NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by an AI tool. Please forgive any typos or errors. Clips from Unburden Your Mind === [00:00:00] Cara: Do you feel overwhelmed with all the things that you need to do in your life? And it stops you from actually taking action towards the things you want to cultivate in your life. [00:00:10] Cara: Welcome to Float Activity, the podcast that guides you on a transformative journey towards spiritual wisdom, self-development and healing practices, all aimed at elevating your intuition and aligning you with your soul's purpose. I'm your host, Cara Dempsey, and I'm thrilled to have you joining me today as we learn together. [00:00:32] Cara: Welcome to my channel. This is where we bridge the gap between spirituality and productivity. So that you can get more in flow and be fulfilled in your daily life. [00:00:42] Cara: Today, we're going on an exploration to help you unburden your mind. [00:00:47] Cara: And trust me, you don't want to miss this. [00:00:50] [00:00:50] Cara: In the world buzzing with constant noise, our minds. [00:00:53] Cara: Often bear the weight of endless to dues. Worries in the chaotic home of the modern [00:01:00] life. [00:01:00] Cara: Fear, not my friends. I am handing you the keys to a lighter and free your mind. [00:01:05] Cara: We're not diving into abstract theories today. [00:01:08] Cara: ~We're getting our hands dirty with practical, actionable. How tos. ~ [00:01:08] Cara: We're getting our hands dirty with practical, actionable. How tos. [00:01:12] Cara: From decluttering mental spaces. [00:01:14] Cara: To mastering mindfulness. [00:01:16] Cara: Consider this. Your ultimate toolkit for mental liberation. [00:01:21] Cara: This isn't just another self-help guide. [00:01:23] Cara: Because in this episode, I'm going to be talking about real life experience. [00:01:27] Cara: Adding humor where I can. [00:01:29] Cara: Because let's face it. We all need a good laugh. [00:01:32] Cara: Navigating the complexity of our minds. [00:01:34] Cara: By the end of this episode. [00:01:36] Cara: You'll not only feel lighter. [00:01:38] Cara: But you'll possess the wisdom to keep your mental baggage in check. [00:01:41] Cara: This isn't just content. This is a life upgrade. [00:01:44] Cara: And I'm thrilled to be your guide. [00:01:45] Cara: So, are you ready to unburden your mind? [00:01:48] Cara: Embrace clarity and transform your life. [00:01:50] Cara: Smash that play button hit. Subscribe. [00:01:53] Cara: And let's dive into the art of lightening, your mental load together. [00:01:57] Cara: Welcome to my new comfy setup. I did some [00:02:00] comfy recordings a while back, and I felt like my energy and my office was feeling stagnant. And so it was stopping me from taking action on the things I truly enjoy, like recording in a way that feels like we are sitting in a room together. [00:02:18] Cara: So, if you're listening on the podcast, this doesn't apply. [00:02:21] Cara: But I wanted to have a setup where I could film at my desk and I can also feel them in a place that felt. More comfy. that is the first step. If there's a place. In your life. Is it your kitchen? Is it your office? Is your bedroom. That you feel like you cannot take action towards the things that you want. That is a sign that you need to move the energy around, whether that's moving furniture. [00:02:48] Cara: If that's cleaning out spaces. Any time we feel like we can't take action. What is cluttering up our minds, our heart, it should [00:03:00] have this like unburdening towards your desires. [00:03:03] Cara: Now in this adventure of redesigning how my office is set up. There was a lot of key factors that I had to take into place and I needed help. And so that was something that I did was I asked someone who I knew had an eye for things that could help me and give me options to something that felt good. [00:03:23] Cara: So I want you to think about an area in your house that feels like it's stopping you from taking action. So for example, if you're someone that does better with food prep meal prep. But you're not actually in that mindset right now. Can you reorganize your kitchen in a way that helps the energy flows so that you are excited to do it. [00:03:45] Cara: Some other things that have helped in my personal life of lightening, the load is we actually do a meal delivery service. [00:03:53] Cara: We probably do it about three times a month and we only do two meals per week when we actually [00:04:00] use it. [00:04:00] Cara: I did about two months of testing it out to see if. It was in our budget and surprisingly it costs the same amount of money to have this meal delivery service. In those weeks than it does with the extra groceries when we don't use it. [00:04:17] Cara: Now I'm pretty strategic when it comes to budgeting with our meals. [00:04:22] Cara: And so when there is times that we do have to spend more money on groceries because we're getting more meat and we're doing things of that sort, that is the time where I will hold back from using the meal delivery service. [00:04:34] Cara: We use HelloFresh I really have enjoyed the meal so far. I am not an affiliate. They're not a sponsor, but I do have a friend code that I'll put in the show notes. The reason it has been so helpful in our family is because. For me to plan out what meals we're going to be having. And then go to the store to get