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What if I told you that you don't need to meditate or do a mindfulness exercise to practice mindfulness?


What if I also told you that it is an act of mindfulness to:

• kindly acknowledge how much things suck right now
• recognize your needs
• and choose to move forward by giving yourself what you need right now

That's what I talk about in this episode.

I also share how I haven't been practicing mindfulness the same way I'm used to, since struggling through autistic burnout (which also gets much worse, for me, in the luteal phase).

Oh...and I also guide you through a meditation for PMDD anxiety at the end.

In case you do feel up for a guided meditation.

xo
Diane

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FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

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Do you feel like you spend so much time managing your PMDD that you are losing touch with:

• the things that are important to you?
• the things that bring you joy?
• the people you love to be around?

This absolutely happened to me. And it makes sense!


It makes sense that when when PMDD is taking over our lives, we want to do everything we can to feel better and get back to living.


And yet, that very process of finding ourselves living in survival mode, or diving into healing, can push us away from the things that make life feel fulfilling.


This meditation is inspired by an ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy/Training) exercise, sometimes called 'The Magic Wand' or 'A Miracle Has Happened', etc.


It helps us to get back in touch with our values, by guiding us through:


(1) Imagining the life we'd create for ourselves if we had no worries or burdens.

(2) Encouraging us to consider how we can bring a bit of that into our current day-to-day lives.

#PMDD
#PMS
#chronicillness
#Autism
#Neurodivergent

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FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

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In this episode, Shamash Alidina and I discuss:

• How living with PMDD, or other chronic illness, can lead us to pause our life while we try to heal
• And how this can lead to losing touch with ourselves and the things that bring value, meaning and purpose to our lives

Shamash and I talk about how making room for our challenges, and turning back to the things that are meaningful for us, can help us to live a richer, more purposeful life, even with PMDD.


I share how fighting less, and opening up more, actually led me to find some relief from PMDD symptoms.

Shamash is best known as the internationally bestselling author of 10 books including Mindfulness For Dummies and The Mindful Way through Stress. He also co-founded the world's first Museum of Happiness in London, and often collaborates with UK Charity, Action for Happiness.

Shamash pioneered online Mindfulness Teacher Training, launching his program Teach Mindfulness Online, and has been training practitioners in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy–or Training–also called ACT.


Mentioned in this episode:

• The Little Book of ACT: A Simple and Fun Guide to Living a Meaningful Life Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Shamash Alidina
• Empower Yourself: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Colouring Book by Shamash Alidina

Learn more about Shamash and his programs here

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

Last month, I shared that I recently learned I'm Autistic. This month I'm talking about the autistic burnout I've been in since the summer. Specifically:

• What triggered autistic burnout
• The first signs I was in burnout
• How I realized I was in autistic burnout and had it confirmed
• How autistic burnout came on just before my autism assessment
• The symptoms of autistic burnout I'm experiencing
• What I'm doing to help myself through burnout
• How my burnout, autism, and PMDD affect each other

For now, I plan to continue to post one interview and one solo episode each month.

Talk to you soon!

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

I recently had an Autism assessment and learned that I am in fact Autistic.

In this episode I discuss what led me to pursue an Autism assessment, how I've been feeling since having my Autism confirmed, and what this has to do with my PMDD and this podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

Aspergirls by Rudy Simone

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD.

Dr. Stephen Shore

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

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FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

Have you ever said or done something in luteal that left you cringing with guilt and shame?

Have you wondered whether you might have bipolar disorder or PMDD or both?

Want to know how to tweak your daily routines to help boost your mood?

This episode is for you!

On it, I chat with Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, based out of California. Robyn specializes in Bipolar Disorder and OCD, and works with clients who have PMDD. She and I talk about:

• The differences between Bipolar Disorder and PMDD and how they are diagnosed.
• How you can learn from an episode or meltdown to balance your mood a bit better and perhaps prevent one in the future.
• How you can use symptom tracking to look out for the 'yellow flag'.
• The #1 daily habit you can start changing now to improve your mood.

About Robyn

Robyn Tamanaha is a Japanese American Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Orange County, CA. She provides video therapy to individuals that live in the state of California. She has been a therapist for over 10 years and has her own private practice where she specializes in helping people who are living with Bipolar Disorder and OCD.

Therapy website

Instagram


Referenced in this episode:

What is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder? by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT

IAPMD (International Association for Premenstrual Disorders)

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane

Message me with questions or comments!

You know the feeling...

You're in your luteal phase and along comes some negative thought--about yourself, your life, your PMDD--and before you even know what is happening you are getting swept up in that thought and down an endless spiral of ruminating on this thought. You are now going down the rabbit hole with this thought, unable to let it go, and maybe even believing whatever awful thing this thought is telling you. In this process, you may be starting to feel uncomfortable sensations in your body. (For me, it was often a shaky, 'zinging' or anxious feeling.)

So what can we do to start putting a little space between our thoughts and feelings? To practice becoming less hooked by them...Or less attached?

The meditation offered in this episode (Leaves on a Stream) is one way to start building this skill. I invite you to join me in this practice.

Also, this is the final episode of Season 1 but you can still find me:

In previous episodes
In my newsletter
On Instagram
On Insight Timer (Free meditation app)

And you can always reach out to learn more about my PMDD Coaching & Support program!

xo
Diane

Sign up for podcast updates!

I'll notify you when new episodes come out and give you a heads up about upcoming topics and guests.

Connect with me!

DM me on Instagram @mindfulnessforpmdd

FREE Meditations for PMDD for You from Me! (Insight Timer)

Thanks for listening! <3

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe.

And if you know someone with PMDD, please share this podcast.

And remember ... Stop. Take a breath. And observe.

xo
Diane