You know, I am not the type to tell you to suppress your feelings. I actually welcome the sharing .. or the jabber. Whatever it is that you have lingering inside .. whether it be love, irritation, pain or utter joy, share it. Voice your feelings. I think that we have spent too much time learning to “be quiet” and be “appropriate”. Well who’s to say that it is improper to honor yourself and what you feel by articulating it. Remember you are not responsible for OTHER PEOPLE’s feelings. You cannot sacrifice yourself for the sake of saving others and their own suppressed emotions. We have to retrain ourselves. Gain a new perspective on how we feel and define the reaction taking place within us. The problem with us is that we don’t know what we are feeling. Take the time to truly understand what you are going through. Define your emotions and blurt it out. Once you do this, you have to be prepared to elaborate on it though. It’s actually fairly easy. We have been doing it since we’ve learned how to talk: “I’m cold”, “I’m hungry”, “I’m hurt” so on and so forth.
“As you prepare to acknowledge your feelings aloud, gently remind yourself that being specific is an important part of exercising control. Whatever the nature of your feelings, carefully define the reaction taking place within you. If you are afraid of a situation or intimidated by an individual, try not to mince your words while giving voice and life to your anxiety. The precision with which you express yourself is indicative of your overall willingness to stare your feelings in the face without flinching”. You have the right to express YOU.
The longing and the ambiguity will soon diminish and you will feel a sense of liberation. No matter the reaction of the other individual, you have the right to express what is within and they have the right to know so that they can make a better decision about what it is they now have to face … with or without you.
~ Be free. Be honest. Be vocal .. especially with yourself.
So Here I was about to dive into my DailyOm and long and behold … what a perfect article for me. Here’s what I saw ….
November 9, 2011 Fuel that Nurtures Eating Right to Feel Better
What we eat and drink can have a powerful effect on our ability to focus, mental clarity, mood, and stress levels.
At its simplest, food is fuel. Though our preferences regarding taste and texture can vary widely, we all rely on the foods we eat for energy. Most people are aware that it is vital we consume a diverse assortment of foods if we aspire to maintain a state of physical well-being. However, the intimate connection between diet and our mental well-being is less understood. Just as the nutritional components in food power the body, so too do they power the mind. Some foods can impair cognitive functioning and sap our energy while others heighten our intellectual prowess and make us feel vigorous. What we eat and drink can have a powerful effect on our ability to focus, mental clarity, mood, and stress levels.
Food allergies, which don’t always manifest themselves in forms we recognize, can also play a significant role in the maintenance of mental health. Thus, for most of us, even a simple change in diet can have a profoundly positive impact on our lives. Taking the time to explore whether anxiety, muddled thoughts, or inexplicable tension can be linked to a food allergy or food sensitivity can empower you to treat your symptoms naturally. The benefits of a healthier, more personalized diet are often felt immediately. Sugar, saturated fats, wheat, and dairy products are frequently allergens and can stress the body. For people that are allergic, consuming them can cause imbalances in the physical self that have a negative effect on the body’s ability to nourish the brain. Water, fiber, nuts, unprocessed seeds, raw fruits and vegetables, and vegetable proteins, on the other hand, support physical and mental functioning by providing those nutrients we do need without additional substances we don’t.
A balanced, natural diet can ease mood swings, panic attacks, anxiety, and mild depression. Intellectual clarity and agility is improved when the mind receives proper nourishment. Even those individuals who are blessed with the ability to consume almost any food can benefit from a healthier and simpler diet. Since the mental and physical selves are closely bound to one another, we must feed each the foods upon which they thrive.
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This article is printed from DailyOM – Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day.
