Nutrition isn't everything. There. I said it. And to be perfectly honest with you, sometimes I need a break from thinking about food.
Like a delicate ecosystem, there are so many inter-related aspects of our health that need our attention. When any one part of our being deteriorates, the whole suffers.
Who among us can't relate to not getting enough sleep or relief from stress and finding that our eating habits suffer as a result? Or our social relationships? Or our ability to be creative and productive in our jobs?
In that vain, Thoughtful Thursdays will be a time for us to nourish the parts of ourselves that so often get neglected. We may think we are "pushing through," but when we sacrifice our very wellness in an effort to appease others, we pay a much higher price than we may think, and frankly, so do those around us, and the ripples continue outward.
I was brought up with a lot of role models who taught me that in order to have real joy, we must put others BEFORE our selves. Well, this is actually a twisted interpretation of the Golden Rule. which states that we need to treat others AS ourselves, because we are all the same on the inside, and we are all in this thing together. How much do we struggle with actually LOVING ourselves? And I don't just mean treating yourself to a double espresso latte (so you can get even MORE checked off your to-do list). I mean REALLY accepting and loving yourself. It's difficult, and it's a process, but it's worth it. I truly believe that life is a gift, YOUR LIFE, and MY LIFE, and gifts were made to be loved, cared for, appreciated, and THEN shared. If we truly lived our lives this way, with true joy and gratitude, how much more would our acts of love to others be felt as a just that, rather than as obligations?
But, I digress. Alas, I am a Registered Dietitian, NOT a yoga master or a spiritual guru, though I play one on the internet :) So instead of pretending I'm an expert in an area where I'm only a novice, I'd rather disseminate the genius of others who have made it their life's work to cultivate wellbeing, aside from what substances traverse our digestive tract.
Without further ado, please enjoy these meditative videos that offer simple coping strategies for a stress-filled world and encourage us to slow down and BE, which we really need to do before we can go anywhere... #Sharon Laflamme #Creating Serenity
Namaste.
Amy