It's true that some things change as we get older, but if you're a woman over 40 and you're dealing with insomnia, brain fog, moodiness, and weight gain, you don't have to accept it as just another part of aging.
And with Mitty Health, you can get help and stop pushing through it alone.
The experts at Mitty understand that all these symptoms can be connected to the hormonal changes that happen around menopause, and Mitty can help you feel more like yourself again.
Many healthcare providers aren't trained to treat or even recognize menopause symptoms.
Mitty clinicians are menopause experts.
They're dedicated to providing safe, effective, FDA -approved solutions for dozens of hormonal symptoms, not just hot flashes.
Most importantly, they're covered by insurance.
Ninety -one percent of Mitty patients get relief from symptoms within just two months.
You deserve to feel great.
Book your virtual visit today at joinmitty .com.
That's joinmitty .com.
This episode is brought to you by Hills Pet Nutrition.
Every shelter pet deserves a second chance, and you are making it possible for thousands of them every day.
Because when you feed your pet hills, you help feed a shelter pet, which helps make them healthy, happy, and more adoptable, changing their life forever.
So they can change yours over 15 million shelter pets fed and adopted.
Science did that. Visit hillspet .com slash podcast to learn more.
Well, stress times resistance equals suffering.
So if you use that equation, think of it as a math problem, right?
The stress is kind of a given.
They're there. You can't change them, right?
Then times the resistance, though.
So if you have zero resistance to these issues, no matter how great these issues are, if you have zero resistance, how much are you going to suffer?
Zero, because anything times zero is zero.
Have you ever wished you had a wise meditation teacher on speed dial?
Someone you can call after a long day.
Someone you could lean on for their advice.
Someone to listen and help you to see things differently.
Welcome to Dear Headspace.
Hello everyone. We are back with our first episode of Dear Headspace in 2023.
And if this is your first time listening, Dear Headspace is a podcast where each week I sit down with a Headspace meditation teacher and we answer your questions.
I'm Robin Hopkins, and I am here with my good pal Kasanga, who just so happens to be a Headspace meditation teacher.
Look at us, Kasanga.
We are back from our little short holiday hiatus.
It is so good to see you.
Absolutely. Happy new year to everyone.
Do you ever wonder how far into January are you allowed to say happy new year?
What's the cutoff? When do you stop?
That's a great question.
I think definitely after January.
You go all the way into February?
No, no, no. When January ends, that's usually when I stop saying Happy New Year.
If it's February and I haven't seen the person, I may say, oh, how's your new year going?
But the actual celebratory, Happy New Year.
I love how you differentiate those two.
That's amazing. Since we're talking about it, how were your holidays?
Do you feel rested?
Are you recharged? Are you relaxed?
No, my holidays were good.
My holidays were good.
It was great to see my family.
I was actually the host this year.
So I have siblings and we kind of rotate the holidays, specifically Kwanzaa and New Year.
Oh, nice. So, yes. So this year was my turn.
So all the family came to my house.
That's a lot of pressure.
Yeah, but it was fun.
It was fun. You know, we've had quite a 2022 and so it was good to have everyone together.
I have to say, I was so happy to just relax and kind of be off work.
I host another podcast outside of this and produce another podcast.
I just was, they were both dark during the holidays and I was like, oh, thank God, how exciting to just rest and just be with my family.
I love I love the holidays for that.
Everybody's out of the city.
It's so nice. Yeah, I find that sometimes during the holidays or during any kind of break, actually, it's like, OK, what can I write right now?
What can I get into, you know, because I love what I do.
But I had to really intentionally say, OK, you know, like you said, like right now, I'm just watch this movie with my girls.
You know, you've got to listen to yourself and know what you need.
And I knew going into this holiday season, I needed a break personally, like you said, it's been a it's been it was a 2022.
It was it absolutely was.
Well, as we're talking about the new year, do you feel like do you feel a pressure as a new year starts like, oh, this I need resolutions and this has got to be like the best year ever.
And I have to be a new Casanga for 2023.
Like, do you put that pressure on yourself?
Well, I haven't felt that pressure in quite some time, you know, in the sense of feeling the pressure of it.
I think that's just because my practice has helped me with that, because I definitely used to be in that space for sure.
