Welcome to Heal Yourself, Change Your Life. My name is Brandy Gillmore, and after recovering from my own life-changing injury, it’s become my mission to share with others the same discoveries I made that changed my health and my entire life. Our minds are truly incredible. The placebo is proof of this.
Each week, I will take this simple awareness to a whole new level. I will even coach live callers to free themselves of physical pain using only their mind. And then I’ll provide you with a combination of practical and spiritual insights that you can use to master your mind, your body, and your energy to help you heal your health, yourself, and your life.
Let’s begin.
Navigating Stressful Times
Brandy: Hello and welcome. On today’s episode, I want to share a few key insights to help you to consciously navigate stressful times, because let’s be honest, we all know that stressful or traumatic events can affect you. They can affect your mindset, they can affect your health, your happiness, and they can have a lasting impact.
And we all know that.
So, on that note, if you are somebody who is going through a stressful event, there are some tips and things that you can do to help make it not go so much into the negative. Because when you stop and think about it—and I think we’ve all been there—but I know going through my own…
Um, I lost myself. I completely lost who I was because I was so sucked into the stress and the fear and the negativity and all of it. I lost who I was completely. And we can all do that. We can go through some type of trauma and lose ourselves.
And so that’s what I really want to talk about.
Applying These Tips to Your Situation
Now, the thing of it is, you can apply this to your situation—whatever makes sense.
Part of the reason I’m doing this is, of course, because of the fires right now in LA and all of that that’s going on. And it’s a lot. It’s a lot. And I know a lot of people who have lost their homes and their… all kinds of things—and their kids—and there’s just a lot of things going on.
So, the more that we can consciously navigate it, the better we can do.
And there’s some things that I’ve been doing to keep my energy good and in the positive, and so that’s what I want to share with you.
Now, by the way, even if the fires are done—I mean, again, I mentioned that going through my own injury, I completely lost myself.
And, you know, if we go through a period of time… kind of think about this for a moment. If we go through a period of time that has intense negative emotions, what can happen is we can get sucked into that mindset, into that fear, or the trauma, or the hurt.
And then it’s hard to get out of it. We have to consciously get out of it.
Breaking Negative Emotional Patterns
One way to think about it is like this: If every day you wake up and you go into extreme fear or panic, and you do that every day and every day and every day for 30 days, what happens?
Well, the nervous system—the mind—starts to automatically go there, and you start to live in that space. You know, and all of the time people will have those types of emotions.
And then what happens is, you know, a lot of us just try to be optimistic, or we try to be strong, or we try to just navigate the circumstances.
So then we suppress these emotions—you know, feeling the feeling of fear—and then we suppress it.
Brandy: And by the way, I caught myself doing that, and I had to change it because there’s…
You know, it’s like right now, going through the fires and whatnot, there’s this feeling of needing to stay on high alert because the wind—if you’re familiar with the situation—the wind is carrying the fires, and then it’s… you know, and suddenly, you know, there’s alerts and different things like that.
And it’s like, “Okay, well, I need to stay on alert, but I don’t want my nervous system to get used to staying on high alert.”
And so there’s some things that I’ve been doing to make sure that I don’t program that into my nervous system.
Because what happens is exactly that—stay on high alert every day, every day.
And especially this has, you know, been going on.
Applying These Strategies Beyond Current Circumstances
By the way, again, even after these fires are gone and everything, you know, and we overcome this…
You know, this could be a moment of, you know, whatever’s going on in your life.
So, any type of stressful situation where you feel like you’ve got to navigate something, that’s what you can apply this to.
Consciously Shifting Emotional States
Brandy: The first, most basic thing is, first and foremost, decide how you want to feel.
Meaning that… so I noticed myself being on high alert and I’m like, “Okay, paying attention is great. Awareness is great. Let me be on awareness, but not with fear high alert.”
Okay, so let me be on confidence and strength alert.
Okay, so it was a different feeling to say, “Okay, let me pay attention and I’ve got this.”
And that’s what I’ve had a lot of people doing, where they are—it’s like, “Okay, what is my plan?” and feeling in your strength.
Because let’s be honest, we can go into fear.
And there’s a difference. On whether or not you get fear linked up in your subconscious mind and fear is going—and, of course, emotions attract the same and attract the same.
