Wholehearted Summer || Shark Week! Strategies to Stay Calm and Keep Your Cool with Janay Lanier and Sarah Cronin

Show Notes:

Hey friend, how are you doing? Truly. I do realize that summer is supposed to feel fun and lighthearted, but it can also really have its stressors. And because you might be lacking some routine, and it's super hot and humid, at least in my neck of the woods, you might be feeling the crush of constant interaction. 😅

But friend, as I've promised, you can come here to be infused with some joy lightheartedness, of course, get a few survival tips and inspiration as you connect with the One who is there to give you all the strength you need during the summer and even during Shark Week. And just to be clear, I'm not talking about our fend friends this time, or the Discovery Channel Marathon special. 🦈

Today, we get to explore strategies for staying calm and keeping your cool during that monthly rollercoaster ride known as PMS. This conversation is here to help you navigate those turbulent waters of hormonal changes. And we're gonna discuss effective ways to be more self-aware and self-controlled while maintaining your cool during shark week and ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable journey. 🎢

Sarah and Janae are going to do a quick swim into topics such as soul care practices, mindfulness techniques, and strategies for better communication, while providing you with the tools you need to embrace your inner calm during this time. And ultimately, awareness is a crucial component in making better choices, particularly when you are stressed. 😫

Because when you are aware of your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, you can begin to recognize patterns and triggers that may lead to stress and therefore negative reactions. So with this awareness, you can then interpret those patterns and make clearer, intentional and calmer choices. 😌

So if you're tired of feeling caught off guard by the waves of emotions, cravings, and physical discomfort, you have come to the right place. Let's navigate Shark Week with grace, resilience, and a sense of humor. I bet that together that we can enjoy smoother sailing, even amidst turbulent waters. 🌊

[2:36] Sarah and Janay introduce themselves and the meaning behind Shark Week and how it relates to women PMS'ing and their cycles.

[7:27] Tracking your symptoms and knowing your pattern is key! 🔑

[10:50] Sarah and Janay will walk through each Enneagram number and how each type reacts to stress. 

[12:04] Type 9's go to a Type 6 in stress. Characteristics include:

• Passive or avoidant
• Seek to maintain peace/harmony at all costs
• Indecisive and disassociated from their needs
• Testy, anxious, and worried
• Distract themselves with busy work
• Inadvertently push others away
• Become forceful in their opinions

[13:40] Type 1's go to a Type 4 in stress. Characteristics include:

• Overly critical of themselves and others
• Become more rigid in their beliefs and routines
• Anxiety and guilt over things they have missed
• Indignant that their expectations are not achieved
• Melancholy, depressed, and withdraw from others 

[14:44] Type 2's go to a Type 8 in stress. Characteristics include:

•  Become more dependent on others for validation and approval
• Become resentful or overlooked when their efforts to help others are not reciprocated 
• Feelings of irritability and disappointment
• Blame others for problems while seeing their intentions as only good

[16:55] Type 3's go to a Type 9 in stress. Characteristics include:

• Become even more fixated on achieving goals
• Neglect their own needs or the needs of others
• Struggle with feelings of self-doubt
• Insecure about their ability to maintain the image of success
• Become disengaged or apathetic
• Numb out by indulging and mentally escape

[18:12] Type 4's go to a Type 2 in stress. Characteristics include:

• Isolate themselves
• Become even more withdrawn into their own feelings and emotions
• Self-absorbed and melancholy
• Feeling a sense of loss or nostalgia for what they perceive as missing from their lives
• Suddenly they become over-involved and clingy
• Try to manipulate others into loving them
• Focused outward and look to get their own needs met

[18:12] Type 5's go to a Type 7 in stress. Characteristics include:

•  Amplify that desire to be withdrawn and isolated
• Retreat into their own thoughts and ideas
• Not put forth any emotional energy
• Become more anxious or paranoid
• Become hyperactive, scattered, and unable to focus

[22:07] Type 6's go to a Type 3 in stress. Characteristics include:

•  Become more anxious or fearful
• Seek out reassurance or support from others
• Become more paranoid or skeptical of others' intentions leading to feelings of distrust or uncertainty
• Reluctant to try anything outside of their comfort zone 
• Make themselves too busy and standoffish
• Arrogantly believe they can see all possible scenarios
• Refuse to try new things if failure is a possibility
• Can use charm and likability to establish support to avoid abandonment 

I wanna talk about the strengths. In the last episode, we did a high level overview of each type. We don't want this to be a Debbie Downer kind of episode or anything, but man, the power of being able to recognize when you're operating in stress can bring transformation to you, to your family, to your relationships,, and even to yourself.

Because when you're able to say "Okay, I'm operating in stress." Awareness allows me to say "Why? Where's it coming from? What can we do about it?" Even more so say, "Lord, I need you. I need you right now to come help me out." Because when we don't have the awareness seeing these things can just put us in a downward spiral.

It can feel like we're going through some of the negative components of each of these numbers, but, there is a purpose to be able to see it and then realign.

[25:37] Type 7's go to a Type 1 in stress. Characteristics include:

•  Become more impulsive or distracted 
• Seek out those new experiences or distractions to avoid having to face anxiety or discomfort
• Scattered, disorganized, which leads to overwhelm and burnout
• Hypercritical and pessimistic
• Give more into the black and white thinking
• Blame others for preventing fun

[28:52] Type 8's go to a Type 5 in stress. Characteristics include:

•  Become more controlling or confrontational
• Seeking to assert dominance or power that they would like to have over others
• Become more defensive or suspicious of others' motives
• Feelings of anger or aggression
• Secretive or fearful that others may betray them
• Detach from emotions
• Become more cynical and harsh

[30:16] Sarah & Janay walk through what the next steps are after becoming more aware of your characteristics of stress. What can you do to alleviate stress and practice some self care? It's just important to remember everyone's experience is different. Everyone's Enneagram, childhood experiences, and all the things are so different. And so grace, grace, grace for yourself and for others during this time. 

Father, we love you so much, and we are so thankful for the way that you have crafted our beings. Even though we can see a lot of stressful symptoms and issues that may come during this time of our month, God, we know that you created it. You designed this to be the pathway upon which we are able to have children and bring life into the world.

And so, Lord, we trust your ultimate design. We trust that you are so sovereign over this. As we are more attentive to the way that stress impacts us, the more that we are aware of these Shark Week symptoms, and we just use this space as an opportunity to invite you in. And to watch you do the transformation, right?

If we didn't have this week and we didn't have stressors, then God, we wouldn't need to depend on you. And so in that way, we see it as a gift from you. We see it as grace from you. Help us to become more aware of these symptoms both in ourselves and in those that we love so dearly around us. And God, would you lead us and guide us back into the tender voice that you offer to us into a safe place with you. Help us to reconnect with you again and again this summer as we strive to love our kids well and to love ourselves well, and God, ultimately love you well. And so we bring you into the space and we pray over all those that are listening that you would be near to them today.

Whether it's through the sunshine on their face or the laughter in their kids. God, may we all be reminded of your abundant love for us, and we give this all to you Lord today. Amen.

[43:41] When you are more aware, you can better tune into your wisdom and intuition. It will eventually help you make better choices that are aligned with your values and goals even during such a stressful week. Like Shark Week, when you pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, you can't identify what you need to do in a way that will support your overall wellbeing and a sense of calm.

The best is yet to come,