But I do like the feeling there is a special feeling of the new year.
Right. It does feel like, all right, we're starting a new, you know, this is this is a great time to to get into something different that I want.
You know, like you said, New Year's resolutions and all of that.
So yeah, I mean, I think there's a special feeling that naturally comes.
Yeah. In New Year. Like there's a whole resurgence and a newness that I love.
Like, I don't want to put pressure on myself.
Like, I will lose 12 pounds.
Like, I don't want to do that.
Right. But I love to make a declarative statement of like, maybe this will be the year of love.
Or, you know, I also do that at my birthday because I feel like those are two nice markers to reset myself.
And that absolutely, and I remember I once had a client that said, why can't I thought you teach mindfulness?
Can't you do that at any moment?
I was like, sure, yeah, of course you can.
Of course. But I think the the celebration, the celebratory spirit of the new year, of your birthday adds to it as that extra special energy.
It's right. Because as I was saying it, I thought, oh, jeez, this is a meditation mindfulness podcast.
I am supposed to be resetting myself every day.
Then I was like, again, with that, you and I have talked regularly in past episodes about the the shoulds and the it's you know, it's just a moment to declare something that's that I'm I like a positive declared sentence that I want to live into.
Absolutely. Well, our last episode before the break was a themed episode called Home for the Holidays, where we you know, we answered questions about concerns going into the holidays.
But you know, I also feel like there should be more talk about what it's like to come back from a break like getting into a rhythm because like sometimes there's that like sluggish, like how do I get back?
And what are what are your thoughts about how do you jump back into the new year if maybe you don't want to leave the break?
There's this whole thing, I think of like silent retreats or any kind of retreat that you go on, a meditation retreat, yoga retreat.
And the instructions are always when the retreat is over, be careful and be gentle with yourself with reentry.
So this whole idea of reentry is really real.
Yeah, especially with with the holiday break, you know, because you know, just finish being around family, friends, celebrating, relaxing.
Right. So you kind of got into a into a whole flow.
Yeah. And now you have to kind of switch gears and get back into another flow.
And so, yeah, I always say, you know, ease, ease yourself in and be patient and gentle with yourself.
Well, I am glad to be patient and gentle and back here with you, Kasanga, because we have some really interesting questions lined up to kick off 2023 with a bang.
So today we are going to be talking about feeling dependent on meditation, dealing with long term, unresolvable problems and a very big conversation about discriminatory thoughts.
So you're heavy today.
I feel like we're going to need to take a deep breath because here's our first question.
Dear Headspace Mark here, meditation helps me finding my way through life and navigating difficult times.
When I stop doing it regularly, however, I sometimes feel like I can't cope with life anymore.
And this feeling of dependence on meditation is a very confusing.
Is it normal to feel like I should also be able to be happy even without the tool of mindfulness?
Cheers, Mark. That's a good question.
Mark. It is a good question.
It is a good question.
Because it's almost like is there can you have too much of a good thing?
Yeah. Oh, I love that.
Too much of a good thing.
Right. But I can relate to this question because I once felt this way.
And to be quite honest, I still feel this way at times, but not in the sense of not feeling happy.
Right. So that's what kind of pinged for me with this question.
With Mark, when Mark said, can I be happy without meditation?
And so obviously the answer is yes.
But the idea, even today when I've got into my whole rhythm of meditating, but when I don't meditate, I totally feel off.
So oftentimes I use the example of brushing your teeth with with meditation.
Right. And mindfulness because mindfulness, I often say, is a lifestyle.
It's not just a technique or an exercise that you do when you're feeling stress.
It's really a way of being.
So I equate it with brushing your teeth.
No matter how sad, no matter how angry, no matter how irritable you're feeling, you're going to still brush your teeth.
One would hope. Right.
Right. One would hope.
And when you don't brush your teeth, you you feel it.
I would I would be interested in the happiness piece.
You know, and I mean, I am curious about that.
When Mark was saying he doesn't feel happy.
So I I relate it to like when I have a fear, like when I don't have ownership, like I don't I feel like I could lose it.
It might slip away from me.
And it it takes me back to what you were initially saying about it's part of your lifestyle.
It's a practice. It's a it's it's part of who you are.
Not not something you do to try to get out of, you know, out of a slump.
