Alleviating Stress with Sara Nakamura

Tanya Gill: 00:00:00

Welcome, my friends to the trifecta of joy. I am so thrilled to have Sarah Nakamura with us today. You know, at different times in life, we find ourselves under really quite incredible stress. And Sarah Nakamura is a stress expert. She's a well being consultant, author, Board Certified Therapeutic Massage and bodywork therapist. And I'm gonna say it again, a stress expert. She makes stress solutions. Simple. So she is here today, Sarah, thank you for joining us, my friend.

Sara Nakamura: 00:00:39

Oh, my goodness, Tanya, it is so amazing to be here. I'm so thrilled to have this discussion with you today.

Tanya Gill: 00:00:45

So, so we have to talk about this, because you wrote a book called stressed out and don't know what to do two minute techniques to stress less when you're exhausted, overwhelmed, and burned out. Now, first of all, like,there are so many things, two minute techniques, why two minute techniques.

Sara Nakamura: 00:01:11

I created two minute techniques, because we're so busy these days. And we don't have time to have big, long drawn out solutions to stress. See, I've been a massage therapist for almost 20 years. And when I'm finished with a massage, and I have them in a really great space.

Tanya Gill: 00:01:34

Yeah, we all love that space.

Sara Nakamura: 00:01:37

They get up off of the table, and then they go Sarah, what else can I do at home? Or how can I maintain this, and I only have two minutes to tell them, how to maintain it, how to get over their stress, how to do things at home. So I have to be really quick with those solutions. So at last, they'll actually want to do it, and they'll feel better.

Tanya Gill: 00:01:59

And they'll feel better, you know, I can honestly say, these are the conversations that I have with my massage therapist. And it's true, you know, you get off that table and you're like, Okay, I can do this, right, I can do this. And then you walk out of the office and the real world starts to hit you. Right. And so, you know, I wonder how like you say that this can help you when you're feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and burnt out. And I think there are a lot of people who are kind of looking around going, Oh, no, is that me? Because we're all afraid to admit that sometimes that that that's where we're at? Because, you know, there's that that fear. So when that's happening, and you have a client who's like, here's the thing, how, what do you tell me? Let's talk about some of these two minute techniques. What What kind of techniques are we talking about? Give me an example.

Sara Nakamura: 00:02:56

So basically, what I can help my clients do, whether they're in person on a zoom, or we're just on a phone call, I help people with their anxiousness all the way to create an event zone for them. So we're A to Z stress solutions, right. So one of the things that that I love to share with people is the Zen zone. Because we're always, you know, in the stress space, and we don't know what to do. And sometimes you don't have time to to just sit there and breathe. Breathing is excellent when you can do it. Fantastic. I have some really great breathing techniques. Very, very simple. But what is then zone is, is either a physical place, or a place that you can create in your mind. And so let's walk through that real quick. If you're okay with that, that Okay, off to

Tanya Gill: 00:03:50

are you going to? Let's do that. Oh my gosh, this is okay. Sarah, take me there. Do I close my eyes? Which way do I need to do? Sorry? Why don't I just listen?

Sara Nakamura: 00:04:01

Okay, sounds good. So, let me tell you the story behind it real quick, is when I used to be a restaurant manager. I was in hospitality for over 20 years. And when I was in front of the house manager, my chef used to get so irate sometimes. And so we would tell him to go take a walk in the cooler. And if you know anything about restaurant, coolers, the freezer stuff behind you, you can't hear anything inside. You can't hear anything outside. So we haven't built inside of that cooler. And I'm like just chef cool off. Right? And so what

Tanya Gill: 00:04:37

the fuck out started?

Sara Nakamura: 00:04:41

So I thought about was how do we create a Zen zone anywhere, anytime, anyplace. So what I suggest if you're going to have a physical space, guess where they guess where you do it? Where is the place where you can get your alone time for approximately two minutes.

