Jessica Stover (00:07):
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Networks Looks At. This recording is an offering of Networks for Training and Development's Online University.

Jessica Stover (00:16):
Hey, everyone. This is Jessica Stover with Networks for Training and Development, and welcome to A Taste of Wellness.

Rosa McAllister (00:25):
Hi, everyone. This is Rosa McAllister with Networks for Training and Development, Incorporated, and I'm thrilled to have with me today two of my good buddies here at Networks, Jessica Stover and Tracy Lapreziosa.

Rosa McAllister (00:39):
So let's get started, folks. So whoever wants to go first, we have three questions that we always ask in this series, this podcast series. The first question is, who are you and what led you to this work area? And I should mention that our topic today is about Relaxation Tips. So Tracy, Jess, who are you and what led you to this work area?

Jessica Stover (01:03):
I can get started. Uh, hey, everyone. Jessica Stover with Networks. At Networks, I am the Director of Training Consultation. Um, I do a lot of other things, and I'm certainly very much involved with our Wholistic Practices work at Networks.

Jessica Stover (01:19):
And you know, I'm, I'm also in massage school and a lot of different things, so which gets me to the second part of the question, what led me to this work. And frankly, it was curiosity. Um, it was curiosity of, what is all this about?

Jessica Stover (01:39):
So many years ago, um, I was reading the newspaper. Do they still make those anymore? I was actually reading a (laughs) hard copy newspaper, and I saw an ad in the classifieds for a free reiki class offered at the Boscov's Department Store.

Jessica Stover (01:58):
Intrigued, on a Saturday morning, I went and took a reiki class. And at the end of the day, I was a Reiki Level I practitioner. And that kind of started everything off for me.

Jessica Stover (02:10):
So it was curiosity of, what is all this about? And it was also a personal mission to kind of really be explorative, and expand wellness possibilities for myself, and find a different way, because what I was doing just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Rosa McAllister (02:28):
Very cool. Tracy? Who are you and what led you to this work in this area?

Tracy Lapreziosa (02:34):
Well, I'm Tracy Lapreziosa, and I'm an occupational therapist who has recently connected with Networks for Training and Development. And with Networks, I coordinate some of the consultation and exploration activities regarding assistive technology for individuals.

Tracy Lapreziosa (02:52):
As an occupational therapist, I've done a lot of work with people of all different types of disabilities and ages. And so OT in itself kind of brought me to this whole caregiving wellness type of, uh, mindset.

Tracy Lapreziosa (03:08):
But I had a, a coworker who was reiki certified, and she kind of one day said, "You know, you look a little stressed out. Do you mind if I do some reiki on you?" And I'm like, "Okay. That sounds good. We'll see what this is all about."

Tracy Lapreziosa (03:27):
And so she did a session on me, and I just, I, you know, the feeling that I had afterward I really couldn't explain. It was like nothing that I had ever experienced before. So it just kind of really got me thinking and really sparked my interest.

Tracy Lapreziosa (03:43):
And I found out who her instructor was, and I went to this woman's home. She taught reiki in her home in - in small groups, so it was very personal. And we took lunch so that we didn't have to break the energy at all. And it was a wonderful experience. So I went through Reiki I and Reiki II with her.

Tracy Lapreziosa (04:04):
And that's kind of led me into other areas that I've just continued to explore with just relaxation, deep breathing, um, meditation. Um, I've begun to explore and learn about, uh, kundalini yoga and different wellness strategies and relaxation tips to pers- really to help myself so that I can help others better.

Rosa McAllister (04:28):
Very cool. I love hearing people's stories of, you know, how, what their journey's been and what their initial interests and how they got involved in this. So, so question number two, and again, we're talking about relaxation tips, but we're talking in general too. So what are you known for? And what do you bring to others? And why don't we switch this up? Tracy, why don't you go first this time, if that's okay?