So we can go through fear and it attracts more fear.
Replacing Fear with Confidence
And then what happens? You know, we get stressed, it affects the physical body, all of those things. We don’t think so clearly.
But if we’re in a place of confidence where we say, “Okay, I’m going to be on alert. I’ve got this. I’m going to be on alert, but I’ve got this,” we can navigate, be intelligent, and ask, “What do I need to pay attention to?”
And so that’s one thing—if you’re going into fear, purposely and consciously shift yourself and say, “Okay, what do I need to pay attention to?”
And do exactly that.
Even if you need to make a list, this is what I need to pay attention to. “Okay, I’m confident I can do these things.”
And so it’s like consciously doing that and being in a more assertive place.
Consciously Deciding How You Want to Feel
Now, that may seem small or may seem impossible, but if you really pay attention to it, it can help you.
So that’s one thing—deciding consciously how do you want to feel.
Now imagine for a moment—let’s be honest. Sometimes things come up and people will react in a place of strength.
They say, “Okay, I’ve got this.”
Or sometimes they react in fear or panic.
What happens if panic gets stuck in the nervous system?
Not good, right?
Navigating Stress with Strength and Awareness
Brandy: So I would say, if you’re going through a stressful event, whatever it is, decide how you want to feel and then even write down a few things.
Like right now, I mean, let’s be honest.
If I just said, “Oh, okay, well there’s fires and I’m just going to be confident and assertive,” like, well, it’s not like, okay.
I need to pay attention to the news—where are the fires? What’s happening?
I need to make sure I have my phone with me, so there’s an alert system.
Okay, got that. Need to check in and be here with friends and family, support them, make sure they’re good.
I have absolute compassion, see how I can support, and make sure everybody’s good.
Showing Up for Others in Stressful Times
And those that need housing… you know, it’s just being there, showing up.
Showing up, um, and being there in a positive way, but being there.
So, basically, my point is deciding how you want to show up and doing that.
And, of course, when you think about it for a moment, deciding not just how you want to feel, but also how you want to show up.
Giving Yourself Permission to Relax
Brandy: Another thing is, is this—let’s say that you’ve decided in a moment, you notice your nervous system is coming up and everything is kind of relaxing for a moment.
Like everything is okay for a moment.
You could remind your mind to say, “Look, I’m safe right now. Let me just relax and remind your mind that it is okay to relax—that it is okay to be safe right now.”
Structuring Calm into Stressful Situations
Then decide, kind of like this: For example, right now in this moment, there’s progress on the fires and they’re doing better.
And, of course, that can change. The wind and all of that. So I need to pay attention.
So I say, “Okay, great. Right now, I can relax, and I’ll keep okay in a relaxed state. And I’m going to check the news in one hour and just pay attention.”
But right now, I’m giving my mind and my nervous system time to relax, and then to be aware to then pay attention to the news.
Avoiding Prolonged High-Alert States
Brandy: My point is, the different way, the unconscious way to do it, would be to stay on high alert the whole time.
“Okay, I gotta be on high alert. I gotta…”
Okay, yes, you want to be aware, but notice I’m consciously deciding what I need to do, so I don’t have to stay on high alert in my nervous system and emotions.
Instead, I have a plan.
And so that’s ultimately what you want to do—make sure that you’re navigating: How do you want to feel? What do you need to do?
How can you choose strength? How can you choose assertiveness or being on alert without being on fearful alert, but attentive alert and confident alert and strength alert?
So, deciding how you want to feel.
Reassuring Children During Stressful Times
Brandy: Now, another thing I’ve noticed—just, you know, again, been supporting the community in different ways and whatnot—I’ve had friends or people reaching out who’ve lost their houses, and they go, “Well, what do I do with my kids?”
And one of the things you want to do is, if you have kids, you know, reassure them that yes, there’s a lot going on, but reassure them that they’re safe.
“They’re safe. They’re safe.” And help them, help reassure that.
Because let’s be honest, if kids are feeling safe, there can be a lot of change. But if you keep reassuring them, “Hey, we’re good.”
Yes, and just speak to it and say, “Yeah, hey guys, there’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of change, but don’t worry. We’re safe, and we’re navigating, and we’re moving,” and whatnot.