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So I have to say … because of my commitment to eating clean and truly investing the time to obtain more and more knowledge about what I prepare … this is the BEST Paleo TREAT!! I would love to share my beloved Paleo Fudgecake Recipe: 18oz Organic Vegan Chocolate Chips; 1 cup Coconut Oil; ¾ cup Agave Nectar; 2 tbsp Water; ¼ tsp Himalayan SeaSalt; 6 Eggs
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler. Remove from heat when the chocolate is just fully melted. Beat in the Agave, water and salt. Beat in the eggs, one by one, until completely incorporated into the mixture. I used my FAMOUS hand blender (DO NOT try to clean off the excess chocolate in the blender and lick it off … I nearly had to give my fingertip a funeral, LOL).
Grease a 9″ springform pan and dust it with cocoa powder. Surround the base of the pan (on the outside) with foil. Pour the batter into the pan. Cook in a water bath reaching halfway up the side of the cake.
Bake at 275 for 52 minutes. Cake should be set, but still look a little shiny and wet in the middle when done. Let this chill at room temperature for about an hour, then refrigerate 5 hours before removing pan siding and serving. Cut with a clean, warm knife (run the knife under hot water and dry between slices).
Now, turn up the Style and add a little Gold Dust and serve with fresh blueberries/strawberries and garnish with a fresh mint leaf.
It’s easy to fall into the comfort of one’s life. To learn how to adapt to what you have become by merely being devoid of the purpose of what you are doing.
Today I was blessed to be here for a good friend. To be the ear that listens, the heart that aches along with theirs, the voice of reason, the sledge hammer of truth and the eyes that are open. Throughout the conversation, she kept telling me how grateful she was for me and how much she respected and loved me for bringing sense into her life … when at the end of it all, it was her that opened my eyes; that made me finally HEAR all that I was merely just listening to.
What is it about the coming to the close of another year that brings us to our knees? To go through this painful self evaluation (which usually only sees everything that we failed to accomplish or obtain in the years past). It’s funny what we put ourselves through.
The topic of conversation this evening was “Being Demotivated”. When someone puts their entire being into something, goes full force and then fizzles out … does that equal instant failure? Not necessarily. It’s merely a transition .. and an uneasy one at that. All transitions, positive and negative are uneasy. It’s up to you how you want to guide that uneasiness. You either go towards a good response or a negative reaction. You have to visualize the outcome that you would want to occur and tell the universe how it should be so that it happens.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but can only share what I know … my experience. This year was definitely a year of transition for me. I wanted to show you a timeline of that transition. When I first started out, I had a goal. It was vague, but it was real ~ I want to look like “her”. Who that “her” was ~ who knows. Just someone (anyone) that could wear whatever they wanted without the worries of a fat belly hanging over their belt; or if the color made them look even larger than they were; maybe someone that didn’t have to hide that extra inch (who were they fooling anyways?) … well, it’s not really important! I started with a Trainer, Shadow. We had a plan, a strict diet and an emotional breakdown … then we were off. I went ALL OUT! Gave all of me! I was at the gym everyday. Ate better foods. Consulted with him for every next move .. then EFFIN FIZZLED like a wet firecracker. I felt demotivated (or I simply was giving up). He taught me to understand that me fizzling out and becoming demotivated were two totally separate things. One was, my body needed rest and the other, was me giving up because I became uneasy. I was totally out of my comfort zone and didn’t know what to do with myself. See?! One just has to be able to stop and understand what they are feeling. Feel, honor that feeling, act towards what you want the outcome to be and the understanding will present itself. You know, it’s true what they say … the best way to get somewhere is one foot taking a step in front of the other (repeat ~ hahaha).
Transition is a great thing. You can’t just be stuck in one place (bad or good), it get’s boring and that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. Becoming demotivated, that’s temporary … being uneasy because of a transition in your life or attitude is amazing!! Because when one is uneasy, it promotes change. Now, make the conscious decision to make a positive change.
I’ll leave you with 3 things that I do EVERYDAY (it seems to keep me sane):
1 ~ Make my bed ~ My mother always told me, “Make your bed. Then if everything else in your day goes wrong, then at least you did one thing right.”
