Own Your Day With Mind – Focus – Me!

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Tessa Todd Morgan

How can we use mindfulness to own our day? MIND – FOCUS – ME

1. MIND – first thing in the morning we need to do something to get our mind right. BEFORE checking email. Before reading texts. Before anything! It could be prayer, meditation, stretching, visualizing, setting an intention for the day, having coffee quietly or even just sitting outside. Something that makes you feel good to get the day going on the right path. Then, when we go to check the emails or texts our mind is already in a good place and can we can react better.

2. FOCUS – we need to determine our non negotiable 1-3 items that absolutely must get done that day and when we will set aside “focus time” that day to get them done. Again, non negotiable. When will you set aside all distractions and only focus on those 1-3 things until they are completed? We can’t spend the entire day without distraction, but we can set aside a couple of hours in our day if we are honest with ourselves and let others know when we are available for interruptions outside of those hours. That may mean no cell phone or email during that time! We WILL SURVIVE, I promise!

3. ME – we need to pick something every single day for “me time” to take care of ourselves and increase our TRIESSENCE, which is taking care of ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. Just one little thing a day in one of those areas is wonderful and if we pick an area we typically don’t tend to focus on it will help us find our own unique perfect balance until our TRIESSENCE grows and that’s when we find the sweet reward of finding more joy, fulfilling relationships, success and love than we ever thought possible. The cool thing is you can mix it up the next day so you won’t get tired of trying to form some new habit because you can be as creative as you want and keep changing it up, but the bonus is in doing that it WILL become a habit! That is, taking care of YOU.

That is being mindful. That is owning your day. That is work/life balance.

MIND. FOCUS. ME.

Would you be willing to give it a go? If not, what is holding you back? You are worth it! You deserve it! Your body, mind, spirit and productivity will thank you for it 🙂

Hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday! Happy 4th of July!

Tessa Todd Morgan

How Are You Recovering From Halloween?

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

How are you recovering from Halloween? What do you think of when you think of Halloween? What are your favorite things to do?

With Halloween being one of my favorite holidays since I love getting dressed up and having fun, I’ve never really thought about some of the things that Halloween represents.

I mean, where did trick or treat come from anyway? Like, do people ever actually do a trick for a child vs. giving them candy? What does that even mean?

It’s kind of ironic for me that it is one of my favorite holidays since I like to think of myself more of wanting to spread joy and fulfillment vs. darkness and gloominess with all the scariness that takes place.

So, if you’re left with a big ole bunch of candy, now what do you do?

What can you do to take care of your body and/or your children so we don’t all get sick from eating too much sugar?

One thing I’m incorporating lately is buying fruit to have on hand for when I have a chocolate craving. Just last week alone to prepare, I bought apples to eat with peanut butter, plums, peaches, oranges and bananas. Guess I thought I was going to have a lot of sugar cravings!

Just one idea to possibly incorporate when you’re pushing your edge with any leftovers. Perhaps stick with the Halloween theme over the next week and pick up an orange when you want to go for the candy. Your body may love you for it!

You could also consider adding in some extra movement this week. Maybe pick up an extra yoga class, run or work out for the week. Or if you haven’t been getting any workouts at all in lately, just commit to one. Going on a walk outdoors is one of the best things you can do for your mind, body and soul! Plus, if you’re in Texas like I am, it’s feeling great outside, so get out there and enjoy it!

HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN!!!!

P.S. I meant to send this on Friday and that didn’t happen, so I had to redo this to make sense post Halloween. My apologies for being late!

P.S.S. I might have just finished eating a bite size Snickers and M&M pack.

P.S.S.S. Therefore, it’s all about moderation so you don’t make yourself sick or send your body into sugar shock. Or, go out there and find friends and other people to pass the candy along to and maybe you can put a smile on someone else’s face and do something healthier for yourself 😉

Do You Know When Enough Is Enough?

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

Do you know when enough is enough? I’ve been asking myself this question all week long.

I won’t bore you by going into how busy I am right now. But, just so you know I’ve been juggling working on a project the past few months through the end of this month that has led me to almost need help having someone run to the store to buy toilet paper for me if that gives you any idea. And the other day it occurred to me that sometimes enough is enough.

