Sunday Journaling Prompt #5

Happy Sunday, my fellow journalers.

Today I am asking you to dig deep and be extremely honest with yourself, without any shame or any fear. It is important for you in order to progress to a place in your life where you will find your happiness.

I know, this is scary shit, but we’ll worth doing. It doesn’t mean that you’ll need to drop everything in your life, but it will give you a clearer idea of what you actually need and devise a plan of action to get it.
It was this question that led me on this journey  - one baby step at a time...

What Song Are You?

If you should pick a song to represent you, which would it be?

Funny how other people’s words, such as quotes, lyrics, poems, can speak so much to us, in ways so deep that they feel like they uncover our true feelings and experiences, when words fail us to describe what we want to say.  

Like many people in this world, I’m sure, music and songs have always been part of my life - I’m not a singer or a musician, unfortunately (or fortunately!) but I’ve always considered music and songs in particular, a perfect way to feel what I was going through at the time. We all have songs dear to us, representing certain parts of our lives, events or remembering other people - every time I hear Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough”, I always think of my dad and can’t help but feel emotional. He loved this song so much; I made a mixed tape for car trips including this song and the tape soon died as he’d ask me to rewind that song so often.

Like many in this world, I have gone through shit, more than once, struggled, got betrayed by people I cared about and/or trusted. I got broken into so many little pieces that it took me years to get myself back together, the time the way I really wanted to be. For many years, all I could feel was despair, hatred, jealousy, resentment, anger, I had my dreams shattered and, through all that, music and songs helped me express what was stuck inside me. I felt emotionless and empty, except when I was listening to music. Thank god I’ve gone past that stage now, but I still cry at songs that are so close to my heart for all these reasons. They remind me of who I was, what I went through and who I have become.

 My song is Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter”: After all you put me through, You think I’d despise you, But in the end I wanna thank you ‘Cause you’ve made me that much stronger (...) After all of the stealing and cheating You probably think that I hold resentment for you But uh uh, oh no, you’re wrong ‘Cause if it wasn’t for all that you tried to do, I wouldn’t know  Just how capable I am to pull through So I wanna say thank you ‘Cause it Makes me that much stronger Makes me work a little harder It makes me that much wiser So thanks for making me a Fighter Made me learn a little faster Made my skin a little bit thicker Makes me that much smarter So thanks for making me a Fighter (...) You thought I would forget But I remembered ‘Cause I remembered I remembered” This song, to me , symbolises my journey and the person I have become despite the obstacles. What does your song say about you?

Sunday Journaling Prompt #4

Hello guys. I hope you’ve been having an awesome weekend.
Here is a new journaling prompt for you:

My teddy is giving you a super easy prompt to wake up your observation skills. Be as detailed as you like - it’s a really fun exercise.

Until next Sunday...

Much love x 💕

Wake Up Your Senses

This is a simple exercise that I have included in my meditation practice, but can be done any time really - even at work when your stress levels are hitting the roof. It only takes a minute or 2, so your colleagues won't think you've fallen asleep!

I have found this practice to be very calming and grounding, and it also develops your senses to become more attentive and receptive to what is going on around you.

We have 5 recognised senses - sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch - but most of us will mainly rely on 2 or 3 to navigate through life. Senses are like muscles, the less you engage them, the less responsive they will become in time.

The technique:

• Sit down comfortably but straight with your back supported (you can also lie down if you want to do this exercise in bed or at the end of your yoga practice, for instance). You do not need to be in a quiet place;
  
• Close your eyes and relax - breathe slowly and deeply for 4-5 breaths;
  
• Focus on what you can hear close to you (or inside you) - it can be your breathing, your heart beating, often I can hear internal buzzing - whatever comes to you. Don't force it and do not think about what you should hear. Just listen and pick it up;
  
• Focus on what you can hear further away - kids playing near you, cars outside;
  
• Then switch to what you can see with your eyes closed - I know it sounds pretty contradictory, but even with your eyes closed, light does go through your eyelids, so you are still able to see specks of light, or maybe colours. I very often can see the blood vessels in my eyeballs, the same way I do when I have an eye test; at the beginning, it really freaked me out but I have now learnt to make my peace with it;
  
• Next, focus on what you can smell - it can be a fragrance or the smell of cold, rain, warm... That is the one sense that I personally struggle the most with in this exercise, even though I can always smell someone's perfume on the bus, even if they are at the very back;
  
• Then, focus on what you can taste - from your bad morning breath to the delicious chocolates you've just gobbled up!
  
