Latest / Celeste The Therapist / EP 514 The Power of Disciplined Consumption: Shifting Your Mindset for Better Mental Health

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EP 514 The Power of Disciplined Consumption: Shifting Your Mindset for Better Mental Health · Celeste The Therapist

0:02
Hey, thank you all so much for joining another episode of Celeste, the therapist
0:05
podcast. My name is Celeste. I'm a therapist from Boston. If you've never been
0:08
into my podcast before, I appreciate you for giving me a
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try. What we do on this podcast is I talk about issues
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that we go through, and I help you think about ways you can
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work through them. My whole platform and the premise of what
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I talk about is helping you shift the way you think Because
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we can get stuck in some faulty thinking And
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I realize like a lot of us are so used
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to just surviving life. We don't recognize like how
0:36
we can work on living life And there are some things that
0:40
we can do that we don't recognize Oh, if I just change the way i'm doing
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this or if I just change my exposure to this It
0:47
can really help me shift my mindset, right? So
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today we're talking about the consumption what you consume One
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of the things I do if you've been listening to this for a while. I love listening to motivational
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videos I look at it as my medicine and I
1:01
was listening to I can't think of his name right now myron something
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And one of the things he talked about as creating change
1:09
is the consumption of what we consume. So we're
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just going to jump right into it. And if you are listening
1:17
to me on audio, don't forget these episodes are
1:21
on YouTube. I create visuals. So
1:24
if you want to follow along, if you want to make this part of your Wellness
1:28
journey right these podcasts I'm talking about very short to
1:31
the point to help you with the way
1:35
that you're operating so one of the words that he used was
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discipline consumption and How that can
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help people with their habits, right? And so that
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was one of the things that he shared and I just wanted
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to break specifically discipline consumption down because
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I recognize people may not realize exactly how
1:55
the way that they're consuming things could be affecting their mental health, right?
2:01
So what is discipline consumption? So in the context of mental health
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and well-being, it's the mindful, intentional approach to
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what we consume in life. Including not only material goods,
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but experiences and activities, right? Obviously like
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food is something we consume. I feel like that's another topic just really
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quick This is not a part of my podcast, but what you
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eat as well can affect your mental health brain fog all
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of these things So really be mindful of it. That's a podcast by
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itself that I want to create Where I'm talking about like
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the foods and things that you're eating moving your body like
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it matters today. We're talking about conversations,
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what you're exposing yourself to, right? Because a lot of times we
2:44
don't realize like, oh, I'm having these conversations with my coworkers even
2:47
after work, talking about all the hard things that have happened at work,
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not recognizing like you're just allowing yourself to stay in that space
2:55
mentally, right? You could leave work and still find yourself
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consumed by work, right? So this idea of disciplined
3:02
consumption, I hope that if you have been struggling
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with some of the ways that you're feeling and thinking, It'll
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help you think about well, like what is it that I'm consuming when
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I'm struggling I check in with myself Okay, what am I doing? I
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know if I watch a movie like I'll look at what the movie's about
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I don't like watching sad stuff I just don't I'm not saying like you
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can't watch that me personally I know what my limitations
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are and I won't watch the movie and if I do watch something in
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a scene or something catches me off guard I can really feel it and how I
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feel and I work on changing my algorithm by watching something
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funny So the forms of
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consumption, media, like what we're watching, what we're seeing,
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conversations and self-talk, right?
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So your consumption of information and perspectives happen
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in these various forms. So I want you to be mindful of
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these forms of consumption. I'm gonna talk about how they affect
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us, right? I'm gonna break it down. So the media consumption,
4:03
right? What you're watching on TV, what you
4:07
are looking at on social media. So there's
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visual and audio influence, right? So the content we assume through
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television, movies, and music can create strong emotions.
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I just post, you know, someone's like, oh, you don't go on
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your stories as much on Instagram. I'm actually busy too. One
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of the things is I'm busy, but also, Social media
4:29
is, I mean, what's happening around the world is hard. There's a lot of hard news.
