10 Ways to Enhance Well-Being With Mind-Body Awareness

10 Ways to Enhance Well-Being With Mind-Body Awareness

by | Awareness, Balance, Behaviour, Beliefs, Consciousness, Embodiment, Health, How to accept myself for who I am, Mental Health Awareness, Metaphysical, Mindset, Nutrition and Health, Personal Development, Self-Actualization, Well-Being | 0 comments


The concept of the mind-body connection suggests that our feelings, ideas, and beliefs have a significant impact on our physical health and wellbeing, so let’s look at 10 ways to enhance your well-being through mind-body awareness.

For instance, when we feel stressed or nervous, our body reacts by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can raise our blood pressure and heart rate. Chronic stress can have an adverse effect on our physical health over time, increasing the risk of diseases including high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

Mind-body modalities like yoga, tai chi, massage and meditation are useful in stress management and relaxation. These techniques can assist in lowering the body’s stress response and fostering a sense of well-being by emphasising the breath and developing a calm and focused attitude.

Additionally, mind-body techniques can strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation, and advance the body’s capacity for self-healing.  Regularly engaging in mind-body techniques with more mindfulness can contribute to an enhanced sense of overall wellbeing and a variety of ways.

In my role as a metaphysical bodyworker and intuitive for over 25 years, I’ve been most struck by the lack of mind-body awareness of many. Once this link is set up and cultivated, healing and transformation takes off. So in my opinion, it’s vital to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and sense of connection and self-care.

Here are 10 areas that you can begin to focus on and cultivate into your daily self-care programme and to strenghten your mind-body awareness.

  1. Better sleep can help lower stress levels and enhance sleep quality, which in turn improves general health and wellbeing. 
  2. Increased physical activity or gentle movement, like yoga or tai chi or walking can be a good and enjoyable approach to up your physical movement levels and enhance your health in general. 
  3. Better emotional awareness, can assist people in feeling comfortable in managing their emotions and handling difficult situations more skilfully and confidently, promoting emotional stability and resilience.
     
  4. More self-awareness, allows people to become more conscious of their thoughts, feelings, and actions, enabling them to change their life for the better and feel more empowered.
     
  5. Greater relaxation, like conscious breathing, massage or acupuncture can aid in promoting relaxation, easing tension in the muscles, and enhancing general health.
     
  6. More effective stress management and awareness around emotional triggers can assist people in identifying the physical and emotional symptoms of stress, enabling them to take appropriate action and reduce stress.
     
  7. Healthier posture can be achieved through awareness techniques like yoga or Pilates and bodywork like massage that help with posture, which can lessen pain and discomfort in the shoulders, neck, and back.
     
  8. Enhanced attention span and concentration, can raise focus and concentration and enhance a feeling of Presence, contributing to raised performance and productivity.
     
  9. A stronger immune system, can help lower inflammation and strengthen the body’s natural ability to heal, which can enhance general health and lower the risk of sickness.
     
  10. Richer relationships allow for people to become more introspective and empathic, which can improve communication and foster better connections with others.


Overall, integrating mind-body practises into daily life can significantly improve physical health, emotional stability, and overall quality of life. Increased mind-body awareness can help people become more resilient and improve their capacity to handle everyday challenges in holistic and empowering ways.

 So which one are you going to attempt or focus on and do you have a favourite?

Let me know by commenting.

Take care of You!

Trilby x

_____________________________

Trilby Johnson is a Breakthrough Metaphysical Intuitive Mentor offering realistic, practical principles to assist highly-sensitive, intuitive and conscious individuals to heal, thrive and live their desired BIG lives.

Contact Trilby for a Breakthrough Assessment if you are ready for breakthrough beyond limitation into wisdom!

©Trilby Johnson. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Prohibited. Please share any part of this article with reference to this original blog.Disclaimer: Any information shared here is not a substitute or replacement of any medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.

