Hey there, welcome to Good Thoughts Monthly – your go-to spot for a little dose of positivity and wellness! Here, we're all about embracing good vibes and empowering you to live your best life through mindfulness, self-care, and having fun! As you dive into this month’s fresh batch of resources, don’t forget our always reminder: eat good food, drink lots of water, and think good thoughts! 🌿✨

Although this is my first newsletter, I’ve been on my personal “self-care, fitness, wellness, etc.” journey for over a decade(!!) all while hoping to encourage others around me. I’ve attempted to do this most often through social media – posting fun workouts, recipes, and general encouragement and motivation. This content is as much for myself as it is for anyone else. For as long as I can remember I’ve navigated the feeling of imposter syndrome daily. I know firsthand how debilitating the impact of negative self-talk can be on our internal thoughts, and therefore on our external experiences.

This is my motivation for Good Thoughts Monthly. To remind you that you’re not alone. Positivity is abundant on social media, through videos and images, and even observing others from afar. But in reality, we all navigate self-inflicted negativity far more often than we outwardly share.

A few tools that work well for me in combating negative thoughts:

• Reflecting on where I’ve been and how far I’ve come

• Repeating a good mantra, writing it down, looking at it often

• Quality alone time, offline or in nature

• “Catching” and ”checking” myself as soon as a negative thought enters my mind

I’ll continue to expand on these strategies in the volumes to come. In the meantime, what’s one nice compliment you can give yourself today? Maybe you point out your favorite personal quality such as your kindness toward others. Or maybe compliment yourself on something tactical, such as making your bed this morning, or brushing your teeth. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking to still be worth recognizing.

A Good Routine

I’ve always thrived off of routines, but since leaving my full-time job earlier this summer, it’s been an interesting journey to readjust my routines throughout the day. @timmchiusano once said “routines will save your life,” and the quote resonates with me so much. If you’re looking for a surefire way to develop consistency and grounding in your life, creating routines is a good place to start. I share more about my routines on social media, but you can read about the general benefits of routines in this helpful article I found from Northwestern Medicine (2022). 

Final Thoughts for September

Q4 Intentions

Setting intentions for a new month can help you stay motivated and focused – whether it’s achieving a goal, or sticking to a routine. With September rounding out the third quarter of the year, it’s a great time to reflect on any goals you may have set in January, and think about what you want the final few months of the year to look and feel like! Steal my “vision organizer” template here and set yourself up for success all year long!

Connect with Nature

September is a month when we get to experience the change of seasons. Even if you don’t live in an area where the weather change is noticeable or intense, the transition from summer to fall is a great time to connect with nature. Just being in nature has a way of helping us feel connected to the world around us. Identify what grounds you and ways you can promote calm and cozy vibes to your life.

Embrace Gratitude

Fall is often remarked as the season of gratitude, and practicing gratitude is a free and easy way to bring more joy and positivity into your life. As you move through the month of September, consider what brings you gratitude. How have you grown so far this year? What challenges have you faced? What are the blessings surrounding you?

Try Something New

In the spirit of “back-to-school” season, September is also a great time to take a chance on trying something new. Remember the excited nerves that came with the start of a new school year when we were kids? What would the new classes and teachers be like? What relationship changes would the new year hold? I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach! We don’t often get to experience those same butterfly feelings as adults. We have to push ourselves out of our comfort zone willingly, which can be way more difficult than moving from 9th to 10th grade. So take advantage of the spirit of the season. Harness the energy of youngsters everywhere boldly and bravely going somewhere they’ve never been before. What’s something “new” you can do this month that challenges the “old” you?

Let’s Connect!

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