Hello and welcome to episode 198 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, you'll learn about being vulnerable and going outside your comfort zone, developing new friendships, setting helpful boundaries and nurturing the friendships which are most important to you. 

Here are the tips covered in this episode:

• Tip 1 is to meet new people by going out of your comfort zone and doing things where you'll meet like-minded people
• Tip 2 is to let go of friendships that don't resonate with you or set boundaries so you can spend time with people who appreciate you
• Tip 3 is to nurture the friendships which are important to you
• Tip 4 is to regularly engage in mindful conversations.

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 197 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, you'll hear all about the concept of love languages, developed by Dr Gary Chapman. 

You'll find out more about each love language, including physical touch, quality time, acts of service, gift giving and words of affirmation (plus, you'll discover my own love language!). 

I've also answered some important questions about love languages, including:

• Can you have more than one love language?
• What happens if your partner has a different love language from you?
• How can you get better at using love languages to your advantage?

Thank you so much to Blinkist for supporting this episode of The Mindful Kind podcast. Blinkist is a brilliant app which shares the key highlights from thousands of non-fiction books so you can read them (or listen to them) in around 15 minutes!

Head to www.blinkist.com/themindfulkind for a free 7-Day trial. Be sure to check out The 5 Love Languages by Dr Gary Chapman, The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod and Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman. 

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 196 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

I recently received an insightful email from the lovely Lauren, who was curious to know my thoughts on self-care versus making excuses. 

In this episode, you'll discover three helpful ideas for engaging in self-care in meaningful and effective ways - without self-sabotage or using self-care as an excuse.

• Decide what self-care really means to you and use this to navigate your self-care practices
• Become more aware of all-or-nothing cognitive distortions (which you can learn more about on episode 182 of The Mindful Kind podcast called Cognitive Distortions)
• Remember that sometimes, self-care can actually be difficult. It can involve choosing to do something good for yourself (or your future self) even when you may not necessarily feel like it. You can learn more about this in my book, The Mindful Kind: https://www.rachaelkable.com/themindfulkindbook

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 195 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, you'll learn more about how to embrace uncertainty and feel less overwhelmed by it. 

You'll hear about an interesting study that found people tend to feel more stressed by uncertainty than when they know something bad will happen. You can learn more about this study here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2016/mar/uncertainty-can-cause-more-stress-inevitable-pain

In this episode, you'll discover 3 tips which can help you cope with uncertainty, including:

Tip 1: Change your perception of uncertainty 

Tip 2: Trust yourself that you can handle any outcome

Tip 3: Be self-compassionate. You can learn more about this in episode 153 of The Mindful Kind podcast.

Thank you so much to Blinkist for supporting this episode of The Mindful Kind podcast. Blinkist is a brilliant app which shares the key highlights from thousands of non-fiction books so you can read them (or listen to them) in around 15 minutes!

Head to www.blinkist.com/themindfulkind for a free 7-Day trial. Be sure to check out Uncertainty by Jonathan Fields and Rising Strong by Brene Brown to learn even more about coping with uncertainty. 

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 194 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, you'll hear some interesting statistics about digital use, why it's important to take digital detoxes and the benefits of taking a break from digital devices, including better productivity, more mindful mornings, stronger connections with people and less stress. 

You'll also hear about 4 simple tips to help you implement your own digital detoxes, including:

• Tip 1: Keep your phone out of arm's reach
• Tip 2: Give yourself a time limit for social media and digital use
• Tip 3: Turn off as many phone notifications as possible
• Tip 4: Don't check your phone any time when you're in bed

If you would like to learn more about mindful social media use, be sure to check out chapters 20 and 21 of my book, The Mindful Kind: https://www.rachaelkable.com/themindfulkindbook

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 193 of The Mindful Kind podcast!

In this episode, I've shared some interesting research and helpful information about habit formation from an awesome book I found on Blinkist called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. 

You'll learn about chunking, which is an automatic process that helps your brain save energy and forms the basis of habit formation. 

You'll also hear about the three-part loop which makes up a habit, including a cue, a routine and a reward. 