Your Home Is Your Body

Your Home Is Your Body

by | Abundance, Alternative Therapy, Authentic, Awareness, Beauty, Behaviour, Body, Breathing, Cellular Memory, Challenge, Choice, Consciousness, Energy Bodywork, Health, Holistic, I Am, Inspiration, Integration, Intuitive, Joy, Love, Magic, Personal Development, Self-Actualization, Self-Worth, Spirituality, Take action, Thrive, Value, Well-Being | 0 comments

Your Home Is Your BodyWhere do you live and under what conditions? Since the age of 17 I have moved 25 times. I haven’t counted the times I moved prior to 17, but it was a lot. I don’t mind and I guess in some way this nurtured my love for travel. I have also had four major country moves in my life and I look forward to more. One thing I have learned from all this moving around though is that wherever I go, I take myself with me. Despite being in new surroundings after some time, the same old patterns would begin to emerge. Have you had this happen to you?

I am sharing this, because most people think of their home as the physical address where they live. There is a place that you live first and foremost though. Your body! Your first and permanent home, whilst you are alive, is your body. Whilst people take tremendous care of their physical houses and places of residence, most have very little knowledge of their true home – their body. This is the reason that so many give away their power to health professionals who supposedly know more about their home than they do. And this is partially true because we have been led away from our true homes. Everything is within and your access route is via your body.

 

So as your body is the place that you really live in and with for your whole life, what kind of a home do you want to experience and have? The conditions that you live in and under – with regards to your body – are extremely important as they will impact directly on the quality of your life’s experience. What if you had a home that is comfortable, that suits you, that supports you, where you can relax, where there is no judgement, where you can truly be you 24/7, where you can connect to health, abundance, love, joy and to your Self, etc.!

 

Over my 30 years as a Metaphysical Intuitive and Healer, I’ve seen how disconnected so many are from their bodies. As long as you are disconnected and not fully present in and with your body, you will not experience being home. Most people are not even aware that they are in a space of disconnect because our brains have be wired to overlook this information, particularly in this very mental focused world. The mental will always keep you in the mental. Whereas your body will bring you information from your body-mind-soul. This is the reason that becoming aware of whether, where and how we are connected is, I feel, imperative to us finally experiencing the lives we say we desire. This is the Vision I hold because it has been my life’s experience.

 

For many years I looked outside of myself for a sense of being home and it was only when I started to love and honour my body exactly as it was that my sense of confidence, love and joy expanded. It was then that I began to get an inkling of the immense wisdom that was hidden and that came through my physical sensations, hunches and feelings. Our bodies capture the language of the Universe – Energy – and are constantly communicating it to us.

 

Up until now, many of us however have ignored these signals because we have been given misguided information, if any at all. To truly experience living orgasmically – that sense of total and unlimited and beyond time sensual connection to all that is – we have to overcome first the fear – yes fear – of our bodies and then we have to learn to open up to the language of our body-mind-soul connection, which is all channeled via our physical body and aura.

 

Before we can love our body, we have to establish a connection and if there is a connection already, be willing to explore it further. True intimacy begins within each of us and it is only through a sense of self-trust that a reliable and confident connection comes about. As well as through trial and error. So don’t beat yourself up over it. When you learned to walk, you did it one step at a time.

 

Also a healthy connection will flourish and become better integrated in a kind and loving environment. And it starts with you choosing these vibrations and then allowing whatever that is not or is to show up and be experienced so that it can be set free. Energy simply wants to move and it is our personalities that lock energy into our bodies through our choices of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

 

I feel now more than ever, we’re now at a time in evolution where shifting through and out of this is possible. The place to start, is at home. That means you and your body – the connection to your reality.

In Light and Appreciation
Trilby

——————————————————

Trilby Johnson is a Breakthrough Metaphysical Intuitive Mentor offering realistic, practical principles to assist highly-sensitive, intuitive and conscious individuals to heal, thrive and live their desired BIG lives.

Contact Trilby for a Breakthrough Assessment if you are ready for breakthrough beyond limitation into wisdom!

©Trilby Johnson. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Prohibited. Please share any part of this article with reference to this original blog.Disclaimer: Any information shared here is not a substitute or replacement of any medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.

Understanding Your Emotional Makeup

Understanding Your Emotional Makeup

by | Behaviour, Beliefs, Emotions, Freedom, Happiness, Health, Holistic, How to accept myself for who I am, Master Your Life, Mental Health Awareness, Mindset, Personal Development, Self-Actualization, Well-Being | 0 comments


If knowledge is power, then having a sound understanding of your emotional makeup can help to manage emotions more successfully and effectively. To make this happen, requires having the right strategies that provide specific results. 

