Mental wellness speaker, writing coach and best-selling author Jamie Watkins of My Peace of Happy shares her tools for heightened happiness and well-being, her tips for adding gratitude to one's life, her advice for cultivating meaningful relationships, a few of her favorite mantras and so much more. She also reveals what she's been reading and the app that's become part of her morning routine!
How would you describe your personal philosophy when it comes to overall wellness?
I take a holistic approach to cultivating, maintaining and sustaining a healthy state of well-being. I believe overall wellness includes physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual well-being. It's essential to optimizing one's lifestyle.
You're at the forefront of proactive change in the mental health landscape. What changes do you hope to see?
I would love to see an overall shift that proactively prioritizes mental wellness. Although the narrative around mental health has improved tremendously over the last two decades, the heightened awareness seems to be reactive to crisis instead of proactive to wellness. I'm using my voice as a speaker and expertise as a coach to empower and equip people with the tools they need to prioritize mental wellness and improve their overall well-being. I believe this approach will lead to a downward trend in the statistics related to crises, as well as a significant improvement to the lifestyle of those impacted.
What are some of the tools you recommend for heightened happiness and well-being?
There are so many. I usually recommend you try several different ones until you identify which ones best serve your personality and lifestyle, and produce the results you want. I have a few favorites like acts of kindness and gratitude, both of which have been proven in The Science of Well-Being to boost happiness and overall well-being. Another go-to tool for people like myself, who struggle with the tendency to want to get the most done in a day, is mindfulness and time blocking. By establishing a mindfulness practice and using my planner to time block, I've been able to shift my mindset from “get the most done today” to “make the most of today.” Another perk is I feel more accomplished at the end of my days and I get a better night's sleep.
Tell us about your personal practices and/or daily habits when it comes to mental health.
Certainly, as a woman of faith, I rely heavily on prayer and daily devotion. I incorporate active gratitude, savoring, purpose prioritizing and mantras as part of my personal practices as well.
Describe your morning routine. Is there anything you simply can't start your day without?
My first reach is for my phone where I open the YouVersion Bible app. I don't allow myself to explore anything else on my phone until my devotion and prayer are done; these are non-negotiable.
Gratitude is hands-down one of the most powerful wellness tools for happiness and well-being.
What advice do you have for adding gratitude to one's life?
I highly recommend establishing a gratitude practice. Gratitude is hands-down one of the most powerful wellness tools for happiness and well-being. There are a few ways one can incorporate gratitude into their lifestyle on a regular basis. One way is to make a practice of thinking of five things you're grateful for before you get out of bed each morning. Another way is to write five to 10 things down throughout your day as they come. A personal favorite, which I've practiced over the past year or so, is active gratitude. This is where you not only make a note of what you're grateful for that day, but you make an intentional effort to then actively show appreciation for it. An example being, if I call out that I am grateful for the sunshine that day, I make a point to get outside to feel the warmth of the sun against my face.
How do you foster connection and cultivate meaningful relationships in your life?
First by being myself. Authenticity is a freeing component I bring to any connection and relationship I have. Secondly, because I understand the wellness benefits of social connections, I'm intentional. I don't leave connections to chance or take them for granted. I pursue the connections and relationships I want and I'm very conscious about how I show up and nurture them.
How do you relieve stress?
Some of the ways I relieve stress are reading, prayer and deep breathing exercises, which I combine with mantras. A couple of mantras I use are “My mind, body and spirit support me” and “This is only temporary and it's working for my good.” Another that helps me when I'm restless from an overactive mind is “Peace is mine, rest and sleep.”
What are your favorite eateries and restaurants to visit in the Lehigh Valley for a good meal?
Love this question—my husband and I are both foodies, so we eat out quite often. We frequent Mesa Modern Mexican in Downtown Easton and Rakkii Ramen in Bethlehem. My daughter and I go to Copperhead Grille in Center Valley specifically to get the mozzarella sticks, which are amazing, and the Oreo dessert. I enjoy bonding over a good meal and creating experiences which, as you probably have guessed by now, boost happiness and improves well-being!
What's something that you love to indulge in?
Definitely a good book! My husband and I are both avid readers. I love the feel of a book in my hands, but I have also indulged in audiobooks recently and appreciate the flexibility it offers to listen on the go in the car or while multitasking around the house. I love a good romance, self-help, sci-fi and even a good suspense-thriller.
How do you stay motivated?
By focusing on my why. The greater purpose within me to serve. The idea that there are people assigned to me, waiting for me to show up, pushes me to think beyond my circumstances or how I feel on the days I may not be motivated myself.
Where are some of your favorite places to visit in the Valley?
Barnes & Noble for obvious reasons. In the warmer months, I love the outdoors, visiting Bushkill Falls or enjoying evening walks with my husband at Louise Moore County Park.
Who is someone you look up to?
Oh wow, so many beautiful people for so many different reasons, but I'll say each one of my four children for how they're navigating through this world that looks so different from when I was their age. I admire how they've each managed to be true to who they are, while at the same time still discovering themselves, each so unique. They're passionate about what they want and are pursuing their futures with fierceness and determination. I'm honored to call them my children!
What would your advice be to someone struggling to find a wellness routine that works for them?
Keep at it! We're creatures of habit, so that makes any change to routine uncomfortable, but it's also the same thing that makes consistency effective. Don't give up on yourself! Explore your options—there are so many wellness tools available. Everything won't work for everybody, but everybody has something that does. To guarantee successful results in almost anything, I've found you need to implement these three things: commitment, discipline and consistency. Before you know it, you've got a routine of higher habits around wellness that increases your happiness, introduces greater purpose and creates lifestyle success. I'm rooting for you!
Published as “Living Well With” in the November 2023 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
