Archive for natural health
Where Do I Start?
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, or are a subscriber to my ezine, it’s quite likely that you’re an advancing person. That is, you’re always moving towards ‘more life’ in everything you do.
You want to live the richest, fullest, happiest, most deeply satisfying life you can imagine.
You have beautiful, life-expanding dreams for yourself, and you want those dreams to come true.
But it’s also possible that you’re feeling SO overwhelmed by everything that you want to do. In fact, you’re not even sure where to start… so you don’t. (Start, that is.)
So, would you like a little coaching advice about where to start?
Well, my first piece of advice is to listen to your intuition. Give yourself a good half-hour to clear your mind, and then sit and think, and FEEL. Consider your preferences and then listen to what your ‘gut’ tells you. Having a pencil and large notepad with you is a very good idea.
But if you’re overworked, stressed, tired and foggy headed (or feel as though you’re going around the bend from ‘overthinking’), it could be that even doing the above seems too difficult.
In which case, I’d recommend carving out some PROPER time in your diary – like a whole day, at the least – to devote fully to getting crystal clear on what you want, to brainstorm ideas, to prioritise, and to create an action plan.
You can do this yourself, but doing it with the help of a trusted friend or a coach can give you much-needed perspective and encouragement. I’ll soon be making myself available for VIP Days, where I’ll help you get clear on what it is that you really want, start eliminating limiting beliefs, and create a very do-able, exciting action plan to start bringing those dreams of yours into the real world.
(To be one of the first to know about these amazing VIP Days, head here and leave your details. And, listen – I know goal-setting can be a big turn-off for some people because the process can feel forced and very ‘masculine’, but in our day together it’s all about YOU and what YOU want out of life, not what society or your peers or family say you should want. You’ll have time to think, and breeeaaathe, and dream, and create a plan that’s perfect for you…)
Then, you can start going through a conscious creation process, starting with visualisation – if you’d love help with this, check out the beautiful Your House of Abundance process.
However, if you’re feeling too exhausted (and perhaps even sick) to contemplate lofty or even not-so-lofty dreams, then I advise that your first focus be your health.
Fabulous health is at the core of a great life. It underpins everything. And we often don’t realise how valuable our health is until we become unwell or injured.
So if that’s you – make your health an absolute priority. You’ll then be able to think clearly, and will have the energy to take action on your other dreams.
By the way, sometimes people get ‘put off’ the idea of becoming healthier, because they think it takes a lot of money to do so. If you’re switching from eating cheap processed food to buying organic fruits and veggies, and supplements, then, yes, it can cost a bit more than you’re now paying for food. And if you join a gym then there are fees, and personal health coaching can be a substantial investment.
But if money is tight for you right now, and you know getting healthy is a top priority so that you can start heading for your dreams, you can make free or low-cost health changes now.
These include:
- going for walks (even if just around your back garden, or briskly around your house);
- planting a few organic vegetable seeds;
- purchasing (and using!) a book such as Raw Foods on a Budget;
- generally cutting back on unhealthy foods (even if they’re cheap); and
- asking an ‘advancing’ friend to be your ‘accountability buddy’ when it comes to simple health goals you set for yourself.
Once your health starts to improve, you’ll have more energy to create the money you want, which means you can then invest more in organics and superfoods, personal trainers or coaches, if that feels right for you.
So you now have some guidance as to ‘where to start’. But you know deep in your soul what’s needed. I just hope my advice has helped clear some of the fog, and has helped put you on the road towards creating and living a life you truly, truly love.
10 Easy Ways to Make Green Foods Part of Your Everyday Diet – and Love Them!
Eating living (raw) foods and having supreme health is a sure-fire way of raising your vibration, so I’m all for it! But I know it ain’t always easy to find ideas for healthy eating that are interesting – and that taste good.
Now, every week, I receive an inspirational ezine from the UK”s Karen Knowler, who’s known as The Raw Food Coach. In last week’s edition of her ezine, Karen featured a superb article that reveals just how easy it is to add more life-giving leafy greens to your everyday eating. I asked Karen if I could share this article with you, because I just know you’re going to find it so helpful.