Right. Exactly. And going back to the from brushing your teeth, if I don't brush your teeth, my brush, my teeth.
Yeah, I feel I might feel a little off of my teeth, my feel dirty, but I'm not unhappy.
Right. Because I know I can just always go and brush my teeth.
So it's the same thing with with your meditation and your mindfulness.
Mark. Sure. You know, if you miss a day, it's fine if you know, if you miss a session, it's absolutely OK.
No, just OK. I miss the session.
Let it go. Remembering the whole concept of mindfulness is being present without judgment.
Right. And so just allowing yourself, OK, I miss this this miss this session.
I miss my morning session, whatever it may be.
I can always just literally take right now to do a brief meditation or and keep in mind the whole the fact that you are aware of how you're feeling in this moment because of missing a session.
That in and of itself is practicing.
Yeah. And in exhibiting a mindful state, a present moment, awareness.
I also want to mention something that just came to mind is this idea of informal, informal practice.
And this kind of ties into the whole brushing your teeth also.
So formal practice is kind of like the formal sitting meditation.
Right. But the informal practice is bringing that that present moment awareness into your everyday activities, whether it's brushing your teeth, whether it's eating, taking a shower.
Now, what I often find is that people embrace the informal practice before they embrace the formal practice.
Because it's kind of, you know, it's kind of easier in a way.
Right. It's 100 percent easier.
Right. What's wild is that it sounds like Mark has embraced the formal practice first.
Right. And he's having some issues with the informal practice, which I find quite interesting.
Yeah. So I would say, yeah, Mark, allow yourself to bring your practice into or embrace the informal practice where you bring that present moment awareness, that sense of being mindful into your everyday activities.
Oh, I missed the session.
OK, I'm about to eat right now.
Let me bring my full practice into my preparation, my meal preparation or whatever it might be.
And I feel like there's a piece of trusting, too, like trust yourself and trust that the work that you're doing stays with you and that you're there and everything will be OK.
I mean, I just love that I hear something in Mark that made me want to be like you're you're going to be OK, Mark.
It's all OK. I love that because one of the concepts of mindfulness is trust.
Just like kind of like exactly what you said.
Yeah. Trusting that this that we're all mindful beings, like it's not something you have to go out and find.
Yeah. It's always it's always with you.
It's always right there within.
But it's just that whenever I can remember that.
And it's nice that you just said that because someone's saying it helps you remember it.
But whenever I am capable of remembering that, it always my shoulders drop and I just feel a little more like, oh, it's all going to be OK.
Everything's going to be all right.
I mean, I'm definitely another I'm one of those people where I grew up in a chaotic household.
So I always think the other shoe is going to drop.
And that's I think I heard that in Mark's question.
I could be projecting, but I heard a little of that in his question.
So I hope that he's able to to lean into the trust.
Yeah, I love that. A blanket of trust that sometimes delightful.
Well, Mark, if you want to let us know how it all goes, please do.
We would you know, we'd love to hear how you know how this works in your practice.
Yeah, please do mark.
We always love to hear follow ups and see how things are going.
All right. So let's go to our next question.
Casanga, are you ready?
Let's get into it. OK, here we go.
Hello, Headspace. Everybody there.
This is Brittany calling from Washington State.
I'm calling to ask about dealing with long term unresolved issues, particularly those that make us feel anxious or angry.
Mine involve my family and some things at work.
And they are things that no matter what I do, they are continual and ongoing.
And probably will remain unresolved for most of my life.
And every now and then they'll just flare up.
And the anger, the anxiety that swirls around in my mind kind of controls me for a few days.
How do you kind of meditate and see your way through that?
The hard part is I can't just call somebody up and make it better.
I can't just go on a run or plan my way out of it.
It remains. So is there any advice that you have to people who are dealing with these kind of unresolved emotions that flare up and stew within us?
And I know everybody experiences this.
So I look forward to hearing from you.
And again, I'm so grateful for all of your work.
May you guys be well.
Oh, Brittany, thank you so much for this question.
This is such a great question.
And I do find it it comes up around family in particular a lot.
Maybe you should have had this question before.
Yeah, but going into the holidays.
Well, so the first thing that comes up, what what are these unresolved issues?
Right? She mentioned family.
