Mindful Choices

The Ooops!

Over the weekend, I made some "food" choices that didn't agree with me. I have a slight sensitivity to gluten, so when I overdue it with those types of food I know what to do. But I didn't think sugar would set me up for a full blown allergic reaction!

Friday night was my friend's 30th birthday. I was VERY good about spacing my drinks out and drank water; however, I made the mistake of drinking sugary, mixed drinks. Don't get me wrong they were very delicious! Fresh blueberry mojitos, mmmmmmm! I had 2 of those; an hour before those I had a mandarin vodka and sprite (that was mmmmm too). So I had a total of 3 drinks all evening, and I was the slowest drinker out of the 5 people I was with.

It was the next morning where it hit me hard, with the pulsing headache, low energy, and feeling like a bag o' bricks. I also felt dehydrated, which puzzled me for a moment because I thought I drank lots of water all evening and even more when I got home. But, of course, those drinks trick your body! By mid-late afternoon, I became super sluggish, so I rested, continued to hydrate, and ate fresh foods as meals. Although, I didn't have much of an appetite, so fluids it was.

I felt better Sunday morning and into the afternoon, but it was in the late afternoon where I made another mistake. After cat sitting in Berkeley, I headed back into the city to meet up with a friend. On the bridge, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, I realized I was SUPER, FREAKIN' HUNGRY! When I got to the cafe where I was meeting my friend, I ordered a sandwich, which came with chips, and it was gone pretty quickly (The Oops!). An hour later, I still felt fine, and my friend and I went to visit another friend of ours. Later on, dinnertime came and where do we go? A burrito place. Of course, I'm looking at the corn taco (gluten-free), but then our friends start raving about the veggie burrito's amazing yummy-ness, so I gave in.

Bad idea!

I ate the whole thing :( Then about a 45 minutes later when I got home, I had a sneezing fit like no other. My nose clogged up, but there was nothing to blow out with a tissue. I sat on the couch, miserable, started to scold myself for eating what I ate. Lots of judgment there, but I said to myself, "hey, ya made a mistake eating that burrito. Oh well. Let's be extra mindful with our eating this week."

I realized the sugary drinks from Friday set me up for this reaction, as well as staying up late, hence, the lack of sleep. It lowered my immunity big time, and now I need to detox and cleanse.

The solution? Gluten-free diet this week! Also, no alcohol and no processed sugar. I'm eating fresh foods, Amazing Grass Green Superfood, nothing processed, for the rest of week. It doesn't help that I'm going to a wedding this weekend, but at least I know I can do something about it now and be more mindful about what I drink and what I eat.

The Insight
We all fall back on our vices and bad habits. It's okay, as long as we're aware of it. If we know something isn't good for us, we can really start to inquire within and begin to make more mindful choices around the behavior we want to change.

So when you encounter whatever vice/habit it is that may create discomfort or imbalance in your body (caffeine, sugary foods, nicotine, drama, etc) take a moment to pause;

-Take a deep breath;

-Notice how your body feels at the moment;

-Track all sensations in the body

Once you've taken that moment (and believe me it only takes a moment!), then make your choice, BUT without judgment. If you start to judge yourself, be with it. What are the emotions around the judgment? It can be uncomfortable, but if you want to make a change in your lifestyle, it's about confronting and acknowledging what comes up. Ask for support from a friend or health practitioner. You don't have to do it alone. There are others who feel the same way, and struggle with their own bad habits. Be the change you want to be.

Letting go of....

I'm feeling very melancholy on this foggy, wet Monday morning. I would like to say it's because of the weather; or that it's PMS. But I feel something within me that's letting go. Something that's not serving me anymore, but isn't exactly ready to leave. It's old. It's from the past. It's heavy.

It is an old way of being that needs acknowledgment; to be heard; to be understood; and to be loved. Although, I don't exactly know what it is right now, it's okay. I'm okay with that. There's no judgment. Just inquiry. Why does my abdomen feel fluttery? Why does my heart ache? Why can't I just let go?

That last question can really charge me, especially if someone asks me that from a place of anger or frustration. Is it really me, or is it something the other person can't let go of? Then again, it's okay to be angry; and it's unfortunate not everyone expresses their anger. It usually gets bottled up inside, and then explodes.

I wish I knew how to just "let go" of a feeling, thought, or situation. When I can't, that's when I know I need time to process the emotions because once I can do that, whatever it is that's eating me up, will evaporate and flow away. I will sit quietly and meditate, do yoga, talk to a friend, journal, or just cry.

I recognize my needs. I also do my best to recognize others' needs. But in any relationship, are we suppose to be mind-readers? I do my best to recognize this, but if I don't and it's important to that person, is it my responsibility to weed it out of them, or can the other play their part in expressing their needs?

These are just questions, and I'm asking them without blaming or judgment. I don't want to label anybody the "bad guy", so I can be the "good guy". That's not what it's about.

I feel we could all take more responsibility for our actions and emotions. I feel we could all be more open, honest, and authentic about how we really feel in the moment. Not a day, week, month or year ago. I feel it's important because we ALL matter. Everything we're about, matters, especially when we're in a relationship; at work; with our family; and to ourselves.

So my affirmations today are:

-I choose to learn
-I let go

These affirmations are from a VERY favorite blog I follow called The Daily Love. Click here to read the post that inspired me to write this one.

In love and light,
-Liz

When things are good....

when things are good, we try and find something that's bad. why do we do this? you could drive yourself crazy asking yourself that question. i know things are good because i have all my basic needs met. then there are those old things that may be appear that trigger those old emotions. it's like the body's memory kicks when someone or something triggers those old files that are stored deep within us. lately, i just observe. i observe when things are good and when they are not so good. but are there things that are bad? aren't they just an experience that falls within our path for a reason? can we be grateful in the moment or bitter to the end? it really is hard. it really is choice. working on yourself is no picnic in the park. this is something that i've been doing for the past ten years, since i started studying yoga, massage, energywork, and the movement arts. i've gotten deeper into it and within myself. but what i find hard, along with other people, is to find the good in everything that happens. initially, we automatically go into the "bad" mode about whatever just happened, instead of taking a moment to breathe, and look at the situation from a distance.

so i try to acknowledge the good in everything and everyone, no matter how much i want to go into judgment or blame. because essentially those judgments we're putting on others are really onto yourself. blaming others is really blaming yourself. this can be hard to hear and i feel my stomach cringe just a little writing it. i know if i love and accept myself i can love and accept others. again. it's hard. it's a process. it's a journey.

i say start small. take a moment when you wake up every morning and name one thing you're grateful for. something that really is "good" in your life. then breathe deeply into it.