Tanya Gill: 00:04:59

Go That's my favorite place to meditate. I know it where you might put your bare butt cheeks on a toilet seat

Sara Nakamura: 00:05:07

certainly can be. So I definitely suggest that your physical location for your zen zone is the bathroom. Absolutely. Because you know what, you can create a space, a physical space where you can shut the door. So you can literally shut people out. And then you can mentally shut people out. Okay, so you have approximately one to two minutes before people start suspecting you're doing something else, where you can just take a breath and breathe, right? So what I suggest is you put both feet firmly on the ground, you sit up nice and straight, because that's how you want to go anyway, right. And so when you take that nice, deep breath in, you hold it at the top, and you count to four. And then you let it out, and you can't afford it. And you hold it. And then you can take a nice deep breath in and out. And just that physical difference. And being aware of your breath changes your physiology,

Tanya Gill: 00:06:11

let's do it one more time, because it feels so damn good. You feel nice.

Sara Nakamura: 00:06:15

And even when you close your eyes, you can feel even more intensely. And I see breath in. And just gently let it out. So you're relieving yourself in many different ways. But you're relieving the stress anxiety that's going on that you're holding in your body. Okay. And when you do that, you create this barrier in this space, what I suggest is also get a little diffuser, get a nice little nightlight that has different colors to it, then that way you're getting different stimulation. So you're getting the olfactory stimulation, as well as the physical stimulation to help you to calm down. So translate that to once you once you do that a few times, even if you're not actually using the pot, right? Yeah, I had that done a few times, you create this space. And then you have this understanding that this is where I can create my Zen. Now I'll translate that to, you're in the middle of traffic and you're late. And you're just driving and you're going oh my goodness, I'm just in this really overwhelmed space. Right? Take that nice deep breath in. And this time you keep your eyes open when you're driving. But you can mentally go back to that nice, tranquil, easy, calm space next to them.

Tanya Gill: 00:07:38

And that's the Zen zone. Oh, I love it. I love it. And, and it, the nice thing that you're really pointing out is that the Zen zone can be anywhere it can be used anywhere. And I love the idea actually, as you're talking about like lights in the bathroom and stuff, I'm thinking, actually, I could see like putting a nice nightlight in there and shutting the lights off and just hanging out in the dark for a little bit with a nice light and just breathing.

Sara Nakamura: 00:08:03

Right and just do that for just a few minutes. And you know, what I do is I actually have a bamboo plant that one of my good friends gave me for my wedding gift. And so I take that little bamboo plant and I look at it. And that just brings me to another place also.

Tanya Gill: 00:08:19

I love it. Yeah, grounding, being intentional and where your attention is, right. And that's the other thing could be when we're being intentional about where our attention is. The truth is that for a lot of people lately, they're they're on their phones were on when they're on the toilet, it's an opportunity instead, to actually breathe and be with yourself. I love it.

Sara Nakamura: 00:08:40

Yeah. That's exactly it. And so also, that's another thing that that we have is a two minute technique to allow you to disconnect from your electronics. And we really dive into how long have you been on it each day. And then we asked you to take a little bit of a break. You don't have to take a big one but just a little bit of a break and then see how your eyesight improves. See how less dry your eyes are when you start feeling better to

Tanya Gill: 00:09:12

write and it really is about being able to take it again beyond the massage therapy experience. So this is really like what I hear is that you realize that people need something beyond their massage because let's face it, like when when people are overwhelmed. One of the things that we do for self care, right is you know, and we and we do this like there are some of those those hard hitting ones that we all know which are like take a bubble bath, go for a walk, get a massage, those are kind of the the top three ones. And so we do those things. And and with our our in the bliss of that one on one in that incredible massage therapy experience. It's beautiful. And now you're offering a way for people to take that Zen out beyond the actual walls of your massage therapy clinic.

