog or the cat. It still is that sense. But it means that we're on the road of wellness.

[00:47:57] And when you get in a group of people with an intention like pickleball, your favorite thing to do, the intention of pickleball is, yes, you're going to play the game. But really the intention is, how much fun can we have together? How can I meet new people? Yes. And so when you're on that intention, again, every interaction is a healing interaction. And you get to meet with and play with 10 people across the session.

[00:48:27] It's 10 more people that you were able to learn more about, learn more about yourself from. And it becomes very empowering for the wellness plan. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And in the case of when I'm teaching my Tai Chi class, we set the intention at the beginning. All of us and those people who speak up and say, you know, I'm having a challenge with this. I'd like to know how to do this. I'd like this a little bit better.

[00:48:58] All of that goes into our conversation. And now all of us benefit. Because it got brought up, all of us are a part of that. And collectively, we're all going to be doing Tai Chi together. Your case, pickleball. And we have that opportunity to engage that intention or that goal into flow. And then it's done. Yeah. Which is great. So one of the students today was, she's having trouble keeping track of things.

[00:49:28] And her lists are too long. So we joked about she's only allowed to put three things on her list. And that's it for the day. Only three things. And all of us were like, wow, three things on the list. Wouldn't that be awesome? But after we did all of it, it was like, okay, all of us only get three things now. That's it. And everybody was like, that feels really good. Going back out the door. But we did it collectively. And I wouldn't have picked that as a goal. But that sure makes me feel better to know, you know what?

[00:49:57] I already did three things today. My list is done. And I'm going to move on to something that's just going to give me more joy. And the rest will wait till tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah. So community is so powerful. That is sort of what I try to not have more than three things scheduled on my days. So that's a very intuitive one for me. Okay. So I'm going to challenge you a little bit here.

[00:50:31] In theory, this could, this idea of listening to our bodies and doing what feels right for that, it could become an excuse for not doing things I don't want to do. You know? So, and, you know, there are days where my body says, I just want to sit here on the couch and veg out for a while. And it turns into two hours or so usually.

[00:50:59] And I'm not sure that that's always really the highest energetic thing I could be doing. So if we're listening to our body and it's telling us to do things that really maybe are not putting us on our wellness path, how do we distinguish intuition from avoidance? That's a really good question. Okay. Okay.

[00:51:24] I'm going to give one example, which I use a lot and it's close to answering your question, but not quite. And that is if, if, usually we say this in, in food, but if you eat a food more than five times in a week, you're likely reacting to it. So it's causing the inflammation, allergy, whatever labels you want to put onto that.

[00:51:52] It would be the same thing if you looked at activities in your week. So if you were to lie on the couch every day, five days in a row, and you started at, it was an hour the first time, but then it was two hours, but then you started binge watching your show. And now it's three and a half hours. If you see that trajectory happening and you ask yourself, is this leading me forward in my future? And the answer is no.

[00:52:21] Then you know, you're not on the right track. And that would then being honest with yourself. Yeah. Yeah. All right. That's a great, that's a great way to be aware, to bring that awareness into what we're doing and tracking it over a few days. Yeah. Yeah. Instead of, you know, because there are days where you just go, I did not get enough sleep last night. I really am tired and it's okay for me to lie down and watch a show. Yeah.

[00:52:49] But if you are escaping things and that becomes your escape goat, then you have to ask yourself, you know, have I picked the right goal? Maybe I didn't pick a goal at all. Maybe that's the problem. But then you start going, where in my future do I want to go? You should have some excitement around that and you should have some interest into what you could discover.

[00:53:13] And so then start to think about what, what are the activities that help me discover more about that goal or who I want to be as a result of the actions I'm going to take. Okay. Good. Good. So. Yeah. So, so this repetition of foods, but also in this case of behavior or behaviors, that's something we should pay attention to because sometimes it can be good for you.

[00:53:43] But sometimes it may just be, you know, inertia or, or avoidance. So that's a good, that's a good way of. Being bringing awareness into that. It's kind of like the posture thing, you know, noticing that your body is not doing very well in this position. All right.

[00:54:04] Um, and then there's, there's some patterns that, um, we've talked about in the past and that, um, that I think are important. And so some of those patterns that I have listed here, one afternoon of needing rest is equal to information. So I'm assuming that information is why am I needing rest? Why am I feeling tired? Is there something I can do about it or do, is this just not bad night's sleep?

[00:54:33] Um, um, repeated exhaustion. That's like that, what we were just talking about, uh, you know, five days on the couch for increasing amounts of time. That's information as well. Um, feeling better after certain activities is also really important information for me. For me, that's where it, it's, it signals me to that. This is something I should do more of. No, not should.

