Mental Wellness Mastery: Mental Health Expert Erin Andrea Craske Of EFFORTLESS Coaching & Business Advisory On Everyday Life Hacks For Optimal Mental Wellness

An Interview With Eden Gold

Learning to acknowledge emotions without necessarily engaging with the thoughts that accompany them.

In our modern, fast-paced society, mental wellness is a crucial aspect of leading a fulfilling life. However, for many people, achieving and maintaining good mental health can be a challenging task, with obstacles such as stress, anxiety, depression, and more. That’s why it’s essential to have practical and accessible strategies for mental wellness that can help build resilience, emotional intelligence, and overall well-being. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Erin Andrea Craske.

Erin Andrea Craske is an ICF-certified life, business and leadership success coach, NLP practitioner, Master in Emotional Intelligence, and Mindfulness and Meditation Instructor for impact-driven businesses.

Leveraging 16 years of business leadership, she empowers impact-driven business rebels to amplify a ripple effect of goodness by embracing authenticity, elevating their mindset, and mastering their state of mind.

Beyond her expertise in coaching, Erin acquired accredited training in REBT, ACT, Stress and Anxiety Management, Art Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Journal Therapy, and Somatic Trauma Release.

She has NCFE CACHE certificates in Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Advocacy in the Workplace, Understanding Challenging Behaviour, Mental Health Problems, and Counselling Skills.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about cultural sensitivity, 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?

Since I was conditioned to believe that the only way to earn a living was to be an employee, I diligently wasted my time on endless job interviews. They made me realise that my knowledge is rather unique, and some businesses are eager to profit from it, ideally for free (as part of the interview process).

It became obvious that I had so much knowledge that it begged for better use, so I started to write a strategy guide. I didn’t know what to do with it once it was written; I just figured it would be safer on paper than in my head.

Having completed the first draft of the book, I woke up one morning with a sudden inspiration: I wanted to become a coach, something I had never considered before. This thought felt incredibly natural to me, providing a clear path forward.

All this happened when I was going through a period of profound personal transformation — the dissolution of my identity, where I had to shed off all my limiting beliefs, insecurities, expectations, definitions, roles, and labels.

So, I dove into a transition period as an employee, went through it not knowing what to do with my life, and emerged as a coach.

Despite my limited knowledge of coaching, I eagerly embarked on the journey. The more I delved into the art and science of coaching, the more I realised that this was what I was meant to do.

Striking a balance between relevance, credibility, and authenticity was my greatest challenge in this endeavour (beyond the endless learning). I faced the task of merging seemingly unmergeable elements: my clients’ desires with my business background, the strategy guide in the writing, cherished psychology (my life-long passion), personal interests, personality traits, life experiences, and the direction I wished to further develop myself in.

Solving this puzzle led to the creation of the ‘Effortlessness’ philosophy, which now serves as the guiding principle for a portfolio of programs centred around mindset and state-of-mind in life, leadership, and business.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

To my surprise, I discovered that when you ask for something — whether it’s help, advice, a special price, or anything else you may need — people tend to provide it.

I had always prided myself on being 100% self-reliant, so the idea of asking for anything wasn’t even in my vocabulary, nor was I raised to think that way.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” — Matthew 7:7

I couldn’t even imagine that asking, regardless of how uncomfortable it might feel, could work wonders. Yet, time and again, I’ve found that it does. It’s something that still leaves me in disbelief.

You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I am a natural-born rebel. Challenging the established ways of thinking and rusty category rules allowed me to develop innovative solutions, strategies, and creative communication tactics. I’ve always been on the lookout for new ideas and opportunities, just for the sake of not doing it like everybody else. Thinking out of the box is a must when you have to get through the clutter of tight competition or rely on limited resources availability. Besides, rebels are natural leaders. That said, being a rebel in a multinational environment turns you into a corporate misfit, spoils your business experience, and ends your career prematurely.

A growth mindset (that actually equates to confidence) supported by healthy self-esteem is another blessing in my life. This combination allowed me to persevere even in adverse circumstances without losing myself. It helped build my resilience and contributed to my decision-making, problem-solving, and risk-management skills. It allowed me to grow professionally through continuous learning. It made me more open-minded and adaptable to challenging situations, although within the limits of my rebellious nature.

Empathy was indispensable in creating differentiated brand positionings and communication strategies. Brand strategy is based on two pillars — psychology and art/creativity. Without being able to walk in your customers’ shoes, you can’t create a strategy that will resonate with them. Equally, empathy is key to emotional influencing and team leadership. It also helps establish fruitful working relationships with business partners. In any area of business where your role profile supposes collaboration with human beings (and that means pretty much everywhere), empathy is a must.