Sara Nakamura: 00:10:14

Absolutely. And I've worked with so many people over the years that it used to be, they got massages, because they felt like being pampered, they wanted to be in luxury, like you said, a little bit of that bubble bath, a little bit of, you know, just that that relaxation. But nowadays, it's shifted. So many of my clients need the stress relief, they have so much tension in their body, they have so much tension in their mind, as well as it through their entire life. So now massages are necessary for them. So I wanted to create something to where they don't have to lay down for an hour a day or a week, because most people can't afford or don't have the time to spend on the massage table every single day, which that would be one wonderful. However, however, I wanted to bring these techniques to everybody, because everybody deserves this.

Tanya Gill: 00:11:07

And that's the beautiful thing about your book is it gives people those techniques in their hands in their lives. And and it doesn't mean they have to book a session with the massage therapist and can have some things to carry them through between now okay, is your What's the story about your book? Is it Oh, yes.

Sara Nakamura: 00:11:28

It comes out December 7. So I am so so thrilled because December 7 is a really important day in my family's history and the history of Hawaii. I don't know if you know, but in the United States, we have Pearl Harbor Day. You probably know a lot about it. But you know, being from Canada, I may not know the history as much. But Pearl Harbor Day was unfortunately the the day that Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was bombed by Japanese. And unfortunately, that is the day that my great grandfather was reporting to work and doing his civil duty, and unfortunately got killed in the line of fire. And so it was a very tragic day for our family. And it's a great remembrance, though, of how we can live our lives to the most to the fullest. Because just recently, I got a really, really huge gift from my uncle. My uncle is 92 years old now 92 years old. And so he was 10 years old, when the bombing of Pearl Harbor happened. And he gave me an us my family, my parents were there. And my spouse, my aunt, they were all there to witness this beautiful yet tragic story of how this 10 year old was so innocent during that time. They were walking home from church, and they told him to go play in the backyard where and then his father left to go report for duty and never came home. But what happened was my uncle had to grow up really quickly. But his mind is so sharp, he could tell us exactly what went on when they went under martial law, when they got rationed when their food. And this went on for a few years. And as tragic as that is as restrictive as that is, he still has a great outlook on life, because he came out of it on the other side. And that's what he shared with us and what a wonderful gift to be able to launch my book on December 7. Ah, that is

Tanya Gill: 00:13:46

just so beautiful. Oh, that is just such an incredible story. And you know, like we all do go through those hard times we go through challenge we go through fear, we move through difficulty and the story of of your uncle like that's unlike we can't imagine that experience. And and yet, he's moved through it with such a positive outlook on life. And to be able to launch your book on that day, in in remembrance and legacy of the experience of moving through the hard stuff. It's perfect with a book about stressing less. As a stress expert, you are so incredible, but I have a question like so you got the two minute technics book which is very exciting and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I've got it marked on my calendar December 7, and it will be available on Amazon. Is that right?

Sara Nakamura: 00:14:56

That's correct. You'll be able to buy it on the digital version at as well as a paperback but do me a favor, get the digital version first, because you'll be able to download that instantly and be able to read it right away. And I'm going to have a super low price just for that day. So snag it on December 7.

Tanya Gill: 00:15:16

Okay, December 7, snag the book, December 7, snag the book and get the digital version. Okay, well, actually, I'll probably just get both right, because I love I love books now. Okay, hang on a second. Hang on. We are on Zoom. So when we put this video up, have you got the book in your hands? Can I see it?

Sara Nakamura: 00:15:39

You? Here it is.

Tanya Gill: 00:15:44

Oh, stressed out and don't know what to do. Oh, it's so awesome. It is so awesome. Sarah, it must feel so good to hold it in your hands. It does,

Sara Nakamura: 00:15:53

it feels fantastic. Just to thumb through the book and to to really feel what it's like to see my words on paper and just know that it's going to help so many people like you that are out there distressing. And you just you don't know what the first step is. And see what happens is, we only take in 120 bits of information. So all the stimulates that around us, internally, externally, what we see here, think feel, we don't process a lot. So the great thing about the book is that some of the chapters are just a page long, some of the exercises, while 30 minutes, but you'll be able to revisit any of these techniques and exercises anytime you need or want to, because some will resonate for you now. And some will resonate at another time when you need it. But you'll have this this arsenal of these tools in your tool belt anytime you need. And the great thing too is that it's so simple that you're going to be able to teach your loved one. So gift a copy of the paperback version to a loved one because the holidays are coming up. Lots of people are stressing out. And this is a great way to get through the holidays and a good guide to get you through the new year.