I’m not saying that caused me to stop working on the project by any means, but it just made me realize that sometimes it is mandatory to stop and take a break.

I had a meeting scheduled at a coffee shop and got notice that the woman I was meeting wasn’t going to be able to make it. I decided to go sit in my car and make a phone call. Before I made the call, I had a chance to just sit and be by myself for a few minutes in complete silence and feel the sun beating down on my arms through the sunroof in my car. I felt like I was on vacation.

Did I mention that earlier that morning I had interviewed the mayor of Dallas, a pastor and one of the heads of the Dallas Police Department? What?!?! My head was spinning a little bit to say the least…

Amazing that being able to sit alone in silence for a few minutes can seem like being on vacation. But, it really can. And I was so grateful for those few minutes that I had just to sit. Taking time to breathe and be silent is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves for our mind, body and soul.

I also had a chance last week to escape the hustle and bustle of the project for a bit and go have some fun with a few people that I’m working with (see photo above) and was so grateful for that opportunity as well.

When you’ve reached a point where you are maxed out after going 100% for so many days at a time, you must stop at some point and breathe, do something fun, do something that you love to do or that you enjoy doing.

Thank you Hal and Alisa for treating me to a break to go have some random fun! I am so lucky to be working with such talented artists right now and am grateful for the experiences that we are having together. You two inspire me more than you could ever possibly imagine. (To see more about their awesome work, you can visit http://www.halsamples.com and http://www.alisalevy.com)

I hope you find a way to stop and breathe along the way of your journey and hopefully have some fun too. Here’s to an awesome weekend…

Cheers!

Sometimes You Just Need To Stay In It…

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

This week I was reminded that sometimes, under certain circumstances, you just need to stay in it.

For the past eight months, I’ve been teaching yoga each week on a voluntary basis to a wonderful group of children that I adore and want the best for and this week I found myself wanting to quit and give up.

It’s not that the children are bad, so don’t misunderstand me when I say that sometimes it can be a bit chaotic when you try to teach yoga to 30 kids in a gym that would possibly rather be playing basketball instead. The kids are just being kids and trying to have a good time.

I started to doubt that it was doing anything for them and tried to convince myself that they would rather be playing basketball anyway.

I was considering talking to someone at the organization that afternoon to tell them that I wasn’t going to be able to come anymore. I had even convinced myself that since I had picked up another class that evening at a different location that I shouldn’t try and do both (although, I knew I had plenty of time to get to both classes in one evening).

Then, someone came up and told me exactly what I needed to hear… They said how amazing they thought it was that I was giving these kids an opportunity that they would never have otherwise to get to do something that they may never be exposed to if I wasn’t coming to teach them. They told me how even though I may not see it that their faces light up when they see me come into the gym and that he could tell a difference of what yoga is doing for them.

Therefore, this week I’ve been looking at the fact that sometimes it’s great to just stay in it. The same goes for yoga. There are so many times where I want to come out of a pose because I think it’s hard or I try and convince myself I’m not strong enough to keep holding it, but if I find the strength to tell myself to stay in it then I can and the rewards can be so incredible in what it does for my mind, body and soul.

I’m not saying that all circumstances are worth staying in (there are so many that people actually need to choose to leave!), but there are so many that are. I’ve been noticing when things get tough in my life how often I want to just run away vs. staying in it. Running away may be the easier thing right in the moment, but may cost us the most in the long run.

If I can reach one child in that class and have it make a difference in their life, then it’s worth staying in it. What areas in your life do you possibly find challenging that you may be wanting to run away from and would you be willing to consider staying in them to see the reward that could come in the long run?

Would you be willing to be honest with yourself and see if it’s really something that is worth running away from or if it is something that the benefit could be so much greater if you just stayed in it?

What are the possibilities of what could happen if you stayed? What is the cost if you stay vs. the cost of if you were to leave?

Taking A Break Is A Choice

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

A few months ago, I wrote a blog about knowing when to take a break and that I’m not always that great at knowing when I need one or allowing myself to do so. I also made a commitment that I would be willing to do this in the future and that is what I am doing today and have been doing the past few days.

Taking a break is a choice and not always an easy one to make, but sometimes it’s the best one for us.