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And as much as I try to curate my feed, sometimes
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things come up. And I can feel it in my spirit,
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like, especially one of the things I don't like, I don't like bullies. And
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there's a lot happening in America that I feel like is very bullying behavior.
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When I say there's nothing I can do about it meaning I can't change it overnight And
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also I just want people to be mindful too. Like there's so much going on.
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We can't Save the world by ourselves. We can't put our
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hands in everything So what I look at what i'm doing as
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i'm working with mental health and helping people shift their thought
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process. I look at my My platform and what
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I do is part of the solution right sometimes what
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you do to help is take care of yourself right being of
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sound mind right there's just so much happening but the
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the things that we're watching if we're not mindful we
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can find ourselves being um emotionally
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responding to all the things that we're seeing um
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i just seen a post uh there's a psychologist i love
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dr judith Joseph and she was sharing
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about this study that um she was
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on another podcast she's so lucky and she was sharing a
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study about how when they took people's phones
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away for two weeks They took people's phones away
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for two weeks their joy like their joy Numbers
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are because they don't really they was talking about that experience the joy started to rise
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Right because they're not being consumed by all of this stuff that's happening. They're
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making connections. They're in nature so really
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being mindful of how much social media you're consuming even
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if it's not about it being bad news just sitting on your phone and
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all day, in between the moments you have, not
6:17
really enjoy your food, not really allowing the sun
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to hit you, that's a problem. Another way
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media consumption can influence us, so
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normalization of behavior. So media often portrays certain behaviors
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as normal or acceptable. Being mindful, a
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lot of Teenagers are a lot some 42 And
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and I didn't grow up with social media social media social Facebook came
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out when I was in college And I think that a
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lot of the shows and things that people are seeing Because you
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see them so much you get desensitized and they feel normal The
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way that they show a crime or people
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go live and somebody just got shot or something, right?
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People get so desensitized to it. I haven't been desensitized. Like
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that stuff really makes me sad. I think about the
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people's families. And so there's a lot of ways
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that when you are over consuming certain media,
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The behavior starts to feel seem normal like being depressed
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or I think about and I'm not knocking church But
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I grew up in church. I think about certain like
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churches how Being poor or not having nothing
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people it just becomes normal like as if they're not supposed to
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Have wealth or or have joy, right? It's the the
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um the way that the the wealth or
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like you see the pastors and and stuff with these like nice
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cars and everybody in the sanctuary kind of suffering and
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i'm not saying this is all churches but there's this normalization
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of behaviors that take place When
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we consume certain media over and over again, so be mindful I
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like I'll watch a reality TV show but I
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know that that is a Reality TV show and there's a
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lot going on behind the scenes and what we see is not always
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what it is Like I'm conscious of that Sometimes if you're
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watching this stuff, you're not conscious of that you're seeing the
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girl get the 50 roses and roses aren't cheap
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and then you don't realize you may have an attitude with your partner because they
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never got you a rose right so being mindful of
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recognizing what you're consuming, how is it making you
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feel? And then these cognitive patterns, right?
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So repeated exposure to specific themes or narratives
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can create cognitive biases. So this example, it says,
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if someone is constantly exposed to negative portrayals of certain groups or situations,
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it may shape their beliefs, attitudes towards those groups leading to
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stereotypes or prejudices. I
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grew up watching Law and Order, Matlock, those
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like kind of crime shows right and um
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it it was like normal for the police to press for stuff because
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we're like oh they're guilty right we know they're guilty it
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wasn't until all of the things came out and a
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lot of people have already been aware i didn't understand systemic racism
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until i got to college in my africana studies class like i
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literally literally was oblivious to it Now, when
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I'm watching, if I'm watching like a law and order or those like
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Chicago, like those Chicago blues or, and they're roughing
9:28
up somebody, I immediately like get pissed off. Before I
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never used to get pissed off because I seen it so much, it was just normal.
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But then I recognized like, this isn't normal. This is why there's so much stereotypes that
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take place in the black, within the black community, not
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just with outside races, but even with our own race, like there's so much
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biases that take place, when people look
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a certain way or move a certain way or have certain clothes on, we
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don't realize it's because they normalize that those are the criminals in
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these certain shows, right? So my mind
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is so aware of how certain things are portrayed and
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how it may not be fair. Now
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conversations, right? So we just talked about how media can affect
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you. Let's talk about the conversations that you're having with people,
10:15
right? So social influences of social interactions.