I've shared some of my own experiences with habits and how understanding habits has helped me change unhelpful habits and stick with positive habits!

Thank you to Blinkist for supporting this episode of The Mindful Kind podcast. Blinkist is a brilliant app which shares the key highlights from thousands of non-fiction books so you can read them (or listen to them) in around 15 minutes! Head to www.blinkist.com/themindfulkind to get a free 7-Day trial.

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 192 of The Mindful Kind podcast about relaxation strategies for stress. 

This is the third and final episode of the relaxation mini-series! Be sure to check out episodes 190 and 191 to find out more about the benefits of relaxation and relaxing types of meditation. 

In this episode, you'll hear about 3 relaxation strategies for stress, including:

• Mindfully tuning in to one of your senses
• Using the 4-7-8 breathing technique
• Writing in a journal.

Here are some journaling prompts you can try if you're feeling stuck:

• What are some of the thoughts running through my mind at the moment?
• How am I feeling right now?
• How can I look after myself?
• What are the most important things I need to focus on?
• Who can I turn to for support?
• What can I learn from this situation?

Be sure to check out my 7-Day Relaxation Challenge and the Relaxation Meditation Album here: www.rachaelkable.com/192

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 191 of The Mindful Kind podcast and the second episode of the relaxation mini-series!

In this episode, I've shared some of my initial struggles with meditation and how meditation has gradually become one of my favourite activities for intentional and meaningful relaxation. 

Three types of relaxing meditations I talk about in this episode include:

• Relaxing with each exhale
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Visualisation

If you're looking for a beautiful relaxation resource where I guide you through relaxing meditations step-by-step, be sure to check out my new Relaxation Meditation Album here: https://www.rachaelkable.com/relaxation-album

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 190 of The Mindful Kind podcast and the first episode of the relaxation mini-series!

I'm so excited to let you know about the brand new free relaxation challenge I've created which you can sign up for here: https://www.rachaelkable.com/podcast/190

You'll receive a beautiful PDF workbook, email support from me for the duration of the challenge and a deep breathing video class at the end of the challenge!

In this episode, I've shared three soothing and relaxing activities, including:

• Lying on your bed with your legs up the wall and listening to meditation music
• Taking a bath with soothing aromas
• Doing something creative and fun

I've also talked about why mindfulness is so important during relaxation practices and you can also learn more about that in my book, The Mindful Kind: https://www.rachaelkable.com/themindfulkindbook

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 189 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts on a struggle I used to experience regularly, which I call the "Happy Later Fantasy". 

When I was indulging the "Happy Later Fantasy" I was escaping my reality (because I felt like it wasn't good enough) to picture my "perfect future" and all the happiness I would feel one day. 

The problems with doing this on a regular basis?

1. I was practicing the opposite of gratitude by focusing on all the things I didn't like in my life
2. I wasn't taking responsibility for finding happiness in my daily life - I was just waiting for it to magically appear once I achieved certain things.

Here are 3 tips to stop indulging in the "Happy Later Fantasy":

• Be more mindful and appreciate the meaningful moments in your daily life
• Deliberately create happiness by engaging in hobbies and self-care, spending time with loved ones and exercising regularly 
• Let go of pressuring yourself to have a "perfect" future

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 188 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, I've taken some time to think about what I'd like to achieve by the end of the year. I set goals based on different life categories and I'd love to invite you to do the same!

Those goal setting categories include:

• Self-care
• Health
• Relationships
• Work
• Fun

Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter at www.rachaelkable.com/subscribe and head over to www.rachaelkable.com/podcast/188 to grab a free copy of my Celebrating Your Goals workbook. 

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Welcome to episode 187 of The Mindful Kind podcast!

In this episode, I'll be sharing some of my own experiences with the benefits of minimalism, including:

• valuing things (like relationships and meaningful work) other than material things (I also mention a book called Lost Connections by Johann Hari and some interesting research starting at Chapter 8)
• more time
• more financial freedom
• less time spent cleaning and organising
• less overwhelm

Don't forget to head over to my blog to also discover 8 minimalism hacks: https://www.rachaelkable.com/blog/minimalism-benefits-and-hacks

I'd also like to say a huge thank you to all my listeners - The Mindful Kind just reach 4 million downloads! I'm completely blown away:) 

Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 186 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, I'm really excited to be talking about what emotional intelligence is and some simple tips to cultivate it. 