I haven’t been feeling well the past few days and have allowed myself to take a break and stay in bed and do nothing. Knowing today is the day I typically post a blog, it has been hard for me to let it go and decide that I am choosing to take a break instead. My body, mind and spirit all are calling for rest and relaxation.

So, yes, I still posted something and didn’t completely stay off the computer, but I’m taking baby steps here and this is still taking a lot less time and energy than it normally would.

Hoping you all had a safe and Happy New Year and I hope that you all can see when you need to take a break and will be willing to give yourself that gift as well in the future.

Could this be the Ultimate State of Relaxation?

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Tessa Todd Morgan

This week, as a birthday present to myself, I decided to go and do what I thought would be putting myself into the ultimate state of relaxation.

I went and did a 60 minute float in an i-sopod flotation tank full of 1,100 pounds of epsom salt, which causes you to stay on the surface of the water and float the entire time. The buoyancy is greater than the Dead Sea, so you cannot sink. Prior to the float you are given detailed instructions, which include a button to turn the light back on if you need it and a panic button.

As I climbed in the tank and was getting ready to close the lid down, I thought “what have I gotten myself into!?!?” The first 10 minutes I was just getting settled in to the idea of being in the capsule for an hour. And after 10 minutes, the lights and soothing ocean sounds shut off and you are in complete darkness and dead silence (if you choose that option, which I did).

At first, I was realizing that I now believe I know what it would be like to be trapped alive in a casket. Then, I started to tell myself that “I’ve got this” and that I know I can go for the next 40 minutes until the blue light comes back on when I have 10 minutes left.

It was a silence like nothing that I’ve ever experienced. All you can hear is the sound of your own breathing. And the occasional water drop if you move your hand that instantly had me go to a vision of “Silence of the Lambs” and being trapped at the bottom of a well (amazing where our minds can go sometimes).

I learned alot about trust and surrender that day. I had to trust that I was not going to fall asleep, roll over and drown in the water somehow. I had to trust that there wasn’t some creepy creeperson secretly checking me out in my “birthday suit” in my private room somehow and that this was a classy facility (which it absolutely was, it’s incredible :)). I had to trust that I could work through any claustrophobic feelings that would arise and that this capsule wouldn’t somehow lock behind me and I would definitely be able to get out when I was ready.

If you think you like to spend time alone, go float. It will be alone time like you’ve never had before. My friend that went with me and was floating in a different room at the same time and I were talking afterwards about how we became more aware of our thoughts and the things we tell ourselves than ever before while we were floating.

It was interesting to see how truly at every moment in our lives we are either telling ourselves something positive or something negative. Something encouraging or something that could be detrimental.

I was very aware of my thoughts and instantly realized that I could either make or break this whole experience for myself. I turned my thoughts into positive ones and told myself beautiful things about myself and the experience. I ran my fingers over my skin and felt a silkiness like no other and appreciated the benefits I was giving my mind, body and spirit. I prayed.

And then I feel like I learned the definition of surrender like never before, which is something I needed to keep learning for myself in my life. I need to trust in the perfect unfolding of my life and continue to stop trying to control things so much and just surrender and trust all that is to come.

Once I was able to surrender, I was able to relax and completely enjoy myself. I made it through until the blue light came back on. Then, at that point I thought “oh that was totally easy, I could stay in here all day now” since I could now see again.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! And anyone in the DFW area, I recommend you check out The Float Spot in Frisco because it’s amazing! And anyone in other areas, you could search for these types of floatation facilities. I’ve heard the more you do it, the more relaxed you become and that’s when you can really start to reap even more benefits of what all floating can do for you. It can help with injuries, expand your creativity, improve circulation, promote sleep, boost your immune system, reduce stress and provide the ultimate state of relaxation…just to name a few things.

We spent time before and after in a massage machine as well, which was another incredible experience that I would highly recommend. You can read more about that on the link below.

What is your ultimate state of relaxation and have you given yourself the gift of getting to experience it lately? If not, would you consider doing it soon? Birthday or not, we all deserve to give ourselves a break every once in a while and relax. To step away from the computer and put the phone away, even if it’s only for an hour. The results can be astounding and are so well-deserved for each and every one of us.

http://www.thefloatspot.com/index.html