Before every dramatic wake-up call moment, there are subtle signs you need a mental break. Usually, it starts off just as a “feeling”. Do you feel like you are just going through life on autopilot? Maybe things feel off at work or at home, but you are too busy to actually stop and figure out what’s wrong. Even though you know something isn’t right you keep going because pushing through is all you know. In this podcast episode, our guest Dr. Cindy Tsai talks about why we need to slow down and start listening to our bodies.
You’ll learn
- Cindy’s own struggle with powering through until her body forced her to stop.
- The 3 pillars of wellness that helped her recover from a rare autoimmune condition
- Real tools for practicing both mindfulness and self-compassion in your everyday life.
This conversation is so important for anyone who is not quite feeling their best and has some underlying feeling that something is off. I’m so excited for you to listen in.
Use the audio player above to listen, or tune in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Cindy’s journey from physician to life coach/author/speaker.
Cindy was always interested in wellness and thus decided to become a doctor when she was young. The journey to becoming a doctor was long but rewarding. When she was practicing primary care, there were so many patients coming in with conditions that came from parts of their lives they weren’t paying attention to. She would tell her patients that these symptoms are signs you need a mental break.
She wanted to do more than just write prescriptions and looked at healing with a more holistic approach. While in that process, she came across the field of coaching. There were so many tools and techniques that helped her better take care of herself. This inspired her to become a coach and share these with other people.
Signs you Need a Mental Break May be Subtle
When Cindy was young she was a high achiever and perfectionist, always looking for external validation from the society. In her mind, you were always supposed to power through. Her mantra was “you keep going despite signs you need a mental break”. But this mentality caused her to lose connection with her true self and desires. Ultimately she came to a point where she was forced to listen to her body which wanted her to slow down and take a break.
A Literal Wake-Up Call
One day Cindy woke up and wasn’t able to see. Her world was completely blurry. After a series of diagnostic tests, it was discovered that she had a rare condition called auto-immune uveitis. This caused her to have pain in her eyes and wildly impaired vision. The process of being diagnosed was so disorienting, however, it taught her a lot in terms of what patients go through. .
Signs You Need a Mental Break to Heal
If you are experiencing any of these signs you need a mental break, it’s going to be so important to take time out to heal. This is exactly what Cindy did while taking an integrated approach to healing. She decided to be open-minded and try different things, combining both Western and alternative medicine. She started taking steroids and immunosuppressants and also tried acupuncture, meditation, mindfulness, diet, and lifestyle modifications.
Mindfulness Helps You Identify Signs You Need a Mental Break
Signs you need a mental break are best identified by practicing mindfulness and paying close attention to your body. Cindy’s first coach was a mindfulness teacher who helped her dive deeper into mindfulness and de-stressing in general.
Mindfulness is an approach that can add so much to our lives. It is mistakenly associated with meditation but that is not actually correct. The concept of mindfulness is bringing awareness to simple activities in our lives. It’s about taking time to slow down and be aware of what is actually going on to reduce stress. Additionally, it involves practicing self-compassion and being kind to yourself.
The Three Pillars of Wellness
When you are experiencing signs you need a mental break, it’s important to slow down and practice the 3 pillars of wellness: calm, confidence, and curiosity.
Calm is about learning how to take care of your nervous system. When we are in a survival state we have to calm our system down so we can think rationally. This requires establishing a mind-body connection. Breathing slowly can help you feel grounded and secure and make the best decisions for yourself.
Confidence is about developing self-belief. When we feel overwhelmed, we tend to have these negative thought patterns which keep on replaying in our brains. Having tools and techniques to actually shift those patterns work wonders. Coaching helps you remove these belief systems and really develop that trust in yourself.
Curiosity is about finding the creativity and true fun in things. When you are distracted, it is important to stay connected with yourself to find joy. Take some time to connect with who you are and why you are here.