So, you don’t have any more excuses for not including more greens in what you eat. Go forth and be healthy!
Here’s the article (and be sure to sign up for Karen’s fabulous ezine!):
‘It’s rare that you come across someone who LOVES eating green foods, but that doesn’t have to be the case for any of us. Not only can green foods be delicious, they can make us feel fantastic, helping to cleanse and rebuild even the most jaded of bodies and spirits.
When I first got into raw foods I admit I was one of those raw fooders who relied heavily on fresh juicy fruits, dried fruits and nuts, and most days I’d eat a salad, but it wasn’t what I’d now call a ‘decent’ salad. And that’s because I’ve since learned that it’s nowhere near enough to have some green on your plate and think that’s sufficient, because it’s not! We need dark greens, ideally wild greens, and plenty of them. A plate of iceberg lettuce simply won’t make the grade.
So in this article I’m sharing with you 10 different ideas to get greens into your daily diet and love them, because not only is it possible, it’s vital!
1: The Green Smoothie
Through various mediums I’ve shared what I consider to be the easiest/most yummy green smoothie recipe – Mango & Spinach, so hopefully you’re up to speed with what they are? (Brief explanation: A large amount of leafy green vegetables blended with some great-tasting ripe fruit of your choice to a soup or smoothie consistency.) So how do we incorporate them into our diet? Good times of the day for drinking a green smoothie are: first thing for breakfast (start as you mean to go on – if you start your day with this you’ll feel set up for the day ahead and plenty full enough until lunch time); as a brunch if you get hungry between breakfast and lunch time; as a liquid lunch if you are pressed for time; as a pre-dinner course, perfect served as a drink or even a soup; as a supper if you’re not hungry enough to eat a ‘proper’ dinner, or if you’ve come in late from work or a night out and don’t want to eat before bed.
2: Variety is the Spice of Life
We are all guilty of falling into ruts with our eating habits, eating the same things over and over again, but it’s important in all diets to eat a wide variety of foods for pleasure and nutrition. So too is it important to choose a wide variety of greens from the vast range of green leafy vegetables (and herbs) and not just finding one and sticking with it. Here’s a starter list of green leafies that you can use as a checklist. Whichever ones you haven’t eaten for a while (or ever!) make it your personal project to hunt them down and try them out – starting this week!
Beet greens * Chicory * Chard * Endive * Kale, flat green * Kale, curly * Lamb’s lettuce * Lettuce, Batavia * Lettuce, Cos * Lettuce, flat * Lettuce, iceberg * Mizuna * Rocket (arugula) * Spinach * Turnip greens * Basil * Chervil * Chickweed * Chive * Comfrey leaves * Coriander * Dandelion * Dillweed * Garlic mustard * Lovage * Mallow * Marjoram * Mint * Nettle * Oregano * Parsley * Peppermint * Purslane * Raspberry leaf * Rosemary * Sage * Salad burnet * Shepherd’s purse * Sorrel * Spearmint * Watercress * Wild celery * Wild garlic * Yarrow
3: Green Soups
Green Soups are similar to green smoothies but are thicker, and obviously are looked on as meals rather than drinks. There are some great green soup recipes around. One of my personal favourites is Green Ginger Soup which goes like this… Simply take the following ingredients and blend in your food processor, blender or Vita-Mix until smooth: 1 cup diced tomatoes, ½ cup water, 2 cups spinach, ½ avocado, ½-inch fresh ginger, juice of ½ lemon, 1Tbsp olive oil. Serves 1. It’s truly delicious.