• After this, focus on what you can touch, what you can feel - your bum sitting on the chair, your clothes on your skin, your hair falling on your neck or your forehead, your watch around your wrist - anything. Again, as for all the other senses, stay with it, observe it internally, enjoy it;
  
• Finally, repeat all the steps briefly but, instead on focusing on each sense individually, layer them up one by one to eventually feel all your 5 senses fully active. Hold them and enjoy the experience of what it feels like to be fully human;
  
• Finish by a few deep breaths and slowly open your eyes to come back to where you are.

The order in which you go through the senses, both individually and in the last phase, doesn't really matter. You can go with the order that you feel most comfortable or natural for you. It will not alter the effects.

Have a try and let me know how your experience was, either by commenting below, or on the Facebook page HERE. I'd love to hear what you thought of this exercise.

Enjoy x

Sunday Journaling Prompt #3

Happy Sunday everyone 😊

Please find below our new journaling prompt for you to explore:

We are given so many gifts from nature that sometimes we take them for granted. Which ones mean the most to you and why?

Nice to be reminded and re-focus on what truly matters...

STRESS - What Is It Good For? Absolutely Nothing?

Stress is such a nasty word nowadays.

People are off sick for stress like never before in humankind's history, and, therefore, stress has been labelled in the media and medical circles as the plague of our century.

So what is the fuss all about? What IS stress?

I know that we all have experienced it at some point or another in our lives; we have all felt the symptoms it creates - no focus, panic, feelings of overwhelm, no control, heart racing, unable to speak, weight on your shoulders you feel will crush you forever, fear, migraines, and so many more that ruin our lives on a daily basis.

But when we look at stress from a biological point of view, it is nothing more than an automated chemical reaction starting from the brain.

It is a well-designed mechanism in-built in every human being.

Its function? To really understand its function and how the reaction unfolds, we have to go back to our very far ancestors living in caves and in the wild - prehistoric times.

Obviously, life was extremely different to ours then. Food had to be collected by scavenging and hunting, with no guarantee of success. Neighbours were not all friendly as they included wild animals who, as well, were hunting - and our ancestors were food to them.

So, imagine this - your ancestor is hunting for food, on stealth mode as they now say in video games. It is vital that they are careful and silent if, first, they do not want to scare their prey off and have any chance of bringing food home to the family/community, but also not to attract the attention of other predators, to whom they would become prey.

Our ancestor's heart is beating fast, he may well start sweating - this is one way that stress is experienced. Fear of being discovered and/or failing.

Now, without warning, our ancestor comes face to face with a tiger, who will think "yummy food" and prepare to attack. The full range of the stress chemical reaction will kick off - the brain identifies danger and starts creating 2 substances called adrenalin and cortisol, both hormones secreted by the adrenal glands. These hormones will affect most systems in the body, to engage it and prepare it for what is called "fight or fight" [or freeze, which is the third option] response.

The musculoskeletal system will tense the muscles all at once, the respiratory system will create rapid breathing and shortness of breath (as the airway between the nose and lungs will be constricted due to the muscles tensing), the cardiovascular system will increase the heart rate, which will send most blood pumped into the larger muscles (organs for self-preservation, and legs), the endocrine system will create more cortisol (the stress hormone) to increase the level of energy fuel available to the body, and the gastrointestinal system will kick off by emptying (I know, not nice, but so true - we've all had nervous poo syndrome prior to interviews or big presentations) to enable the body to be as light as possible. And all this starting from the nervous system sending alarm messages to the rest of the body on sight of danger.

All in all, stress is nothing more than a natural reaction that will kick in at first sight of danger, to ensure our survival.

This is what it is designed to be.

Now our lives in the 21st century are quite different.

Even though for soldiers on the battlefront, populations facing war and genocide, as well as in the case of natural catastrophes or bombings, for whom the stress reaction will consist of the same scenario as for our prehistoric ancestor, we, on the other hand, are rarely faced with such horrid and life-threatening situations - luckily.

Our lives have become more secure, sheltered in a way as everything you could wish for you can order online and have it delivered direct to your doorstep in a relatively short time.

So, really, the stress reaction should not apply to our day-to-day life circumstances.

As we are now never really faced with actual danger, our brain has learnt to perceive every hurdle, every offense, every disagreement, every unpleasant circumstance as a threat. But a threat to what? you will ask, as it is very rarely a threat to our lives.

Our society has, for the last century or so, made us focus more, as individuals, on who we are, what we represent, what we want, in brief, on our ego. 

Every "NO" that you get is a threat to your ego in the way that it will not get what it wants. Every pile of work your boss dumps on you and that you really don't fancy doing but still have to do, is a real threat to your ego who wants it its way, who wants to have control.

And this is nowadays the type of incidents that declares an all-raging war to your body, just for the sake of your ego's survival, as opposed to your own.

