October 2017

As you all know by now, I’ve been on a journey to re-wire and strengthen the Right side of my brain. Once I allowed myself to be open to a fun, creative, and stimulating world, I feel like my life has added a new kind of meaning and joy. This is a life-long journey for me. I am constantly looking for brilliant new ways to help me learn and grow. In this blog series, I want to share my findings with you. Every month, I will highlight three resources: one for your mind, one for your body, and one for your soul. I hope this carefully curated list of books, websites, YouTube channels, articles, podcasts, games, or just quick quotes will enhance your life, help you grow, and bring you joy and health as much as they did for me and my family.  

Here is October’s list:

For Your Mind

1. This quote from author Dominique Brown: “We all get knocked down - what matters is resilience. That’s the ability to learn from a stumble, regain momentum, and reinvent, if necessary.”

The older I get, the more I believe in this philosophy. We all go through struggles in our life journey. Some are small, some are huge struggles. Some are seemingly manageable, some are so intense we lose the will to live. Some only happen every few years, some just get piled on all at the same time. But the ability to find one glimmer of light and positivity at a time full of darkness, that gives you the motivation to still get up in the morning and put one foot in front of the other, and regain the energy needed to re-invent yourself—that is priceless. That is the true definition of strength.

For Your Body

2. Allie Hoellwarth’s blog: https://thebohemiannation.com/

I discovered Allie’s blog in a Facebook group where we agreed to collaborate. She asked me to do an interview for her Self-Care Sunday series (you can read it here), and as I was checking out her website to figure out if I was fit, I fell in love with this free-spirit blog, pictures, and style. She writes about yoga, meditation, self-care, wellness, essential oils, healthy recipes, gardening, minimalism, and many other fun topics. It’s fresh, and clean, and inspiring! And I absolutely adore her self-care posts and reminders. 

For Your Soul

3. Lisa Chapman's Courage & Confidence podcast: https://courageandconfidencepodcast.com

My friend, Lisa just launched her podcast. Although I had a feeling it was going to be a good one, I didn’t really know until I listened to her first episodes. And they are fantastic! Lisa’s stories are perfect examples of what I meant in the For Your Mind bullet point above. These are not only amazing survival stories, but stories of self-development and growth despite so many unusually difficult struggles. These are inspiring stories of re-invention and adaptation. Lisa has a confident, warm, and supportive heart and spirit although life could have turned her into a cold, bitter, and dark soul. Instead she chose to stay an engaged mother, spouse, daughter and an entrepreneur dedicated to her clients. And now she is hoping she can help others do the same.  As an update, I was a guest on Lisa's podcast and talked about emotional unavailability, marriage, parenting, and anxiety. Check out this episode right here.ABOUT: Dr. Ruxandra LeMay is a private practice psychologist in Litchfield Park, Arizona with experience in family therapy, ADHD, stress and anxiety management, and executive coaching. She is the author of My Spouse Wants More Sex Than Me: The 2-Minute Solution For a Happier Marriage. Click HERE to check out her free resources on effective communication, emotional unavailability, intimacy, and anxiety management or join her at www.ruxandralemay.comfor monthly blogs posts.