As Tom Waits said, “How you do anything, is how you do everything.” And yes, this applies to our emotions too. Often, a part of the solution is understanding what it is you are working with – at lease short term. It may seem obvious but in my book, asking ‘what is an emotion?’ is a great place to start.

Although there are several theories regarding emotions, the consensus amongst psychologists is that there are six basic human emotions.

These are:

  • Fear
  • Anger
  • Surprise
  • Happiness
  • Sadness
  • Disgust

Further research by psychologist Paul Eckman showed that these emotions are innate, universal, and usually expressed through facial expressions. As children grow up these emotions will become influenced through socialization and education. The kind of emotional associations made during these informative years will have a large impact on the way anger and forgiveness are processed and managed later on in life.

On the surface, emotions may seem a given and therefore straightforward. Yet a study conducted in 2007 by Hockenbury showed that there is more to each emotion than initially thought. An emotion is a complex psychological state that involves three distinct components:

  1. A subjective experience
  2. A physiological response
  3. A behavioural or expressive response.

This psychological observation is important when wanting to change an emotion and create a new emotional response and association. Each of these components needs to be addressed effectively, separately. Missing any of these steps leads to emotional incongruency and could explain why people often feel at the mercy of their emotions and struggle to detach.

Humans are extremely complex in their emotional makeup because there are layers and triggers of all kinds involved. From very young, we are indoctrinated about what each emotion means, and we are told when and how it is or isn’t appropriate to feel that way. The lines are drawn and we are expected to operate within them.

Although there are these common agreements, the subjective component is always at play. Each emotion is experienced individually in a myriad of ways and intensities. Think of a few different times when you felt angry. Was your feeling of anger the same each time? What made you angry each time? Was the way you dealt with your anger the same each time? I am guessing that the answer is probably no.

Depending on how you were raised and how other people like parents, teachers, friends, siblings, partners, spouses etc. responded and encouraged or discouraged you, you may or may not feel more at ease with some of your emotions than others. If emotions are mismanaged, this can lead to suppressed or repressed feelings and erratic behaviour. It is impossible to not feel your emotions. How you behave when feeling these emotions and the response this evoked from others will leave a lasting impression.

An important element here is that most behaviour is learned and influenced by the current social and cultural norms. It is founded mostly in judgmental concepts of polarity like good or bad, right or wrong, positive or negative. This is the cognitive conditioning that most people use to make their choices. But what about what you are feeling about your emotions? What do you feel about anger and forgiveness for instance?

Immediately one can be struck by the desirability of one more than the other, is this not so? It’s okay to feel forgiveness and not okay to feel anger. This puts us in a position of feeling that we have to choose the more favourable option, in spite of our feelings, which are also valid. One thing is certain though and shown scientifically, everything is energy and energy cannot be destroyed. So how is it possible to turn one emotion, like anger, into another emotion, like forgiveness. The answer is quite simply, you cannot! You can, however, transmute the energy of an emotion, which allows the feeling to dissipate in a healthy and conscious way.

Everything in the Universe emits a specific energy frequency. Anger and forgiveness each exist on two specific and different frequencies and on two different spectrums. To move efficiently and effectively between these different levels requires identifying or establishing a common denominator. Do you know what that is?

You!

You are always the common aspect in your life with the ability to align as you choose and process your thoughts and emotions. This requires being present in each emotion and developing your awareness of what the meaning is for you. Your emotions are your personal GPS system. Don’t let them lead you astray and allow them to control you!

Trilby Johnson is a Breakthrough Healer and Mentor, Best-Selling Author and Speaker who assists her clients to alleviate anxiety, relieve physio-emotional pain and reduce stress levels in their lives, relationships, finances, health, mindset and soul energetics and increase inner harmony and outer balance.

To explore your options for a shift in awareness and to experience breakthrough, book in with Trilby for a Breakthrough Assessment

©Trilby Johnson. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Prohibited. Please share any part of this article with reference to this original blog.

