24 Seven September 2021

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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Joan Herrmann
—
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lindsay Pearson
—
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Herrmann
—
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Chris Giordano
Andrea Valentie
Oliver Pane
—
CONTRIBUTORS
C. Victor Brick
Sean Grover, LCSW
Joan Herrmann
Linda Mitchell, CPC
Lucille Plantemoli, MPH,RN, CIC, NBC-HWC

FROM THE EDITOR
—
Most athletes dream about standing on
the Olympic podium receiving their gold
medal. But few ever have the opportunity
to actually do so. Ashleigh Johnson knows
what it feels like to earn gold. Ashleigh is a
two-time Olympic gold medalist and goalie
of Team USA Water Polo. She was named
the Top Goaltender of the Olympic Games,
having stopped an astounding 80 of 124
shots. I recently had the opportunity to
speak with Ashleigh. In our conversation she
recounts what it felt like to win gold, and
she explains why she is passionate about
using her Olympic platform to inspire other
women to pursue their dreams in any field.
Listen to the conversation with Ashleigh:
www.cyacyl.com/shows/ashleigh-johnson
— Joan Herrmann

ASHLEIGH JOHNSON
ISSUE NO.131

INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
ON THIS MONTH’S
COVER
WHY YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN HAPPINESS ANYMORE
BY SEAN GROVER
PAGE 12
STRATEGIES TO HONE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
BY JOAN HERRMANN
PAGE 18
ASHLEIGH JOHNSON IS PASSIONATE ABOUT USING
HER OLYMPIC PLATFORM TO INSPIRE OTHER WOMEN
TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS IN ANY FIELD.
LISTEN TO ASHLEIGH ON CYACYL:
www.cyacyl.com/shows/ashleigh-johnson
CAN MEDITATION BE THE
FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH?
BY LUCILLE PLANTEMOLI
PAGE 22
STAYING CALM IN STRESSFUL SITUATIONS
BY LINDA MITCHELL
PAGE 28
ACHIEVING SOUND MENTAL HEALTH
BY C. VICTOR BRICK
PAGE 32
SEPTEMBER 2021
24 SEVEN MAGAZINE

NEED NEW AD

ISSUE
NO.131
SEPTEMBER
2021
WHY
YOU
DON’T
BELIEVE
IN
HAPPINESS
ANYMORE
You start with big dreams, full of youthful enthusiasm.
Over time, challenged by obstacles and hardships, your
commitment to those dreams is tested. But you’re still
young, so you push on and persevere.
Written by Sean Grover, LCSW

T
Then you get hit with big disappointments,
letdowns in your career, love life, or friendships.
You feel unsupported and alone. “Why is this happening?” you
wonder, “I’m a good person. I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
Then you face a health crisis, lose a loved one, suffer injuries,
or financial hardships. Unforeseen stressors continue to pop up
and dash your plans. You start to lose hope.
Losing the confidence that you’ll ever be happy
When you’re struggling, it’s natural to want to give up. You
may look around and feel that everyone has an easier life than
you. You forget that no one is exempt from suffering, and some of
the most outstanding individuals in history faced overwhelming
personal hardships.
But no matter. The longer you stay in a place of hopelessness,
the harder it is to believe that you’ll ever be happy again. You may
justify your unhappiness by proclaiming your powerlessness.
You even start to question the concept of happiness.
“Happiness is an illusion sold by the media to make money,”
you decide. “Happy relationships? Happy families? Happy
friendships? Bah! That’s not real life.”
Five conditions that cause people to abandon happiness
Heartbreak. Deep wounds to the soul come in many forms,
but for me, the word “heartbreak” captures the catastrophic
pain of unforeseen loss. No matter what form heartbreak takes
when your heart is broken, gravity shifts, your body and mind
feel sluggish, color is drained from the world, and every day is a
battle with yourself.
Social isolation. You withdraw from the world. Stop seeing
friends or family and embrace loneliness. The more you live in
isolation, the more your thoughts and feelings become deluded.
You distort even the simplest of interactions and grow paranoid
and suspicious of others. No one is who they seem to be.
Pessimism and bitterness. Complaining becomes your
baseline functioning. You see fault in everyone. You watch people
and judge them; no one escapes your criticism. “Phonies!” you
think. “I’m better off alone.” You convince yourself that the
world has gone to hell. Even death seems like a welcome relief.
Creative stagnation. You have no curiosity. You stop
exploring new experiences and become a slave to bad habits.
There is no balance in your life. You eat too much or too little;
you sleep too much or too little; time feels like it moves too
slowly or too fast. Your reschedule has no consistency, and
you feel permanently out of sorts. You don’t like leaving the
house, so you don’t take walks, attend classes, lectures, or
workshops. You stop going to performances. Creativity is gone
from your life. Eventually, you grow disinterested in everyone
and everything.
Living in the past. When you lose hope, you will start
to live in the past. You revisit memories and embrace
nostalgia, confident that the best times of your life are long
gone. You stop living in the moment and lose your sense of
wonder. There’s nothing left to look forward to. “Weekends?
Weekdays? Holidays?” you counsel yourself, “What does it
matter? Nothing changes.”
Steps to take to increase your chances of being
happy again
Recently, a patient asked me, “When will my life get better?”
I answered, “When you decide it will.”
Needless to say, she was displeased. She met all five of the
criteria for abandoning happiness. But I could sense she was
holding tight to a childlike wish to be saved. As if someone
would swoop down and save her from herself by blessing her
with happiness.
The best advice that I can offer is this: In adulthood, no
one is responsible for your happiness but you. The wish to be
saved by someone else will drive you to make reckless choices
or ultimately reinforce the five conditions for abandoning
happiness.
Breaking the cycle of unhappiness starts by taking a hard
look at the choices that you make that breed unhappiness. Until
those conditions are addressed, happiness will remain elusive.
To move in a new direction is going to require new choices.
About The Author
SEAN GROVER
Sean Grover, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and the author of
When Kids Call the Shots: How to Seize Control from Your
Darling Bully and Enjoy Being a Parent Again.
To Learn More Visit:
www.SeanGrover.com

