In this comeback episode Nina brings back her therapist, Dr. Nancy Sobel, to talk about all the things mental health. Dr. Nancy Sobel is a psychologist in private practice in West LA specializing in the treatment of trauma and compulsive disorders and has been Nina’s personal therapist for the past 14 years. Dr. Sobel has worked in the addiction field for over thirty years and has consulted in the development of treatment programs in the United States and abroad. Dr. Sobel is widely known for her work in the entertainment industry and has developed a unique style of therapy for musicians and artists who spend large amounts of time on the road. She helped develop the MusiCares Addiction Recovery Program, a charity for impaired musicians funded in association with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Nancy shares her insight into what we may be feeling, how to navigate those feelings in ourselves and in supporting others along with some practical tools, resources and practices to help with your grief, traumatic experiences and depression.
We also talked briefly about Nina’s personal journey with depression, traumatic experiences and grief along with our current treatment plan. Thank you Dr. Nancy for sharing your expertise, wisdom and heart with us. You can find Dr. Nancy on the gram @gapcreate and Nina @passionsquared
It’s OK not to be OK and always remember as lonely as you may feel, you are not alone in your struggle or journey.
Your experience matters. We would be so grateful if you shared your experience with our podcast by leaving a review. It matters to us, and so do you. Thank you- Nina
In this episode I share my very personal journey of joy, courage, fear, depression and all the things this past year that brought me to this moment of immense gratitude, the day of my 53rd birthday. This is a very vulnerable and potentially triggering episode for those who deal with depression, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. Because of that, please be mindful of when and where you listen and also of the resources available to you in the US such as the Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 The Trevor Project 1-866-488-7386 Trans Lifeline 877-565-8860. Thank you so much for listening and for all your love, grace, patience and support this past year. It gets better. I promise.
Your experience matters. We would be so grateful if you shared your experience with our podcast by leaving a review. It matters to us, and so do you. Thank you- Nina
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melody Beattie
(photo credit: The awesome Anne Slattery)
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.
As we enter upon the annual week of giving thanks, I could not pass up this opportunity to share my thoughts on gratitude, again.
Why do I share so often about gratitude? Simple. It saved my life.
The quote above, gracefully crafted by Melody Beattie, author of several books such as Codependent No More, spoke to my soul when I was at my darkest time, fighting for my life in rehab. So much so, that it is tattooed on the left arm. The whole quote, for those moments, I just may forget.
Recently I have received several questions about “my story”, how did I do it; you know, survive and thrive. Walk away from all the safety, security and notoriety of my career. How did I build Passion Squared? All awesome questions, many of them, being answered in my new group coaching program A(awesome) School, launching in January 2015.
But before anything else, the road to living an authentically awesome life is paved with gratitude.
OMG. So simple. Yet so very difficult for many to grasp.
A UMass Dartmouth study says “There is a complex relationship between thoughts, moods, brain chemistry, endocrine function, and functioning of other physiological systems in our bodies. Daily discussion of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality. Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.”
I can attest to this. Living a grateful life does not mean we avoid conflict, issues, pain, or troubles in the world. No, we address those, and work through those. But at the same time, we make a choice, to practice gratitude 365 days a year.
Here are just two examples of how I shift to gratitude in what could be a defeating or stressful situation…
Traffic
People get so stressed out about traffic. Like you have any control over the road conditions or all of those cars on the freeway. When I get stuck in traffic, I focus on being grateful for the time to catch up on an audio book, catch up with an old friend on the phone, or simply sit in peaceful silence.
Delays
This could be a delay of a project, a relationship, a vacation, whatever. I see delays not as denials, but as gifts and messages from the Universe, telling me, slow down, think this through a bit more, it’s not the right time. Thank you Universe.
As I was writing this post, my ADD brain jumped over to Facebook, and then this awesome status update appeared by the beautiful Ginger Boyle…
“Reality is things to do not manifest instantly, there is a wonderful buffer of time that gives us opportunity to redirect our attention to what we want to experience. Have a beautiful Sunday! Start by being grateful.”
You see, we all have choices. I choose gratitude. Not just on the last Thursday in November, but every single day of the year.