4: Take a Walk on the Wild Side
It’s rarely mentioned but I need to here – it’s vital for all of us to eat wild greens. These greens are (for the most part) as natural and potent as you’re going to get because they’re (typically) untouched by man and have not been treated in any way. So arm yourself with a guide book such as Food for Free and a carrier bag (and gloves if you’re going to pick nettles) and take yourself off for a walk to your nearest wood, farm or leafy park and see what you can find. Of course the great thing about this route is that the food is free, abundant and it’s going to be fresh, fresh, fresh! AND you really feel the difference when you eat wild foods – they’re electric! Great in juices, smoothies, various savoury recipes and of course any salads too.
5: Green Juices
Green juices are of course another great way to get the greens in. The difference between smoothies and juices is fibre – juices have no fibre, whereas smoothies have ALL of the fibre, however, if you find smoothies too bulky or you just don’t like them, then juicing is a great alternative. The secret of a good green juice is to work with 1–3 strong green leaves such as kale, spinach, watercress, parley, wheatgrass etc, then add cucumber and/or celery for more liquid and extra vitamins and minerals, and if you feel your juice needs sweetening, add a little apple, pear, carrot, red bell pepper, lemon or lime. There’s nothing like a green juice for lifting your energy and mind, especially first thing in the morning. Don’t forget, to juice greens you need a juicer that is capable of handling them, such as a Green Star – most centrifugals won’t be able to handle them.
6: Herbs
Herbs are nature’s medicine and also one of the chef’s best allies. Herbs are so delicious and so fresh tasting that I encourage you to eat fresh herbs at least once per day. Add them to your smoothies, juices, to your salads and your savoury recipes. Line your window sills with them, they look stunning! Fresh herbs really do make all the difference.
7: Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is the mother of all greens, really. There are many ways you can take wheatgrass, but obviously freshly juiced is best. For more information about wheatgrass, including the many ways to take it and its benefits, click here.
8: The Kale & Avocado Salad!
I’ve published this recipe a number of times but for those who missed it, you can watch me demo it in person right here. This salad is something that I rave about constantly. Everyone who tries it seems to adore it AND then goes on to incorporate it into their everyday life, not just now and again but daily! Why? Because it’s quick, easy and delicious and very versatile AND it enables you to happily eat tons of dark leafy greens! This is what you do:
Finely chop as much kale as you think you can eat plus a little more (it shrinks). Make the pieces fairly small, say 1–2cm square, and set aside in a bowl. Then pour on some olive oil (flax oil is good too, as are others) and sprinkle on a little good quality salt such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan Crystal Salt, or Herbamare. Next, massage the oil and salt into the leaves until the kale becomes ‘wilted’ and glistens. At this point the kale suddenly appears extremely appetizing and you can start to see the potential! Next add half to one avocado and massage that in to the leaves as well. Now you have coated kale. Next, give a good squeeze of lemon juice and mix it all in by hand. Taste test. Add more lemon if you want/need to. Finally, add in your favourite ingredients. For me this means sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, occasionally spring onions (scallions), and sometimes I’ll sprinkle on some garlic or onion powder, or even curry powder! Whatever takes your fancy. And sometimes I dress it with a cup of macadamias blended with ½ cup water and onion powder added. When you have all your ingredients well mixed in, sample a little and add anything that you think might be missing (highly unlikely!) and then sit down, exhale and enjoy!
9: The Superfood Smoothie
Superfood smoothies are never going to be as good as real live fresh green smoothies, but when your fridge is bare then turn to your cupboards and pull out your Nature’s Living Superfood (Vita Mineral Greens in USA) or other favourite green superfood powder and whip up a smoothie with it and other chosen ingredients.
10: Your Own Special Way
Each of us develops favourite ways of doing things over time. Periodically, for example, I will take E3 Live or wheatgrass juice, and then ‘let go of it’ when my body no longer asks for it. Similarly, green superfoods work the same way, as do herbs and all manner of other raw foods in my dietary vocabulary. Follow your own way with greens, whatever that way is, adding more into your daily regime can only be a very good thing!’
© 2012 Karen Knowler
Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” – a free weekly ezine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at The Raw Food Coach.
Something to Love – Raw Buckinis!