Rational mind — I couldn’t skip this one, as being an ‘85% thinking’ personality type, according to Myers-Briggs, is actually a blessing. It helps you be logical, rational, analytical, and factual. It is indispensable when crafting strategies or exerting a different type of influence. It also adds to emotional stability and cool-headedness.

Charisma — I thought I would throw this one in for good measure. Charisma helps influence where empathy and factual arguments are powerless. It also makes being in business more fun. It’s like an antidote to boredom, traditions, insecurities, and conservatism.

Sorry, I found it challenging to limit my response to just three; I tried, I promise. :-)

And although my examples come from my previous executive life, these qualities are still helpful in developing my coaching practice. With one correction, charisma and a rational mind had to give space to care.

Care wasn’t welcome in a corporate environment where political correctness and following the rules were sure passes to career progression. However, when working on your own business, care takes precedence as it applies to the business, brand, clients, the end result, and the contribution I want to make.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about mental wellness mastery. What is one often overlooked daily habit that can significantly improve one’s mental wellness?

My approach is as simple as it is provocative (disclaimer: although it doesn’t apply to mental health challenges that require medical assistance, neither is it a substitute for the latter). I believe that we are all mentally healthy. What stands in the way of our inherently ‘healthy’ minds is our thinking. Our uncontrolled and excessive thinking creates most of our mental health challenges.

We often welcome unhealthy thoughts as if they were absolute truths, dwell on them, and automatically believe we must act upon them. We take our thoughts for real-life experiences, being sorry for our traumatic past or fearing our future. We allow thoughts to shape our self-concept, label ourselves, and share the destiny of a suffering individual. We don’t question our thoughts; we take them for the gospel truth. Or even worse, we indulge in and engage with them, turning unhelpful thoughts into chronically unhelpful thinking patterns. We give our thoughts the authority to rule our lives, assuming more comfortable roles of victims, entitled to pity, sympathy, and unconditional understanding. We even justify them, and through justifying our thoughts, we justify ourselves, our victimhood, and our mental unhealthiness.

However, by developing an awareness of our thought patterns and learning to detach from them, we can avoid automatically accepting them as appeals to action or translations into current experiences.

Instead, we can take them for passing mental events (as they are) and choose whether or not to engage with them, thus gaining greater control over our emotional responses and behaviours.

If we want to change our lives and address our mental struggles, we need to learn how to stop thinking. As simple as that.

While the idea of “not thinking” may seem oversimplified, it takes a lot of diligent effort involving mindfulness, detachment from negative thought patterns, emotional regulation, cultivating inner stillness, and creating space for intuition and insight.

How do you recommend individuals recalibrate their mental wellness after experiencing a significant setback or failure?

If we talk about a cookie-cutter approach, I believe most people would recommend considering the following steps:

• Allowing oneself to feel and process emotions;
• Practising (self-)forgiveness and self-compassion;
• Reframing the situation;
• Maintaining a positive outlook and focusing on possibilities; and
• Practising self-care and gratitude.

And here’s the rub. All these recommendations are standard. They are all correct and will definitely be of help. But even mentally resilient people don’t follow such advice to the letter. We all know them. It isn’t rocket science, but somehow, we feel more comfortable staying in misery.

Expecting a person in a mentally challenging situation to follow these steps is unreasonable. They don’t feel this way. And if they don’t feel it, they won’t do it. Let’s be realistic.

Offering standard self-help advice, we deprive people in challenging situations of empathy.

I was once diagnosed with clinical depression. I have friends diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. I know people who have experienced burnout. I equally know people who developed chronic illnesses due to permanently uncontrollable stress.

We all knew what to do to help ourselves and the best we did was to get medication.

My personal recommendation would be to seek help as soon as it’s reasonably possible.

• Taking medication as prescribed by a GP.
• Seeking a somatic therapist to process unhealthy emotions stuck in our bodies.
• Looking for a transformational coach or cognitive therapist who will help us reconsider our self-concept and expectations from ourselves, others, and society and teach us how to manage our thinking.
• Considering learning from Eastern philosophers who dedicated their teachings to making our lives easier and more enjoyable by adopting different perspectives and mind-quieting techniques.

If coaches and therapists are out of the budget, somatic breathwork, guided and moving (QiGong) meditations, and somatic exercises or Yin Yoga may help process emotions. These gentle techniques don’t require much effort ᅳ especially valuable when we don’t feel like making any effort at all.

Reading would be another recommendation of mine. Not self-help books, but therapy books with therapy exercises so that individuals can become their own self-therapists.

And then, from being in a better state of mind, an individual may be better equipped to follow the standard recommendations as cited above.

As much as I want to end on this positive note, I believe it may be helpful to introduce another level of complexity.