Disclaimer: Any information shared here is not a substitute or replacement of any medical, psychological, legal or financial advice. 

Can Meditation Help Cure Mental Health?

Can Meditation Help Cure Mental Health?

by | Behaviour, Beliefs, Health, How to accept myself for who I am, Meditation, Mental Health Awareness, Mindset, Self-Actualization, Well-Being | 2 comments

You may call me a dreamer… am I the only one?

I generally don’t feel comfortable making guarantees when it comes to cures. I am 100% confident, however, that anything is possible when you are open to alternatives and focused on solutions. And in this case, I have a personal track record of success and a sound knowledge base to draw upon.

Meditation is one of the most accessible and straightforward tools that I know of that does both; offering a well-being alternative and providing a solution, while still being complementary to the majority of treatments and modalities. It does take practise and an open mind to perfect however… and that’s when the fun and improvement can really begin!

According to the medical definition of meditation on thefreedictionary.com, “Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.”

So, that’s already quite a lot of benefits, don’t you think?

Even today, many of Western culture perceive meditation as doing nothing, wasting time that they believe they don’t have, something that is too woo-woo for them to do, or it’s some kind of a cult. And while it may have its roots in more spiritual doctrines and more modernly within the concept of mindfulness, meditation is very much a practical non-secular tool, that can and does support a sense of an easier and more fulfilled life in the real and busy world of today. It’s definitely, in my opinion, worth finding the time for.

“Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”  – Saint Francis de Sales

 

I feel meditation is a type of ‘Feng-Shui’ for the body, mind, and soul.

It helps to create a peaceful, calm and beneficial balance that creates a harmonious environment on the inside and outside. Many people only think of their health from a physical aspect. However, research now shows the link between body and mind. Consequently, it’s important to find a healthy ‘all-in-one’ body-mind-soul balance. Like meditation for instance!

The wonder of meditation, in my experience, is that it hones your focus inwards, and shuts out the distractions and business of outside world, often affording the body to still and experience a deep state of relaxation and awareness.

It’s an opportunity to experience and understand what the ‘no-thing’ is, and gives the brain a “timeout” actually allowing it to organise and integrate all of those daily thoughts.

It can also result in major improvements in people’s health, moods, vitality, and ability to heal. Not bad for ‘no-thing’ happening right? Quite the contrary, in fact!

Medical research recognizes stress as a major contributor, in some way or another, to most major modern diseases and mental health issues. Consequently, when you learn to contain, reduce and even eliminate the negative impact of stress in your life, this enables you to live healthier and calmer, physically and mentally.

In addition to the benefits already mentioned, regular meditation as a stand-alone practise offers extensive ways to improve and cultivate healing of the body, mind and soul in the following ways:

  • improved memory and concentration.

  • better and more positive moods.

  • optimal immune system function.

  • reduced blood pressure.

  • better sleep and quality of sleep.

  • increased creativity.

  • soothes mental and emotional processes.

  • affords the time for deeper subliminal integration of physical and mental processes.

  • ability to visualise.

  • less stress and more physical and emotional calmness.

  • physical improvement of symptoms of fibromyalgia and psoriasis, HIV, etc.

  • less reactive both mentally and emotionally.

  • deepens your connection to yourself and intuition.

  • relaxes, rejuvenates, and tones body and mind.

  • enables easier access to deeper personal wisdom.

  • activates an expansion of consciousness… and much more.

The paradox about meditation is that the experience itself is a state that lies beyond the linear mind. So, when it comes to healing or improving mental health, it’s important to not enter into meditation pushing towards getting over the issue at hand. Instead, enter a space of mindfulness and observing what is already there, without trying to change it… and then allow other possibilities to manifest.

Using the technique of visualisation, in this case, can be beneficial, as you are meditating with the awareness, images, and sensations of being healthy. This practice floods the subconscious with positive vibes of good health and well-being. The brain also has the time to only focus on one thing at a time and assesses everything as if it is happens. The ability to experience strong positive health and well-being, objectively, in a meditative state, is extremely powerful and the body and mind responds positively and organically.

