So excited to be talking about how to make the most of our empty nest season with Dr. Mel Tavares! Dr. Mel is an award-winning author, speaker, life coach, and frequent media guest. Mel holds a Doctorate of Ministry, in Pastoral Care and Counseling and has 35 years of experience in working with families professionally and in ministry. She is a board certified mental health coach and life coach.
Summary:
–Distinction Between Mental Health and Mental Well-being: Mental health often involves clinical diagnoses, while mental well-being focuses on overall emotional and psychological health without a clinical diagnosis.
–Holistic Approach to Health: Importance of addressing mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health collectively. The conversation highlights the impact of nutrition and lifestyle habits on mental well-being.
–Role of Faith in Counseling: Mel discusses the benefits of incorporating a biblical perspective in counseling and the limitations faced by secular counselors in discussing faith.
–Purpose and Productivity in Later Life: The conversation touches on the idea that individuals in their 50s and 60s enter some of their most productive decades, encouraging listeners to pursue dreams and goals regardless of age.
–Overcoming Trauma and Forgiveness: Mel shares personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and healing from past traumas, suggesting that Christian counselors or recovery groups can provide support.
–Importance of Goal Setting: Setting goals provides structure and motivation, allowing individuals to turn their dreams into reality.
–Community Engagement: Engaging in community activities and volunteering can alleviate loneliness and depression, fostering connections with others.
–Anxiety Busters: Practical tips like eating healthily, maintaining a sleep routine, and reducing media consumption can help manage anxiety.
–Hope and Encouragement: Mel concludes with a message of hope, emphasizing that there is always hope in God’s plan and encouraging listeners to reach out for support.
Podcast Intro:
My guest, Dr. Mel Tavares is an award winning Author, Speaker, Teacher, and Coach and she sat down with me and provided a very informative conversation about entering our 50’s and 60’s with a healthy mental well-being and ready to explore all the new possibilities set before us. I chose the empty nester season of life because I felt like that encompassed a lot of the changes that a woman faces when entering her 50’s and I wanted to expand it to our 60’s as well.
The transition into the empty nest phase of life can be a profound and transformative period in a woman’s life because it is often filled with mixed emotions and new challenges. You may be seeing your children off to college, giving some away in marriage. Maybe your employment is going through changes; do you want to quit your current job and start the job you’ve always wanted to do/changing careers altogether? Or maybe you’ve decided to start going back to school and let’s not forget that some ladies are also caregivers for their parents. So this particular time in a woman’s life can be mentally, emotionally and physically overwhelming and how do we navigate it all?
So Mel and I looked at the question how can we enter into this season of life equipped to make the most of it? The first thing we look at is our mental well being. Mel makes a distinction about mental health and mental well-being. I asked her questions such as, where can someone start when trying to pinpoint our gifts and talents? How can we discover what we’re created for especially if we’ve lost connection with our true selves? Truth is, we’ve devoted ourselves to those around us and in doing so we can loose touch with who we are as an individual woman. And then there are the times we’re just stuck; we know somethings not working but we don’t know how to get unstuck. And here’s something else we talked about, what happens when we forget how to dream?
Ultimately, the journey through the empty nest phase is an invitation to embrace change and rediscover oneself. By prioritizing mental well-being and adopting a holistic approach (which Mel talks about), individuals can navigate this transition with confidence and joy. It is a time to reflect, dream, and step into new roles with a renewed sense of identity and purpose, knowing that the best years are yet to come.
Listen in for all the wisdom and insight that Mel has to share!
Live Loved and Thrive!
Connect with Mel:
Mel Tavares Media Links
Website: https://www.drmeltavares.com/
*Free Downloadable Workbook: 6 Weeks, 6 Life Goals
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/authormeltavares/
Rise Up and Conquer Your Day Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/208329358938340
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmeltavares/
Bio:
Mel Tavares is an award-winning author, speaker, life coach, and frequent media guest. Mel holds a Doctorate of Ministry, in Pastoral Care and Counseling and has 35 years of experience in working with families professionally and in ministry. She is a board certified mental health coach and life coach. She and her husband live in Connecticut, have seven adult children and eleven grandchildren. Her books, including the award-winning, best-selling book ’21 Days to Improved Mental Well-Being’ are available through Amazon. Other resources can be found on her website: DrMelTavares.com
Additional Episodes on the topic of mental illness:
Navigating Her Children’s Mental Illness Journey – Patty Sepety: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/07/06/navigating-her-childrens-mental-illness-journey-with-patty-sepety/
Making Marriage Healthy with Marriage Counselor, Leslie Davis: https://alifeofthrive.com/2023/11/08/marriage-healthy/
Michele Poe on Mental Health Illness and Suicide: https://alifeofthrive.com/2020/10/28/mental-health/