Self-Care & Mental Wellness: Author Tammy Mastroberte On The Top Five Self-Care Practices That Improve Mental Wellness

Healthy boundaries in all relationships is an amazing act of self care. Boundaries are simply rules or limits you have with others in terms of what you will allow or not allow in your relationship and ultimately your own life. Boundaries can boost a person’s confidence, help them feel more in control of their own lives, and help avoid overextending oneself, draining one’s energy, and breeding anger or resentment in the relationship.

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 Tammy Mastroberte.

Tammy Mastroberte is a best-selling and award-winning author, spiritual teacher, and wellness expert. Her mission is to help people use the simple and practical tools that are right at their fingertips, to thrive in everyday life, and creative positive changes. Tammy’s newest book, The Higher Help Method: Stop Trying to Manifest and Let the Universe Guide You (Sounds True, April 2024) is a powerful guide for creating the fulfilling life we all strive for, using a variety of tools such as meditation and shifting your mindset to gain clarity in the moments we need it the most.

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?

My path to doing the work I do today started with the sudden death of my mother from a brain aneurism three days after Christmas in 1999 when I was only 22 years old. Her death led me a medium — who more than 20 years ago I thought was the only person with the ability to connect with those who had passed on. This 1 hour session changed my life, and that plus all the signs my mother began sending me to let me know she was still around made me realize there was so much more to life than I knew. I always say my mother taught me the truth about life after her death, and she really did.

What is your “WHY” behind what you do? What fuels you?

I’ve always been someone who wants to share tips, techniques and information with others to help them, which is why I because a writer and magazine editor after college. The more I discovered about meditation, wellness, mental health, and spiritual tools to improve my life, the more I wanted to share them with other people.

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?

I don’t believe there are accidents or mistakes in the Universe. I believe everything is happening for a reason whether it’s to teach us or redirect us on our path. Every “mistake” or closed door has led me to something better, or has taught me something significant in my life, which also led me to something better.

For my latest book “The Higher Help Method,” my initial layout and concept was rejected by a publisher and I was heartbroken. But it caused me to look at it again, and I had a light bulb moment on how I can make it better. I changed it to the format it is today, and it’s infinitely better than what I had first planned. Rejection is usually the Universe protecting and redirecting you, and that is exactly what happened here.

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?

Persistence — I never give up. I will continue to pursue things I believe in, and will rework and reframe and try again until I achieve a goal. For years I was trying to rebrand my business to accurately reflect what I was teaching others, and I went through a variety of version and ways to position it. Finally, a couple of years ago I used my own Higher Help Method, and asked the Universe to partner with me and show me the path to the right opportunities, people and resources to help me get it right this time. Within a week, I started seeing signs and synchronicities that led me to the perfect person to help me, and within two months I created the brand I have now, which is helping people tap into the higher helpline of the Universe to create a life they love waking up to every day.

Confidence — Ever since I was a magazine editor and writer, I have been confident in the work that I do, and that carries over into teaching others spiritual tools to help them create a life they love waking up to every day. I teach what I know works for me, and I’m confident in those teachings because I have seen them work in my life, the life of my students, clients, friends and family. This allows me to go live every Thursday on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube for my Weekly Spirit Boost with no notes and just an idea of a topic and teach for 20 to 30 minutes and take live questions.

Genuine — I am very open, down to earth and relatable to my audience. Who I am in a workshop, live video or class is truly who I am in my everyday life, and this is why so many of my students feel like we are friends and that they are hanging out with a buddy when I teach. It also helps the people around me to believe what I say and adopt my teachings because I don’t appear different than them so if it works for me, it can work for them.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that will help people?

I recently released my new book “The Higher Help Method: Stop Trying to Manifest and Let the Universe Guide You,” which is a new way to approach manifestation with the help of the Universe. I’m having a blast promoting that and helping people solve problems, make decisions and create positive change with the 4-Step Higher Help Method.