I used to love eating cereal out of a cup.
There, I said it. I confess.
But since pretty much moving away from consuming grains and cow’s milk, I don’t often get the chance to re-live that naughty little snack, unless I purchase a raw muesli (a ‘grawnola’) and have it with nut-milk.
When I was at the health-food store this week I noticed this new product from one of my favourite companies (Loving Earth).
It’s a bag of ’organic activated buckinis’, and I nabbed myself the ‘deluxe’ version.
Let me just reveal the ingredient rundown:
- caramelised buckwheat (agave syrup, mesquite powder, cinnamon, maca powder, Himalayan crystal salt)
- sour cherries
- goji berries
- white mulberries
- cacao nibs
- caramelised pecans
- coconut chips
- Incan berries
Is your mouth watering? Oh, and by the way, buckwheat isn’t actually a type of wheat, and it’s not a grain, either. It’s a type of fruit, and it’s super good for you.
Just before I had my first taste of this, I listened to a WISH Summit call with the beautiful, wise Shakaya Leone of Earth Empress, who reminded us of how wonderful it is to SLOW DOWN and absolutely savour, treasure, each mouthful of food we take.
So I tipped the buckini mix into a small bowl, and doused it with fresh almond milk. And you really don’t need much of a decadent little treat like this – the bowl in the earlier pic is very small (that’s a teaspoon resting in it).
From the very first mouthful, I made sure I savoured the sublime flavours (including the dense, rich flavour of the tiny cacao nibs) and textures (crunchy and chewy), and appreciated just what a luxury it is. Oh my goodness, it was good. Very, very good.
And we all know what feeling very, very good does for one’s vibration, don’t we?!
Do you have ‘something to love’? A little treat that you look forward to every day? (And hey, if it’s a healthy treat, all the better!)
I’d love to hear what it is that you love to treat yourself with. Just leave a comment below.
PS If you live in Australia, I’d recommend trying a Loving Earth product as one of your treats – they’re mostly organic, and taste fabulous.
When You WISH…
We women are a pretty powerful bunch, even if we sometimes don’t think so.
In celebration of International Women’s Day this month, Tera Warner has put together 40 phenomenal people to speak to women – for 40 days.
It’s a free celebration of women and our lives, with inspirational guest speakers such as Bruce Lipton, SARK, Nadine Artemis, Gary Zukav, Donna Gates, Shakaya Leone and many, many more. Topics run the gamut from relationships to health and money to spirituality.
This is the third year that Tera has run WISH, and this year’s line-up of content is just as fabulous as in recent years.
The calls have already started, but once you register, you can download any of the calls and listen to them whenever you like! (And remember, they’re free – it’s not often you can access high-quality content like this at no cost.)
I urge you to head over to WISH to register, and prepare to be illuminated and inspired by these amazing interviews.
Get Your Green On!
Mmm, looks good, doesn’t it?
This smoothie from a new book by a former client of mine, Kristine Miles. And I’d love to share the recipe with you!
(If you’re a subscriber to my ezine, you would have received this recipe in the March ezine – these are the sorts of goodies you receive as a subscriber! Simply leave your name and primary email in the box on the top right of this page.)
Here it is. It tastes as good as it looks:
Ingredients
- 1 mango
- greens (any dark leafy greens such as Swiss chard/silverbeet or spinach)
- 2 oranges
- 1 cup water
- passion fruit pulp, to top the finished smoothie
Method
- Peel and cube the mango , and place the flesh in a blender.
- Add the greens (if you’re new to greens, just use 1 cup’s worth – the smoothie in the photo uses 2 cups), and then the oranges (chopped) and water.
- Blend until smooth, and serve in a glass with the passion fruit pulp on top.
Kris has over 300 more green smoothies for you to try in The Green Smoothie Bible: 300 Delicious Recipes
There is a HEAP of super-clear, easy-to-read explanatory information, as well 300 recipes divided up by season or for particular health concerns. Kris is a physiotherapist on Victoria’s beautiful Phillip Island, and has been involved in the raw food and health movement for years.