She mentioned work.
And so, you know, I have to say as a former psychotherapist, right away, I say I would say, you know, OK, this might be something to take to therapy.
And so I'm curious if Brittany ever tried.
So I'm a huge advocate for therapy, obviously, especially for ongoing problems.
Because I think you need that support around you.
Exactly. And being that she's labeling them as unresolved, that means that they're ever present kind of thing.
Yeah. The second thing I would ask is perhaps because she's been dealing with these unresolved issues for quite some time, is there a way to predict when they may come or when they may flare up.
So, you know, we're talking about the holidays.
Yeah. I think the holidays might be they might be.
Yeah. A time where they may flare up.
Right. And so if you're able to.
And the reason why I ask that question is because if you're able to predict, OK, I know I'm going to step into this space, whether it's the holidays or family reunion or, you know, whatever the event might be.
If you're able to predict when that when it's going to happen, you'll be able to prepare.
Yes. You'll be able to prepare yourself.
Yes. And so that preparation can be everything.
That preparation can really be everything.
So, yeah, I would definitely ask Brittany about that.
Does she know or can she predict when these issues, these unresolved issues are going to show themselves?
You know what that reminds me of Kasanga is like they talk about I don't know who they.
But people talk about forgiveness and how forgiveness is not an act that you have to do one time.
It's an act that you often have to do over and over and over again.
And I always find that especially true with family.
Like I had a like a unresolvable relationship with my mom in that I knew when she was alive, she was never going to be better and be able to show up as a person that I wanted her to be.
And so every time going into it, I had to prepare for what she may or may not do.
And then after I had to go through like a forgiveness for myself so that I could release it and step away from it.
And I think about that cycle because when it is unresolvable, it's just going to keep coming back at you.
Yeah. Yeah. I love that, Robin.
That forgiveness piece is so so real because it's so easy to turn it on yourself.
Right. Yeah. And so the whole concept of acceptance also plays a role here.
And I'm not saying that you're doing this, Brittany, but just being aware of any resistance that you're bringing to these unresolved issues.
Right. It's like treating these issues as a given.
Right. And so it's just bringing the whole concept or the whole equation of stress times resistance equals suffering.
Right. So I've never heard that before.
Say that again. Yeah.
Yeah. So I use this equation and by no means that I make this up so.
But there's an equation called stress times resistance equals suffering.
So if you use that equation, think of it as a math problem.
Right. The stress is kind of a given.
In Brittany's case, it's these unresolved issues.
They're there. You can't change them.
Right. Then times the resistance though.
So if you have zero resistance to these issues, no matter how great these issues are, if you have zero resistance, how much are you going to suffer?
Zero, because anything times zero is zero.
Yeah. Right. Now, of course, that's ideal.
Yeah, sure. Right. We're all human.
So there's going to be some level of resistance.
But being aware of what what that resistance is, maybe decreasing that resistance so can predict how much suffering you're going to endure.
And so I would that all part of resistance, a face of resistance, is that non acceptance, not being able to accept what is or behaving as you want things to be versus as they actually are.
And Brittany was my client.
I would also just come in from a mindfulness and meditation standpoint.
I would use a form of like exposure therapy.
And this would be something that if you decide to try, Brittany, being just very gentle with yourself, again, just circling back to therapy, maybe finding a therapist that whose therapeutic approach is based in mindfulness, maybe, but maybe just sitting, sitting with yourself during a meditation and very
explicitly bringing to mind whatever those unresolved issues are, you know, especially if you know that an event is going to come up where you're going to have to come face to face with it.
So during this during this practice, this meditation practice, yeah, bring to mind, OK, whatever these unresolved issues are, bringing them to mind and really paying attention to whatever comes up for you.
Whatever you know, whatever you're feeling physically, whatever you're feeling emotionally, whatever emotions arise, whatever thoughts arise and really just letting whatever come come without any judgment, you're really just allowing yourself to be present with a very gentle and kind curiosity, just
observing what arises.
All right. So this is kind of exposing yourself.
There's, you know, it's kind of exposing yourself to what will happen.
And by doing that, it can help in building that, that stress resiliency, if you will.
So when you are face to face with these issues, you're that much more robust, that much more ready.
You know, yeah. I want to plus one your your therapy suggestion.
