IndigoBlue Magazine September 2021

Making positive shifts starts not just with our mindset but also our environment and circle of influencers. Are we tackling life’s challenges and striving for the best with the right people by our side? Do we know how to take stock of our current situation and map out our path moving forward? Sometimes it is in surrendering that we find our victory. And recognizing that self-care can mean speaking up, standing firm, and moving forward, even if we are not sure of the destination or outcome. Remember to take time to relax and play while on your path—it can be the best way to recharge and refocus. We hope you find the tips and solutions you need to improve your life. We remain committed to helping our readers achieve their goals,…

As social media blew up with news from the Olympics about Simone Biles withdrawing from gymnastic events for mental health reasons, it appeared as if her decision had hit a nerve in our society, bringing into question how we regard and define a variety of things, especially “health.” The event brought into sharp view the discrepancies of how we view and treat different aspects of health. Health is multifaceted and to be unwell in any one aspect of health will naturally affect other aspects of our overall wellbeing. Many athletes understand the connection between mental and physical health and use it to enhance their performance. They are also aware of how when mental health suffers, they increase their risk of physical injury, a detriment to their performance. Far from an athlete, let…

Have you ever thought about how people around you influence your habits, aspirations, health, and wellbeing? We often believe that we hold the key to our success. While this is true to a large extent, we need to be conscious of the fact that people around us influence us in subtle ways that may encourage us in our endeavors and support our growth, or hamper it. The circle of five Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” Compounded over a period of time, the influence of those around us can be quite significant. If this ‘circle’ of people is goal-driven, positive, and encouraging, we can experience a positive impact on our actions and life trajectories. On the other hand,…

We are always taught the importance of frugality. There’s something noble about using resources sparingly and keeping a prudent approach in our financial decisions. When you’re operating on lean financial resources, it is indeed vital for survival that limited resources are used judiciously. But living through scarcity can also impact our view of these resources. Poverty taxes your cognitive resources. It impairs your relationship with money. Living with scarcity can pull you into a mode of “trade-off” thinking, where you believe that there’s only a finite amount of resources available and that everyone is competing for a share from this finite pie. If someone takes a bigger share, that leaves the others with a smaller share. This thinking can make people competitive at the very least, hostile if they feel threatened,…

Movies often portray negotiation as a cutthroat event. Two businesspeople meet in a corner office and engage in verbal battle until they either walk away or seal the deal with a firm handshake. In real life, it’s much more nuanced than that. Negotiation happens every day. When you ask your coworker to cover your shift and promise to take two of theirs in return, that’s negotiation. When it’s your significant other’s turn to choose the movie, but there’s a new release that you really want to see, that’s negotiation. When your toddler is screaming at the top of their lungs and you will do absolutely anything just to have one second of peace… that’s a high-stakes negotiation, right there. We have to negotiate in order to survive. Humans are social creatures and…

It is never too late to heal and recover from the past. Doing so can help us to lead happier, healthier, and vibrant lives in the present. Reparenting is defined as the act of giving to yourself what you didn’t receive as a child. Our parents did the best they could with the knowledge and resources they had available at the time, but we all grow up with hurt and wounds from not having all of deepest needs met. You may have heard the concept that each of us has an ‘inner child’ within our psyche. Janet Philbin, is a licensed social worker, hypnotist, and conscious parenting coach. She describes the inner child as something real which exists within our subconscious. Our inner child is a reflection of those unmet needs…