the food and then to break down. On what needs to be used [00:05:00] for what recipe that takes up a lot of mental space for me. [00:05:04] Cara: And while my husband is very helpful in the meal cooking aspect. Planning and prepping for food. Isn't something that comes naturally to him. And so having a meal delivery service is amazing because. The recipes are laid out for you. There is enough just for that meal. [00:05:21] Cara: The beautiful thing is when you experience a meal, you really love through hello, fresh. [00:05:26] Cara: You then can recreate that recipe and make it bigger so that you have leftovers. [00:05:33] Cara: It helps us feel like we're eating out and enjoying these really delicious meals without actually going out. Now we do have to prep and we do have to cook and clean. So that does take that aspect out. But when I really break down my budget, It isn't that much more to do this. like I said, about three times a month. [00:05:52] Cara: Once you find the meals that you really enjoy, they become staples. And what I do to help me with [00:06:00] lightning, the mental burden of this is about once a month. I sit down. And I pick out all the hello, fresh meals for the month that is coming up. [00:06:09] Cara: So you really want to make sure that you're picking things that fit. You know, your family's needs. [00:06:14] Cara: these meals are actually only for my husband and I, we don't include the kids on this because they're not at a point where they're really wanting to try, very flavorful foods. [00:06:24] Cara: We're trying our best with that. But it really helps take off the load for my husband and I. So a lot of times what I do is when I'm making the kids dinners and they're eating, I then am making the dinner for my husband and I, while the kids are eating their own dinner. [00:06:40] Cara: I've created a system with my kids' food. [00:06:42] Cara: I know what they like. And so when I meal prep and I get things ahead of time in the, earlier in the week, it makes our week go so much smoother it creates a lighter mental toll. When I have to create meal plans for the family. [00:06:57] Cara: I feel like meal planning and [00:07:00] cooking tends to take up so much mental load on people. And so when you can create systems that help. Your life exactly where you're at. It's super helpful. [00:07:11] Cara: I also have an app that I use called the meal board. You can actually copy and paste a recipe link into that app and it will download the directions, the ingredients and et cetera. [00:07:23] Cara: So when it is time to do other meal planning, it's really easy that I can look at meals. I can categorize them if there's something I'm cooking or my husband's cooking. [00:07:33] Cara: And so finding a system to help you stay on track with meal planning. Is a huge way that you can take off the mental burden of planning meals for the family. [00:07:44] Cara: How my brain works is very different from your brain. So you're going to have to think of ways that would help you stay on top of that. Is that actually having printed out recipes and you just pulling out, four per week to be able to help [00:08:00] navigate what you're going to be cooking. [00:08:01] Cara: so. [00:08:02] Cara: I want you to think about what you can do when it comes to meal planning, that's going to help take off the mental load. I find that when I sit down and I meal plan for the next month, it's easier for me because it really doesn't take that much longer to do a week versus a month. And that way, when I'm in that planning mode, I can be really efficient, get the planning done. [00:08:23] Cara: And then I don't have to think about it for the next month. [00:08:25] Cara: So adding ideas of batching, the things that you're doing may be something that can help you. And all batching is, is instead of planning for the week, you'll be planning for the month. [00:08:37] Cara: Once you create a routine around your energy around this, it becomes like second nature. [00:08:43] Cara: So if you're new here, I use my cycle and a lot of this, when I'm in my fully here phase, I do my meal planning. This is also when I maybe want to test out new recipes. [00:08:53] Cara: When I'm in my ovulation phase, I can get a lot done. So I want to be able to [00:09:00] create the space for me to be able to do that. And so when I batch. The things that I do. It opens the space up for the energy that I want in that time. [00:09:08] Cara: The luteal phase is when I refine my process and see if there's any way that I can make it better. And then what it all leads to is when I'm on my period, I want more rest and relaxation and that I can enjoy myself when I have planned ahead and created this mental space ~for me to allow myself to. Just be able to. ~ [00:09:26] Cara: When I could allow myself to rest and relax in this time. [00:09:30] Cara: Of introspection. [00:09:31] Cara: Another huge factor that has helped me. In lightning, the mental load is. Putting more tasks on my children to help develop them in life. So, for example, when they come home from school, they know that before we can do anything else, they must unpack their bag. [00:09:48] Cara: They must unpack their lunches, set out their snack bags or water bottles for the next day. When we can tackle this right away when we get home. it allows us to be able to do the other things [00:10:00] and not rush the next day when