Before giving any advice or suggestions, we shouldn’t forget that most people do only what they want to do, what they think is right for them. So, if the suggestion doesn’t resonate, they won’t act upon it. People have their own preferences, beliefs, and resistance to change, which can influence their willingness to adopt recommendations, even if those recommendations are beneficial for their mental health. Besides, feeling better on pills is likely to further reduce their motivation to put any effort behind changing their behaviour.

With all this in mind, sometimes encouraging them to seek medical help may be the best and the only option.

In your experience, what is a common misconception about mental health that hinders people from seeking help or improving their wellness?

Often, we face a common misconception that mental health issues are something to be ashamed of, signs of our personal weaknesses or failures. Such thinking can lead to feelings of guilt and shame that make us fear being judged by others and prevent us from seeking support or treatment.

Additionally, there is frequently a lack of understanding of the external factors that contribute to mental health conditions. Very seldom the issues arise when the external environment is healthy and favourable. Hence, people tend to internalise the problem, leading to feelings of embarrassment and inadequacy, making the situation even worse.

As a result, we may try to cope on our own or disregard worrying symptoms as nonexistent, which can aggravate our state and lead to further distress.

However, believing that we can handle our mental health issues by ourselves or that they will somehow, by sheer magic, resolve themselves without external support is another misconception, probably the most dangerous of all, as it leads to underestimation of the seriousness of mental health issues, regardless of how insignificant they may appear to be in the first place.

Another significant barrier is an unwillingness to open up to ourselves and engage in self-reflection. Many individuals may feel uncomfortable or unprepared to face their feelings, experiences, and behaviours due to fear of judgment, self-judgement or vulnerability, or simply not understanding the value of introspection in healing. It’s like a child playing hide-and-seek and closing their eyes, hoping nobody will find them because they see nobody.

Thinking that self-awareness will only worsen the situation is another misconception, as we tend to disregard that self-awareness is the first step to recovery, so much we are afraid of knowing ourselves. This reluctance to self-reflect, share, and accept personal struggles can prevent us from recognising the root causes of our distress and taking the necessary steps toward healing.

There is another misconception that mental health conditions will reveal themselves as something severe… or, dare I say, apparent. A couple of days ago, my friend, a perfectly functioning individual, was diagnosed with mild depression. She didn’t have any noticeable symptoms apart from a chronic lack of sleep that she attributed to hormonal changes. She may have had a constantly present negative self-perception, but then, who doesn’t? Hearing her diagnosis made me think that so many of us may suffer from mental health disturbances without even realising that our state of mind, self-talk, and physical symptoms may be something more than ageing or sheer dissatisfaction with life.

So, there are quite a few misconceptions… all driven by ignorance. Identifying the most prevalent one is challenging, as ignorance tends to breed even more ignorance, tightening our lack of basic knowledge into insurmountable barriers.

Can you share a transformative moment or client story that highlights the power of a specific mental wellness strategy?

I have to emphasise that as a coach, I am not qualified to support individuals who are experiencing mental health challenges. In my role with my clients, I focus on prevention, which often is a more potent ‘cure’ than addressing symptoms afterwards.

Many of my clients naturally experience mild distress signs, such as stress, persistent feelings of sadness or low mood, excessive worrying, irrational fears, or memories about past traumatic events that impact their present. If these mild distress signs are not addressed timely or appropriately, they can potentially escalate into more significant mental health issues.

So, I see my role as a transformational coach in reducing adverse effects and providing clients with coping tools so that they can avoid such thoughts affecting their mental health in the future.

Living and leading from a place of authenticity, mental peace, and tranquillity allows us to live and lead effortlessly. This requires consideration of our self-concept and continuous mind training. There is no such thing as a ‘transformative moment’, as transformational coaching is a process where changes happen along the way and cumulate into a different mindset and state of mind.

What is essential to mention, though, is that clients usually come with a list of symptoms to address. Each of these symptoms can be s subject to a separate coaching programme. Going deep into addressing the core systemic issue allows clients to address multiple symptoms simultaneously, as they often originate from the same root cause.

Through coaching engagement, clients have the opportunity to liberate themselves from unhelpful patterns, adopt a new mindset, and embrace tools and techniques that facilitate living and leading with mental peace, relational harmony, and emotional tranquillity.

Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Everyday Life Hacks For Optimal Mental Wellness?”

Before we consider hacks, let’s try to recognise and accept that we are not who we think we are; people are not who we think they are; circumstances are not what we think they are. This is all our perception, our interpretation; it isn’t necessarily a fact. And as much as our perception can change, our reconsideration of ourselves and our situation will follow.

To be in better control of our thoughts instead of allowing them to rule our lives, I suggest a few simple exercises. The trick is that they will work only when practised daily in response to unwanted thoughts and feelings we experience several times per day. Every time must be captured, while mind-quieting exercises must become part of our daily routine. There is no magic bullet.