And I was thinking about boundaries as well, because, you know, unresolvable implies that this may not be a person who a conversation is going to help move this forward.
But, you know, setting a boundary for yourself to take care of yourself could be really important, too.
And I think sometimes having a therapist or a person that can help you like get out of your own head and help you hear what's reasonable, what's not reasonable, just a sounding board to say, is it OK if I ask for this to protect myself?
Is it OK if I ask for this?
I think that can be really important, too.
And, you know, just to piggyback on that again, without knowing what the unresolved issues are.
And with this, I would definitely kind of like what you're saying with some support.
Is it possible to confront these issues head on?
Now, with this, obviously, I would like again, I would definitely advise some support, whether it's through therapy or what have you.
Wow, I just there is so much awareness in that question.
You know, her referencing that she's been practicing for eight years.
And yeah, you can hear so much of that in in the way that she's thinking this problem through.
No, no, absolutely.
And kudos to your practice, Brittany.
I think I think that's absolutely awesome.
And keeping in mind, this is the practice.
Right. This this is indeed the practice.
So once you go down this path.
Yeah, yeah, you're on the path.
There's there's no guarantee that it's going to as a teacher of mine once said, there's no guarantee it's going to be a bed of roses all the time.
Right. So it's not going to always feel good, but that's OK.
Because again, you're allowing yourself to be with each moment as it shows up.
And you've started on this journey.
Yeah. And how how beautiful and how powerful is that?
Hey, everybody, it's Robin.
And I wanted to share something that's become a game changer in my daily routine.
Seeds, DSO, one daily symbiotic.
OK, I mean, we've got to be real friends.
Bloating can really sneak in and put a damper on things, whether you're at dinner with friends or just trying to feel good in your body.
I have been there. So when I first heard about seed, I was intrigued.
I gave DSO one a shot.
And honestly, I have noticed a huge difference.
It's just two capsules a day and it supports so much more than just gut health.
It promotes overall well -being, including digestion, heart health and even clearer, healthier looking skin.
And what I love the most is it's easy.
I take it every morning with water and that's it.
It's simple, consistent, and it's a part of my routine.
Plus, DSO one is formulated with twenty four scientifically studied strains that help maintain healthy gut function.
And trust me, when you're feeling good on the inside, it impacts everything.
How you move through your day, how you feel after eating, just the way you show up in life.
So I recommend it to my friends and family because I want us all feeling good inside and out.
So get ahead of the new year with a routine that helps you now by going to seed dot com slash headspace and use code 25 headspace to get twenty five percent off your first month.
That's twenty five percent off your first month of seeds DSO one daily symbiotic at seed dot com slash headspace.
And the code is twenty five headspace.
This episode is brought to you by Peloton.
If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered summer runs or playoff season meditations.
Whatever your vibe, Peloton has thousands of classes built to push you and has something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest.
Peloton has everything you need.
Whenever you need it, find your push, find your power.
Peloton visit one peloton dot com.
All right. I can't believe we're already here, but here's our last question.
And it is from Finn.
My name is Finn. I'm from the Netherlands, and I have a question surrounding bigotry or discriminatory thoughts, prejudice.
I myself often find myself having those sort of those kind of thoughts, for example, about transgender people in particular.
And I I kind of struggle to be mindful when those thoughts arise to to kind of let them go as I might let go of other unhelpful thoughts.
I'm not sure why these thoughts are particularly sticky, so to say.
But that's what my question is about.
How do I let go or get over discriminatory thoughts about those people and really will really be mindful of myself in those moments, I'd love to hear from you.
That's a I have to just say, that's a very brave question, Finn.
I mean, really. Yeah.
So so, first of all, Finn, you are already there, dude, like.
Yeah, you are already there.
This is this is what I'm talking about when I say mindfulness can can change the world.
This is it. This is it right here.
This this question is so freaking beautiful and powerful because Finn is totally in a space of awareness.
Yeah. Right. He he's aware.
OK, I have these discriminatory prejudice thoughts.
He's not alone. Yeah.
As we all know. Absolutely.
We all have prejudice thoughts at some point in our lives.
You know, some big, some small.
All right. And everything in between.
But what Finn is allowing himself to do is, OK, I have these thoughts.