The tips include:

• Being mindful of your emotions
• Learning about common cognitive distortions and how they can influence your emotions
• Sharing about your emotions and listening to other people talk about their emotions

In the episode, I mention a few different resources you can explore:) Here are the links:

5 Soothing Mindfulness Techniques for Winter

Subscribe to my newsletter

Episode 182 and 183 of The Mindful Kind podcast about cognitive distortions

Episode 24 of The Mindful Kind podcast about being a mindful listener

Episode 105 of The Mindful Kind podcast about simple ways to practise communication

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 185 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, I've explored the concept of Mudita (vicarious joy), including what it is, why it's important and how I'll be cultivating Mudita in my own life.

Here are the ways I'll be cultivating Mudita:

• By asking my friends and family about the joyful experiences in their lives
• By feeling happy for people's "highlight reels" on Instagram
• When feelings of jealousy or envy occur, I'll try to lean into Mudita
• By becoming more present for the experiences of joy in my own life

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 184 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

I'm getting a little candid on this episode and sharing how I'm putting in an effort to be a more positive person. I tend to find it easy to focus unnecessarily on negative things and I'm trying a few different strategies to try to change that!

Here are my tips for cultivating more positivity:

• Start conversations on positive notes
• Exercise (even when you don't really feel like it)
• Practise gratitude every day and in different ways
• Treat yourself with joyful activities

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, so please come over to my Facebook: www.facebook.com/rachaelkable or Instagram: www.instagram.com/rachaelkable to let me know!

Don't forget to check out some of my other episodes about positivity!

• Episode 160, Make a List of Things to Do For Fun
• Episode 114, Outlooks on Life: Optimism
• Episodes 65-69, The Positivity Series

And head over to my blog to read A Powerful 5-Step Guide for a Happier, More Mindful Life: https://www.rachaelkable.com/blog/powerful-guide-for-happier-mindful-life

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 183 of The Mindful Kind podcast. This is Part Two of Cognitive Distortions, so if you haven't yet listened to episode 182, please go and do that first!

In this episode, I've shared more interesting examples of cognitive distortions, including:

• Magnification
• Emotional reasoning
• "Should" statements
• Labelling
• Personalisation and blame

To read the full list of cognitive distortions, head over to my blog post: http://www.rachaelkable.com/blog/cognitive-distortions-and-anxiety

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 182 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, I'm really excited to chat about cognitive distortions, including what they actually are, where the concept came from and some examples of different types of cognitive distortions. 

Here are the 5 types of cognitive distortions shared in this episode:

• All-or-nothing thinking
• Overgeneralisation
• Mental filter
• Disqualifying the positive
• Jumping to conclusions (mind reading and fortune telling)

Here are some great references and links for further reading:

TED talk by Dr David Burns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1T5uMeYv9Q

10 Cognitive Distortions Identified in CBT: https://www.verywellmind.com/ten-cognitive-distortions-identified-in-cbt-22412

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-therapy.html

Be sure to tune in next week for Part Two of this episode!

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 181 of The Mindful Kind podcast! 

Thank you for tuning in to this episode - which is actually coming out on the day of my birthday:) 

I thought I would explore the topic of life purpose and how I'm moving forward after achieving my big goal of writing a book (and then feeling a bit lost afterwards). 

Here are my 4 top tips for finding more life purpose:

• Write down all the things that help you feel purposeful (and perhaps, acknowledge why they help you feel purposeful)
• Visualise your ideal life - notice the parts of your life that are already ideal and think about how you can work towards creating a more ideal life for yourself
• Let go of things that don't serve you or hold you back from achieving your potential
• Remind yourself that it's okay when the reality of achieving a goal is different from what you expected.

If you haven't got a copy of The Mindful Kind book, head over to: http://www.rachaelkable.com/themindfulkindbook

I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 180 of The Mindful Kind podcast!

