According to mindfulness and wellness guide Kerrie Lauck of KLauckwork, mental health is just as important to overall health as physical and spiritual health. When one piece isn’t cared for properly, our whole health is impacted.
“In fact, it all begins with good mental health since what we think is what we become,” Lauck says. “One of the things I teach is how our thinking leads to our actions, our actions lead to our behaviors, our behaviors lead to our habits and our habits become our lives. By changing what we think, we can impact every component of our overall health.”
At a time when overall health has never felt more important, we caught up with Lauck to learn more about good thoughts.
What is mindfulness?
KL: Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment on purpose with an attitude of acceptance and non-judgment. It can be practiced in both formal and informal ways; a formal practice might be mindful walking and an informal practice might be mindfully washing the dishes.
The more we tune into the present moment, the more we pull ourselves out of our ongoing personal narrative. This narrative is often called “the story of me” and involves past and future thinking, which disconnects us from the present moment.
With repeated practice, research shows the benefits can be vast and include increased resilience to stress, better focus and clarity, greater sense of wellbeing, reduced worry and rumination, improved immune function and heart health, decreased chronic pain and more.
Can busy people benefit from it or would they just fall asleep?
KL: Busy people benefit from a mindfulness practice the most, in my experience. In fact, there’s a quote from the Harvard Business Review that sums it up nicely: “The busier you are, the more you need mindfulness.” There are ways to practice mindfulness that prevent one from going to sleep, though sometimes a mindfulness practice can also be used to help fall asleep.
You were an attorney. Why did you switch careers and open your business?
KL: My purpose has always been to help others help themselves, which was a key driver behind going to law school. I was a psychology and social work student in college and planned to use that background in whatever I did with my future.
In 2009, following tribulation in my personal life, I discovered mindfulness as part of my own mental health journey. It helped me so much with my own problems that I found myself volunteer-guiding mindfulness classes within a few years at a local prison, which led to guiding at other places including jails, churches, libraries, schools and workplaces.
Along the way, I received my own formal education in guiding mindfulness and wellness and have certifications from Mindful Schools, Mindful Leader, School of Positive Transformation and Whole Health Institute.
The pull to leave the law and dedicate myself to this endeavor full time has increased through the years. In early 2021, a crisis occurred for me in my career — a crisis I used as a catalyst for change. The event prompted me to “make lemonade out of lemons” and open KLauckwork.
How can women help their families and friends by encouraging mental fitness?
KL: In my experience, women are often the fulcrum of the family, and we also listen to what our friends think and do. One of the first things women can do to help their families and friends by encouraging mental fitness is by taking good care of their own mental health.
We can model healthy behavior for other people in our lives, inviting them to move toward better health. We can’t encourage what we ourselves do not yet have, kind of like why on an airplane we are instructed to first put the oxygen mask on ourselves before we can help others around us.
What parting words do you have for Soirée readers about wellness?
KL: You are the expert of your own life and intuitively know what is best for you. An exploration of your life’s purpose — what it is that really and truly matters to you — is important to determine, as it is at the center of your life. When you’ve identified what your purpose is, then you can align your health and wellbeing choices around it.
Mindfulness is a key part in defining your purpose and in taking charge of your life and your health. In addition to mindfulness training, in 2022 I will begin offering Whole Health training designed to guide you to identify your own meaning, aspiration and purpose and possible steps to bring about self-directed change.
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