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September 2021 Issue
Strategies to Hone
Critical Thinking Skills
Written by Joan Herrmann
C
Critical thinking is a disciplined
way of thinking that can be applied to any topic or
problem. It is the ability to clearly and logically consider
information that is presented to us. There is value in
thinking critically in every aspect of our lives. From
making personal decisions, to questioning media reports,
to assessing work projects, applying critical thinking is
an essential skill everyone should be trying to hone.
When we were children, adults told us how to behave
and what we should believe and we blindly followed
their instruction. Then, as we aged, we were taught to
expand our minds and consider concepts and opinions
that may be in conflict with what we previously thought.
This expansion of mind opened the door to infinite
possibilities and challenged us in ways never experienced
before.
Listening to different ideas enabled us to develop the
process of analyzing information in order to form our
own judgment. We learned to discern what works best
for us and no longer were we dependent on what we were
told to do. We could form our own opinion. This critical
thought process taught us how to create the conscious
decisions that affect the quality of our lives.
Today, in a world of social media, around the clock
news programs, and propaganda reporting, cultivating
a critical thought process is more challenging than ever
before. Sometimes it feels like we’ve lost the ability to
think for ourselves or form our own conclusions. I often
wonder if critical thinking is a lost art. With information
overload, we need to think about thinking. Why?
Critical thinking encourages curiosity. Curiosity helps
us remain vigilant and gain knowledge about situations
or our environment.
Critical thinking enhances creativity. Creativity enables
us to come up with different ideas and perspectives, no
matter how wild they may appear. Critical thinking allows
us to analyze these ideas and adjust them accordingly.
Critical thinking reinforces problem solving skills. We
can use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve
problems.
Critical thinking develops independent thinking.
The ability to take in various opinions or facts and
then develop our own conclusion offers a freedom from
manipulation.
The good news is that critical thinking is a learned
skill and we can get better at it. Here are three ways to
develop critical thinking:
Question assumptions. Don’t believe everything at
face value. Ask questions. Conduct research. You don’t
always know what you think you know.
Reason through logic. Ask yourself: Is the argument
supported at every point by evidence? Do all the pieces
of evidence build on each other to produce a sound
conclusion?
Diversify thought. Get outside of your personal bubble
and open your mind to new perspectives.
As the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said, “It is the
mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a
thought without accepting it.” Never stop questioning or
thinking!
About The Author
JOAN HERRMANN
Joan Herrmann is the creator of the Change Your Attitude…
Change Your life brand and host of the radio show and
podcast, Conversations with Joan. She is a motivational
speaker and the publisher of 24 Seven magazine.
To Learn More Visit:
www.JoanHerrmann.com

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ISSUE NO.131 SEPTEMBER 2021
C A N
MEDITATION
BE THE
FOUNDATION
FOR MENTAL
HEALTH?
Written by Lucille Plantemoli, MPH,RN, CIC, NBC-HWC