Tanya Gill: 00:17:11

Oh yeah, through the New Year. Absolutely. What a beautiful gift actually, because who doesn't have a family member that stressed out it's like the perfect stocking stuffer. And And reality is is that when we have people that we love, and we see them under stress, we want to help. And so being able to give a gift like this as my is a way of saying I love you. And I want things to be easier for you. And I don't want to create more work for you. So this is Two Minute techniques like this is a way that you can do it in bite sized pieces for yourself.

Sara Nakamura: 00:17:45

Absolutely. And I also encourage people to pick up the book for yourself. And then when you also get it for somebody else, if you want to go through it together, figure out what your needs and wants are, figure out how to support one another. Because you already know like and trust the people in your life. Let them help you and support them. And I'll be your guide. I love it.

Tanya Gill: 00:18:11

I love it. Oh, and you'll be our guide. We don't have to go to the clinic and have our two minute technique thrown at us as we're on our way out the door. Right? Oh, that's so awesome. I love it. Okay, so this, the two minute techniques are great, the book is exciting. And I cannot wait to get my own copy and order some for some of the people that I love. And my other question is, though, do you offer anything else?

Sara Nakamura: 00:18:39

Absolutely. So the two minute techniques are just a great way for you to win your day. And once you get the more wins in your life, because who doesn't need more wins, you get that under control a little bit in different areas of your life because we really focus on the six areas of your life, right? So. So there'll be emotional, your career, your finances, your relationship, your health or your spirituality. Get those two minute techniques. And then what we do is we dive deeper into some deeper work. So we offer a course where you can stay with us for 12 weeks, we do in a group setting where you get again, support by your peers support by your loved ones. You let me as well as my stress expert partner, Rachel. She helps us well to really walk through at a deeper level, each areas of your life. So you can start finding where it's really coming from. Because stress just doesn't appear. Right we get into the stress cycle or with the stress cycle is it's an either an internal trigger or an external trigger. So an internal trigger is maybe it's a negative self talk. Maybe it's something that happened in your childhood. An external trigger is somebody says something to you, you get caught off on the freeway. Somebody has been wearing at you for years. Any of those are external triggers. So wherever the stress comes from, it affects your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, and it shows up in your body. And the unfortunate thing is, stress isn't a linear, it's not linear, or it's not a circle. It affects your physicality. So that can show up and you know, tension in your body, which I see a lot that can show up in feelings, maybe it's worry, anger, it can show up in your thoughts, maybe I can't do it, I'm not enough. Or it can show up in your actions. Maybe you're a little bit snippy a little bit, you know, short with the people that you love. So it's like a game of pinball, right? If you you're the pin, here's a ball, and it's going around back and forth. And all you're trying to do is hit the little flappers enough to kind of stay afloat, and you're bouncing off different things. And it's just bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. So, that's what the stress cycle is.

Tanya Gill: 00:21:03

I know, this is awesome. This is awesome. We are learning so much about working through our stress cycles. Yes. And it's it's part of the human experience. Unquestionably, it's part of the human experience. So now we're headed into the holidays. So this is this is what I really would invite you to do, I want to invite you to give our readers or readers that's funny to give our readers of your book. And then listeners of the podcast See, I'm already thinking about your book so much. I'm excited for it. As people are moving into the holidays, lots of different emotions come with that. Right? We know that for some people, it's easier for some people, it's harder. And and either way at different points. There are stress, right? What other two minute technique? Would you offer people so that they could move through their stress through the holidays?