I’m also in the early stages of creating my own oracle card deck because I use oracle cards in my one-on-one client sessions, readings for those in my Higher Helpline Membership Community, group readings for followers and more, and I find them to be a great way to get answers and guidance from a higher power. I’m excited to create something new that will help people understand their next best action to take in anything they are trying to achieve in life.

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?

Our mental wellbeing and mindset have an effect on every area of our life, and because of the proven mind body connection it also affects our physical body. What we believe, focus on, say to ourselves, say to others and more are creating the circumstances in our life and if we want to change our life we have to change our mind.

Based on your research or experience, how exactly does self-care impact our mental wellness?

Self-care feeds mental health in a positive way because it makes us feel good in general — and feel good about ourselves because we are nurturing and loving ourselves in some way.

Can you please share your “Top Five Self-care Practices That Each Of Us Can Use To Improve Our Mental Wellness”?

Create Healthy Boundaries

Healthy boundaries in all relationships is an amazing act of self care. Boundaries are simply rules or limits you have with others in terms of what you will allow or not allow in your relationship and ultimately your own life. Boundaries can boost a person’s confidence, help them feel more in control of their own lives, and help avoid overextending oneself, draining one’s energy, and breeding anger or resentment in the relationship.

Be OK with Saying No

As someone who loves to help others, I know it’s not always easy to say no requests from friends and family, or even in work and business, but saying “no” to things not in alignment with our values, things we don’t have time for that will only cause us added stress, and things we simply don’t want to do or participate in because it won’t bring us joy, is a way to care for yourself.

Meditation

Taking time to check out from daily stress and to-do’s is essential. Even if you are someone who struggles with meditation or meditating for long period of time, you can do what I call 60-second Retreats throughout the day where you close your eyes for 60-seconds and repeat a mantra like “relax and release” to release the stress and calm down the mind and body.

Make Time for Joy

Every day, try to do something for yourself that brings you joy, and especially on the weekends if you have time off. Whether it’s working on a hobby, reading a new book, cooking, baking, gardening or art, make time for things that you enjoy to boost your mood, calm your nervous system and feel good.

Rest

While rest is about sleep and getting enough sleep, it’s also about taking a break from all the to-do’s in life to just relax and rest. We are often going a million miles and hour and trying to take care of others, do our jobs, etc. and without the balance of rest, we can get burned out, depleted and sick. Schedule time into your week for rest, and go back to the above which is doing something that brings you joy.

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?

Life is busy and people get overwhelmed with work, family and other responsibilities and often put themselves last. To overcome this, the key is to schedule self-care into your day or week just like any other to-do, and make it a priority.

Also, for those that fall into the category of “over-givers” who are always helping others and putting the needs of others first, they tend to put themselves and their needs last. But if you give and give without receiving and filling yourself up, you will eventually run out of energy to give to others. Remind yourself that in order to give, you have to have a full cup and self-care will help you do that.

In one sentence, what would you say to someone who doesn’t prioritize their mental well-being?

Life, and everything in it, is much harder when you don’t have a strong, healthy and balanced mind.

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?

“In all chaos there is cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.” Carl Jung

Carl Jung taught a lot about synchronicity, which is when two more move events that appear related, or called a meaningful coincidence. For example, you get an invitation to a party and decide to go last minute. Then at the party you meet a woman who helps you get a job, and then at that job you meet your soulmate. All connected in some way and one thing led you to the next through the synchronistic alignment of events and people.

This quote by Carl reminds us the that Universe or cosmos is behind what seems like chaos to us, and even though things don’t seem connected or “disordered” there is a secret order directing us forward toward our highest good.

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 love to have breakfast or lunch with Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) to pick his brain about building a business, online marketing, social media and more!

I truly appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question. How can our readers best reach or follow you?

I’m on Tik Tok, (@tammymastroberte) Instagram (@elevatedtammy) Facebook and Youtube, and they can get more information and download my top three tips for communicating with the Universe and loved ones on the other side for free at my website, https://tammymastroberte.com/.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.