In this episode, I've talked all about a recent experience of mine where a stressful morning turned into a wonderful day. 

Because I often struggle to turn a tough day around, I thought I would do a little research and share some tips for this so we can work on it together!

Tip 1 // Exercise - get your body moving and enjoy some endorphins (I'll be aiming to get out of bed earlier so I can be more consistent with this!). 

Tip 2 // Notice negative thoughts and gently challenge them (in a self-compassionate way). 

Tip 3 // Practise mindfulness, meditation and self-care. Make the time to look after your wellbeing - even if it's just a few minutes! 

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 179 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

Thank you to Katie for inspiring this episode with her question about how to relax during breaks from college. 

My top 3 tips for making the most of relaxation include:

• Prepare yourself to relax by taking some time beforehand to disconnect from work/study/busy-ness and get ready to immerse yourself in relaxation
• Practice mindfulness during your relaxation time so you can really experience it
• Practice relaxing every day so it's not a shock to the system when you suddenly have a break or an opportunity to relax.

Head over to www.rachaelkable.com/podcast/179 to grab a free chapter of my book, The Mindful Kind!

And don't forget to check out my meditation albums at www.rachaelkable.com/shop

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 178 of The Mindful Kind podcast, which is all about using your phone in a positive way!

Here are my top tips:

• Be aware of your feelings as you use your phone and if you notice yourself experiencing negativity, remember that it's okay to take a step back and look after yourself.
• Put your phone down to enjoy face-to-face interactions.
• Delete the apps from your phone that don't add value to your life and find new ones that do add value!
• Connect with people and share kindness and compassion through your phone use.

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.

Hello and welcome to episode 177 of The Mindful Kind podcast about how to be productive when you feel drained. 

Thank you to everyone on Instagram who voted for this topic!

First of all, you'll hear about the two things I prioritise when I'm feeling drained; self-care and my podcast (which is the most important part of my work). 

You'll also discover my favourite productivity tips, including:

• Delete social media apps from your phone
• Keep a list of your favourite self-care activities to do when you feel drained
• Use apps which help you be productive (I like Forest and MinimaList)
• Keep a "dream" to-do list and a "realistic" to-do list
• Take mindful breaks. You can learn more about this in my article: http://www.rachaelkable.com/blog/effective-mindful-breaks-at-work

At the end of the episode, I'll also guide you through a short mindfulness technique.

Thank you for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.  

Hello and welcome to episode 176 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

In this episode, you'll hear about my favourite morning activities, including meditation, checking my indoor plants and cuddling my dogs while I slowly prepare for the day ahead. 

I also asked my Instagram and Facebook communities to share their favourite morning activities! 

Here are all the links and resources mentioned in the episode:

• Good Morning Meditation Album - www.rachaelkable.com/shop
• Facebook - www.facebook.com/rachaelkable
• Instagram - www.instagram.com/rachaelkable
• The Ignite Your Intuition podcast with Steph Demetrious
• Free Members Library - www.rachaelkable.com/subscribe

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 175 of The Mindful Kind podcast. 

This episode was inspired by an episode of the Australian television show, "You Can't Ask That".

In this episode, you'll hear about my own experiences with what-if thoughts and a simple 4-step process for coping with these types of thoughts. 

Step 1: Acknowledge the what-if thought

Step 2: Practise mindfulness

Step 3: Repeat step 1 and 2

Step 4: Seek good quality support

Don't forget to find me on Facebook and Instagram by searching for Rachael Kable. 

Thank you for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind. 

Hello and welcome to episode 174 of The Mindful Kind podcast!

In this episode, I've shared my thoughts and advice on creating strong friendships as a highly sensitive person. 

Here are my top 4 tips:

• Nurture friendships with kind-hearted, open-minded and compassionate people
• Put boundaries in place to protect your emotions
• Join online workshops and courses to find like-minded people
• Be a little bit reserved at the start of a friendship

I also answered these two questions:

How can you support someone while protecting your own emotions?

How can you tell when someone is taking advantage of your giving nature?

Thank you to Olivia for inspiring this episode!

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week, Mindful Kind.