How To Develop Mindfulness And Serenity During Stressful Or Uncertain Times, With Jennifer Schlueter
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The more mindful we become, the more self-love, self-trust, and thus confidence we can build. Our intuition will be strengthened. Our state of mind will become more positive, which leads to a happier and more joyful life.
As a part of my series about “How To Develop Mindfulness And Serenity During Stressful Or Uncertain Times”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Schlueter.
After her first hypnosis session, Jennifer Schlueter quit her job as Managing Editor of 22 newspapers, because she wanted to travel the world while working online. She then became a hypnotherapist herself, freeing others from limiting beliefs, suicidal thoughts, and anti-depressants. Empowering others to create a life better than their dreams is what she’s known for.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share my story with you.
In 2015, I was stuck in a 9–5 job. Being the Managing Editor of 22 local newspapers at 25 was an incredible opportunity, but didn’t fulfill my soul. Despite a loving, fun team and company leaders, I longed for more freedom letting me explore the world. I felt lost, anxious, and trapped. My personal life was on a downward spiral. When my friend suggested I should visit her hypnotherapist, I agreed. The morning after my first session, I woke up having made the decision to quit my job and travel the world. I didn’t know how I was going to do that, but I told my bosses anyway. They were supportive and let me go six months later.
While I was transitioning into the online world trying myself as a virtual assistant and translator, I met another hypnotherapist who agreed to coach me while I wrote marketing emails for her. She helped me fix the relationship with my estranged mother, expanded my mind on wealth and money, and made me realize why I had a pattern of dating absolutely terrible guys (liars, cheaters, alcoholics, gang members just to name a few).
Through her, I became curious about the power of our subconscious mind, which led me to become a hypnotherapist myself.
Today, I help people find their soul’s purpose, gain confidence, self-love, and self-trust while ridding them of suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and even anti-depressants. It’s been such a fulfilling journey.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Whenever I come up with an idea for new courses, I have to end up putting myself through them. It’s like the Universe wants me to test my knowledge. Before I decided to make hypnosis my full-time business, I came up with the idea of making a course called “Find Your Gift.” Put myself through it. I found my gift, which was hypnosis and guided meditation. Did a challenge to “Uplevel Your Life and Biz.” Put myself through it. Uplevel my life and biz. I did a happiness challenge, ironically during one of the most challenging times in my life. Guess what — walked out super happy.
What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?
Start with hiring people who believe in your Why as much as you do. Let everyone improve their strengths rather than forcing them into a position they have grown out of or just isn’t for them. Lead with love and kindness.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
About a year into my world travels, I became aware that I was always chasing the next adventure. When I was in Paris, I was looking forward to London. When I was in South Africa, I was planning the following trip. Until I found myself in the unhappiest relationship in a place I didn’t like. I started googling “how to be happy” and found The Power of Now by Eckhardt Tolle and my mind was blown. I came to understand that happiness is so much simpler than we think. All we have to do is learn how to be present.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. From your experience or research, how would you define and describe the state of being mindful?
The state of being mindful is to be present. Present with your body, mind, and soul. Present with your thoughts, so that we’re neither in the past nor future, but now.
This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to spell this out. Can you share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful?
Absolutely!
There are so many! Can I say that simply EVERYTHING becomes better when we’re becoming mindful?
The more mindful we become, the more self-love, self-trust, and thus confidence we can build. Our intuition will be strengthened. Our state of mind will become more positive, which leads to a happier and more joyful life. Arguments will become less and our relationships will improve. Mindfulness also prevents physical injuries, stress, and diseases.
Here are a few examples:
The more mindful we become, the more we learn how your body reacts to things. Let’s take a simple example. Rather than being on our phone, reading, or listening to music during a meal, let’s pay attention to the texture of your food, its taste, and how it feels to eat. Are we grateful for your meal? Yes? Let’s allow ourselves to feel that. The next step is to see how our body reacts to the food. Are we enjoying the taste? Are we chewing slowly? Enough? When are we full? Our body will give us signals and only by being present, we can receive them fully and interpret them correctly.
We can try the same while we exercise if we pay attention to how our body reacts and read its signs. This will prevent injuries, over-stretching, etc.
The more mindful we become, the better our intuition will be. Slowing down our thoughts and being present help us to make a decision based on our gut feeling. These actions prevent negative “what if” scenarios from playing out aka fear from ruling our minds, so we can purely make decisions that are coming from love and peace rather than fear and panic. For example, if we simply ask ourselves: “Should I do XYZ?” When we’re present, we will listen to our intuition. And that’s how we make the best decisions.
Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. The past 5 years have been filled with upheaval and political uncertainty. Many people have become anxious about the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to develop mindfulness and serenity during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each.
- Accept what is
Accept what is happening. Accept the things that are out of your control, which is all things except for your own actions. Accept that you’re in control of your thoughts and your reactions to a situation. This means that instead of buying into a panic- and fear-mongering media, you turn that BS off and remind yourself that positivity leads to more positivity and the other way around.