2 ~ My Daily Mantra: Kat, everything you say and do today, say and do it with a purpose ~ It helps me stop and smell the roses. I move so quickly and think on my toes, that life passes me by too often. If I force myself to have a purpose for all that I say, then I REALLY MEANT TO SHARE IT. If I force myself to have a purpose for all that I do, then it leads me closer to one of my goals.
3 ~ Cry ~ I cry for things that make me sad because I have lost or missed out on something or someone and it reminds to always cherish that specific experience. & I cry for all that makes me happy because I can appreciate what that was and I am overwhelmed with love and joy for it.
~ Namaste ~
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
Ok! Everyone knows that I’m super busy and am BIGGG on my 20 minute meals :)
This was truly worth the exception.. and plus, I was baking dessert while it was in the oven (LOL, of course..). I wish I could take the credit for this amazing concoction, but I got the idea from EveryDay Paleo.
Alright, Y’All ready?! Preheat the oven to 450d (this will take 45 minutes to cook). S&P your 1.5 lbs of (Organic) Chicken on both sides. In a large bowl, place 1 cup of Pesto and juice 1 whole Lemon. Stir it up, then throw in the Chicken. Make sure that the Chicken is well coated then place in a pan and straight into the oven they go.
Now for your side dish! I chopped up the Broccolini into bite size pieces (I used 8 large stems), but the original recipe called for it whole. I shall leave that up to you. In a large bowl, toss in ¼ cup of EVOO, 1 tbsp of S&P (I love heavy pepper so I added a few extra turns of the mill) & 1 tsp of Red Chili Pepper Flakes (of course, I went extra heavy for that Kat Kick that all my foods have). Add a quick squeeze of the lemon remnants used to flavor the Chicken, 3 chopped cloves of Garlic and throw in several Crimini Mushrooms & Kalamata Olives. Mix this all up then throw onto a lightly greased baking sheet (Grapeseed spray for me, please).
Once the oven timer is down to 15 minutes, place the Broccolini pan beside the Chicken Pan, in the oven and roast away. The chicken came out super moist and simply pulled apart while the veggies were roasted perfectly. I served this with my Tumaric Garlic Cauli Rice …. & if I must say so myself ~ PHENOMENAL!
I hope you take the time today to really enjoy yourself in the kitchen and prepare this wonderful meal. I think I danced to a whole CD while sipping on some Vino and toasting with those that I love enough to share this fabulous experience with.
Oh, how I’ve missed baking up new creations and sharing ‘em with you. After my LIL incident with the Cuisinart Hand Blender and my ‘lil pointer finger … I’M BACK!
Tonight, I made something very special for you: PALEO PUMPKIN MUFFINS! Ultra easy and crazy speedy. Here’s the recipe: 1st .. preheat the oven to 350d. Now .. ½ cup of Coconut Flour, ½ cup of Agave nectar, 4 heaping tbsp of (Organic) Pumpkin Puree, ¼ cup of Coconut Oil, ¼ cup of EVOO, ½ tsp Baking Soda, 1 tbsp Pure Vanilla & 6 (Farm Raised) Whole Eggs. Combine all of the ingredients and blend away.
I greased the muffin pan with my fave Grape Seed Oil Spray and served 2 tbsp for 1 muffin. I then sprinkled Hemp Seeds (Nutritional Facts: Contains all the essential Amino Acids & essential Fatty Acids to maintain healthy human life. Which no other single plant source has the essential Amino Acids in such an easily digestible form, nor has the essential Fatty Acids in as perfect ratio to meet human nutritional needs) along with Chia Seeds (Nutritional Facts: Is the only plant source that contains the highest amount of Omega-3, proven to reduce the BAD (LDL) cholesterol, a complete protein with all 9 Amino Acids and aside from several other wonderful facts .. are 100% natural, raw, non-GMO & Gluten FREE)! Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for another 5 .. THEN SERVE!!
I had mine con CAFE, of course …. AND a dabble of chocolate. I hope you enjoy this LIL TREAT <3
LIVING YOUR FULLEST LIFE 