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So the conversations we're having with friends, families, colleagues can
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significantly impact our self-perception and emotional state. So
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on both ends, it's not just a negative way it can affect us, because it
10:30
can affect us positive ways. And also, let me just be clear with the media stuff.
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I kind of like hit on like the ways it can affect you negatively, but
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I listen to motivational videos almost every day. I send
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quotes to people. I send things that stick out for me. Those
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things that I'm listening, they have an effect, but they have a positive effect
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where it's making me feel like I can conquer my day. It's making me
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feel that like, um, this day is going to be great when I start my
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day that way. Right. So not only does the media can affect you
10:59
in a negative way, it can also affect you in a positive way. Obviously my podcast, my
11:03
platform. I talk about mental health, I talk about ways you can shift your thinking.
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So obviously, there's positive effects of
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the media. And the same with conversations, what we're getting into.
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So self-perception, emotional state. So positive
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supportive conversations can boost your self-esteem and encourage personal
11:21
growth, while negative or critical conversations can lead
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to self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. right
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so being mindful when you talk to certain people I you know
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my circle is a lot smaller than it was before but I
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recognize now that I'm older and I can look back how certain people
11:38
the things they would say would affect me in a certain way and not
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realizing how I'm feeling because it's based off of what they've
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said I can't help what people say but I can
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be mindful on how much engagement I have with them. I
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started off this podcast saying like when people are at
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work talking about, oh, all the toxic stuff that's happened and then you leave
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work, you call and talking about it, you're keeping yourself in that space, not
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realizing that this conversation is affecting me
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in a negative way. Now let's say you find a group,
12:09
let's say you want to become an entrepreneur and you find a group that's
12:13
doing things, you'll be surprised. Being in that group of
12:17
entrepreneurs will help influence you and
12:20
it will help you feel like, you know what, I can do this. So the
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conversations you're having with people, being mindful how
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they can lead you into this way of opportunity and
12:31
growth or to stagnation and poor self-esteem. Another
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way conversations can affect you is emotional contagion.
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So emotions can be contagious, engaging with people who are
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consistently negative or pessimistic can drain their energy. And
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then obviously, if you're talking to people that are positive, when people
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talk to me, they always say like, dang, I feel so motivated, I feel this.
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You know, when you listen to my podcast, my platform is meant to encourage
12:56
you, to empower you. So like those kinds of conversations I
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have with people are typically empowering and encouraging. Now
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be mindful of the ones that are draining. You ever get off the phone with somebody and
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you're like, oh my God, I feel so tired. You may not even realize that I'm constantly
13:10
bringing this awareness to people when I work with them about, it's
13:14
not that those people are bad, but you've allowed yourself to
13:17
be a dumping ground, right?