She knows the health-giving powers of green smoothies, and she’s packed this highly accessible and inspirational book with ideas and wisdom to help you really enjoy these super-nutritious drinks.
Now, try the recipe and let me know what you think – leave a comment below!
Sugar, What is It Good For?
Guess what I’ve been reading lately? My latest bedside reading is this bold book – Sweet Poison, by Australian David Gillespie. It’s been out since 2008, but I heard about it on my recent summer holidays, through some friends who live in Queensland.
It’s been a riveting read. The author lost 40 kilos simply by cutting sugar (well, the fructose type of sugar) out of his diet.
In the world of ‘law of attraction’, it’s often said that if you believe something will or won’t harm you, then your belief will play itself out. So, if you don’t believe that sugar will make you fat, then you won’t get fat.
However, I beg to differ with this view. I believe that certain chemical reactions take place in the human body when we imbibe or ingest certain drinks or foods. Individual reactions will vary based upon a person’s biochemistry, but there are prevailing trends. We’re all human, after all, and are bound to react in similar ways to an oversupply of a certain toxin.
And so, with sugar, we now know that an oversupply of sugar does harm to the human body. You know it, and I know it!
This book, written by a layperson (ie, someone not in the medical or nutrition fields), explains WHY sugar is so bad for us, looking at trends in health over the past few hundred years (and with detail about the last 100 years).
David explains concepts in a clear and humorous way, although it may still take a bit of brainpower to get your head around some of the terminology.
If you know of someone who is carrying extra body weight, then tell them about this book. I’ve loved reading it because it reinforces much of what I believe about health, but I’ve also learned a few things! While my diet is pretty good, I know there are still a few areas for improvement.
Life can be all the sweeter when we look after ourselves!
PS Yep, fruit contains fructose, but its high fibre content prevents most people from overindulging in it. Soft drinks, however…
From Earth & Water
In case you don’t know me by now, I love eating (and drinking) raw food. Doing so is a SUPERB way to feel great and keep your vibration high. Oh, and it tastes fantastic.
So any time I find an opportunity to visit a raw-food restaurant – meaning that I don’t have to prepare the food! – I take it.
While on vacation on Queensland’s Gold Coast recently, I visited a fantastic raw-food restaurant called From Earth & Water.
It was recommended to me by my super tech dude, Jimmy Gilker. Last year, Jimmy had been living in northern New South Wales and had driven up to this Queensland restaurant a few times. He raved about it. He was right to rave.
I headed there one hot, sunshiney day with my dear friend Tracey. That’s Tracey in the pic above, enjoying the refreshing green juice that featured pineapple juice and a dash of spirulina. SO good. We also ordered a mango, banana and coconut-water smoothie… so thick and creamy, and full of smooth flavour.
We then shared this gorgeous main meal – it’s a Summer Vegetable stack with ‘almond herb crisps layered between sundried tomato cheese, caramelised shallots, broad beans and zucchini wedges served with salsa puttanesca, basil aioli and organic leaves’. My goodness. My mouth is watering just looking at this photo, remembering the intense, rich flavours and satisfying textures.
I have a heap of almond meal in the freezer (left over from batches of nut milk), so I plan on having a go at making dehydrated ‘almond herb crisps’ myself! If they work out, I’ll feature them in an upcoming edition of my ezine (if you’re not already a subscriber, just leave your deets in the box on the top right of this page).
And, my friends, for the magnificent ending to our meal – a generous slice of Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. I mean, look at it! Chocolatey, silky, rich… heavenly. And without all the dairy, wheat and refined sugar that features in traditional cooked cheesecakes.
I think people sometimes don’t realise that raw food can be just as rich and flavoursome as cooked foods – and it’s usually a LOT healthier. I wouldn’t go crazy overindulging in raw cheesecakes, but trying nut-based cheeses and sumptuous juice combinations is something we can all add to our everyday menus. Along with plenty of green leaves, of course!