M
Mental health is such a vital
part of our overall health and wellness. A healthy mind
sets the tone for our attitude and outlook on life. The
previous year of 2020 brought so much anxiety and
tension on a national level related to the Covid-19
pandemic and social unrest.
The year brought many issues such as stress, fear,
insecurity, addiction, loneliness, social isolation, job
loss, and illness. These heightened negative emotions
have caused a large number of people to develop more
severe mental health episodes.
According to a poll done by the Kaiser Family
Foundation in July, 2020, many adults were reporting
specific negative impacts on their mental health and
well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36 percent) or
eating (32 percent), increases in alcohol consumption
or substance use (12 percent), and worsening chronic
conditions (12 percent), due to worry and stress over the
Covid-19 pandemic.
How common is anxiety related to stress?
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association
of America (ADAA), anxiety is a normal part of life
experience, but when anxiety interferes with daily life
activities this can be disabling. Here are some facts
related to anxiety provided by the ADAA:
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental
illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the
United States age 18 and older, or 18.1 percent of the
population every year.
• Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9
percent of those suffering receive treatment.
• People with an anxiety disorder are three to five
times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more
likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than
those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
• Anxiety disorders develop from a complex
set of risk factors, including genetics, brain
chemistry, personality, and life events.
What can be done to deal with stress and anxiety?
There is growing evidence that alternative therapies,
that include deep breathing, mindfulness, and
meditation can help a person with anxiety related to
stress. These relaxation techniques can help a person
deal with stress and decrease signs and symptoms of
anxiety that can range from mild nervousness to more
serious panic attacks.
A meditation technique that has been used to
reduce stress and anxiety is Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction, which was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn
and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts
Medical Center’s Stress Reduction Clinic in the 1970s.
This program is presented in an eight-week stressreduction
training program that trains people in
mindfulness and helps them become familiar with their
own behavior patterns, especially in relation to stressful
situations.
They also learn that although they cannot change the
circumstances in their lives, they can learn how to identify
the triggers and respond accordingly. Participants are
taught the difference between responding to a situation
versus reacting to a situation.
How can someone get started in a meditation
practice?
Less structured meditation practices have been
developed to introduce novices to meditation techniques.
There are also meditation apps, such as Headspace that
provide guided meditations for beginners.
Starting a meditation practice can seem very
intimidating to someone who has never meditated.
People often ask questions like, should I sit cross-legged
like a yogi, or do I totally need to clear my mind? In
mindfulness meditation, people are taught how to focus
on the inspiration and expiration of the breath. The
act of focusing on the breath helps a person build the
muscle of attention and mindfulness. When we focus on
our breath we learn how to quiet our minds and stay in
the moment.
Developing a meditation practice takes patience,
self-compassion, and a quiet, comfortable place to sit.

Recently, I attended an online meditation workshop
provided by Mary Davis, an author, and spiritual teacher.
This program targeted people who were beginning a
meditation practice. The following tools and tips were
shared and may be helpful to anyone who may want to
start their own meditation practice:
• Keep your meditations short to start. You want to be
successful, so if five minutes seems long for you, take it
back to three minutes.
• Create a place for your meditation practice. Add a
candle or crystal or some meaningful symbol.
• Aim to meditate at the same time each day.
• Add a second daily meditation in the afternoon or
evening.
• Once you started your practice, look for insights
during the day.
• Meditate with joy and gratitude.
• Sit for a minute after the meditation to let go of the
practice.
• At the end of the meditation ask for assistance with
your day.
• Use meditation as the centerpiece of a larger
spiritual practice.
• Find a friend to be accountable with.
Dealing with stress and anxiety may require
medical attention in addition to meditation practice.
Speaking with a mental health professional is always
recommended for further evaluation.
About The Author
LUCILLE PLANTEMOLI
Lucille Plantemoli MPH,RN, CIC, NBC-HWC, is vice president of
Wellness at Healthlink Advocates, a company founded to assist
people with all aspects of their healthcare. As private nurse
patient advocates and board-certified health and wellness
coaches, they partner with clients seeking assistance navigating
the complex healthcare system and those seeking self-directed,
lasting health improvements aligned with their values.
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Staying
Calm
in Stressful
Situations
Written by Linda Mitchell CPC, LMT
S
Stress is everywhere – no
one escapes it. However, some people seem
to take stressful situations in stride and
appear able to handle all circumstances with
tranquility. You probably know at least one
person like that. What’s the secret?
While everyone has a different threshold for
dealing with stress, you can learn to greatly
enhance your ability to stay relaxed in all
situations using the following strategies.
First, respond slowly. Calm, cool and
collected people respond slowly. To model
that behavior, take a few deep cleansing
breaths. Allow yourself time to process and
reflect before responding. You’ll feel more
confident and pleased with your response.