13:20
Where they know if I call Celeste, she gonna listen, right? And
13:24
then you might've had 10, 15, 11 things to do and
13:27
you find yourself draining when you get off the phone. Conversations that
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you have with people can encourage you motivate you or
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it can drain you and I'm not saying those people that may be
13:38
draining I'm not saying cut them off or don't talk to them because some of
13:41
them could be your kid right or your friend what
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I'm saying is be aware of what you're
13:48
feeling and and what you're doing with them because a lot
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of times we stay in these states with people
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and we don't recognize how we're affected and if you're really cool with them it's
13:59
okay to be like hey you know I realize like we're always talking
14:02
about work right we're on vacation how about we like leave work
14:06
at work you might be able to encourage them to get out of their own way Instead
14:10
of it just being, well, this is how Celeste is. Don't be telling people this is just how I
14:13
am. Come tell me that you're struggling with how I'm
14:16
communicating and that I'm draining you. I would rather know. And
14:20
if it's a meaningful relationship, I think it's important to
14:24
let people know, because they don't know. If you've always allowed yourself to
14:27
be available, that's all they know of you. But if you say,
14:31
and it's not a bad thing, if you say something like, I
14:34
recognize that, you're always saying
14:39
hard things about work and it seems like it's draining
14:42
and I know I get overwhelmed by it. Have you thought about like
14:46
maybe like let's just talk about work for 10 minutes and then let's
14:49
just leave it there right because what we engage in
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and what we consume will consume our mind. Our mind can only go at the direction
14:56
that we take it. And we don't recognize that our mind is only going at
14:59
the direction we take it. So if we're on reality TV and social media
15:02
all day, our mind is only going at that direction, right? If
15:05
we're listening to Celeste's Therapist podcast, if we're listening to
15:09
all these amazing motivational speakers, if
15:12
we're in nature, right? If we are working on our goals,
15:16
our mind is gonna go at the direction that we're taking it, right? We
15:19
have more power than we realize. We just have to start to have
15:23
faith and start to believe in ourselves. The last thing about conversations I
15:26
want to say is conversations often reinforce our existing beliefs
15:30
and attitudes. Unfortunately, like
15:33
now, you can believe anything that's like crazy,
15:37
somebody's gonna believe it with you, right? Being mindful
15:41
on like what you believe in, make sure it's what you want and
15:44
not what society says, right? My thing is if you're
15:47
not harming anybody, you're not harming yourself or others, like
15:51
allow the thoughts and stuff to flow and see where it
15:54
takes you, but being mindful, That is your
15:58
stuff and not someone else's stuff. The only way to do that is to really spend
16:01
some time alone, right? We struggle with being alone, but I
16:05
promise you it's helpful to spend some time alone so you can really
16:08
know, is this me or is this my culture? Is this my family? Is this
16:11
what my mom and my daddy want me to do? Or is this what I really want to do, right?
16:15
So these are some ways in which the
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conversations can affect us. And again, it can
16:22
go in a positive direction or a negative direction. And
16:26
then the last thing is, oh, we just talked about
16:29
the normalization of behaviors. Yeah,
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we just talked about that. So the forms of, oh,
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wait, no, I'm going backwards. Hold on, give me one second, guys. Let
16:42
me go to the next one. media consumption we
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talked about that one all right and
16:49
then we talked about conversations and then the next one the
16:53
last one is self-talk this is so important y'all know why this is so
16:56
important you with yourself 24 7 of course this is
16:59
so important like your your voice and the dialogue you
17:03
have with yourself it matters So the way we talk to ourself
17:06
can have a profound impact on our mental health. For me, my self-talk
17:10
is positive. Even when I screw up, I'm like, all right, Celeste, it's okay, you got this. I'm
17:14
constantly talking to myself in a positive way. So
17:17
cognitive behavioral patterns, Our thoughts influence
17:21
our feelings and behaviors. If we consistently engage in
17:24
negative talk, it can lead to a cycle of negative emotions and
17:28
unproductive behavior. Conversely, practicing positive affirmations,
17:31
constructive self-talk can help break the cycle and promote healthier behaviors.
17:35
Why are you feeling stuck? You may ask the action stuff. What are you saying to
17:39
yourself? I'm constantly reframing even in real time
17:42
when I'm working with people. Wait, can you say that again? And so they'd be like dang that
17:45
didn't sound right It doesn't sound right and guess what that's what you're saying
17:49
to yourself all the time If you could just see it callously and say it to me. I
17:52
know when you're by yourself. That's how you're talking and Change happens
17:56
with making a decision to change but if even in your mind
17:59
you're blowing that decision and telling yourself It's not gonna work. How
18:03
are you gonna make that change? Remember your mind goes at the pace that you take it.
18:06
Where are you taking your mind? Right. Are you tell what are you telling
18:10
yourself? And then the next thing I
18:13
want to say is mindset shifts, right? Shifting the way you
18:16
think, baby, that's what we're doing over here. So by consciously changing
18:20
our self-talk, we can shift our mindset from a fixed perspective, believing
18:24
our abilities are static, to a growth mindset,
18:28
believing we can develop our abilities. This shift
18:31
can lead to increased motivation and willingness to embrace challenges. When
18:35
I tell y'all we are malleable, we can change just
18:38
because we were brought up a certain way, just because we were exposed
18:42
to certain things, just because we've been through certain things, doesn't mean
18:46
that we can't create change. We can absolutely create change, but
18:49
I recognize it starts with our mind. It starts with
18:53
what we are consuming, what we are allowing in our mind is so important.
