Self-Care & Mental Wellness: Andres Wiest of Millennial Zen Coaching On The Top Five Selfcare Practices That Improve Mental Wellness
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Practicing mindfulness or meditation daily can foster innovation, boost your mental clarity, and cultivate an antifragile mindset. By quieting your mind and tuning into the present moment, you can become more in tune with your inner self and better identify opportunities for growth and change. Additionally, meditation helps to strengthen your focus and increase your ability to remain calm even in chaotic or stressful situations. Whether you choose to take up a traditional form of mindfulness or sit quietly for a few minutes each day, it is clear that regular practice can have profound benefits for both body and mind. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your well-being, embrace mindfulness or meditation as part of your daily routine!
Let’s face it. It seems that everyone is under a great deal of stress these days. This takes a toll on our mental wellness. What are some of the best self-care practices that we can use to help improve our mental wellness and mental well-being? In this interview series, we are talking to medical doctors, mental health professionals, health and wellness professionals, and experts about self-care or mental health who can share insights from their experience about How Each Of Us Can Use Self Care To Improve Our Mental Wellness. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Andres Wiest.
Andres Wiest is a life coach that specializes in antifragile innovation coaching for companies, teams, and individuals. Andres is based out of Orem, Utah and believes that everyone deserves to wake up excited to live their life. He doesn’t promise a life of luxury, but he will work with you to help you achieve your individual vision of success. Andres has been in a wheelchair since 2002 due to a car accident, but this hasn’t stopped him from living a full and happy life.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal story? What has brought you to this point in your life? What is your “WHY” behind what you do? What fuels you?
I want to help individuals and companies develop an antifragile and innovative mindset. Seeing people excited about their lives and the work they do is what drives me to keep pushing for positive change. I believe that by constantly seeking new ideas and ways of thinking, we can create a more fulfilling and resilient future for ourselves and those around us. I know from first-hand experience that life will never be easy, but we can thrive in chaos and be a beacon for people to look up to.
Sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake or failure which you now appreciate has taught you a valuable lesson?
The biggest mistake I have ever made was when I was a student after graduating high school. I wasn’t exactly the most diligent of students. I suffered from deep-rooted limiting beliefs that I wasn’t a quality student. And that I couldn’t do the work that was required of me. Sadly, it took me until the age of 31 to finally finish my degree. Some of the lessons I learned from that experience was that significant tasks are more manageable when you work on them little by little. I also learned that pursuing your dreams by finishing your education is never too late.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
As a successful leader, I believe several key character traits have played a significant role in my success. First and foremost, innovation has been essential to my growth and development as a leader. Whether it was coming up with new ideas for improving business processes or identifying new strategies for engaging customers, being innovative has helped me stay ahead of the curve and at the forefront of my field.
In addition to innovation, I think the trait of antifragility has also been instrumental in my leadership success. This means putting myself out there and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone to grow and evolve both as a person and as a professional. For example, taking on new challenges even when I wasn’t sure I could succeed was essential in developing my leadership skills. And ultimately, this kind of resilience served me well in overcoming the various obstacles we faced along the way.
Another key character trait I would emphasize is having a strong sense of purpose and drive toward achieving goals. Rather than simply going through the motions and doing what needed to be done to get by, I always had a clear objective and worked tirelessly towards achieving it. This gave me an unshakeable sense of direction which carried me through difficult times and enabled me to overcome any challenges that arose along the way. In short, these three traits — innovation, antifragility, and purpose — have been instrumental in helping me become a successful leader who continues to thrive today.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that will help people?
As a certified life and success coach who focuses on antifragile innovation, I’m always working on new projects, whether a new course to share with my clients. Or a blog post, or currently working on my first book on antifragile innovation to discover your purpose through life or company. I know it will help people because it is a highly customizable process that people can work on in their own time non-stressful way. We can all use more self-awareness in our minds.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, about the interface between self-care and mental health. From where you stand personally or professionally, why are you so passionate about mental well-being?
When it comes to mental well-being, I am absolutely passionate about the issue. Whether it’s from my experience with anxiety and depression after my paralyzing car accident or through my work as a life coach, I have seen firsthand how critical it is for us to take our mental health seriously. At the heart of why I am so passionate is innovation. Mentally well people are more creative, resilient, and adaptable, making them better equipped to take on challenges in their personal and professional lives. Furthermore, they are better able to thrive when faced with adversity or chaos, an ability some have termed antifragile. Above all, however, what motivates me most is the sense of purpose that comes with seeking out innovation in mental well-being. I believe that by advancing this field and helping others achieve greater resilience and well-being in their own lives, we can make a positive difference in the world around us. And while that may sound like lofty rhetoric, to me, it is anything but a hollow platitude — it drives me toward innovation in this area each day. So as long as there are people facing challenges related to their mental well-being and seeking guidance toward creation, then for me, there will always be a reason to stay impassioned on this issue.
Based on your research or experience, how exactly does self-care impact our mental wellness?
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on self-care to promote mental wellness. At its core, self-care refers to our actions to look after our mental and emotional well-being. This can involve engaging in activities that bring pleasure, spending time with supportive friends and family members, and practicing mindfulness or meditation. There is a great deal of research that shows how these kinds of activities can positively impact our mental health. For example, studies have shown that taking time for self-care can improve our resilience and help us better cope with stress or difficult emotions. It can also promote innovation and creativity by allowing us to tap into our inner resources. Overall, it is clear that self-care is an essential tool for navigating the ups and downs of life in a way that nurtures and strengthens our minds.
Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “Top Five Selfcare Practices That Each Of Us Can Use To Improve Our Mental Wellness”?
- Set aside time for relaxation and leisure activities.
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We constantly juggle work, family, and social obligations, leaving little time for ourselves. Yet taking time to relax and engage in leisure activities is incredibly important for our overall well-being. Studies have shown that engaging in leisure activities regularly helps boost innovation and creativity and promotes antifragile mindsets that allow us to better adapt to challenges and change. Furthermore, having a clear sense of purpose helps us stay energized and motivated, giving us the inner drive we need to succeed personally and professionally. So if you want to thrive in this fast-moving world, set aside time every day for relaxation and leisure activities — your body and mind will thank you!
2. Prioritize healthy eating and regular physical activity.
With all of the demands in our lives, we get caught up in unhealthy habits and lifestyles. Between long work hours, endless deadlines, and endless digital distractions, many people find themselves eating on the go and putting off exercise to focus on more pressing demands. However, prioritizing healthy eating and regular physical activity is essential to living longer and better lives. By fueling our bodies with wholesome foods like fruits and vegetables and ensuring that we get enough exercise each day, we can nourish our minds and bodies. Furthermore, by working to build an antifragile lifestyle — one that can adapt and flourish in the face of stressors — we can lead more meaningful and purposeful lives. Whether through innovation or adopting new habits, there are always ways to prioritize healthy living. So let’s commit to making that a top priority in our lives!
3. Practice daily mindfulness or meditation.
Practicing mindfulness or meditation daily can foster innovation, boost your mental clarity, and cultivate an antifragile mindset. By quieting your mind and tuning into the present moment, you can become more in tune with your inner self and better identify opportunities for growth and change. Additionally, meditation helps to strengthen your focus and increase your ability to remain calm even in chaotic or stressful situations. Whether you choose to take up a traditional form of mindfulness or sit quietly for a few minutes each day, it is clear that regular practice can have profound benefits for both body and mind. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your well-being, embrace mindfulness or meditation as part of your daily routine!
4. Make time for social connections and meaningful relationships.
A strong sense of connection to others is at the heart of healthy living. Whether in the workplace, school, or personal life, having meaningful relationships with others is crucial for our happiness and growth. But cultivating these connections can be difficult in this fast-paced and innovation-driven world, where we are often pulled in many different directions.
We must make time for innovation and spontaneity to build stronger social ties. We should take risks and step out of our comfort zones to be more open and receptive to new experiences. By pushing ourselves outside our usual routines, we become more resilient and antifragile — able to thrive when faced with change or adversity.
In addition to being proactive about making time for innovation and spontaneity, we must prioritize purposeful connections. By focusing on the substance of our relationships rather than the number of friends or online followers, we can better connect with others on a deeper level and find meaning in our interactions. With this combination of innovation, antifragility, and purposefulness, it becomes easier to make sincere social connections that are truly worth pursuing. And when those connections are grounded in meaningful relationships, happiness will surely follow.
5. Develop coping strategies for managing stress and difficult emotions.
To effectively cope with stress and difficult emotions, it is essential to develop strategies that are both innovative and antifragile. By thinking outside the box and embracing novelty and change, we can take proactive steps toward managing our emotions rather than simply reacting to them. Additionally, looking for purpose and meaning in stressful situations can help us see beyond the moment’s angst and find greater long-term fulfillment. Ultimately, we can move through life with grace, courage, and inner strength by approaching stressful situations with openness, creativity, and resilience.
Can you please share a few of the main roadblocks that prevent people from making better self-care choices? What would you suggest can be done to overcome those roadblocks?
There are a number of roadblocks that can prevent people from making better self-care choices. For one, many people lack the motivation or inspiration to make such changes, feeling that their current lifestyle is just fine. Others may be constrained by factors like rigid schedules and unhealthy dependencies, while some may struggle with a lack of innovation when it comes to healthy solutions. To overcome these roadblocks, we need to adopt an approach that is flexible yet thorough, one that recognizes the necessity of both individual and systemic change. In particular, we can look to antifragile models that leverage natural systems and create purposeful solutions for self-care. By fostering innovation and looking beyond traditional mindsets, we can break down the barriers that keep us from making healthier decisions and living happier lives.
In one sentence, what would you say to someone who doesn’t prioritize their mental well-being?
“Your mental well-being is just as important as your physical well-being, so prioritize it in your daily life.”
Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does this quote resonate with you so much?
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Buddha
I like this quote because it emphasizes that the teacher is not the most important factor in a student’s education. Instead, it is up to the student to be ready and willing to learn, and then the right teacher will guide them. It also suggests a certain level of synchronicity or destiny in finding the right teacher and knowing what we need to learn.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? They might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
I would really like to have lunch with Angels Outfielder Mike Trout. He has a skillset that is already above everyone else, but he is trying to improve himself physically and mentally daily. Plus, I just think it would be cool to be around an MVP.
I truly appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question. How can our readers best reach or follow you?
Website: www.millennial-zen.com
Instagram: @millennialzen
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.