Stepping Out of My Comfort-Zone Helped Me Learn Something New

I knew I had to do it.

Last weekend, I was invited to a silent retreat and decided to go after hearing so many positive experiences from others.  I must admit for a NYC lady who is surrounded by ongoing distractions, and who talks and listens for a living, this was a huge deal for me.  Several days before leaving, my friend cancelled on me, and I immediately said, I’m not going to this retreat alone and share a room with strangers! But then, I paused and just said YES!  Why? Well, I suddenly remembered that my theme word for 2018 is “ADVENTUROUS” and I knew that going alone, spending the weekend in the mountains with strangers was definitely an adventure for me.  I decided to make a brief video to share my experience with you.

My takeaways:

• I learned how to improve my meditation skills.

• Happiness is a conscious effort to be apart of your lifestyle and not only when we are sad.

• “Did I go above and beyond” is the question we must ask for every goal we want to accomplish.

I am truly grateful for having my friend for inviting me to a place where I was able to replenish my soul.  The lessons that I learned will allow me to better serve people like you and my community. I believe that I had to experience my time alone.  

Have you ever experienced an opportunity that is out of your comfort zone but you know in your heart that you need to say finally say YES? I often have to remind myself that stepping out of my comfort zone allows me to grow and sustain my happiness.  Happiness is so much lighter than sadness. When my clients tell me that they feel emotionally lighter after their session with me, it just gives me so much momentum!

I hope you will be proactive and take on an action that will allow you to share the same feeling. I am hosting another event that’s taking me out of my comfort-zone called Write To Heal. We will be discussing ways writing can help heal our traumas. Hope to see you there.

With Wellness,

Leslie

Learning to Let Go & Gain Control

In NYC, summer is officially over and I broke my promise with summer. I promised myself to decrease my workload this summer but I didn’t. Trust me, it is challenging for me to take a break out of Counseling Space and CEO Motions because I simply don’t see it as work. To grow a business, your energy is absorbed and therefore, we have to stop and simply regain our energy. But the question is, how can this be done?

1. Relaxing and going home on time from the office, or just taking a break.

2. Decreasing your workload. For me, that means decreasing my sessions and hiring another mental health provider. It also means hiring support staff to alleviate the administrative burden.

3. Delegate-I plan to hire staff and only have a small caseload of clients. Also, I will ask for help without the guilt feeling lingering.

4. Assessing outside resources that you are not utilizing. Where can you use outside resources to decrease your workload?

5. Time Management. Having time blocks for certain tasks or even scheduling time specifically for self-care.

I’m sure you are taking on too many tasks. You believe that if I don’t do it, it won’t get done, you feel guilty for maybe being a burden, or the common excuse that you won’t admit, which is that you just want to have control. These are challenges that are so common during my sessions with clients. You are carrying weight that others can carry for you and this will broaden the space for ongoing abundance. To be honest, the severe consequences that you can face are burn-out, chronic stress, and mental health challenges.

It’s time to prioritize you and your wellness.

You can check out some of the wellness activities that my wellness boutique, CEO Motions is hosting:

• Write To Heal

• The Wellness Boardroom Meetup

With Wellness,

Leslie

3 Reasons why Therapy is a remedy for your Imposter Syndrome

What if my colleagues find out that I am not good at my job?, What if I really do not deserve my job in the first place? What if I don’t have what it takes to run a business and I am just acting the part? These are only some of the thoughts that can seep into a person’s head when they are suffering from impostor syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome: collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. 

Impostor Syndrome can damage an individual’s mental health, self-esteem, and work performance. This syndrome can affect men and women but has been found to be more common in women. Research has found that impostor syndrome affects individuals from numerous professions such as in business, managers, the medical field, and students.

However, there is hope for anyone who suffers from imposter syndrome. It has been shown through research that therapy can help individuals suffering from impostor syndrome.  