18:58
The last thing I'll say about this, right? Cause I'm
19:01
all about like, how do we change that? Media, right?
19:05
So I said media conversations and self-talk. If you're following
19:08
me on YouTube, you can see it on the screen. So start curating your
19:11
social media feeds and choose uplifting content, right? Be mindful
19:16
of what you are consuming. Even if you're not ready to do
19:19
that yet and curate your feed, pay attention to
19:23
what's coming up for you when you're watching this stuff. Conversations be
19:27
intentional on engaging conversations that inspire and uplift you and
19:30
set boundaries with negative influence So if your co-worker wants
19:33
to keep talking about work after work, hey, it's five o'clock, baby
19:37
We are we off like let's go have a drink. Let's go for a walk Let's
19:40
leave work at work until you make that decision to be
19:44
intentional on what you engage in people will constantly consume
19:47
you with the negative talk right and you will constantly feel
19:51
like you're drained and not realize it and self-talk, be
19:55
intentional about positive self-talk and affirmations. When
19:58
I tell you like you're with yourself 24-7, Believe
20:03
that listen to what I'm saying. It's not a lie. You are with yourself all
20:06
the time And so if you can't talk life into
20:09
your life, right? How you expect for change to
20:13
happen right change is gonna happen But
20:17
it starts with you. It can't it's not about your past. We
20:20
can't change our past. It's not about what somebody's not doing We can't
20:23
make them do anything It's gonna start up here. So
20:27
I hope that was helpful. I hope that makes sense. If you're new here,
20:30
if you're in the Boston area, Stoughton area, I
20:34
have a wellness center. We have three regular classes that
20:37
take place once a month. We have mindful yen, we have
20:41
a restorative yoga, and we have a rest and restore. If
20:45
you go to STWYT, you can find it. This
20:48
month, we are going to have two new classes. We
20:52
are going to have a trauma-informed yoga
20:56
session, and you can find out the details on stwyt.com. That
21:00
is happening Saturday, June 14th at 10 a.m. And
21:04
then at the end of the month, we're gonna have a sound healing class
21:07
with Jillian Miller. And if you're not familiar with trauma-informed
21:12
yoga, it can help you with your nervous support system,
21:16
body awareness. It's an empowered space, right? This
21:20
is a visual on YouTube. I'm reading it for people that are listening. And
21:23
then for a sound healing, right, the
21:28
frequencies and the way that it flows with
21:31
this type of somatic work can help you
21:35
with your anxiety. It can have your system. create
21:38
this calmness and focus, right? So one
21:42
of the things, I created this wellness center. Again, I have a practice
21:46
where I have clinicians under me, but what my main focus
21:50
has been with creating this is these somatic classes. I
21:53
want us to get into our body. I want us to not just like think
21:57
about or intellectualize what we need. I want us to like
22:00
allow our body to give itself what it needs, right? And
22:04
so that's why I created it. Black owned, women owned,
22:07
right? So, you know, you can come here and feel comfortable and
22:11
know like this space is for you So if you are curious about
22:14
any of the classes that I do or have questions Go to
22:17
my website stwy t.com follow me on all social
22:21
media platforms at Celeste the therapist email us at
22:24
the Wellness Center is info at stwy t.com
22:28
again, that's info at stwy t.com and And
22:32
until next time, beautiful people. Oh yeah, also, I have two books. If
22:36
you're watching me on YouTube, you can see I have this guided
22:40
journal called 365 Days of Intentional Living. And
22:43
I also have this book called Relationship Goals.
22:47
It's a guide to a healthy relationship. You can find those books
22:51
in the classes and information about me at either stwyt.com, that's
22:55
my wellness center, or you can go to my website, celestatherapist.com.