Sara Nakamura: 00:22:02

Oh, goodness, what other two minute techniques specifically for the holidays? Let's see. I think maybe the what would be great for the holidays is to really see what area of your life you're focused in on. Because if you divide up those six areas of your life that we just talked about, in a perfect world, everything would be equal. But unfortunately, it's not equal. And so what we have in the book is, what are you focused in on? Or you focused heavily on your emotion? Are you focused heavily on your career? Are you focused on your spirituality or health? Right? So what we do is allow you to see where you're focusing in so you can start working on those other sides. So that's one technique. But you have to read the book to get that one.

Tanya Gill: 00:23:02

Well, and that's an that's an actually I love that though. That's, that's great. Because the holidays can be about really focusing on your emotion, or it can be about focusing on the To Do lists, or it can be focusing on the traditions, and depending on where that focuses you're going to have a different experience of what the holidays brain, right. So I love that that is you know, and I think that that is so great. It's such a good reminder for people to notice where their energy and their focus is and how that is working for them. That's awesome. That is awesome. Okay, Sarah, this has been such an absolutely incredible

Tanya Gill: 00:23:50

I love it when I'm, I love it. When my computer does this just randomly decides to dig all over the place. And that's how we go with the name perfectly imperfect.

Sara Nakamura: 00:24:01

I thought so many people were like hitting you up right now because they're so excited for your big news, too. So oh, that

Tanya Gill: 00:24:09

but thankyou. It's true. It is so true. Right before we hopped on to this podcast recording, I opened a package that held my book, The trifecta of joy is real. It is in my hands. I can't believe it's real. It's so exciting and exhilarating. And it's all coming together. It's just so exciting. And you know what, that you are launching a book and I am launching a book. It's just serendipitous beauty. I am I'm just really thrilled for you. So Sarah, one more time.

Sara Nakamura: 00:24:52

Absolutely. And we are going to be doing a book signing in December so everybody mark your car. Hollanders is going to be the second week in December. We'll let you know more details as we get them. But Kenny and I are going to be doing a book signing together. Oh, yes. Follow us

Tanya Gill: 00:25:13

on Instagram and Facebook so that you can get details on the book signing in Vegas, it's going to be so much fun and so exciting. And we're going to be writing happy things inside the books. That's what I get excited about. I'm going to have a pink Sharpie. I've already decided,

Sara Nakamura: 00:25:30

oh my goodness, you have your pink Sharpie. Oh, I had my I had my Oh, I have my silver sharpie. Oh, silver, I like it. I like it.

Tanya Gill: 00:25:43

You're amazing. Okay, this has been so beautiful. Sarah, we are going to make sure everyone knows where to get your book, we're going to put the link in the show notes. And, and everyone needs to remember to mark their calendar for what date Sarah, I know it. But let's say it again.

Sara Nakamura: 00:26:06

It's Wednesday, December 7, again, get the digital version, it is going to be 99 cents just for that day, 99 cents. So have everybody you know, go get a copy of the digital version, send it to everybody. And anybody who sends me a copy or receipt that you have purchased it for 99 cents, please write a review also. But if you actually that's how I'll know you're going to write a review. And when you write a review, you're going to be eligible to get some cool cool prizes. All right, I won't tell you what it is yet, but cool prizes. And then when and then go ahead and get a copy of the paperback book as well. But please get the digital copy. Also.

Tanya Gill: 00:27:00

Well and the digital copies great because then you could just scroll through it on your phone. Right? That's brilliant. That is so awesome. What a great idea. So December 7 Digital copied for 99 cents, leave a review and get prizes like this is beautiful.

Sara Nakamura: 00:27:14

Yes, you'll be eligible for a prize. I'm so

Tanya Gill: 00:27:19

excited to be eligible for a prize and stress us. My friends. This has been so wonderful. To our listeners. Thank you for listening and joining Sarah Nakamura and I the stress expert, as we continue to explore all of life in its juiciness. Have a beautiful week and we'll see you next week on the trifecta of joy.

Sara Nakamura: 00:27:45

Thank you so much.