How To Master Your Focus | EP 31

Struggling to focus? Having a hard time being present in the moment? This is the push you need to help you realign your mind and end the year strong without the anxiety or overwhelm✨ ... Best Believe you will make it through!

In this episode we discuss:
- The importance of being present in the moment
- Reasons why you might be losing focus
- How to practice monotasking
- How to be mindful
- How Gods Word will provide you peace in distress
- How gratefulness leads to being present where your feet are
- Questions to ask yourself when you don't know what to be grateful for
- Breathing techniques to calm your body
- Why it's important to keep your faith
 
BEST BELIEVE: GRATITUDE PRAYER JOURNAL HAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED! Shop for yourself or for someone you love HERE

LINKS
- Need help in your walk with Christ? Book a 1:1 mentorship call HERE
-  FREE Held Captive: The Path To Freedom E-Book:  HERE
- Want to ask me a question? Send a DM to Best Believe's Instagram
- Let's connect: http://instagram.com/mikaelainspires/
- Crisis and distress relief: Made By The Word Podcast
- Get healthy with me & earn income: HERE

SUPPORT
- Please make sure to leave 5 stars if I helped inspire you in any way😭💗
- Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this
- Support this podcast by clicking SUPPORT below

- - - - -

LINKS
- LAUNCH A PODCAST: mikaelainspires.com/course
- Need help in your walk with Christ? Book a 1:1 mentorship call HERE
- FREE Held Captive: The Path To Freedom E-Book:  HERE
- Want to ask me a question? Send a DM to Best Believe's Instagram
- Let's connect: http://instagram.com/mikaelainspires/
- Crisis and distress relief: Made By The Word Podcast


SUPPORT
- Please make sure to leave 5 stars if I helped inspire you in any way😭💗
- Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this
- Support this podcast by clicking SUPPORT below