1. Practising present moment awareness, for example, through mindfulness or mindful art.

• Focusing on your breath or senses during stressful moments to regulate emotions, improve focus, handle anxiety, and control actions.
• Training your mind to focus on the present moment and what you are currently doing (cleaning, washing, gardening, cooking), or regularly dedicate time to drawing, doodling, painting, zentangling, photography, knitting, or embroidery.

2. Learning to detach from negative thought patterns that contribute to stress, anxiety, or depression.

• Keeping a thought journal to write down and challenge things you may see unrealistically or negatively.
• Using positive affirmations as a replacement for negative self-talk.
• Distancing from your thoughts, like having them as clouds passing by in the sky, to see them more clearly and without being overwhelmed, and let them out of your head.

3. Learning to acknowledge emotions without necessarily engaging with the thoughts that accompany them.

• Identifying and labelling emotions without judgment.
• Acknowledging and accepting your feelings without getting submerged in the associated thoughts.

4. Intentionally quieting the mind and cultivating inner stillness through meditation and breathwork.

• Daily practising meditation and breathing exercises.

5. Tapping into insight and intuition to find solutions while keeping the mind uncluttered with endless thinking.

• Journaling your thoughts and feelings as they are without editing to allow insights to arise naturally.
• Pausing and tuning into your intuition before making decisions.

And as a 6th bonus exercise, practice self-reflection. If there is a thought, feeling, or behaviour that doesn’t make you feel good, ask yourself what’s behind it and what brought you to this place. Ask it as many times as necessary until you can’t generate any more answers. By repeatedly asking “why”, you may discover behavioural patterns and gain a better understanding of your underlying motivations or triggers. These will be your ‘root cause’.

What role does technology play in mental wellness today, and how can individuals leverage it positively without exacerbating mental health issues?

On the plus side, technology provides access to various mental health resources, including apps, online therapy platforms, virtual medical sessions, and informational websites.

It allows us to stay in touch with our friends and families, which is particularly important if we can’t physically meet them as often as we would want it to or when we feel lonely or isolated.

Online communities may also provide us with much-needed support, especially when it comes from like-minded individuals or people who are going through similar challenges or experiencing similar distress. When a friend of mine lost her cat, she found comfort in an online community of fellow cat lovers, which became her emotional retreat and a healing remedy.

Yet, technology doesn’t come without downsides.

It’s no secret that social media leads to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression, especially when comparing one’s life to carefully curated images and stories of other people, particularly those within our circle of friends.

Unhealthy comparisons will further degrade our already fragile self-esteem, which in turn will lead to other mental health issues. It’s like a vicious circle, a downward spiral that, if not approached carefully, may do more harm than good.

Mass media, often supported by social media examples, more often than not contribute to eating disorders. Even worse, some individuals promote their eating disorders for inspiration, presenting their lives as glamorous envy to follow.

Movies and talk shows pouring onto us from screens promote aggression, ignorance, and trashy behavioural and thinking patterns. Considering it low-brow entertainment, we don’t even realise that, creeping into our heads, they affect our well-being.

Promoting unhealthy consumption may breed addictions and vanity-driven dating apps — self-inflicted narcissism.

While overusing gadgets may also lead to sleep disturbances and affect circadian rhythm.

As a society, we tend to address superficial symptoms in business and life. And, unfortunately, mental health isn’t an exception. So, often, recommendations will target mindful consumption, digital detox practices, and balancing virtual and real-world interactions. And there is nothing wrong with this.

However, no symptom exists without a systemic issue. Engaging in self-reflection to delve deeper into our relationship with technology and explore the underlying motivations behind its use may be even more helpful.

What makes us use technology excessively? What benefits do we gain from technological and social media overindulgence, and what do we lose? What’s the likelihood of us using technology as a cover-up for something we don’t want to accept or as a substitute for something we don’t have? Where does this pressure come from — ourselves, peers, or society?

The limits of what is considered a healthy usage pattern will vary from person to person. However, only by understanding the root cause will we be able to address the symptoms and manage our technology consumption in a way that promotes overall well-being.

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. :-)

What an excellent question! It perfectly aligns with my brand vision of the ‘Elevated World.’ Thank you for this.

If it were up to me, I would propose introducing mindfulness, meditation, and breathing exercises starting in primary school. In secondary school, I would complement them with self-esteem, self-awareness, self-reflection, psychology, and sociology classes running throughout the remaining educational years until graduation.

Making these subjects mandatory alongside language and math would help students better understand how we and society function. It would also help them better cope with adverse events and circumstances.

I would also introduce mandatory psychology classes for parents, as, often, we underestimate the responsibility that comes with raising a mentally resilient child.

In an ideal world, having healthier individuals would contribute to society’s overall health. However, unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s feasible, as too many industries are financially dependent on people feeling unwell and inadequate.

How can our readers further follow you online?

https://linktr.ee/eacraske

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.

Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold