I like this nice little reminder from DailyOM on having breaks when you’re going hard. I’m a big fan of having light and shade in life. To sprint and rest. It’s hard to remember to create these contrasts, sometimes.
A New Approach
Taking a Break from What You Are Doing
Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we wind up going round in round in circles, finding it difficult to concentrate on things and, because we are so distracted, not really accomplishing much. There may be signals˜mental, emotional, and physical˜that tell us we need to slow down and relax. Since we are so involved in things that are external to us, however, we may easily overlook what is really going on inside of us. It is during these times that we need to step back from the things that occupy our minds and take time out to connect with our inner self, giving our minds, bodies, and spirits the time they need to reenergize and heal.
So. Today. I start filming my new TV show. First day. I’ve lost my voice and I’m up to here with snot and flueyness. I’ll post again soon about the new show -it’s all secret squirrels for now (wherever did that phrase come from?!!). For now I can tell you it’s about nutrition…a pet topic of mine. As I’ve mentioned here, I’m studying integrative nutrition at the moment. I graduate as a health coach in October.
Anyway, I was at my mate Rosie’s house for dinner over the weekend, eating brown rice. I hope you won’t mind me saying this, but she reckons the stuff upsets her stomach – gas, runs to the loo, and the like. You too?
OK, here’s the solution plus some tips on how to make cooking with brown rice easier and healthier, bearing in mind the wholegrain version of anything is always 9485749 times more nutritious. The outer brans contain the fatty acids and also ensure slower digestion, providing more sustained energy.
1. always always always soak brown rice
The husk of brown rice is full of phytic acid. It’s a naturally occurring organic acid. But here’s the thing.
Hello everyone, thanks so much for all the happy tips from Sunday’s post on Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project. All of them, caring, creative replies. Thank you!! Gretchen just got back to me with her verdict: Let’s see…so hard, so many of them are great, and a good cup of tea is always a good idea … Read more
* Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help break it down and flush it out of your body. Cosmetics absorb directly.
* Women who use make-up on a daily basis can absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals into their bodies each year.
A stack of you wanted to know what to buy, what to look for.So here’s some extra info:
1. The best advice I can give:
Use less products.
Then…
Check out Good Guide. And download their iphone app. The site surveys 16,000 products and lists the best in each category. And the worst. The FREE app allows you to scan barcodes and they give you a rating out of 10. If you live in the US, you should definitely use it. I spent an afternoon going through my products and not all of them are recognised.
Me, I’m not tossing the stuff I already have…that’s a waste. I’m using it up and will gradually replace with safer alternatives, researching as I go. Which I’m glad to read is also the No More Dirty Looks chicks’ approach. I’m working through my cosmetics stash, with my main approach being to use products with as FEW INGREDIENTS AS POSSIBLE. I do the same with food. So, Triology Rosehip oil and lavender oil (on my spots) are a good start. I’m also going to start using Natural Instinct products* – Australian made and totally committed to this kind of cause. My sister-in-law swears by it.
* Although update: see reader Vanessa’s comments below. Sigh…
2. Avoid fragrance, just avoid fragrance.
One artificial fragrance can contain hundreds—even thousands—of chemicals, and fragrances are a major cause of allergic reactions. When a product lists “fragrance” or “parfum” as an ingredient, run the other way. Companies are not obliged to tell you what exactly it is that’s making it smelly… it’s Russian roulette. And, yes, this applies to perfumes…they are stenchy endocrine disruptors. Not convinced? Read this.
3. Read the label and avoid these ingredients:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. This is a really good starting point. Anything with SLS…high-tail from it – it’s a common ingredient in anti-freeze and engine degreasers. For a full rundown,seeDr Mercola‘s site.
Gretchen Rubin calls it her “Beautiful House” moment. As in, “This is not my beautiful house”, the existential lament from the Talking Heads hit “Once in a Lifetime”. Gretchen’s life was ticking along just fine. She had a beautiful house. Two kids. And all the rest. But she woke one day with that feeling of discontent and disbelief and asked, Is this it? Is this me?
It wasn’t. There was more she yearned for and so she set off on The Happiness Project, which launched – as everything does these days – as a blog in March 2006. I’ve been following it for years, often somewhat bewildered by the Cartesian precision with which she pulls apart the bumbling ways we humans happen upon happiness. She’s written thousands of posts over the course of her journey, attracting a monthly following of 300,000 readers. She’s a regular on the American morning TV circuit, contributes to the Huffington Post and has turned her findings into a number one bestselling book that sat on the New York Times list for 18 weeks (and it’s released her this month).
Sweet bonus on a Sunday: I’M GIVING AWAY THREE COPIES of the book today to three readers generous enough to share what they think makes human’s happy. A simple tip will do. I’ll get Gretchen to pick the winners!
Which begs: after such a long, imbedded journey, what’s the one take-home-wrapped-in-ribbon-with-warrantee trick that has resonated with her disciples? What, dear Gretchen, moves us beyond our beautiful house and makes us happy?
On Monday I posed this very question. Gretchen’s response down the phone from New York? You ready for it?
I like the idea. Not so keen on the execution. But let’s focus on the idea and intention. The Australian Youth Climate Coalition have launched Nag Your Nan day, encouraging all of us to talk to our grandparents about environmental issues ahead of the election. It’s kind of a local version of the American one … Read more
I think one of the most juicily satisfying and yet simple tricks for feeling pretty damn happy with yourself is to go see a movie on your own. It’s a big deal. Then you realise it’s a no-brainer (no one sees you in there, you’re completely occupied). Then you come out and want to high-five yourself royally because you just overcame a big deal.
Alone is not lonely
Far from it. Aloneness is an antidote for loneliness. When you sit alone, you get to know yourself. You like yourself a bit for doing it. Then you can like everyone else a bit more, too. And you connect. Aloneness fixes loneliness. I’m never more lonely than when I’m in a crowded room and “I” am lost in the din of it all.
A little while alone in your room will prove more valuable than anything else that could ever be given you. –Rumi
Experiment playfully
I recommend the solo movie thing to anyone who feels they’re losing themselves in the din of life. Doing things on your own is so healing. Concertedly doing them – as a fun experiment? – is wonderful practice for coming home to yourself. You’ve done the movie thing? What about going out to dinner alone? What I like about it (and I’ve done it often): the slightly prickly awareness that you are doing something a little out of place brings your awareness smack back onto what you’re doing. It encourages mindfulness. It also makes you feel rather unique for Being Someone Who Can Dine Solo. A little smug, a little soulfully special.
I feel the same way about solitude as some people feel about the blessing of the church. It’s the light of grace for me. I never close my door behind me without the awareness that I am carrying out an act of mercy toward myself. –Peter Høeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Push yourself. (dance?)
Have you seen this video of artist Tanya Davis’ poem “How to Be Alone”? It’s really rather kooky and delicate. I got swept up in the very Miranda July-esque aesthetic of it. She takes the “doing things on your own” one step further: she goes dancing alone.
And, you know what, this weekend – gulp – I’m going to do the same. I shall report back.
I like these quotes from her poem: “If you are at first, lonely, be patient. Just wait. You’ll find it’s fine to be alone, once you embrace it.”
As an additional thought, posted a few hours after I first put this up, I like this: Reader “Teresa” has commented that when she’s sad she goes on Youtube and looks up laughing babies. I read this and loved how particular and sweet this was. It really is funny what we find around us that … Read more
I think I’m getting old. I’m about to quote Neil Young lyrics at you. Darnnit, I’ve posted a YouTube clip of the old guy singing this classic track. As a kid, Dad used to play Neil Young on Saturday afternoons when we cleaned the house. And Credence Clearwater and Deep Purple. I happened to see … Read more
It’s ugly and lumpy and mostly people don’t know what it is when they see it at the shops. But I love turmeric. Even if it does stain every device in my kitchen a bright yellow.
Know this: more and more studies are showing it beats inflammation. And fights cancer. I eat it as often as I can and it’s made major inroads into my puffiness from that damn ole thyroid disease. SO MUCH SO, MY RECENT TEST RESULTS WHICH I GOT BACK YESTERDAY SHOW I’VE REDUCED MY ANTIBODIES TO NORMAL LEVELS. It wasn’t just turmeric. But it was from diet! Yes. It can be done. PLEASE be heartened by this. Read more about how I heal my auto-immune disease here.
Turmeric has been called one of nature’s most powerful healers.