From something quite positive - life-saving - our society and way of life have transformed the natural physiological reaction of stress into one of the most dangerous condition to our health, well-being and good-function in our world.

The intended dose of stress to be inflicted to the body was only meant by nature to be occasional, but our lives have made the occurrences multiple on a daily basis, in such a way that it affects both our mental and physical abilities. Constant or regular tense muscles will create chronic muscle pain, encouraging bad posture and limiting our mobility as well as increasing chances of injuries, while, mentally, fatigue, feelings of being drained, headaches, migraines, lethargy, depression will settle.

You know when they say that stress makes you stupid, it actually does as, when stress hormones are released and more blood is directed towards the legs and vital organs, the brain is depleted of blood flow, making it extremely hard to think or focus (I'm sure you've all experienced this, being put on the spot and not knowing what to say, and when the stress is over and you think over it, "I should have said..." - it all comes to you). For a long time (most of my teens and twenties years - and to some extent my thirties as well), I was stressed constantly by life, by other people, by my fear of speaking up and saying my own mind. Very often, I was speechless, not knowing what to say at that particular moment, standing like an idiot and being crushed silently by the situation or the person - and the more it would happen, the more stressed I would be. I genuinely believed that, despite all my varied skills and academic achievements, I was one of the stupidest people on earth. I do believe that my constant motivation to keep learning new things all the time and understand is partly due to this feeling I used to have and that used to crush my life so miserably.

Coming back to the effects of stress on your brain, if there is no or little blood flowing in your brain, then brain cells will lack oxygen and eventually die. Less brain cells, less thinking power.

I think it is important to understand what stress is actually meant for and how it works on a biological level.

Next time you get stressed for nothing, hopefully this knowledge will put things back into perspective for you and will limit the amount of unnecessary stress you're exposed to.

Will I die if my report is not finished on time? More than likely, no; so all I can do is focus and do the best I can. No meany stress required - breathe in deeply, and out, keep calm and trooper on...

Sunday Journaling Prompt #2

Happy Sunday!

Time for our second journaling prompt:

I hope this prompt will inspire you.

Much love x

The Pili Pala Transformation and Healing Facebook Page

Hi everyone

Just a quick one to let you know that we now have a Pili Pala Transformation and Healing Facebook page.

On top of featuring the blog posts, the page will feature shared videos, websites and photos that I love, find helpful or inspiring. It will also be for you to react, suggest, support or ask anything you need that Pili Pala Transformation and Healing might be able to help with.

Follow the page at https://fb.me/PiliPalaTransformationandHealing or click HERE.



See you there :-)

How Food Intolerance Took Me Back On Track With Food

I think that, over the years, my relationship with food was pretty much standard - eating quick, snacking, massive love for chocolate and cakes, huge love for food overall, food always makes you feel better when things go wrong or are too stressful. Crisps, ready meals, carbs full blast, takeaways. And, when I was unemployed and on super minimal budget, Value food - cheap and nasty, but better than no food at all.

Until about 2 years ago - I started having belly cramps, more and more often and more and more uncomfortable (sometimes painful). At one point, it got so bad that I ended up in the toilets every 20 minutes - how embarrassing when I was at work.

I knew my diet was not, and hadn't been for many years, particularly good.

When my mum died two years ago, something clicked inside me and I made the conscious decision to eat more healthy - that roughly meant for me adding more fruits and vegs to my diet.

But the cramps did not subside. I didn't get it.

I started a food diary to monitor, every day, everything I was eating and drinking.

After a month or so, I started to identify foods I was eating all the time. It also kept me accountable for keeping up with my greens intake.

One of my colleagues suffers from coeliac disease and, when I mentioned my health problem, he immediately suggested to start an elimination process. I started with everything that had gluten. I replaced my bread and pasta (the main foods I was eating) with gluten free alternatives.

Little by little, the symptoms diminished. I still had the occasional cake or cookie and I was OK. Only for a short while though. I soon had to stop as, every time I was having a piece of gluten-based cake or biscuit, the symptoms would be back with a vengeance after only half hour to an hour.

This forced me to be even more aware as to what foods I was putting in my body. By carefully looking at the ingredients lists before buying, I realised that a lot of what we eat is full of chemical additives, most of them you can't even pronounce. I have now the rule that if you can't say it, there is a fair chance you shouldn't be eating it.

A lot of processed foods also have added sugar, adding considerable amounts into our bodies.

Sugar actually increases appetite - don't you find that once you've had a sweet, you want another one? Food companies, by adding sugar to our foods, make you want to eat more, and therefore buy more. It's a vicious circle and, in the meantime, you are endangering your health one step at a time. There is a reason why our century has known the biggest percentage of obesity in our history.