Let me pause. Be aware of these thoughts.
Sit with these thoughts.
And how can I now skillfully move forward and process these thoughts?
So, I mean, can you imagine?
Yes, I know what you're doing.
If everyone approached like discriminatory thoughts from this point of view, rather than just saying it is what it is, but if they all approached it from this point of view of like, I don't want to have these thoughts where I want to figure out where they come from, because I do think it's important
that like to do the steps that you said, but also that Finn spends some time prior to that, really thinking about like, where might these come from?
Because oftentimes discriminatory thoughts are handed to us from the from the way we were brought up or our communities or, you know, there's there's often reasons for these or sometimes just lack of education like I'm part of the LGBTQ community.
And oftentimes people just maybe they never met a gay person.
Maybe they never met a trans person.
And so there's a lack of of education about I'm just like you, Kasanga.
Oh, there's a lack of exposure.
Right. I remember. I remember I was on a meditation retreat and someone that I met at that retreat, she literally told me that she had never spoken to a black person before.
Ever? Ever. I said, where did you live?
She lived in some very white town in California somewhere.
And she had just never been around black people.
Yeah. So you're so spot on, Robyn, exposing yourself that can be a next step.
Right. So exposing yourself and allowing yourself to get that education.
But I also love what you said, Robyn, about investigating where these thoughts and these feelings come from.
Yeah. Right. And that knowledge can be so powerful because when these thoughts come.
OK, wow. Yeah. I'm having new discriminatory prejudice thoughts again.
However, I know that they come from this, that and the other.
Yeah. So that knowledge can prevent those thoughts from escalating.
And, you know, let's be very real here.
You know, these thoughts, as we've seen in the news, in the world, can lead to violence.
Right. We're seeing it.
We're seeing it day in, day out today.
Day in, day out. Exactly.
Exactly. So for Finn to call in.
I mean, it's like huge, huge kudos to you, Finn.
Yeah. And I love that you are in this space where you're able to call and express yourself and ask this question.
And I think that this really sets a precedent.
This can be this can set an example of what it means.
What does. All right.
I live a mindful life.
I practice. Well, what does it look like?
This is an example of what it looks like.
All right. Finn recognizes I have these thoughts.
I don't want them. Yeah.
Right. So even I mean, I'm even hearing that Finn is not necessarily judging himself.
No, which is nice. He's just like they're which I thought was such an interesting way.
He's like, they just keep coming back.
He wasn't saying I'm walking around hating people, but that they keep coming back.
Exactly. He's not. He's not talking shit about himself.
No. Like a shitty person.
I'm a horrible person for having these thoughts.
Right. He's like, I'm having these thoughts.
Yeah. Keep coming up.
I'd like to not have these thoughts.
I don't want. Right.
Exactly. I don't want these thoughts.
What can I do? I keep thinking of the phrase of like these thoughts were handed to you, but they are not you.
You know, it does not have to be who you are.
And I think that's where the education piece comes in so strongly.
You know, I prior to this podcast, I hosted a podcast about LGBTQ families and the entire mission was to raise awareness and to because representation matters.
I mean, we're both part of marginalized communities and I, you know, we're both I want to put words in your mouth, but I assume you're very aware of the importance of representation.
I'm just like every other parent in the world and in that education matters.
So I think it's important that Finn really dives deep into I mean, they don't even have to dive deep, but build an awareness of this community of people so that you can see they are people just trying to get through their days just like you.
You're spot on, Robert.
Yeah. Yeah. Ditto to everything you said.
You know, read some books, get out into the community.
Like, you know, like you said, go to some events and it's going to take some intentional proactive approach, right?
Yeah. But, you know, honestly, I don't think that's going to be a stretch for Finn because him him even asking this question is a step is a proactive step in the right direction.
Well, what are your thoughts, Casanga, from your you have a psychotherapy background?
You know, I everyone always says that awareness of the problem is the first step.
Like, it sounds like that's where Finn is.
What are your thoughts on that?
No, no. I think Finn is there.
I think Finn is awareness and acceptance, right?
And I feel like Finn has totally is totally there.
He's accepted. OK, these thoughts are present for me.
I don't want them. I'm aware of them.
I'm aware that they are.
