heal: how to find your flow state with melissa maouris

Before the world went in to lockdown, many of us were living lives that were centred around being endlessly busy. From the bright lights of your laptop and mobile phone screen to long board room meetings and after work drinks, we found it hard to turn the power button off. Not only were we addicted to the high energy, always on frequency so many industries had been running at, there was no end in sight. Many of us were reaching burn out and so was the planet. Then, everything paused. We were forced to stop and it changed everything almost overnight. We had to adapt and re-access the way that we were living our lives. We were faced with the things we had been running away from and the parts of ourselves that we tried to hide.

Having worked in the music industry for many years, Melissa Maouris ran a successful and very respected PR and Communications agency. After years of relentless hours and next level pressure, she decided to step away and create a new path. Now working as an intuitive and motivational coach, she helps to bridge the gap between her clients dreams and their reality. Working with people individually and with businesses, she holds regular workshops and has been invited to speak about her work by the likes of Wilderness festival, Stylist magazine, Eventbrite and Obonjan Croatia. 

During lockdown you created a ‘Connect to Flow Challenge’ tell us all about it…

I've become passionate about being in flow since I left the music industry. When we're in our flow we release endorphins and our brain waves change to a more meditative state, which silences our inner critic and makes us feel calmer and more positive. 

Lockdown was the perfect time for us to get into flow as it is about living in the moment and helps us embrace uncertainty. So I created a five day challenge diving into what flow is and giving brief exercises to reach it. It came to me in an intuitive flash while sitting in meditation in my garden one sunny day and I was blown away by the outcome. One lady said she had been trying to forge a new creative career path for years and had finally made big strides after doing it. For anyone interested it's now available to anyone that signs up to my mailing list on my website www.melissamaouris.com.   

You worked within the music industry for many years, why did you decide to change your career path? How has your life changed?

I always knew I would have a career switch. I remember loving psychology at school but felt the traditional path wouldn't satisfy the adventurous and fun-loving side of me. The music industry certainly did that and made my twenties a decade I'll never forget. I gained a huge amount of life experience which helps me enormously in my coaching career. But in the end I created all the things I didn't want such as working crazy long hours, huge overheads and constant stress. I knew I had the power to change it and I yearned to understand more about what it is to be human and help others do the same. 

Since becoming a coach I follow the flow of life so I feel more free and in tune with myself and others. Plus my life still feels full of adventure as I can delve deeper into its mysteries which has always been one of my passions.    

Conversations around mental health and wellbeing are more important than every right now, how can what you do help anyone who may be having a tough time?

My role is to help people see the true essence of who they are. A lot of mental health issues are due to unhealthy cultural norms such as the emphasis of appearance over values and competition over collaboration. Many times clients come to me unsure of what they want or even who they really are, as they are so busy looking outside themselves to seek approval. I help them to rediscover their uniqueness and start to tell themselves the truth because that's where everyone's real power lies. 

With many of us at home, we are being faced with things that we may have previously been able to escape from, whether that be our current life situation or that from the past. What is the first step to not only face those things but to start to work through them?

The first step is always honesty with how we're feeling. For centuries we've been taught to bury our emotions and yet what science is now proving is that not dealing with stress and unwanted emotion is how disease is born in the body. Emotion is simply energy in motion (e-motion) so if we can teach ourselves to sit with how we are really feeling then we have the power to shift it and stop it resurfacing. 

In my sessions a lot of the power comes from allowing my clients to understand what's going on beneath the surface and holding space for them to process it so they can learn to do it for themselves. Then can we begin to see where the learnings are and draw an empowering vision to move towards. 

Even though for many of us there is a lot of uncertainty currently, there is also huge opportunity. How can switching our mindset help us to grow through it?

Mindset is one of the most powerful tools we hold as human beings. Whatever we tell ourselves comes to be true in our lives. That's true personally as well as collectively and what lockdown has brought to the surface is that the majority of us were unhappy with how our world operates. 

There's a quote I love from Wayne Dyer which says “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." That encapsulates mindset perfectly as the only thing we really have control over is our own perspective. Those that choose a positive mindset will set out to create a different world for themselves and the people around them. 

I live by the mindset that everything happens for a reason so believe there is a positive lesson behind everything, even when it feels painful and uncomfortable. Everything we've been through recently is necessary for us to become a better human race and we're already seeing the fruits of it. 

Do you have a daily exercise that people could do from home each day to help to find their flow?

Yes there are many I have but I think the simplest and most fun is to follow your gut on your decisions. The gut is sensory and so you'll feel it as a change in your energy. Try it throughout your day by checking in with yourself when deciding what to eat, when to rest, play or work. Or whatever you feel drawn to asking. You'll either feel a yes or a shade of no (watch out for the maybes!) If you follow the flow and choose only a clear yes you'll soon feel energised and alive. It's really about putting your needs and desires first which means you'll learn a lot about yourself and have fun along the way.   

connect with melissa and find out more…

visit her website: https://www.melissamaouris.com/

join her event this thursday: https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital/return-to-flow-melissa-maouris