A word of caution, however, when it comes to curing disease and the notion of healing. As humans, we have a physical body and usually focus on this more than the more invisible aspects of the psyche, emotions, and the soul. The ego-mind will have an image of what the resulting ‘cure’ looks like. However, on a soul-level, the solution that is ‘the cure’, can be quite a different kettle of fish, and also beyond any limits set by physical parameters. And sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, a cure does come in the form of death, when the body and soul are released from the dis-ease and physical, mental, and emotional pain.

Meditation is very effective in helping the ill to transition gracefully with the mental strength to accept their fate, making the transition more peaceful for all parties concerned, proving to be a calming force also when dealing with grief.

Meditation, in my experience, is about cultivating what I call the art of conscious detachment. It does so in a way that allows you to cure yourself of the burden of judgement and polarity thinking – regardless if something is right/wrong, good/bad, healthy/unhealthy etc. – living the experience fully and richly, whatever it may be. It’s what can make all the difference when it comes to living a great life, simply because it’s the one we have been given and we have the wisdom to know the difference.

You may call me a dreamer, and I’m not the only one! Meditation has helped me improve and fortify my mental health around issues of imperfection, impatience, and not feeling enough, time and time again, helping me become stronger, calmer, healthier and happier.

It has shown me that in the ‘no-thing’ there is ‘wholeness.’ That there is always a solution and cure – more often than not, it comes down to gaining access. In more ways than even acknowledged today by mainstream media, meditation can offer access to a world of infinite possibilities and well-being.

Don’t be led astray by misleading information and give it a go for yourself. As long-term meditation teaches, practise is perfection. And from where I stand, as far as cures go, that’s priceless and a valuable return on investment in your health and well-being. If it wasn’t for a long practice of meditation in my life, I would probably not have overcome my own mental health issues and be here to write about this amazing and natural ability.

Could meditation be a cure to mental health? Even if you don’t like the word – call it whatever you want, but give it a go for a while. Then you decide!

Here’s to your health and healing.

p.s. If you’re looking for a meditation audio to support your mental health, why not try this one I did -> I AM Alighment Meditation

 

 

Trilby Johnson is a Breakthrough Mentor and Medical Intuitive, Best-Selling Author and Speaker. Her clients hire her to stop struggling and feeling stuck in body, mind, emotion and soul and move beyond limitation into wisdom in their lives, relationships, finances, emotions, health, mindset and soul connection. Trilby assists in creating new energetic pathways that empowers and assists in resolving core issues.

Contact Trilby for a Breakthrough Assessment if you are ready for breakthrough beyond limitation into wisdom!

©Trilby Johnson. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Prohibited. Please share any part of this article with reference to this original blog.Disclaimer: Any information shared here is not a substitute or replacement of any medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.

5 Ways To Free Yourself From Emotional Rollercoasters

5 Ways To Free Yourself From Emotional Rollercoasters

by | Be Happy, Beliefs, Decision Making, Emotions, Freedom, Happiness, Health, How to accept myself for who I am, Mindset, Self-Actualization, Self-Worth, Spirituality, Success, Well-Being | 14 comments

Emotions are very much a part of our daily lives and are deemed to be what distinguishes us from other ‘animals.’ Yet they can also be what trips us up again and again, as long as we are slaves to them, rather than their master. For much of my life, I was on a series of distressful emotional roller-coasters that eventually resulted in mental and emotional health issues. Long-term these impacted on my relationships, jobs, finances, health and mindset.  Until one day, over feeling miserable and broken, I said, ‘No More.’

To change, I sought out information and professionals to help me acquire the skills I needed and that I hadn’t received while growing up. I was thirsty for knowledge and wanted to learn how to be happy without feeling like life was an emotional roller-coaster that was out of control.

Here are 5 Ways to be Free of Emotional Roller-Coasters that I Found to Work:

 

1. Keep Off the Ride:

This may seem obvious and yet it’s often overlooked. It’s important to know what pushes your buttons and to then manage situations and people you allow into your life.  How often do you get that little niggle inside and you ignore it? This is where the roller coaster ride begins – when we don’t heed that inner knowing of what is and isn’t good for us. This often occurs as we are afraid of being judged, failing, not fitting in or being wrong.

It’s important to notice and acknowledge all emotions, whether they are considered good or bad. They are messengers of the programmes playing out in our heads and which we are often indoctrinated into as we grow up, through parents, society, culture, and religion.