If you’re ever on Queensland’s Gold Coast, I would HIGHLY recommend taking yourself to From Earth & Water. Its opening hours are limited, so check out the website for details.
PS I was also very impressed with how the chef worked in the very limited space he had available. Everything was so neat and clean and orderly – it inspired me to get my raw kitchen working more smoothly!
An Abundant Garden
My parents-in-law are pretty amazing gardeners. Everything they grow seems to flourish.
On our recent stay with them in my old hometown in Queensland, I got to see how ‘my lime tree’ was doing – when my husband and I moved down to Victoria about 15 years ago, I left my potted lime tree with my parents-in-law to look after. They planted it in the ground, and it now produces so many limes that they end up giving away bags full to friends.
Although lime season was nearly over, they’d left one ripe lime on the tree for me to pick. That’s it in the photo above. Isn’t it a beauty? I enjoyed the juice from that in my morning glasses of water.
I also admire how resourceful and thrifty my in-laws are in the garden. My father-in-law created the below lettuce planter out of an old upturned refrigerator, painting it green and adding bits of flexible plastic across the top to serve as holders for protective mesh (for when those snails and birds come a-hunting!). Clever, huh?
Behind the lettuce planter are tomato, beetroot and butter bean plants. As usual, they end up with huge gluts of vegies, and give many of those away, too! And of course, they use home-made compost as fertiliser.
One of their neighbours recently found an unopened packet of Yates tomato seeds in his old garden shed, and the date on the packet was from 1940! He decided to try planting the seeds, and they germinated, creating masses of tomatoes with a slightly different flavour to those you buy in the stores these days.
While we were there, my father-in-law planted eight seeds from one of those heirloom tomatoes, and they all germinated. They’ve since given us some seeds, so we’re going to try them in our garden next summer. I can’t wait.
I just love how abundant nature is – and how we can have bucketloads of fresh, organic fruits and vegies for only a few dollars when we take the time to grow them ourselves.
If I’ve inspired you to get growing in your garden, you might like my fantastic (if I do say so) organic gardening-recipe book called I’m Hungry, Let’s Grow It!. It’s a kid’s book, but, really, it’s great how-to guide for beginner adults, too. With two recipes for each of the 14 featured fruits, vegetables and herbs.
I’m now putting thought into what winter vegies we’ll grow this year – more kale and spinach, no doubt, for all those vitamin- and mineral-packed green smoothies!
I wonder what my father-in-law is planning on growing…
How to Win ‘Raw Food Made Simple’!
The power of raw foods is incredible.
They’ve been known to help people lose weight, to cure or reduce symptoms of disease, and to make skin glow and give your energy a huge boost. They bring out your inner ‘gorgeous’ – just look at the picture of raw food coach Karen Knowler, above!
You’ll know from my 7 Ways to Recharge Your Vibration & Attract the Riches of Life ebooklet that raw foods contain life force and are chock-full of vitamins and minerals. Eating more raw helps you live life to the full.
(If you don’t have the 7 Ways ebooklet, you can downloaded for free by popping your details in the box on this page.)
Are you new to the concept of raw foods? Would you like to know more?
Then I have a beautiful gift for you.
I’m giving away a copy of Karen Knowler’s funky little book called Raw Food Made Simple.
It’s a beginner’s guide to raw food – its beautiful, full-colour pages explain everything you’ll need to know, in a very accessible way. You’ll be shown how to transition to a way of eating that includes more raw foods, and about the low-cost equipment you could use to help makes your food even more delicious!
You can find out more about this book here.
If you’d like to go into the draw to win a copy of this amazing book, simply leave a comment below by the end of this weekend, letting me know your biggest concern about your health, and a ranking out of 10 for how good you feel most of the time (0 being ‘feeling awful’, and 10 being ‘leaping of my skin with energy and a sense of supreme wellbeing’).
Remember, you need to let me know both your health concern and your ranking in order to go in the draw.
