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Hey {{ first name | there }}! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋 You can catch up on our previous editions right here.
This week: Since you spend so much time in your head, it’s important to make sure it’s a safe space to be. While that’s easier said than done, it’s not impossible. We’re sharing 3 battle-tested mindset shifts to try, plus tips for implementing and troubleshooting. Let’s get into it!
💝 Why You Should Try It
We spend a lot of time in our heads: thinking, analyzing, fretting, reflecting.
Let us ask you this: Is your mind a safe place to spend time, generally?
Of course, nothing is totally sunshine and rainbows, all the time. (If it were, we’d miss out on so many of life’s biggest lessons and opportunities for growth.)
But when our external support system fails or isn’t available, our internal support system can uplift us when we need it most, in ways no one else can.
So if your brain tends to be more self-critical and unkind than anything else, this one’s for you.
Hop on down to learn 3 ways to shift your mental energy from critique to care, plus realistic techniques that our team uses daily.
🕹️ 3 Mindset Shifts to Try
💪 Mind → Body
Redirecting and releasing pent-up mental energy through your physical body
Too much noise in your head? Shift your attention to your body instead, just listening out for any sensations.
How is the storm in your mind affecting your body? Where do your emotions manifest physically? What words would you use to describe them?
From there, you can try stillness, gentle movement, or vigorous exercise — whatever feels right to you. No wrong answers, and no expectations on how “long” you should spend moving.
Shifts to try:
🥊 Expressing emotions through movement, not just thought: Feeling angry? Do some air punches and kicks. Lonely? Try a self-hug or child’s pose.
💆♂️ Guided or freestyle body scan meditation: When you notice those thoughts swirling, try checking in with your physical self, one body part at a time. Starting with your toes, work your way slowly up to the crown of your head.
🚶♀️ Channel your “flight” response with a walk: Ever felt like physically running away from something: a problem, or difficult encounter? Sometimes, it’s the best way to cool off. Take a walk, go for a jog, or do some kind of cardio that works the large muscle groups.
🌊 Scarcity → Abundance
Prioritizing your blessings above whatever it is you lack, as often as you can
You’ve probably heard this one before, but this shift is one of the hardest to make.
It’s not about comparing your life to other people’s. Or that your emotions and circumstances are invalid because “other people have it worse.”
Quite the contrary, it’s about harnessing whatever’s abundant in your life to sweeten your days and make progress toward closing any scarcity gaps.
Shifts to try:
🗣️ Affirmations: “I get to” vs. “I have to”
📋 Keeping an “abundance list”: This is something we do here at Flocus! Any time you recognize abundance showing up in your life, jot it down. Our list has filled up an entire notebook and then some!
🤲 Being compassionate toward scarcity mindset: Your feelings of scarcity are rooted in something very real and valid that you’re carrying. Try to peel back those layers to better understand where it’s coming from, and yourself in general.
🌍 Inward → Outward
Getting out of your inner world and into the outer community
When we’re feeling lonely, it can become easy to believe that no one cares about us, and that no one could possibly understand what we’re going through.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you're feeling lonely / lost, seek community + spend time with others vs. focusing solely on yourself (moderation ofc)
Shifts to try:
🔀 Opposite action: If you want to “rot” in bed, consider what the opposite action is (sitting up), and try doing it with all your heart and willingness. Keep chaining your “opposite” actions to see where it leads you.
🤝 Seeking out community events that align: Your local libraries and community centers are great places to find ways to connect with your community, from exhibitions to volunteer work.
👯♀️ Talking to someone: Not necessarily about whatever it is that you’re feeling, but simply to give your mind an external dialogue to process. Hearing how things are going with a friend (or even complimenting a stranger) can work wonders for any icky inner feelings.
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⚡ Tips for Troubleshooting
Mindset shifts may not always "work" for changing your mood, because that's not the point. The point of building any habit isn’t to do it once and abandon it the moment it doesn’t “work”. It’s to make it a regular, automatic part of your routine.
Practicing different perspectives as often as you can is a workout for your brain. It builds elasticity and resilience, and also helps you feel more balanced by deconstructing black-and-white thinking patterns.
It’s okay to step away and try again later. If you tried your best to shift and find you just can’t, don’t force it. Step away for a bit and try again later, or try a different tactic. You got this!
🪅 Flocus Picks
A curated list of things worth sharing.
3 Gentle Self-Care Tips When Life Gets Tough (The Flow Archives) — More ways to care for yourself in difficult times
Opposite Action 101 (Article) — Remember that “opposite action” tip we mentioned in the Inward → Outward shift? It’s actually a therapy technique! Learn more about it in this article
Guided Body Scan Meditation (Audio) — New to the body scan? Here’s a guided option to ease you in. This one’s 25 minutes, but if that feels too long, there are lots of shorter options out there too!
✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard
When your inner world gets noisy, having one calm place to land helps. Flocus keeps your focus simple and your workspace distraction-free, so when you're ready to get back to work, it's easy to do.
🗳️ POLL: Which mindset shift resonates most with you right now?
If your mind is overly critical, that’s because it’s looking out for your safety. But chronic negative self-talk can actually worsen your mental state. That’s why it’s so important to practice uplifting and supporting yourself. (And no that doesn’t mean “positive vibes only”!)
What’d you think of our mindset shifts and tips? Trust us, we know how hard they can be to practice sometimes! But we also know just how much they can skyrocket your growth.
If it feels hard, keep going, and know that we’re cheering for you! 💖
Until next Sunday,
Flocus Team