we're getting things together. [00:10:03] Cara: They know that this is their task and if they ever need help, they can ask me. [00:10:07] Cara: But it is ultimately their routine that we've been building for the last year. And now it's not a question when they walk in the door, they know exactly what they do. So it takes the mental load of me having to make sure that they're set up for the day that all I have to do is wash their lunch containers and pack their lunch for the next day. [00:10:26] Cara: This also translates. [00:10:27] Cara: When we go on trips, I have principal and laminated lists for the children. We sit down, we have a couple minute meeting of what we think we need for this trip. And they write down the numbers, there's pictures next to them so that they can take their lists and they can go pack for themselves. I do usually double check it. But even recently I was really sick and my mom was taking the children because I was quarantined. [00:10:54] Cara: And because we have been practicing this skill for my children. When it came down to it, [00:11:00] they were able to do it by themselves without much reliance on me or their father. So you get packed for their trip. [00:11:06] Cara: So while I was in need of rest and relaxation away from the family so that I can recover. They were able to take care of themselves. So a lot of the times with these mental loads, it's giving our kids and building up the skill to be able to do these things without us when we're not able to be there at that time. [00:11:25] Cara: Because normally I would be worrying about if they were going to pack everything. When I should be worrying about getting better. [00:11:32] Cara: There's other ways you can do this in your life, but finding those different areas that may cause you stress. And helping give the people around you the skill to be able to do it themselves without reliance on your mental energy. [00:11:45] Cara: I'm going to give you 10 tips to help you. With overwhelm and stress and lightening your mental load. [00:11:51] Prioritize and Organize --- [00:11:51] Cara: The first way is think about ways that you can prioritize and organize. Where can you make this to-do list so that when it's [00:12:00] time for you energetically to get things crossed off that list, you have somewhere that you can go instantly and you're not trying to find a million things. unless if you're gonna be carrying around a paper planner with you, you might wanna consider using the notes app using a task management site. [00:12:16] Cara: I've mentioned before that I use Asana and it's something that I can build. Certain procedures and then when it's time for me to revisit it, I'm not trying to find where it's at. It lives in one place, [00:12:30] Cara: so I know we are all attached to our phones, so that might be a better idea. So you're not looking for a paper planner. You can even consider using like a digital planner if you have an iPad, and then you can reference it on your phone. [00:12:43] Cara: The key is also breaking down these big tasks into smaller tasks, so you feel like you're actually creating momentum in what you're doing. [00:12:52] Cara: So I'm someone that has a content creation process, and if I didn't break it down into smaller tasks, I would [00:13:00] probably just get overwhelmed and not actually continue on. So that's also another important factor is Breaking them down into easy, actionable steps that you want to take steps and you wanna have that momentum. [00:13:13] Cara: I think it's ultimately like the snowball effect. [00:13:16] Cara: It's like the phrase gradually then all of a sudden, sometimes when you're not taking steps towards your dreams or goals, it feels like you're not making any sort of, actionable movement with it. So when you break it down into smaller steps. [00:13:30] Cara: It shows the progress that you're making [00:13:32] Practice Mindfulness --- [00:13:32] Cara: so the next thing that you can do ~with an undefined crown~ is practice mindfulness. That's gonna look different for every person. Is it meditation? Is it listening to music? Is it walking in nature? It's that moment of you being able to connect with yourself. Ask yourself, what are the tasks that are really important for me to do right now? [00:13:52] Cara: take away the pressure of having to do it all. Prioritizing the things that are really important and letting the other things that don't [00:14:00] take precedent in your life at that moment fall away so that you don't feel so overwhelmed with all the things that you need to do. The moment of mindfulness allows you to get centered and really connect with yourself on what is important in this time. [00:14:14] Cara: When you practice mindfulness, it helps you get grounded. It helps reduce anxiety, [00:14:19] Cara: and lastly, it helps the ability to improve your focus, which is really important when you're trying to take action towards the life that you want. [00:14:29] Set Boundaries --- [00:14:29] Cara: Number three is setting boundaries. it's important for you to set boundaries for your personal and your work life. [00:14:35] Cara: It's important for you to say no to commitments that don't align with your values or priorities at that certain moment in your life. [00:14:43] Cara: So it's really important to set the boundaries to protect your energy and your time because if other people are taking away