Tracy Lapreziosa (04:54):
Well, what I'm known for, I think, is my connection with, uh, sensory processing and sensory differences, because our sensory differences tend to hype up our nervous systems, so I'm always looking to explore different sensory strategies to help people be relaxed and, you know, be comfortable in their own space, be comfortable with interactions and be able to be as functional as they can be in, in their comfort zone, to become more comfortable.

Rosa McAllister (05:27):
Cool. And Jess, what are you known for, and what do you think you bring to others?

Jessica Stover (05:32):
Hm. Why, my sparkling personality, of course, is what I'm known for. (laughs)

Rosa McAllister (05:38):
(laughs) Of course.

Jessica Stover (05:40):
All seri- in all seriousness, um, th- actually, I'm combining the two questions. So I think what I'm known for and what I bring to others, it's always been this more response of, "Well, why not? Well, of course you can," because so often, no matter who you are, a number of t- so many folks that I've met will say, "Well, I'm not so sure that this reiki or otherwise is right for me, or body work, or, eh, that's not for him. He's not going to like it." People making decisions for others.

Jessica Stover (06:13):
And helping people to gently, comfortably kind of push out of their comfort zone of what they think they know to be true, to just try. And then how do we adapt that for it to be beneficial for that person?

Jessica Stover (06:28):
You know, so many folks, um, at the body work clinics, for example, that we run at Networks, there'll be so many folks who have come through to try whatever might be offered that night, and folks saying, "Oh, he's not going to like this," or [inaudible 00:06:42] "oh, I'm not going to like it, but I'm going to try it."

Jessica Stover (06:44):
And then at the end of the night or the session, I have a heck of a time to, you know, get, sorry, buddy, you've got to get off the table. (laughs) We've got to get on to the next person. They don't want it to stop.

Jessica Stover (06:54):
So kind of that gentle nudging. And how do we adapt? And how do we encourage this curiosity and this, you know, just trying things out?

Rosa McAllister (07:03):
Very good. Very, very good, which leads me, great, perfect segue into question number three, our last question. And Jess, I'm going to start with you, switch it back. So again, given this topic of relaxation tips, what is an easy, everyday favorite go-to simple thing that you and we can all do?

Jessica Stover (07:26):
So for me, it really comes down to being present, to being mindful, like for myself personally, to be mindful of my body and how it's feeling, listening to what my body's telling me, listening to that maybe tension in my neck or, okay, now I'm getting a headache, and it's kind of in the front of my head, feeling where my body's more loose and relaxed, noticing the times of day, and correlating that to what's going on in my life.

Jessica Stover (07:59):
Have I had a high stress day? Have I just gotten some very interesting information that affects me personally, and how I'm processing that? And honoring yourself, and not ignoring these things that you're feeling. And I'm not talking emotionally, again, while that's definitely part of it. Um, it's this physical aspect too, to not be ignoring that.

Jessica Stover (08:22):
The, the other piece I'd add to this is developing a tribe, you know, finding your tribe, finding people, knowing who you can reach out to if you need to kind of talk something through, you're having just kind of a rough patch or you know, like, I've just got to say this thing out loud to somebody, and knowing who those people are.

Jessica Stover (08:44):
So, like, for me, if it's something I need to talk through and I'm not wanting the, "Oh, Jess, that's so terrible, I feel so bad for you," I know I'm not going to go to this person or that person, even though they're lovely, and there's some times I need that.

Jessica Stover (08:57):
But I'm going to go maybe to these other folks in my life, because I know they're going to listen and they're going to listen hard, and they're not going to go this other route, which in that moment isn't helpful for me.

Jessica Stover (09:08):
So I think it's being present, being mindful of your body, listening to the swirling brain of when, for me, anxiety kicks in, of what that feels like, what that experience is like, and being present in that. Um, and then also, knowing who your tribe is for when you need them. That's, that's my quick answer to question number three.

Rosa McAllister (09:31):
That's awesome, Jess. Thank you. And Tracy, what are some simple, easy things that you do that we all could do to remember in, regarding relaxation tips?