Get to know and manage your own personal emotional states, which will mean that you can make more informed decisions and be able to manage yourself with more confidence.

 

2. Meditate on A Regular Basis:

Meditation is a great preventative measure when done on a regular basis, as it helps the brain to actually have the time to organize information with you aware. Practised regularly, this helps diffuse and process volatile emotional energies before they get out of control.

Contrary to what many may believe or have been instructed, I found attempting to meditate when you are in the throes of strong emotions is futile. It’s like blowing on a fire that is already out of control in an attempt to put it out. Don’t try to meditate when you are on an emotional roller-coaster as this can feel like things are actually getting worse!

Wait until you are feeling calmer before you sit down to meditation.

Meditation helps to install a practise of being able to respond more calmly and mindfully to daily events.

 

3. Count to 10:

Ever heard Grandma say this? Well, she was definitely wise and onto something. It’s always wise to avoid taking action or making decisions when on an emotional roller-coaster. We have all experienced the damage one can do when under strong emotion and the regret that follows.

Emotions, especially strong ones, can swamp the brain, as it becomes flooded with physical reactions and then the brain is challenged on which reaction to prioritise. When stopping to count to 10, this gives the body a short lapse of time that opens a window in the brain, to move from flight and fight to more logical processing.

 

4. Stop and Breathe:

This simple yet powerful tool continues to be underused. When I say ‘take a breath’ to clients they laugh or make some cryptic comment – at least at first. And yet, stopping to take a breath changes everything.

Firstly, the act of stopping stops you. Use the previous point of counting to 10 to help you stop. Do this physically – pull over in the car, leave the room, stand up if sitting or sit down if standing. Change your physical stance.

Next, focus on taking a big conscious breath. Take several until you feel something shift. If the emotions begin to bubble up again, acknowledge them and make a conscious decision to deal with them at a later time once you are calmer and can think straight.

The mind is a great selection tool when calm and clear and not clouded by strong emotions. A clear head allows you to make a more informed choice and choose how to behave appropriately. Stopping and breathing will give you the time to choose.

The more often you practise stopping to take a conscious breath, the more you will unlock your secret weapon to stress release. I invite you to access my free audio DESTRESS DETOX RELAX now.

 

5. Learn Empowering Life Skills:

Hire a mentor or coach to learn the life skills you are missing. Most of us have not be taught how to manage our emotions in healthy ways and so we keep on repeating the same behavioural patterns. Until we replace the pattern with something new and different. If you struggle with emotional overwhelm often, there is no shame in seeking out support.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” well, neither was your emotional make-up.

Here are A Few Examples on How to Slowly Increase New Life Skills:

  • Read a wide range of articles on emotional intelligence and techniques.
  • Keep a journal of your own emotions and write about them – putting things down on paper is very empowering and it also keeps you accountable.
  • Make friends with your emotions – it’s easier to install change in a friendly environment.
  • Talk to other people and listen to their stories – it helps give a bigger picture.

 

As humans, we love to have meaning in our life… to feel the thrill… which can sometimes be found while on roller-coasters.

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea though, and especially if you end up feeling derailed emotionally most of the time.

Life is not meant to lived as a constant roller-coaster ride, at least in my opinion; it’s meant more to be about gentle rises and falls and ebbs and flows. The above suggestions can help in learning to master emotions in ways that are healthy and beneficial to you and those around you, so that there’s more freedom and enjoyment rather than drama at the expense of one’s sanity and well-being.

– Trilby

Trilby Johnson is a Breakthrough Mentor and Intuitive, Best-Selling Author and Speaker. Her clients hire her to stop struggling and feeling stuck and move beyond limitation into wisdom in their lives, relationships, finances, emotions, health, mindset and soul connection. Trilby assists them in creating and experiencing new energetic pathways that lead to breakthrough and beyond.

Contact Trilby for a Breakthrough Assessment if you are ready to breakthrough beyond limitation into wisdom!

©Trilby Johnson. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Prohibited. Please share any part of this article with reference to this original blog.

Disclaimer: Any information shared here is not a substitute or replacement of any medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.