They do pop up into my mind and he's not reacting to them.
Right. So he is creating that space where he's able to respond.
Right. He's in a space of responding.
Right. And he and it sounds like he's responding skillfully because he's asking for help.
I love that you brought up therapy, Robin, because I think a next step could perhaps be seeking out a therapist just to process.
Remember, therapy is not always therapy is literally about processing your emotions and your thoughts and your behaviors.
Yep. With a trained professional.
And so because this is such a serious topic and these are serious thoughts, I would definitely recommend, yeah, seek out a therapist, someone a trained professional where you can process your thoughts and these feelings that you have and see what comes up for you.
Yeah. When I think of therapy, I always think of you didn't get yourself into the mess by yourself.
You don't get yourself out of the mess by yourself.
Exactly. And another person can help you wade through these thoughts and explore that piece that we were talking about at the top about maybe why, why they might be there for you.
And I think it might be helpful to have another person just kind of dig through that with you.
For sure. But you don't have to go to therapy to solve this.
I mean, exposure to the community could help, but it is an option.
Yes, option. Right.
It's a very viable option.
What I would also say is to also continue to step into that space of self -compassion.
Because remembering, before you can extend that compassion towards others, you have to build that compassion with for yourself.
From my experience, some of the most hateful people that I've met hate themselves.
Yes, absolutely. And that's where it starts.
So I would say, Finn, continue to develop this self -compassion.
And I think you would find that with that self -compassion, you'll continue to develop that curiosity.
And like Rob and I were saying, that can be very valuable.
That curiosity where you allow yourself to go out and explore and learn and see what happens.
Yeah. Yeah. And again, we said it before, but I think it is important to repeat it.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for being brave enough to ask this question.
I really, I really applaud you for bringing the question to us and for being willing to to look at this for yourself.
Really, that's that's how you can be an ally for the community.
That's it right there.
Absolutely. And it's contagious.
Absolutely. Just like hate is contagious.
So is this curiosity and this love, this willingness to embrace your practice.
Both sides are contagious, but you have a choice.
You have a choice, which one.
And Finn, I applaud you for taking this step.
And I really thank you.
Wow, Cassanga. I mean, those were just deep and interesting and brave questions.
And we thank you all for sharing them with us.
Absolutely. These were indeed a hell of a brave question.
I feel I feel extremely inspired.
That's I feel so inspired right now.
You know, just remembering that it just starts circling it right back to the beginning.
Yeah. You know, you know, we have a basics course on the app and, you know, I might just dive into the basics course.
Because that's where it starts, right?
Yeah, that's where it starts.
That's the essence of the practice, just starting with the foundation of it all.
Well, I feel like getting into the groove of 2023.
That's such a great that's such a great suggestion.
Yeah, absolutely. Just starting anew, starting anew, starting from the beginning, you know, remembering every moment is brand new.
So, yeah, let's start from the beginning again.
Amazing. And if you guys out there, if you want to ask us a question really about anything, you just go to say hi dot chat slash to your headspace.
And all you have to do is follow the prompts.
And that's and you're going to be able to record your question for us.
Absolutely. And you can also leave us with some mindful moments from your day.
I'm all about the mindful moments.
Yeah. And if we use your question or we share your mindful moment on the show, you are going to get three months of headspace for you or you could share it with a loved one or a coworker.
And I do want to say, as we wind down this episode, we have a treat for you to transition from this moment to the next in your day.
That is absolutely correct, Robin.
What we've done is we've built in some time, as we always do, where you can kind of take what you've just heard and just kind of sit with it for a moment and let your mind just do whatever it wants to do.
And today we're leaving you with the delightful sounds of a lighthouse bluff.
So till next time, stay happy, stay healthy and always be kind to each other.
Dear Headspace is a Headspace Studios original podcast.
It's produced by Robin Hopkins, Ash Jones and Scott Sorensen.
It's executive produced by Morgan Selzer, Sarah Cohen, Baron Farmer and Danny It's hosted and produced by Robin Hopkins, Keisanga Giscombe, Dora Kamal, Samantha Snowden, and Eve Louis Prieto.
Sound recording and post -production is by Dan Kroll.
Music is by Scott Sorensen and Chris Marguilla.
And a very special thanks to Colleen Lutz.