[00:54:59] I want to do more of because I have so much fun or I feel so good afterwards, those sorts of things. Um, and repeatedly avoiding something is information worth exploring. And often I find myself asking, do I really need to do that? You know, and often the answer is no, I've been telling myself I should do it. But I want to do it.

[00:55:24] And usually those are things that when I let them drop, nobody notices anyway. So, um. Right? And I was worrying about it. Yeah. Yeah. It was stressing me out and nobody else even cared. You know? Um, and then let's see, there was one more thing. Um, oh, also no signal. So none of this, what we're observing, we really shouldn't judge it for good or bad. It just is what it is.

[00:55:53] And it's giving us information. So is that a good. Doesn't that feel lighter? Yes. Yes. Because instead of, I'm so, I'm just so lazy. Right? And then you think, well, are you lazy? You know? Or do you know how to relax? Yes. And, and, you know, the other is a lot of people will say, oh, this is my good side. This is my bad side. This is my good foot. This is my bad foot. This is my right foot. And this is my bad side.

[00:56:22] And I always have to say, it's your right foot and your left foot. Mm-hmm. Do they feel the same or are they in balance? Mm-hmm. That's it. No need to judge. Yeah. Because the judgment doesn't help anything. It just drops the energy around it. And we want to lift it up. Yes. Exactly. Exactly. I, I want to live in lifted energy as much as possible. Yeah. Yeah. And, and those are the choices that I make.

[00:56:48] There are lots of things that I do need to do that are going to lower energy. But I usually have stacked behind it all the things that will give me energy. Mm-hmm. So it, it might be, it might be the tea that's going to be beside me. And it might be the colors that I'm going to wear. It might be you and I both pull cards for affirmations and guidance. So it could be that. It could be having some gemstones. It could be the earrings that I choose.

[00:57:17] Like there's all these things that I can do to help shape where I have to do something that's not going to be energetically supportive, but it has to be done. And then I, I can schedule activities around it that are going to bring me back to where I need to be. Mm-hmm. I have one student that sent me a message. She hasn't been able to be in class for this last little while.

[00:57:45] And so what she's done is she started listening to my podcast on her way to work. Because even though she can't be at class where we're going to be goal setting and doing the intentions, if she puts the podcast on, she can hear my voice. She can know that I'm going to be goal setting. And she can have all that in place before she gets to work. And I thought, isn't that cool? Mm-hmm.

[00:58:16] Mm-hmm. Do you know where that could take us? And then it also could be listening to music that you might not even be resonating with or supporting what your goals are or keep you from even putting a goal in place. So I just thought that was really cool how she chose to do that. Yeah. Yeah. And that's such a simple thing because we have so much connection electronically these days that it doesn't have to be a face-to-face with other people.

[00:58:46] It just, whatever the connection is. I have a dear friend who we don't talk very often, but now and then there'll be a little text, you know, back and forth. And just that just reconnects us, you know, and then we inevitably make plans to do something. Right. Exactly. So, yeah.

[00:59:08] So that is a really, it might be a really good way, good thing for people to look for in their lives where if you don't feel really connected to community, there may be little simple ways you could do that by listening to a podcast or, you know, I, I meet so many of my neighbors who have dogs because I'm out walking my dog all the time and they aren't

[00:59:35] close friends, but we are very, you know, we always check in on each other and how you do it and how's the dog and all that kind of stuff. And it's not planned. It's just a simple interaction. Often we end up going in the opposite directions and, you know, so it's, it's a few minutes and, um, and my husband and I do it with, with, uh, strangers. We live in a big neighborhood. So there's a lot of people we don't know. Um, but when we're walking the dogs, that's great for getting out to, to meet people. We're constantly having people go, oh, can I pet your dog?

[01:00:05] And you have a little conversation. And I just feel a little more connected to my community, to the bigger community. Each time I meet one of these people and I may never see them again. We may not be on the path at the same time, but, um, but it does bring me a feeling of belonging. So yeah, just little ways I think would be really interesting to explore.

[01:00:31] And then two, one thing that we don't do, which we easily could do. And we, I think we do it because we'll probably forget, which is ask a person their name. Oh yeah. Right. So you've passed the person for three years, walking dogs. You have no idea of the person's name, but if they needed something, you'd be there for them because you know them very well and you know how they care for their dog.