• Therapy can help you change the narrative of your negative beliefs of yourself

• Therapy will help you explore the root of imposter syndrome and examining insecurities

• My favorite tool I use as a therapist is to guide my clients while journaling their accomplishments in a meaningful way.  Our “Write To Heal” event will cover written expression to help combat mental barriers.

There is no shame in asking for help if you are suffering from imposter syndrome. Also, you are not alone. Famous individuals like actress, Lupita Nyong'o, Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, and Facebook COO, Sherry Sandberg, have all felt as though they were imposters in their fields.

Can you imagine if they decided to allow the imposter syndrome stop their destiny?  There are so many people who are battling these insecurities, feel trapped and simply stick with what they know.  By ignoring the harmful effects of imposter syndrome, you are saying no to your gifts and possibly being selfish because there is someone out there who can learn from you, needs your help, or is seeking motivation. Therefore, today is the day that your imposter syndrome will no longer have a voice.

Learn how to combat Imposter Syndrome at an event I’m hosting “Writing To Heal.” Get tickets here.

With Wellness,

Leslie

Your Mental Health Is Waiting For You....

Last week, we were all stunned into silence, sadness, and confusion when flooded with news of the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. Many of you may still be struggling with the questions of “Why?” and “How often do we miss — OR ignore — the signals?”

Since then we have been inundated with calls at Counseling Space and CEO Motions as the week’s events reopened the dialogue about suicide and the shame and stigma around mental health in communities of color.

Here’s what I can tell you:

• Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year
• Every 40 seconds someone dies due to suicide
• There are indications that for each adult who died of suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide

Maybe you are at the point where you want to stop suffering in silence. Maybe you are ready to take action. Maybe you want to reach and help a loved one.

Here are some action plans:

1. CALL the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
2.  COMPLETE the Patient Health Questionnaire to discover the very blurred line between stress and depression
3.  DOWNLOAD our Health Insurance Cheat Sheet for guidelines on what to do if your therapist doesn’t take insurance
4.  BOOK a FREE Consultation Call with Counseling Space

If you’re a businesswoman barely beating burnout, please also consider joining our Wellness Board Room. Last week’s sad news stressed the importance of support and safe space once again! The Wellness Board Room was created because we understand the silent and secret challenges of entrepreneurship and professional leadership.

PLEASE DO NOT sacrifice living while pursuing your life’s goals and dreams.

What are some of the questions you’ve been processing in light of the news of Bourdain and Spade? I welcome your reflections and questions.

Do You Know If You Are Depressed?

I don’t know about you but these recent cold and gray days can make it challenging to find the will to GET UP, GET OUT, or GET BY. The fuss over romance and love partners around Valentine’s Day may also leave those who don’t celebrate or aren’t paired reflecting on their singledom — or even their SELF-WORTH. As many start looking forward to and planning for better spring and summer days to come, we can become DETACHED and dissatisfied with our current circumstances.

The “BLAHS” and BOREDOM can be quite normal and to be expected. However, there may be more to it than you might think!

Want to know if you are STRESSED or DEPRESSED? Sign up to receive an immediate download of the PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE below.

You will answer questions about your sleeping, eating, and thought patterns and then be able to assess it using the guidelines provided on PAGE 2 or through discussion with a mental health professional.

The most common and often MISDIAGNOSED symptoms of depression are:

• Lack of interest in hobbies or activities that you previously enjoyed
• Oversleeping or lack of sleep
• Fluctuations in weight
• Constant tiredness
• Poor concentration    

Let me share a few other things about depression:

Depression is SILENT and affects over 300 million people across the globe!

Depression is also the leading cause of DISABILITY worldwide!

BE PROACTIVE and KNOW YOUR STATUS and get the help needed for you and loved ones!

COMPLETE the FORM below to receive the Patient Health Questionnaire. 

---

PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE

---

If, after completing the assessment, you would like to speak with us, we are making a LIMITED number of FREE CONSULTATIONS available this week.

Schedule your FREE CONSULTATION here.

Wishing you an inspired and stress-free week!