Tag: health

Our daily routines can become sacred practices

On By mindfulinteractionLeave a comment
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Did you know that drinking from our favourite mug is a deeply grounding experience – because it gives us those feel-good vibes, that calm our nervous system, and brings us a deep sense of comfort as we drink.

So many of our repetitive actions are opportunities for SELF care, and spiritual connection, but we need to shift our focus – from mindlessly doing something – to cultivating a stronger sense of presence, and we do it by …

  • Intentionally slowing down
  • To anchor ourselves into the present moment
  • Tuning into our senses – to notice how we feel
  • Expressing gratitude for the sensation of presence
  • Becoming aware of our breath – the rhythm of our life force
  • Creating a conscious experience to be fully embraced

That’s the practice of being in the flow

In flow – our daily routines become more conscious and intentional …

  • Sweeping the floor, with the intention of clearing the path
  • Taking a shower, with the intention of cleansing our energy
  • Preparing a meal, with the intention of nourishing the body
  • Making a bed, with the intention of creating a sanctuary for rest
  • Washing our hands, with the intention of washing away negativity

Every experience can become sacred with deeper intention

Learning how to stay in flow when confronted with unpleasant and uncomfortable challenges is something else though, and no matter how present we may feel, we’ll be missing something – because it’s impossible not to be triggered OUT or IN by stress, struggle and suffering (or) conflict, confusion and chaos, but like it or not, there’s meaning and purpose for ALL of it.

Those are the moments of reflection we need to be gentle, kind and compassionate with ourselves – because that’s when our nervous system is remembering, and the healing begins to happen.

Re-connection ✨️ Re-balance ✨️ Re-alignment ✨️

The more I slow down, the longer I sit in the comfort zone, and the more aware of my SELF I become, the more present I feel -because there are less distractions, but I can appreciate why this isn’t common practice – because becoming more conscious of ourselves isn’t always pleasant.

Eliminating the external noise allows us to peel back the layers, to confront our deeper reality – giving us more clarity on our unresolved emotions and un-integrated shadow, and it’s an uncomfortable experience – hence why I’ve been struggling with my comfort eating habit … but I am learning.

Yesterday, I decided to change my morning routine, and I made good choices most of the day, but I did eat too many carbs later in the evening because I felt the heaviness in my gut. I don’t feel like getting up out of bed early in the morning after a late shift, and I woke with a headache, so I didn’t feel good.

Mindful of my NEW routine, I did what I had planned to do …

Washing my face with warm water felt soothing, giving myself a lymphatic facial massage with the bi-oil left my skin feeling fresh and soft, brush stroking my body to say good morning felt comforting, and I stretched for longer because feeling the relief of my back clicking into alignment felt amazing.

The headache was still lingering, but I know it’s a combination of things – a late night, too many carbs in the evening, hormonal fluctuations, and my brain telling me “I need coffee,” but I drank the glass of water with lemon, apple cider vinegar, honey, and I decided NOT to give my brain what it wants.

Instead, I made myself a dandelion root coffee – in another life – when I was a night shift nurse, and a full time university student, I drank too much caffeine to stimulate my brain (as most of us do), but it was having a negative impact on my nervous system, so I began to substitute it for dandelion root coffee – because it came in the form of brown granules. Essentially, I was tricking my brain to believe I was still drinking the coffee it was telling me I needed.

Studying neuroscience and behavioural psychology had it’s perks.

I love the smell and taste of coffee, but I don’t like how my body responds to it, especially when it becomes a habitual pattern of behaviour that’s sabotaging my efforts – because caffeine worsens our perimenopausal symptoms.

While writing this blog of reflection to share, I’ve been doing some intentional deep breathing, made myself a cup of chamomile, ate an apple, and I feel better because the headache has gone, but I’m still tired. So, perhaps a siesta after lunch is on the cards for me – because I’m on another late shift tonight.

Change is a process 🌀

What habit do YOU want to change?

On By mindfulinteractionLeave a comment
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EVERY day is another opportunity to do something better for ourselves

I want to improve my eating habits, but this process applies to any habit

What is my motivation for change?

  • To reduce my sugar and carb cravings – so I can feel better
  • To feel less fatigue, and more energised – so I can live my best creative life
  • To prevent ill health – so I can improve my quality of life

Having studied psychology, and changed many of my habitual behaviours, I know it’s about more than what I eat, that’s why I openly share my process of change with others. Creating new habits is about replacing an existing behaviour with a healthier one, and to change it – first, we need to acknowledge the habitual loop that keeps reinforcing an unhealthy habit.

I keep repeating the sugar craving loop, and to break it I need to manage my blood sugar levels, identify emotional triggers, and build new habits

  • CUE (trigger) – what initiates the behaviour?
  • ROUTINE (action) – what I do in response to the trigger
  • REWARD (positive reinforcement) – how does it make me feel?

For example – in the morning, which is when I mostly write, I wake up thinking “I need a coffee” to stimulate my brain, but it’s just a habit I’ve created. I actually want to do more than stimulate my brain into action, I want to get the energy flowing within me, so I can feel connected to my body – because it has something important to say about experiences I have (past and present).

Like my feet when they tell me to – take your shoes off and ground us, put your feet up to reduce this swelling, wear your shoes when you walk more than 30 minutes or we’ll hurt tomorrow, rub us because we’re aching and the blood needs to flow, wash us because you’ve been walking around barefoot all day.

Our body communicates with us all the time, and learning how to listen is the most important part of healing – because until we connect with our body, we can’t balance the energy, and we won’t align with our higher self.

This morning I intentionally changed my morning routine ..

BEFORE making myself a cup of coffee, I washed my face, and gave myself a quick lymphatic drainage massage while applying bio-oil to my face – because it felt so good, I continued to brush the rest of my body using sweeping strokes, which then prompted me to do a few stretches.

How did this small change in my routine make me feel?

Connected to my body, and so I made another healthy choice – while the kettle was boiling, I drank a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon, splash of cider vinegar, and honey added to it. After drinking it I felt my insides wake up, and within 10 minutes I felt better than I do after that first cup of coffee.

Isn’t it crazy that we don’t do the things we know are good for us.

I still drank a cup of coffee, but I must admit – it didn’t feel as satisfying because I had experienced the (+) reinforcement of a healthier routine.

AFTER drinking my coffee, I felt really good about myself, and I made a bowl of porridge with all the yummy additions (seeds, nuts, my homemade berry chia seed jam, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg), and I felt nurtured and nourished.

Can I maintain that change every morning?

YES I believe I can, but I still love buttery toast, and I’m not going to deny myself when I fancy it – because I’m changing my usual no carbs or sugar approach, to find a sense of moderation.

To make a change we need to have a clear plan …

  • What am I doing?
  • Why am I doing it?
  • How will I do it?

I’m working on changing my morning routine because I know from experience – it will make me feel good, and when I feel good, I make other good choices.