[01:00:57] But how easy would it be to stop and say, you know, I'd really like to know your name. We keep passing. It keeps smiling at you and it's lovely. And I appreciate it. What is your name? And even if you do forget, then the next time you can say, I'm sorry, but, and people don't ever mind, but it changes the quality of the connection because now there's just a little bit more invested. Yep. And it can mean such, such an important part of the day. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:01:26] One of the things living here in Cape Breton that we really, really loved when we first started coming here, like over two decades, um, was everybody waved from their steering wheels, the hands on the steering wheel and the fingers would go up. And, uh, we love that because you have no idea who was waving at you, but it didn't really matter. And when it doesn't happen quite so much anymore, because we have so many more people who've come in from other places.

[01:01:52] And so that, um, that's kind of disappeared, but every so often you get that wave and you go, oh yeah, oh yeah, I've forgotten. And then you start waving again and, um, it just changes the day. You have no idea how one wave could change somebody's whole day just because you took that moment. I, I wave at everybody in my neighborhood, whether I know them or not. And, um, I, I find that when I wave at the, the people who are bringing the packages and

[01:02:21] stuff through the neighborhood, they always have this, this smile after I do that. Cause they're like, hmm, you know, trying to try to get everything done. And I just wave at them and they're like, oh, Hey, you know, so it's just, it, I always feel more lifted up when I help to lift somebody else up. So, um, it's just. I know the delivery drivers that come here. I know which is their favorite tea. So if they've gone out of their way to get to package to me, um, that if, you know, I was

[01:02:49] the first on the delivery or something I've got, I've like into the cupboard and I'm like, let me pass you this tea. Like doesn't digest your hardly anything. You know, some of the people have cookies that they keep or whatever, but, um, you know, just asking how was your day and. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So, okay.

[01:03:14] Here's a, here's a really good question given this conversation and the series that we've been doing. We keep talking about the joy calendar. I hope people are listening because it's really an awesome tool, but is the joy calendar actually a bioenergetic wellness tool without us realizing that's what we were putting together? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[01:03:37] It is because, um, everything you choose to put on there is, is putting that lens, that forward lens in. Yeah. And as I discovered with even my own thoughts, we've been raised in a way to criticize and judge and, um, look at the symptoms we've, that's where we came from. And it's not as easy to get rid of all the little aspects of that that kind of stay within

[01:04:07] us. But the joy calendar does make you think differently and it makes you ask different questions. And then if you want to take that bioenergetic wellness tool further and go right into the formula of setting those intentions and goals and activating them, um, you can make it even stronger. So it's definitely a step in and it's definitely a way forward. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:04:34] I have to say, since we, we, uh, accidentally created it that I, I'm much more focused on what do I want to see on my calendar and making sure that there's plenty, at least, at least one or two things a day. There's that I, I, you know, I'm looking forward to. Um, and before it was often, I would have my little to-do list right there in my calendar. So it had like all these things in it and it would make me very stressed out and I wouldn't get much done.

[01:05:02] So, um, it is, it's something I know we come back to again and again lately, but it's, it's really a powerful tool. It is. And I, I've, I've had a few challenging things that have happened, which have knocked me off my game and knocked me off my energy and my vitality. So I've had to work hard to bring it back and work hard means I just had to focus in on

[01:05:27] the goal again and bringing around what it is I wanted and how I wanted that to unfold. And it's, it's a means in which you can get back on track really easy. And it's a, a tool that keeps the lens open because you can have those hard days and you can have those exchanges with people that just really take you for a spin.

[01:05:56] But then you go back to the joy calendar and you go, how do I keep my lens open? How do I bring that lens around? And then in what way do I want to move forward to find that energy and vitality again? So I don't want people to think it's just going to be, you know, it's just roses everywhere because there's challenges every day and things happen and life can be messy and, uh, relationships and people and activities.

[01:06:25] But it is definitely a way for us to be able to anticipate, but also, um, to move us forward when, when the times are tougher. All right. I think that's probably the perfect place for us to, to stop with this conversation.

[01:06:44] Um, so, um, so just as a, a, a reflection for our listeners, um, whoops, I just lost my document. Where did it go? There it is. Okay. Um, so before, yeah, before we finish, let's just think about this.

[01:07:10] What, what's one thing you, you and me and the people who are listening or watching, what is the one thing you currently do because you believe it is good for you? Think about that for a moment. And then don't stop doing it. Don't change it. Just become curious.

[01:07:38] Ask, how do I feel when I think about doing this? That's one that I use a lot. Am I excited about it? Am I regretting? You know, I don't want to do that. Does it make me nervous? You know, um, how do I feel while I'm doing it? And that's what I mentioned earlier. And I think that's one that like the, in Tai Chi, I think you probably get a lot of that in the process, uh, that joy.