Knee-jerk reactions rarely
produce the best outcomes,
but responses born of
thoughtful reflection do.
Second, resist the reflex
to focus on the negative
circumstance and instead
strive to maintain a positive
perspective. You can still
be a realist while looking
for the positive in every
situation. Remember, you’ve
successfully navigated
difficulties before, and
you’ll rise above the current
challenge too.
When faced with a
stressful situation, imagine
how your ideal self would
handle it. Tap into the
alter-ego. What would
your wise future-self have
to say about it? They would
likely be compassionate,
unflappable, able to see the big picture and
able to offer some wise words. By putting
those words of wisdom into action, you’ll see
that in time you’ll become more and more
like that ideal version of yourself. This is
empowering!
Visualize different outcomes. Brainstorm
several ways to deal with the situation by
playing each one out in your mind’s eye.
Which serves you best? Which creates the
best outcome for everyone involved? Which
outcome creates calm in your body? Which
creates tension or uneasy feelings? Tap into
your body’s wisdom and intuition before
settling on a response. One of the easiest
and most effective ways to enhance your
ability to stay calm in stressful situations is
to regularly visualize yourself being there
yet remaining calm. The body follows the
brain’s instructions. The body can’t tell the
difference between a real and an imagined
thought so rehearse feeling calm during
stressful situations and your body will
naturally follow this pattern when true
stressors arise. Practice this regularly and
you’ll thank yourself later.
Most importantly, remember to
intentionally ease the tension in your
body and breathe deeply. This shortcircuits
the stress response and prevents
an overstimulation of stress hormones like
From The Story
“Allow
yourself time
to process and
reflect before
responding.”
cortisol and adrenaline. Make this a habit too
as it will serve you well many times over. Like
any skill, it takes practice. Deliberately let go
of the stressor for a few moments while you
do these exercises. Connecting to your breath
allows you to briefly get out of the stressful
situation and into the present moment.
Use whatever methods resonate with you -
tapping, breathwork, meditation, massage,
affirmations, music or prayer, among a myriad
of choices. Focus on relaxing the tension in
your entire body and being. When we get out
of our heads and into our bodies, we make
better decisions.
Knowing and doing are two very different
things. The real power comes from using
these methods regularly and making them
your first defense. Apply these ideas to your
life regularly and you’ll see steady progress in
your ability to handle stress. Before you know
it, you’ll be the calmest person in the room
that others want to emulate!
About The Author
LINDA MITCHELL
Linda Mitchell is a board-certified coach,
speaker, intuitive healer, and LMT. She empowers
people who are stuck, overwhelmed, or ready
for change to release their struggle, gain clarity,
balance, and radiant health, as they move
through life’s challenges and transitions and step
into their highest purpose.
To Learn More Visit:
www.LivingInspiredCoaching.com

