S1 Episode #13 💛 Keep Calm and...Focus on Mental Fitness, says kindness expert Shahroo Izadi [14-min listen]
“I focus entirely on my mental health when I exercise right now. I’m not thinking about my body, I move to feel calmer, stronger and more positive.”
-Shahroo Izadi
Today's guest is Shahroo Izadi, Behavioural Change Specialist and author of The Kindness Method (TJ’s favourite self-help book) and The Last Diet, published in January 2020.
Shahroo is a motivational speaker and therapist whose work centres around increased self-compassion and creating healthier habits in all areas of our lives. Habits are always important and especially now as so many of our normal routines have been turned upside down, and here Shahroo shares some great strategies on staying on track (and not beating ourselves up if/when we slide off)…
In today’s conversation Shahroo recommends:
setting boundaries around tech and news consumption
not putting ourselves under too much pressure to create a whole new fitness regime
using movement/exercise as a way to boost our mental health rather than focusing on what we look like
trying Transcendental Meditation (TM) to feel more grounded
using gratitude lists and counting blessings as a way to zoom out and not get too lost in our own stories
cultivating an awareness of our emotional states (anxiety, stress, boredom) and the strategies we are using to cope with them
if feeling overwhelmed writing everything down as a way to increase self-compassion as well as highlight what we can and can’t control
DETAILS
b: The Kindness Method + The Last Diet
-
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
If you work in the helping professions and would like to learn more about volunteering some time to humanitarians working in the refugee crisis Shahroo is keen to hear from you. Contact here HERE.
ABOUT THE KEEP CALM SERIES - March/April 2020
The Keep Calm, Stay Well series is a collection of bite-sized podcasts from Shelf Help featuring our favourite authors and experts sharing their wellbeing strategies, and designed to help us all find some calm amongst the Coronoavirus chaos.
We want Shelf Help to be a resource to help you guys stay calm, positive and present in these challenging times and so are asking the experts how they are staying well mentally, physically and spiritually.
We’re turning around these interviews pretty quickly from our lo-fi barn in Norfolk BUT these conversations are pure HIGH vibes and packed with useful and inspiring information (and the tech is improving daily so we really appreciate your patience so far).
💛