“And we’re moving around and this, that, but we’re safe. Don’t worry.”
Because that is going to make it easier.
Avoiding Escalation of Stressful Emotions
Brandy: Because let’s be honest, if the kids don’t feel safe, then they’re more stressful, and then they add more stress to the mix.
It just escalates the whole thing, and creates even more stress, if you will.
Taking Time to Calm Your Nervous System
Brandy: Now, another thing you can do is this: Take time to really calm your nervous system.
So, one thing you could do is just take short exercises to do that.
I mean, you could walk around outside for a moment, or walk around and just calm your nervous system and remind yourself, “Okay, it’s calm right now.”
And you take in a piece of calm—take in a piece of calm where you just purposely are bringing in that feeling.
Bringing Calm into the Present Moment
Brandy: Now why? Because it gives your nervous system a break, so you can take in the feeling of calm and you can feel it because you’ll just be more present.
So, you want to do it in a present way, where you could look around—even in your house or wherever you are—and say, “Okay, look, I can calm down.”
And you just feel that, like, “I can be calm right now. In this very moment, I can be calm right now.”
Programming Safety into the Nervous System
Brandy: Now, by the way, just so you know, something that I did during my injury to heal myself—one of the many things that I did—was exactly that.
I had to get my nervous system out of fear, meaning this: You know, after I was injured—wheelchair, walker, cane, a mess.
You know, my doctor said there’s nothing else they could do. My life was spiraling. Everything was spiraling.
Now, of course, most people would say, “Of course I’m in fear, Brandy. I have no future. I have no this. I’m in extreme pain. I have all these problems.”
For most people, fear would continue to do what?
It would continue to escalate.
Overcoming Escalating Fear
Brandy: And everybody would have agreed with me. If I said, “Hey, I’m in fear,” they would have said, “Of course.”
But the problem is, the more I was in fear, the more I was stressed, the more it was not helping me.
So, I started de-escalating my own fear. Like, everything was going on in my life, but I said, “Okay, wait a second. In this moment right now, I’m safe. Are the walls chasing me? No. Is this microphone chasing me? No. Okay, I can just be safe.”
Intentionally Programming Safety into Life
Brandy: Now, I started taking and programming in feelings of safety into my nervous system, which helped clear my head, so the best of me could show up.
And so, that’s what I want to invite you to look at also.
Now, by the way, sometimes people, when they think to calm themselves, they think, “Oh, I should meditate.”
But the problem with that is this: Notice when I’m saying, “Hey, I can calm. Okay. Is the mic chasing me? No. I can be calm. I can be calm.”
It helps you to feel calm in life.
The Challenge of Meditation in Stressful Situations
Brandy: But if you just go, “Okay, I’m going to close my eyes and meditate,” what is it training your brain to do?
To check out from the situation.
“Oh, I need to calm, so what happens is then life feels chaotic.”
But then you go, “Okay, I need to meditate and just check out and be calm.”
It trains your brain that says, “If you want to be calm, just check out.”
Learning to Stay Present and Calm
Brandy: And of course, if you’re in times of high stress or when you need to be present, what’s going to serve you the most is being able to be present.
And so the more you can say, “Okay, I can be calm in life,” the more you can show up in a better way.
Using Fire Drills as an Analogy
Brandy: Now, a simple analogy for this to kind of bring this together is, think about this:
Maybe in elementary school, maybe you did a fire drill in elementary school.
Like, when a fire goes to happen and they say, “Okay, everybody remain calm and go single file out. Remain calm.”
And they say, “You know, school, remain calm and exit single file.”
What happens?
Lives are saved.
Remaining Calm for Better Outcomes
Brandy: But if everybody is chaotic and stressful and anxiety and all of that, it doesn’t go as well.
It—there’s a worse situation.
So similarly, the more you can feel calm towards life, the more that when—if anything is happening—you can show up, remain calm, and really have your best action forward, wherever that is.
Meditation as a Tool for Presence
Brandy: Again, this doesn’t have to pertain—it doesn’t have to relate to the fires, but it could.
Because the more you show up, and if something’s going on, you say, “Okay, I’ve got this. I’m clear-headed. I can do this.”
Great.
So, with something like meditation, if you say, “I need meditation to be calm,” and then you go, “Okay, well, I’m going to check out to do that,” it doesn’t…
You really want to feel calm towards the moment—calm, calm towards the present.