[01:08:04] I know I've, I've taken a few classes with you and, um, and I always feel happier while I'm doing it. Um, and there's something about the flow of the body. That's just really, for me, brings joy. So pickleball and line dancing for me and these sorts of things. Um, and how do I feel afterward? Just, you can just ask yourself these questions. Um, and then ask, ask yourself, what are you learning about yourself? Because this brings awareness.

[01:08:34] This brings that more thoughtfulness to it. Um, don't judge yourself. There's no score. You know, it's no one to 10 kind of thing or a to F kind of thing. Um, it's no pass or fail. It's just information. And that's what awareness is being aware of these things and awareness gives us possibilities.

[01:08:58] And that, I think that is the piece that really opens up the perspectives instead of being, I have to do it this way. I have to do it in this timeframe. Somebody's waiting for me. I, you know, I've made a promise, but how can I look at that differently? And once you can open that perspective, then you can see many other paths. Um, all right.

[01:09:24] And I just want to reiterate what you keep saying. Am I creating a life I genuinely want to live? You know, I don't want to live a life now to prevent a life in the future from happening. I want to be happy here and now. Mm-hmm. And so, um, that's my goal. All right. If you got anything else you would like to, to add to or make sure that we don't forget.

[01:09:53] I think you so succinctly just brought it right around. It's beautiful. And creating that life. Are you creating it or are you just letting it happen? And a lot of people just go through the day waiting for things to happen to them instead of creating. And I know they look at what I do and they go, I don't know how you get all that done.

[01:10:18] And yes, I do work hard and I enjoy all the pieces that I get to touch. But the other part is they're part of what I love to do. So even, even though it might be considered work, I'll put in quotation marks, I find the joy in it. And so I'm creating the life I want to live and I'm doing the things I want to do.

[01:10:43] So if you can answer that question, I go, yeah, that's what I'm doing. Um, and I get to exchange with beautiful people that get to help me on that journey. Then, you know, it's, it's all win-win. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks for handing me the mic today. Oh, thank you for taking the mic. Oh my goodness. Yeah. A wonderful conversation.

[01:11:10] Um, and I just really appreciate the opportunity to, to be, be the questioner for a change. And I appreciate being able to talk more about bioenergetic wellness because, and the lens, because, um, it's a different lens and it's, it's taken a while for me to wrap my head around the lens and, and find out all the pieces about it and why it is so important to the way that we live.

[01:11:37] And to be able to shine a light back through the lens of your journey. And even for us to be able to reflect on your journey and how far, what, what's happened in a year. Yeah. And, and because there's two, there's two things too, for the listeners to think about is you took the challenge of saying, yeah, I'll talk about it. So many people would have just, you know, turned it off, stayed home, you know, build your circle,

[01:12:06] your hovel. But you said, no, I will talk about it. And it's going to be scary because I don't know where I'm heading and I don't know what I'm going to want to talk about. And I, I don't know if that's going to be what I'm wanting to continue to do. And I think the greatest surprise for us was how the conversation continued to evolve into this happy, happiness. Yes. Yeah. And, um, we didn't know where we were heading there, but we were willing to take the risk and willing to try it.

[01:12:36] And the discoveries have been so much richer because you said yes. And so I'm so grateful. And I did it because I love talking to you. So, so it was, it was, there was a connection here and there was a lot of joy in the, the knowing that I was safe sharing with you that you weren't gonna like push anything on me.

[01:13:02] Um, so, but it has, it has been a great lesson in awareness to me to do this because I have looked at things differently because of your insights and your suggestions and just your, your great energy. So, yeah. Thank you. Awesome. Well, on that note, should we have one more cheer and let our audience go? Yep. Sláinte, sláinte.

[01:13:32] All right. Be well, everyone. Thank you for listening to Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell. There are a couple of resources I want to just point out. When you go to the website, greenwellcenter.com, you'll have a pop-up window. That pop-up gives you the top eight easy stress releasers that you can use every day.

[01:13:59] That's something you can put beside your computer, the bathroom mirror, beside the bedside table, a great resource. Also, my YouTube channel. It is full of playlists with all kinds of different ways that you can activate energy and bring vitality into your day. You can find that when you go to YouTube at Michelle Greenwell.

[01:14:21] And last, if you're a Linktree person, Linktree, L-I-N-K-T-R dot E-E slash Greenwell Centre. That has all my resources in one spot. Those are for intricate little things that you can't get everywhere. And it's a wonderful way for me to be able to share all the different aspects of the kind of work I do. So thank you for listening. Be sure to drink that tea.

[01:14:49] And if you want to have the tea blend that was shared in the podcast today, then be sure to check out kbrettontea.ca. Have a wonderful day.