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Ducks and Chucks,
There's no denying it. Dr. Nicole LePera, aka The Holistic Psychologist on Instagram, knows how to help this duck to see things differently. I've benefited from her advice no end, and since this year at the pond has not been the ducking brightest, I've decided to share a few of Dr. LePera's amazing tips with you, my duckie friends.
But before I do, here's a great Instagram graphic from Dr. LePera:
Neat, right?
Okay! Let's get this duck on the road:
Ducking beyond my own limited perspective:
"Healing is a daily event," says Dr. LePera in her book, How To Do The Work. Well, recently, flip my flippers if my healing hasn't been an hourly event. But one thing I've found that works for me is reminding myself that my thinking is only based on my own ducking perspective.
So, nowadays, when I've had too little time to prepare my pond presentation and I hear myself thinking, "Duck, you beak-brain, you didn't prepare enough!" I take a deep quacker-breath, say, "That's a huge duck-darn absolute, but I forgive you, Duck," then I choose a new, more loving thought. "Duck, by doing any prep at all, you've done well. Think of all the pondweed-sandwich orders you've had to handle during the past week! That's a duck of a lot of work. Besides, less prep could mean a more authentic presentation. It's an opportunity for growth (of the non-beak-mold variety)."
And you know what? This actually helps me to duck more calmly and lovingly.
Keeping a connection with my duck-bod:
For me, it's all too easy to dissociate. As soon as I start stressing out, I leave my duck-bod a little. I forget to breathe. I fail to notice my flippers have dried out. I drink too much pondweed coffee, then wonder why I'm shaking so much that my feathers are shedding.
So I've been setting a buzzer on my dPhone for every twenty minutes, just as a reminder to check in with my beak and bod. And you know what? Just by taking a two-minute break to center myself and have a quick pond-paddle, my self-talk improves and I duck more effectively. I honestly don't feel half as stressed.
I've also recognized the importance in keeping my flipper moisturizer fully stocked.
Learning to trust in my life:
"Listen, Duck," I quack to myself. "Everything's going to work out. I mean, when has it not? One month from today, you'll look back and see that this wasn't worth the feather-loss." I see this as a way of developing trust in myself and my life. It also grounds me in reality, rather than allowing me to keep ducking my way down the rougher path—the one where the gravel gets stuck in my flippers. I learned that path from the duck who raised me. She doubted in me A TON, because, deep down, she doubted herself.
Well, it's time to stop that duck-doubt legacy!
I've also downloaded Dr. LePera's Future Self Journal, so that I can envision my future in a different way, and start changing this duck's neural pathways. Because now that I've started thinking about things differently, I've begun to accept that there's a calmer, more grounded, and less stressful way of living my life. You can download the journal here, with thanks to Dr. LePera.
Want to know more? You can follow Dr. LePera on Instagram, buy her book (which this duck is loving!) called How To Do The Work, and check out her YouTube channel. She also has a link.tree here.
Wishing you happiness, duckie friends!
Loves ya,
Duck T.