I’ll announce the winner on Monday! (You might even receive the book in time for Christmas.)
How to Bring Back Your ‘Bubbly’!
You know, sometimes life can seem pretty darn hard.
Everything can be going along swimmingly, and then you realise you feel completely overwhelmed. Or you have a few disappointments, and you start spiralling down into a real slump, finding it hugely difficult to summon the energy and enthusiasm to get back on track.
So, how can you bring back your ‘bubbly’? Your sparkle, your fizz, your joie de vivre?
Just wait it out and hope things will get better? Or summon up the strength to start taking positive action?
Well, you can bet that I’d recommend taking action! Yep, waiting has its virtues, but taking action will make things happen waaay faster.
Here are three powerful ideas to help you ‘course correct’, and start an upward spiral that puts you back on track. These have helped me, and I hope they help you, too.
1. Start with your health.
Often, we get stuck in a rut because we’re exhausted and overwhelmed (this has happened for me more times than I care to remember). All we really need is more sleep, more water, fewer junk foods and a bit of a breather from the number of activities or obligations we’ve taken on. So, let’s do that!
To avoid feeling that implementing healthier, empowering habits is going to add to your overwhelm, try a ‘just for seven days’ commitment – do one small, positive ‘thing’ for your health for just seven days. Believe me, you’ll notice the difference, and you may well be ‘on a roll’ and want to continue with this fabulous, healthy new habit.
2. Become all ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ and think of tomorrow as a brand new day. (Because it is.)
You don’t need to live a ‘groundhog day’ type of existence. Every day has the potential to be fantastic, even if, from where you are now, you can’t even imagine that.
Tomorrow, as soon as you open your eyes, smile and think to yourself: ‘today is going to be a good day, and I’m going to look for evidence of that!’.
Oh, a word of warning. When you do this, you may well notice that your usual ‘programming’ pops up to sabotage you. After all, your subconscious mind wants to keep you safe, and if you’re trying to implement change (even if it’s positive), it may be fiercely resistant. Just thank your subconscious for protecting you, but swallow hard and keep acting as though you absolutely expect positive results.
3. Gain a fresh perspective.
This is so effective. I even find that this technique works when I’m struggling to go to sleep (I’m a ‘night owl’ by nature, so if I haven’t done sufficient winding down before bedtime, I find it difficult to get to sleep). I sometimes notice that I’m lying on one side of my body, going over and over the things I want to remember, analysing situations… it’s exhausting, and keeps my mind spinning!
So, when that happens, I remind myself that I can change perspective and break the loop. I roll over onto my other side, jot down notes that I want to remember, and let myself recognise that I’ve chosen to break the cycle. Lying on this new side, I can start afresh and choose to start relaxing my body and mind.
When it comes to getting back your ‘bubbly’ and feeling positive about life, what if you went for a drive in the country? What if you lay down on the floor (or sat on a hill, surveying what’s below you) and thought about your life from that perspective? What if you did your grocery shopping in a different store? Or started your day with a slightly different routine?
My friend, it’s going to take a bit of a ‘push’ to get over a hump. Be gentle with yourself, but very firm. Your happiness depends on it!
If you’ve been stuck in a slump, I hope that just one of these ideas propels you back along the track to ‘bubbly’!
Note: if you try all of the above and still can’t bring yourself to a state of positivity, you might well need the help of a counsellor or psychologist. Or if you’re utterly, physically exhausted and can’t seem to regain your energy, take yourself off for a health check – see a doctor, or a natural health practitioner (such as Dr Ritamarie Loscalzo, at www.drritamarie.com).
Joanne's coaching was exactly what I needed to help me focus my precious time and money on finding work and making money! What I like most about Joanne’s coaching is that it's gentle, supportive and empathetic, rather than pushy and 'ra-ra-ra'”
...if there’s something that you’ve been putting off doing, because it’s so big and overwhelming, then by coaching with Joanne you'll definitely find a way to do it, to finally reach your goal.”
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