2. Accept the worst possible outcome
This one is the hardest part. And some will say this is radical. But hear me out. Ask yourself, What’s going to be the worst outcome of this situation? If the answer is that you’re going to die just like everyone else and you’re not ok with that, why is that? How can you change that? How can you change your life, so that eventually you’d be ok with leaving this world because you’re happy with what you’ve accomplished?
3. Be grateful for all you have at this moment
Start with your body and its functions (breathing, seeing [in color], digesting, moving your limbs, etc.), then look around you (clothes, food, shelter, internet, device on which you’re reading this article). Keep going. The sun, blue skies, rain to water our beautiful nature, streets, cars, schools, running water, electricity,… Once you are aware that there is far more than you ever stop to notice, your vibration will be raised instantly! Gratitude is one of the most powerful exercises to bring you back into the present moment. And it’s so easy. A gratitude journal or reminders on your phone can help a great deal!
4. Fill your cup with what you love doing
Doing what you truly love and enjoy lets you forget everything around you, time and space, and all the problems in the world the moment you allow yourself to just focus on it, right? Allow yourself to do this as often as needed. Take a bath. Draw. Dance. Sing out loud. Laugh. Watch funny cat videos. Whatever floats your boat. Not only will your mind, heart, and body be filled with joy, your energy will change. You will radiate. You will glow. You will shine. It is only from this place that can you give to others and support others selflessly.
5. Give to others once your cup is overflowing
We all love giving. But if we give from a space that we give because it makes us happy, our wish to give becomes selfish. It becomes a need. We give from a space of lack. Therefore, completing step number 4 before moving on to 5 will let you give from a full cup. This kind of giving is the kind that makes a difference. That will not drain you but fill your cup even more.
From your experience or research, what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?
- Check-in with others and then listen.
Listen without judgment. Listen without planning what you’re going to say or advice. Listen quietly.
2. Ask them how you can be of assistance at this moment.
Be mindful of what they want, it may not be what you think would be best. But their heart will tell them. Their body will tell them. So ask them to go within and see if they just want a hug; perhaps they want to release and cry. Some may be open for your advice; others would rather be alone. Accept their wishes.
3. Ask them what they would love to do right now.
What would fill their cup? What would make them feel better in this moment? What would make them happy? An impromptu dance or karaoke party? Baking a cake? Stand-up comedy? Join them, if they want you to / if you’re able to.
4. Suggest nature walks, gratitude, or other mindfulness practices
If they’re not familiar with mindfulness practices, ease them into them. Start with a walk, asking them what they’re grateful for in this moment, or perhaps put on a guided meditation on YouTube.
5. Show and explain to them the benefits of mindfulness and let them incorporate it into their daily life
For this, you can buy a journal to write in, use apps or YouTube for guided meditations or binaural beats, hang up affirmations or vision boards.
What are the best resources you would suggest for someone to learn how to be more mindful and serene in their everyday life?
First, I would suggest reading The Power of Now by Eckhardt Tolle to really understand why living in the present moment is the key to peace, joy, and happiness.
Then, I’d ease into a daily meditation practice. If you’re having a hard time, start with 1 minute for a few days. That way, it’s not much of an effort and there’s no excuse not to do it. Move on to 2 minutes. And then increase the time as you go.
Another way to ease into meditating is guided meditations from apps or YouTube.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
“Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.”
When my former boss asked me: “Jenny, do you want to help us open up 6 new newspapers?” and 6 months later “Jenny, do you want to be the Managing Editor of our 22 newspapers?” there was no room for fear of the unknown. I had to say yes even though I didn’t know how I would do it.
When I wanted to quit my job to travel the world, I had to say yes before I knew how to do it.
I can’t imagine how uneventful my life would have been if I had said no to these opportunities just because I didn’t know-how.
So, let’s not be afraid of the unknown. If we have faith, the unknown will turn out better than we expect it!
Our subconscious mind stores our memories and past experiences as well as what other people have told us. When we question the future, this is where what we think we know about the outcome will be retrieved. But as soon as we learn how to control our thoughts and how to imagine our future in a brilliant way, our future will turn out much brighter. So if we choose not to fear the unknown, but embrace all the opportunities it brings, our reality will become better than our wildest dreams.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
My movement would be pretty simple. It’d be called #domoreofwhatyoulove , reminding us to allow ourselves the pleasure of doing what we love, so we can pour into others from our own overflowing cup. The more people are using a present moment to do something they love, the more love this world can have.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Find free guided meditations on my YouTube channel. This link will take you to a guided meditation that helps you let go of any negative feelings and energy.
If you want to learn how to create a reality beyond your wildest dreams using your subconscious (95% of your brain), check out my podcast Mind Your Subconscious on iTunes or Spotify or wherever else you listen to your podcasts.
Connect with me on Instagram, where I share inspirational stories and universal downloads www.instagram.com/mindyoursubonscious
My website: http://www.mindyoursubconscious.com
Facebook: Mind Your Subconscious.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