Being in my mid-forties, my health has become increasingly more important as the state of my health now will determine the quality of my life in my later years - and that's motivation enough for me to protect it as much as I can.

I started reading diets articles and there are so many diets - keto, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, meal replacement, eggs only, coffee, mediterranean, flexitarian, low carb and whole food, Atkins, DASH, Dukan, calorie restriction, high protein, carb cycling... So many you lose count, and a lot of them contradict each other. It is overwhelming and confusing, especially if you are unsure what to look for. What the heck are you supposed to eat to be healthy?!

Bearing in mind that what you eat accounts for over 90% of your health level and your body shape, it seems to me that this world out there in the media has got it all wrong.

Exercise, yes, but not an hour each day, exhausting yourself and damaging your body (torn ligaments, muscle pull and strain...) - overdoing it will take its toll on you - and especially when it only accounts for 10% of your body shape and state of your health.

You would think that talking to your doctor about it would help but, believe it or not, traditional medical training does rarely cover nutrition unless you specialise. So, no offense but What do doctors know about food? It was obvious to me that I would not get any genuine help there so I didn't bother asking.

I decided to start an online course on nutrition and, even though I'm only on Lesson 5, it has given me a good starting understanding on nutrients essential to good health and how the digestive system works. It has helped me to focus on the health of my digestive system, keeping it clean, and keeping away from the uncomfortable bloating symptoms (something I had suffered for most of my life).

I do not eat processed foods, foods with added sugar. I eat fresh or frozen foods, organic when I can to avoid pesticide traces.

I snack on nuts, yogurts and fruits, make my own healthy gluten-free snacks, go gluten-free all the way.

I ensure I include in all my main meals (breakfast - lunch - dinner) proteins, greens, healthy fats and carbs and, for my snacks (2 or 3 a day in between meals), at least 2 of them.

I don't use sugar, I replaced it with raw honey, only occasionally, on fruit salads, in warm milk, plain yogurt and porridge.

I don't buy ready-made sauces, I make them from scratch, and I use spices and herbs to flavour my food - especially with rice and pasta, quite bland if not seasoned.

I drink water throughout the day and during my meals, even though I am not a big fan. My trick is to infuse my water with washed fresh citrus peels or fresh herbs (I love mint leaves in water). I also drink green tea and herbal teas, as well as fresh orange juice (only for breakfast).

I also take good quality natural supplements to ensure all my nutritional needs are met (Nu U Nutrition Multivitamins & Minerals Formula, and Omega 3 Fish Oil).

The first thing I ingest when I get up (before eating or drinking anything else) is a mug of warm water (whatever is comfortable and not too hot to drink for you) with a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother, which is the active ingredient). It cleanses your digestive system in no time. Additionally, the warm water - close to your body's natural temperature - prepares your digestive system gently. Nothing worse for you to start the day with a glass of freezing cold water. If the apple cider vinegar is too much for you, start with the lemon juice only and, after a few weeks, add the apple cider vinegar.

I have been doing this every morning for almost a month now and, not only am I super regular (sorry for the "too much information" here, however it is important), but also I don't remember feeling bloated a single time during that period.

I was worried at first as I have been on tablets for over 2 years for gastric reflux, so the acidic nature of the lemon juice and the vinegar could make it worse. It was not very pleasant the first few days but, so far, it has not affected me in that way. I even managed to cut down my tablets to one every other day instead of every day (something one of my doctors asked me to do over a year ago and I couldn't at the time).

I also balance my carbs intake and my healthy fats intake depending on the amount of activity I am doing or stress I am exposed to.

On days at work, I will increase my carbs intake and lower my healthy fats intake, whereas on a day off chilling at home, I will lower my carbs and increase my healthy fats.

Your body will burn carbs first for fuel as it is easier. Burning fat is more complex and require more effort, so this is why carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source.

I am keeping all this up as it seems to be working for me.

I still have some belly fat I want to get rid of but I'm not rushing it. It will go little by little, in due time - I hope. I just need to fit in workout sessions (the 10% I'm not currently doing enough of).

So, all in all, I am quite happy that I have become gluten intolerant as it has opened my eyes tremendously and has forced me to re-focus my attention and awareness on the foods I need for my body to function at optimal level and protect my health in the process - a varied diet of natural foods.

And, by the way, if you are wondering about what happened to my love of chocolate, it is still very much vibrant- only I replaced the milk chocolate bars for 70% cocoa chocolate. And it makes me happy :-)

Sunday Journaling Prompt #1

Happy Sunday.

Here is the first journaling prompt I have for you this week.

Just pick up a pen and a notebook and get started...

Much love from me and happy journaling.