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September 2021 Issue
Achieving Sound Mental Health
Written by C. Victor Brick, MEd
O
One of the most pernicious
legacies of the COVID-19 global pandemic is the mental
health crisis. It is so severe that it is often referred to
as the “parallel pandemic.” According to Johns Hopkins,
“An estimated 26 percent of Americans ages 18 and older
— about one in four adults – suffers from a diagnosable
mental disorder in a given year”.
In a CDC report, which surveyed adults across the
country in late June of 2020, respondents reported
symptoms of anxiety and depression “nearly double
the rate we would have expected before the pandemic”.
The same was true for substance abuse, stress-related
symptoms, and thoughts of suicide. This means that
more than half the population is struggling with some
form of mental health issue. And, according to Thierry
Malleret and Klaus Schwab, in their best-selling book,
COVID-19: The Great Reset, it will only get worse.
Why? Because the two things needed most for sound
mental health are connectivity and coping skills.
Connectivity refers to the social need of humans to
connect with one another. Coping skills refer to practices
and techniques that can be employed to maintain sound
mental health.
Conversely, the two things that lead to mental health
issues the most are loneliness and lack of coping skills.
Because of the required quarantines, and the resulting
lack of access to personal support individuals, fitness
professionals, and other lifestyle coaches and mentors,
COVID has greatly exacerbated the latter two.
Mental health/mental illness has historically been
thought of as a continuum with no or low mental illness
at one end, mild forms of mental illness such as mild
depression and anxiety in the middle, and high mental
illness, in the form of clinically diagnosable diseases
such as schizophrenia, psychosis and depression, at
the other end. It was thought people moved back and
forth on this continuum based on their chemical makeup,
physiology, and life events. In this model, holistic
practices such as exercise, nutrition and healthy lifestyle
choices played a very small role.
However, the Mental Wellness Initiative of the Global
Wellness Institute has developed a Dual Continuum
Model of Mental Health. This new model retains the
traditional, horizontal continuum discussed above
but also includes a vertical continuum that goes from
languishing at the bottom to flourishing at the top.
People move up and down this vertical continuum based
on coping skills they employ to improve their mental
wellness no matter what their clinical, pathogenic
condition.
In the Dual Continuum Model of Mental Wellness/
Mental Illness, the horizontal axis deals with mental
illness/health. It is pathogenic in nature. In other words,
it deals with the disease of mental illness. It is health
care. It often requires medication, psychoanalysis and,
at times, institutionalization.
The vertical axis deals with mental wellness/wellbeing.
It is salutogenic in nature. In other words, it
deals with the factors that support human health and
well-being, rather than the factors that cause disease. It
is more focused on self-care and what the individual can
do to help improve their sense of well-being.
An individual can flourish regardless of their clinical
mental health condition if they employ the proper
coping skills. Conversely, someone with no clinical
mental health condition can languish if they do not
have proper coping skills This is especially true during
a time of great mental stress such as during the COVID
pandemic.
What are some of the coping skills that can be
employed? Exercise, proper nutrition, mind-body
practices like yoga and meditation, having a proper
support system of friends, family, lifestyle coaches and
mentors, are just a few examples.
Again, the horizontal continuum deals with health

care and is primarily the responsibility of the medical
community, while the vertical continuum deals with
self-care and is primarily the responsibility of the
individual.
Obviously, in the Dual Continuum Model, exercise and
movement are a critical part of the vertical continuum
and play a vital role in helping people go from
languishing to flourishing regardless of their medically
diagnosable condition.
You would think that everyone knows and accepts
this position, but nothing could be further from the
truth. For the most part, the medical community still
deals with the single, horizontal continuum and looks at
mental health as a pathogenic condition that requires a
medical solution. Because of this mentality, very rarely
are treatments for mental health/illness fully integrated
programs that include holistic, healthy lifestyle choices
such as exercise, nutrition, and mind-body practices
along with conventional ones, such as medication,
psychoanalysis, and institutionalization.
And the worst thing is that, because most people
do not have or know about proper coping skills, they
accept this form of treatment as the only solution. They
abdicate their health, happiness, and sense of well-being
to the health care community. Why? Because they do not
know what else to do -- lack of coping skills. And why
doesn’t the medical community integrate movement and
healthy lifestyle choices into their treatment? Because
they are not sure it actually works.
The John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation is trying
to flip that paradigm. It has compiled a comprehensive
synthesis of all published scientific evidence over three
decades on the link between exercise and mental health.
This free report and the accompanying data visualization
identifies the evidence, delivers an overview and
summary of the results, describes overall trends in the
literature, and provides an interactive way for people to
explore the studies in an easy online interface.
A key recommendation: exercise should be prescribed
for depression, and be supported and monitored for 12
weeks, similar to physical therapy after an injury. To
our knowledge, our report is the first of its kind. It is
hoped that this report will help legitimize in the eyes
of the medical community the benefits of exercise in
promoting mental wellness and preventing mental
illness.
According to Dr. Deepak Chopra, an integrative
medicine pioneer, and New York Times bestselling
author, “This synthesis of the evidence by the John
W. Brick Foundation makes it clear that exercise and
movement practices are key to mental health and
paves the way for physical activity to be recognized
and integrated as a key component of mental health
promotion and treatment.”
To view the Move Your Mental Health Report, please
visit the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation.
About The Author
C. VICTOR BRICK, M.ED
C. Victor Brick, MEd, is the founder of the John W. Brick Mental
Health Foundation and the founder and CEO of Planet Fitness
Growth Partners. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of
the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences, a member of the Board of Advisors of the Global
Wellness Summit, and a member of the Mental Wellness Initiative
of the Global Wellness Institute.
To Learn More Visit:
www.johnwbrickfoundation.org