Tracy Lapreziosa (09:44):
I think too often, we forget to relax. Uh, we get too caught up in our day, that we forget that we need to stop, and we need to breathe, and we need to just chill out. Or you know, we're getting really frustrated. We need to step back and take a few minutes or do something else and come back to it.

Tracy Lapreziosa (10:04):
So what I do is I set up my environment to give me cues, and I have in each room of my house, I have a book, and it, they vary. Th- One of 'em could be, it could be a meditation book. It could be a positive affirmation book. It could be something on Ayurveda. It could be something on reiki.

Tracy Lapreziosa (10:28):
But there is a book in every room of my house, uh, so that as I'm working in any particular room, you know, if I'm starting to feel a little edgy or whatever, I take a few moments, and I just go, and I sit, and I read a few things out of that particular book that kind of brings me back into being relaxed and thinking of practices that, that help us to do that.

Tracy Lapreziosa (10:55):
And in my environment, I also s- have, like, different places in my house where I set up things that, that are calming to me, not just the books, but objects or pictures that are different places throughout my home so that I can, you know, walk into a room and see a photo that reminds me of a, a fun time or whatever, that makes me stop and think about that, and appreciate that particular moment, and take my mind off of something else that might be kind of stressful, to help bring me back into relaxed mode.

Tracy Lapreziosa (11:32):
So I kind of manipulate my environment whenever I can, and I have little positive affirmation cards in a deck that I keep here and there and everywhere, if I find one I like. And I, you know, I might put it somewhere where I want to, I'm sure I'm going to see it for that week, you know.

Tracy Lapreziosa (11:47):
So basically, I just kind of structure my environment to help me be mindful that I need to relax. And, and, and then it also reminds me that I can relax anywhere, anytime. I even have a few things in my car, so (laughs) my mobile office. (laughs)

Rosa McAllister (12:04):
Absolutely. That's awesome. Awesome. Good tips. And makes me think, yeah, I have some, and maybe I need to do a few more. That's awesome. Thank you so much. Any last things-

Tracy Lapreziosa (12:16):
Thank you.

Rosa McAllister (12:17):
... either of you would add in, in response to one another, or things that you're, "Oh, yeah, I just thought of this?" Relaxation tips? Ideas?

Jessica Stover (12:28):
Yeah. Um, I'll just echo what Tracy was saying. It made me realize, as I'm looking around, you know, my office, I have it set up for comfort, for how I can be my best self during my workday. So my lighting is in a particular way. You know, I have little trinkets people have given me over the years, just little small little tchotchkes here and there, uh, just reminding me of people that I adore and love in my life, affirmations.

Jessica Stover (12:53):
But Tracy, thank you, because it reminded me how por- important all these little things are to... Bob off the street, he'd see this stuff and be like, "Ugh. Why do you have that?" It's really important stuff to me. And, and it's good to be honor of, honorful of that. So thank you, Tracy-

Rosa McAllister (13:11):
Absolutely.

Jessica Stover (13:11):
... for the reminder.

Rosa McAllister (13:13):
And some of you listening in, you might not have the flexibility to change the lighting or change the chair, but I bet you can sneak in some tchotchkes or other things, trinkets and other things to help make it your, your space, your space, and keep you centered, as Tracy and Jess have suggested.

Tracy Lapreziosa (13:31):
Yeah. And you can even do-

Rosa McAllister (13:32):
Any last words?

Tracy Lapreziosa (13:32):
... little Post-it notes different places.

Rosa McAllister (13:34):
Mm.

Tracy Lapreziosa (13:34):
I have Post-it notes too, reminding me of different thoughts, um, that I have above my desk or different places in my house, just to cue me in.

Rosa McAllister (13:44):
Absolutely. Thank you both so much. This was fun. And folks listening in, please check out our other podcasts in this Taste of Wellness series. We'll be doing lots more, and webinars, and all kinds of other good stuff.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
Thank you for listening. We hope the information provided was helpful. Don't forget to stop by our website and take advantage of all we have to offer.