- - - - -

CREDIT
- Intro beat x Sparxx
🦋✨

Transcript

0:49

Welcome to the Best Bleep Podcast. I am your host, Makayla. It is October, which means the end of the year is coming up really, really, really fast. And I really want you to think about all of the things that you have done this year, all of the things that you really set your mind to, and then maybe life just happened and you weren't able to accomplish the thing that you had on your heart to do. Thank But this is me encouraging you and telling you that you still have 89 days left. You do not have to have an all or nothing mindset. But what comes with this is sometimes anxiety or pressure that we place on ourselves of, Oh, I could have done this. I should have done this. Or even just having anxiety about the future. Thinking about what all you have to do to accomplish that thing. And I know exactly how that feels. I recently just launched my podcast course, pod You're Proud Of, which is a step by step podcast course with no guessing, no stress, no overwhelm. And it's a baby of mine. God really pushed me to start this. And I really want to go more in depth about the course, but that is not my for today's episode. If you are interested in one more information, I will drop that in the show notes. But with this course being complete, I'm having to do my own marketing on the social platforms because I do not have the capability of hiring a team to do that yet. And while God has equipped me and prepared me for this moment. And having the background, having the mindset, having the wisdom and the knowledge to push my product out there, it is feeling very overwhelming. And I've been finding myself not being present in the moment. Which is why I wanted to give you four tips to help you stay present where your feet are. This really relates to those goals, those dreams, those visions that you have set for yourself this year. You have been beating yourself up about it, and I just want to help you fight off that worry, fight off that doubt, fight off that anxiety, and take a step forward in the direction that your heart is pushing you to go and where God has you destined to be. one of the first things that is going to help you stay present is breathing. And I know this can seem very routine because we're breathing constantly every day. We don't even have to think about it, but when you're intentional and conscious about that deep breath that you're taking, that Allows your parasympathetic nervous system to kick in, which is the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system. Just science class real quick. Sympathetic nervous system happens when you're in fight or flight. Which means you're anxious, your body is ready to go, go, go. Whereas the parasympathetic nervous system allows your body to calm down, relax, feel comfort. So when you're taking those deep breaths, which I want to practice with you for a second, I want you to breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for eight. And this is going to calm you down almost instantly. So let's do it together. For the first one, I'm going to count it for you. Breathe in. One, two, three, four. Hold, 1, 2, 3, 4. Breathe out. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. One more time. Breathe in hold. Breathe. I already feel a sense of calmness coming over my body. I'm ready to go back to sleep. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Okay. Number one tip to staying present is breathing. the number two thing that really helps me stay present that I totally forgot about until like two days ago is taking a second to look at the things around you and your surroundings and really practicing staying present because it's not just going to come to you automatically. You have to put it And to practice, when I was going through that really tough time, I found myself constantly thinking about the pain that I was going through and constantly thinking about how am I going to live in the future? Like it doesn't make sense. I don't get how I'm ever going to be happy again. That made me anxious all the time that made me stressed all the time. So I started doing things to help me practice being present in the moment. One of the first things I ever practiced doing was lighting a candle and paying attention to the shape of the flame. What colors was the flame making? What did I smell? Did I hear any popping noises? Did I see the wax melting within the candle? Allowing yourself to really focus on something? One thing at a time, which is the candle itself allows you to focus on what is happening. Another thing that you could try is opening your window and looking at the trees. Paying attention to the movement, the wind, where are the leaves blowing? What color is the tree? Do you see any animals climbing on the branches? Any birds? Singing. you hear the wind blowing? Do you hear anything? Are the animals talking to each other? When the wind is moving the trees, is it making a noise? All of these things will help you relax and be focused on where you are now. And at first. You're going to feel really stupid. I felt stupid. I'm like, why am I staring at these trees right now? But honestly, I've learned to really appreciate the slowness of life. I used to be a very fast paced person. Always on the go. Always ready for the next thing. And I found that when I don't take a moment to relax. To re center my mind, re center my spirit, I tend to feel discombobulated. So the first tip to help you stay present is breathing. The second tip to help you stay present is focusing on one thing at a time. The third tip to help you stay present is showing gratitude when we show gratitude. It allows us to be thankful for what we have right now, allowing us to be content. And allowing ourselves to not always want or feel like we need something else. Waking up in the morning. Thank you God for allowing me to open my eyes today. Sometimes we may not feel like we have much to be thankful for. But there's so many things. And at the time when I was ready to die. When I felt like there was nothing left for me here, I tried my absolute best to be grateful for something. I would thank him for allowing me to breathe. I would thank God for allowing me to get out of bed in the morning, for allowing me to be safe, for being in a space of peace where I was just in a space of chaos. I thanked him for having my mother there, I thanked him for Milo, which is my dog, providing me comfort and support when I really didn't have any at the time. I would high five myself in the mirror and say thank you, Michaela, for getting up and trying again, when you have every right. And every feeling to not ever want to do it again. I thank you for that. There are so many things to be grateful for. And if you're struggling to find something, what is something that you have overcame in your life and you didn't think that you could do it? But God brought you through it anyway. Even though you may be going through a tough time right now, which could be causing the anxiety or you're being hard on yourself, which is causing the anxiety and you're doing your best to stay present. Think about what you've already overcome. What has God brought you through? I'm sure there is one thing. I'm sure there is one thing. Is it an injury? That is healed. Is it a job that you just got that you didn't have before? Is it a friend that you prayed for? And you, is it a friend that you prayed for? Is it a connection that you ask God to remove from your life? If they're not meant to be there, what can you thank him for? Tip number one, breathing. Tip number two, focusing on one thing at a time. Tip number three, showing gratitude. And tip number four, focusing on God's word. This allows you to stay present because when you keep your mind on him, it will keep you at peace. I'm going to say that again. When you keep your mind and his words flowing through your brain, you're going to be at peace. And I have a verse that I want to share with you because this is something that I constantly say to myself over and over and over again. It's actually a really long verse and I'm not going to read all of it. But I will tell you it's Matthew 6 25 through 33. I'm going to read Matthew 6 25 and Matthew 6 32 and 33. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. When I read this, Jesus is literally telling us, I haven't said literally so, Jesus is telling us to focus on today. When you worry about tomorrow, that means we're not being present. I want you to choose one of these things, one of these tips that I'm saying to help you 6 34 all day long, write it on a note card. Put it on a sticky note, place it on your fridge, place it on your mirror, make it a tab in your notes, put it in your reminders on your phone so it can pop up, labeling your alarm so when you wake up, that's exactly what you see. Again, it says. So don't worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. This episode is meant not just for me, but it's for you too. And I can admit, I have not been entirely present lately, But all we have to do It's recognize that, analyze it, pivot and decide how we're going to move forward next. And my decision is breathing, focusing on one thing at a time, showing my gratitude and focusing on God's word. Those four things are killer. It is going to move you forward. without having to focus so much energy on the movement forward. If that makes any sense. I'm really, really, really grateful for every single one of you continuing to show up for yourself, continuing to do the hard thing just know that whatever it is you're going through, whatever thoughts you're having, whatever disbelief you're having, continue to keep your faith. That is our shield. You got this. You have God on your side. He will strengthen how you think. He will strengthen how you act. In those moments, Where there doesn't seem to be a positive resolution. I want you to think about what worries you're having and give it to him. I want you to pray and give it to him. That is going to allow you to be free. I'm rooting for you. You are strong. You are capable. You are valuable. I'm You've got this. This is only the beginning. As Trent Shelton says, you are one decision away from a new beginning. What decision are you going to make when it matters, when it counts? If you need some extra help, you can go ahead and click the link in the show notes for a one on one mentorship. I would love to personally communicate and talk with you. If you're interested in the podcast course, which is what I've been working on since November of 2022, it is now October of 2023. I worked so hard on it. I put my blood, sweat, and tears in it. It is covered by the blood of Jesus so you know you can trust it. He helped me create this amazing thing and I want you to share your testimony. I want you to have fulfillment in your life and this is something that has truly made my life so much better. and impacted so many people's lives. You have a gift. You have something to share and I'm going to play an ad that one of my students made as the closing for today's podcast. So once again, thank you so much for tuning in. I'm so grateful that you chose to spend this time with me. And I'm grateful that you trust my words, that you trust me on your path, on your journey to where God has destined you to be. Best believe we are going to continue growing and demolishing this life together. I love you. See ya!