So you can be present and feel calm and present towards life.
Practical Tips for Managing Stress
Brandy: So, those are a few tips that you can apply—whatever it is.
You know, just deciding how you want to feel, making time to feel and bring in a feeling of calm intentionally.
And that’s exactly what I did.
Even during my injury, I started calming my nervous system towards life.
Brandy: And it was powerful. And so the more that we can just be present, the best of us can show up, and the better we can navigate anything.
And so that’s ultimately what you want.
If you’re having some stressful time, you keep your mind clear, you decide how you want to feel, you go into your strength, and more of the best of you can show up—and it’s powerful.
Not only that, but then also, you know, if you’re doing it unconsciously, and then you have all this fear and this stress and this negativity, it can affect your health, your life, create more patterns.
Stress breeds more stress breeds more stress.
Breaking the Cycle of Stress
Brandy: Again, even going back to the awareness of somebody’s really stressed and then they’re stressful with the kids, and then the kids are stressed, and then it creates more stress, and then it creates and attracts more patterns.
Okay, so just a few insights—a few simple things that you can do to set yourself up to navigate these times and come out ahead.
The Transformative Power of Healing
Brandy: Because I can tell you—even, and by the way, after my injury, when I mentioned I lost myself in all the stress and the fear and all of the things—then coming out of that and finding myself again and clearing the negative emotions from my nervous system was a lot and pivotal.
Life-changing.
Healed myself. Changed my entire life.
Because of course, our thoughts help create our lives.
Brandy: So don’t get me wrong—I don’t want to complain about my injury and all that.
I wouldn’t want to go through it again.
But I wouldn’t take it back if I could, because of the way that it absolutely changed my entire life.
Free Training for Mind-Body Healing
Brandy: And so, by the way, on that note, if you are working on healing yourself and you haven’t yet watched my free training, it’s a 90-minute masterclass to help you to understand how your mind affects your physical body, how you can heal yourself.
So there’s that also.
A Call to Be Present and Empowered
Brandy: Wherever you are though, I wanted to invite you to just become consciously aware of your thoughts, your emotions, how you feel, so the best of you can show up.
So you can heal, be happy and healthy, and really feel good and empowered in life.
And so that’s the insight that I want to bring to you today.
Sharing Positivity with the World
Brandy: And by the way, please do take a quick moment to hit the share button on this episode.
You know, share it with somebody you love, somebody you care about, or somebody you don’t even know.
Because the more that every single person in our world is happy and healthy and loved and loving and empowered, the better this world is for all of us.
And so please do hit the share button, and please do make a point to have a most wonderful, incredible, happy, healthy rest of your day.
Brandy: And I look forward to connecting with you on the next episode. We’ll see you there.
Final Note from Brandy
Brandy: Thank you for listening to Heal Yourself, Change Your Life.
All of the time, people reach out and say how much these episodes have given them hope, or touched their heart, or helped them stay positive in hard times, or even woken them up to a completely new level of awareness of how amazing we all really are.
If today’s episode touched your heart or expanded your mind in any way, please do me a favor and be sure to share it with those you care about, or those you know who really need it.
Empowering Change in the World
Brandy: As more and more people become empowered, it really will change our world.
That is the point and the power of these demonstrations—to create a radical shift in our world consciousness by showing everyone what we are all capable of.
And of course, each volunteer will really need to follow through to reinforce their programming to maintain their results.
But the point is for you to see that you really can create rapid results in your health and your life if you really understand how to use your mind.
You’re incredible.
Brandy’s Final Reminder
Brandy: And I do want to be clear though, that most people will not get results this fast on their own.
I make it look very easy because of the discoveries that I made.
You’ll want to remember that there’s so much more going on in our minds at a deeper level than people realize.
That said, if you want to send me any questions or comments, come visit me on my website at BrandyGillmore.com/podcast.
And if you’re currently experiencing physical pain and would like to be a volunteer on the show, you can sign up there as well.
Brandy: Lastly, please remember, if you do have any health issues, you won’t want to avoid your doctors.
Instead, you’ll want to continue seeing them and make it your goal to blow their minds with what you’re capable of with your mind.
Thank you.