the time that you need to balance your home and work life, it's gonna be hard for you to prioritize your mental well-being. [00:14:58] Cara: This will free up [00:15:00] mental space for your own tasks, and of course, self-care. [00:15:03] Take Breaksb --- [00:15:03] Cara: Number five is taking breaks. It's important to take breaks throughout the day to check in with your energy, because if you're a point where you're overwhelmed and you are moving on this energy, it's going to feed back more overwhelm in your life. [00:15:21] Cara: So even if it's only for a few minutes and you step outside, take a deep breath, check in with yourself, see how you're feeling. This gives you the opportunity to take a moment and assess what really is important in that moment. [00:15:36] Reduce Information Overload --- [00:15:36] Cara: Number six is reduce information overload. So if you find that you're overwhelmed with the things that you need to do in the morning or at night, limit. The amount of social media at those times because when we're in taking information outside of us at a time that we're feeling overwhelmed, it's going to feed this life of they're doing this, they're doing that, and it's coming from a place of [00:16:00] comparison. [00:16:00] Cara: Are you doing enough? And when you can be with yourself in those moments, take a few minutes of mindfulness in the morning, and especially at night, it's gonna help again tap into your own energy. [00:16:13] Practice Self-care --- [00:16:13] Cara: Number seven is practicing self-care. I mentioned it earlier. Having those moments of self-care is really important. It's caring for yourself. What tasks do you need to do to care for yourself? What food do you need to nourish your body? Do you need to drink more water? These are simple tasks of caring for yourself and understanding that if you are not aware or checking in with your own energy, that is especially what's gonna lead to overwhelm. [00:16:40] Seek Help --- [00:16:40] Cara: Eight is seeking help, whether that's a coach, a therapist, asking for help in the tasks that you're trying to do. There are so many times where I've created this narrative that I have to do these things all on my own, and when I take a step back and say, who can I ask for help? [00:16:59] Cara: More [00:17:00] than likely a thousand percent someone can step up to the plate and help me. [00:17:05] Cara: Even one little thing that I joked about is that I put a cleaning person on my vision board and the next day my son was excitingly asking me to help clean the floors. now that something that's gonna take a little help in the front end of teaching him how to do it. [00:17:23] Cara: But if I can pass over the torch of not cleaning floors. My, my vision board was answered. It looks different than I expected, but it is something that is going to help me now and in the future. [00:17:36] Practice gratitude --- [00:17:36] Cara: Number nine is practicing gratitude. What are you thankful for that you have support in during your day? [00:17:42] Cara: So when you focus on the positive aspect of your life. It helps shift your mindset and reduce feelings of feeling left unsupported, which can lead to more stress and overwhelm. So I have a beautiful practice that I have with my kids at night Before bed. We give gratitude and [00:18:00] thanks for the things that really touched our heart during that day, thanking our teachers, our friends, our family, for God, showing us love. These are things that just really bring this joy for me and for my kids to know that we are thankful for the things that we experienced in that day. [00:18:17] Seek Professional Help --- [00:18:17] Cara: And lastly, seek professional help. If you were truly feeling stressed and overwhelmed in your life, asking for help. Finding guidance from professionals is something that is meant for you to reach out to. We are not meant to do it all alone. There is a time that we need help, and knowing that you're the one that's going to have to advocate for yourself and do it [00:18:40] Cara: when you have someone, like a therapist or a coach, that can give you practical strategies to help you when you're overwhelmed, when you're stressed, and help you in a different perspective of where you're at in your life. [00:18:51] Cara: This will just help any underlying stress that is contributing to your mental load. A lot of times when we're in the thick of it, we have a hard time [00:19:00] seeing from an outside perspective, So knowing when it's time to find help in our life is, something that is hard to do, but know that there are people out there to help support you. [00:19:12] Cara: Be sure to tune in to next week where we use human design to unburden your mind. This is where we take practical tools On your energetic blueprint to lighten your mental load. [00:19:24] Cara: As we wrap up this episode, remember that leaving a five star review subscribing or sharing this content. You're not just supporting my podcast. You're actively contributing to the flow of the seven universal laws together. We're cultivating a vibrant flowing stream. I have wisdom and positivity. So keep riding that cosmic current keeps sharing the love and until our next rendezvous stay true to your unique flow. [00:19:48] Cara: See you in the next adventure. If you want to learn more, check the show notes and all the links mentioned. At caradempsey.com/103