Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Fairy Tales Do Come True, Episode 85, Season 4

How do you go from knowing what you don’t want in your life to knowing what you do want? You’ve been so conditioned by other people’s definitions of what you should want, you’re stuck in the land of ‘nowhere.’ But what if there were an easy way to get yourself going where you want? In this podcast, find out how to get out of ‘nowhere,’ to the wonderful land of ‘somewhere’ and live the life of your desires!

https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.NoelleNelsonUp

 


Check out this latest episode!

Friday, March 1, 2024

UNTWIST YOUR KNICKERS!

 


“Don’t get your knickers in a twist” is one of my favorite sayings. To myself, sigh. Because frankly, I find myself too often getting my proverbial “knickers” all twisted up over something that’s just not that big a deal. My passionate hobby is dance. Ballroom, to be specific. The other day, I dropped down too quickly into a dance curtsey, whereupon my right knee went “Whoa! Don’t like this!!” As in “Ouch, owie, don’t do it again.” So of course, I didn’t.

But then, here comes the knicker-twisting: “That’s it, I won’t be able to perform this dance ever, I’m a dance failure, my knee is ruined,” and on and on. Completely ignoring the fact that if you’re a dancer, I don’t care how young/old you are, pain is part of the journey (oh joy). Completely ignoring that my body is amazingly resilient, that I have resources and help with which to heal, and that a little rest-ice-compression therapy goes a long way. 

Eventually, I calmed down, untwisted my by now well-knotted-up mental “knickers” and put my mind and body in recovery mode. A couple of days later, my knee was doing just fine.

Yours may not be a dance journey, or a particularly physically focused one, but we all have those moments where we make more of something not-that-catastrophic and/or easily remedied. So yes, Sam/Samantha got that promotion at work that you wanted. Yes, it’s disappointing. Yes, you’re upset. No, it’s not the end of the world. You can have a go at another promotion. The more quickly you untwist your “Why them?! Why not me?” knickers, the more quickly you can get yourself on a path to that promotion.

Yes, you are sneezing, coughing and you feel yucky all over. You’re miserable. What if it’s COVID? What if you can’t go to work for 2 weeks? What if it’s worse? Who knows what’s going around these days? There go your knickers, twisty-twisty. Settle yourself down! Get yourself tested, go to urgent care if that feels like a good idea, call your physician, but for heaven’s sake, let go of your mental torment immediately. Mental anguish will only exacerbate whatever is going on with you. Mental calm is what allows the natural innate healing process of your body to take hold. Mental calm is how you can make rational decisions like calling your physician, for example.

No matter what the issue is, your distress and upset only make it worse. Untwist your knickers! You’ll feel better and do better every time.

 


Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Panic vs. Problem-Solving, Episode 84, Season 4

Do you ever feel like you’re not in charge of your emotions, that panic is swirling within you, ready to engulf you in a tsunami of dreadful feelings? In this podcast, find out how to differentiate between facts and feelings, such that you can take charge of your emotions and take back your life the way you want it to be!

https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.NoelleNelsonUp


Check out this latest episode!

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Pearls Before Swine, Episode 83, Season 4

You give, you give, you give – while others take and take and take. How do you break this vicious cycle without becoming a selfish egomaniacal uncaring individual? In this podcast, you’ll explore how to take charge of your giving, whether that’s of love, of your talents or your time – so that you don’t end up a taker or being taken advantage of – without turning into a narcissist.

https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.NoelleNelsonUp


Check out this latest episode!

Thursday, February 1, 2024

SHIFT!

 


Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away--well, no, actually right here on Planet Earth, and not all that long ago, there was a thing called a “typewriter.” It was the precursor to our beloved computer keyboards and required no electrical energy, no wires, no plug-ins, nothing but your fingers pounding away. And there was a round key on that keyboard labeled “shift,” which a dear friend of mine made into a ring that she wears every day, to remind herself to “shift.”

As in, “shift” her energy to the positive if she finds herself veering off into the land of negative thoughts. It’s what scientists would call moving from a negativity bias to a positivity bias--a vitally important part of our continuing evolution. 

The Negativity Bias

The negativity bias is a survival mechanism. It’s the mindset we needed when we lived in caves and jungles with lions, tigers and bears about to pounce on us for their dinner. You may sometimes feel no different than our primitive ancestors, but life has changed greatly. We now depend on our ability to communicate and cooperate with each other to assure our survival as opposed to seeing mortal danger everywhere.

A survival instinct is good: you want to get out of the path of a speeding car. But the negativity bias–a tendency to see the worst in all situations and people all the time–interferes with our ability to live a full and rich life.

Make A Shift To The Positive

As much as you can, develop your positivity bias. Choose to see something good, something worthwhile, something fun, something pleasing in as many situations and people as you can. Don’t, of course, put yourself in danger, i.e. walking down dark streets at night whistling a happy tune and showing off your bling. Or crossing the street not looking both ways and texting all the while. But when it’s safe, which is most of the time, shift to the positive.

How? According to neuroscience, start by noticing when you’re letting your worry or doubt spiral into catastrophe thinking: “Chicken Little the sky is falling!” Take a breath, and deliberately shift to a more positive thought. The quickest way is usually to focus on something you’re grateful for. It doesn’t matter what: your pet, the sunshine, a nice text from a friend, whatever. Then stay with that moment of gratitude for 15 seconds or more, which will allow the positivity bias to begin to rewire your brain. That is literally what happens. What we think habitually becomes hard-wired into our brains. 

This may sound like bad news but is actually very good news. We don’t have to be locked into our misery-producing thought patterns. We can deliberately and consciously choose more positive thoughts, which in turn impacts how we feel and increases our physical well-being and longevity.

Nice payoff, wouldn’t you say?


Tuesday, January 16, 2024

The Lost Art of Patience, Episode 82, Season 4

Patience may be a virtue, but you have yet to find anything virtuous about what seems to you to just be a monumental waste of time. Be patient for what? Why? With whom? In this podcast, you’ll discover what patience really is, and how it can work for you in your life – without feeling like you’re wasting even a second of your precious time.

https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.NoelleNelsonUp

 


Check out this latest episode!

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

What, No Guarantees? Episode 81, Season 4

Ever wished life were simpler, less complicated? What happened to the ‘good old days’ when things were easy and you were just bopping along, happy? In this podcast, you’ll be introduced to a couple of easy techniques so that whatever is going on, you can find a path to the safety and security that will allow you to enjoy a happier and more successful life.

https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.NoelleNelsonUp

 


Check out this latest episode!