by Carol | Apr 14, 2020
There’s no magic in a meditation practice. You don’t need more than a few minutes to help bring peace of mind to stressful times. Here are three easy mediations for these difficult weeks.
Wash your stress away in the shower:
Use your imagination to bring peace of mind. Takes just a minute or two every day:
Yes, when I said easy meditations I meant it!
Send kindness to yourself and others.
This powerful practice is called “metta” or “loving kindness. It’s particularly helpful for some of us these days. (Yeah, talking about myself here.) It’s very simple:
Getting in touch with heart energy gives us an amazing boost..
Start with yourself. Take your time and really feel it.
That part is the most important one for me. But then there’s this next part. It’s the hardest one for many of us. We don’t have to know the object of our attention, they can be anyone in the world. Yes, even him.
And finally, loving kindness to all beings.
These are simple, but they can be life changing. Nothing to lose by trying them, even if just for a day or a week.
You might also consider ordering one of my beautiful candles with healing and affirming crystals to enhance your meditation. Lovely fragrance or none at all. Find them here.
FREE! Remember my free audios, mantras and affirmations to help manage anxiety. 100% free for all. Links next to title,
Managing Anxiety Audio bit.ly/2wKWfZA
Powerful Positive Health Mantras bit.ly/2wyaCAI
Online Healing Affirmations bit.ly/2WO9TWt
by Carol | Mar 21, 2020
Our biggest challenge now might be to manage anxiety and fear, and to keep centered.
Three of my products are now COMPLETELY FREE
to help us all with the anxiety that can easily take hold in this strange new world.
Share this post with anyone who might find it helpful. Free and no strings attached: no one will be added to a mailing list.
For managing anxiety
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Use earbuds and settle into a chair or bed. Do not use while driving or doing anything else, as it is super-relaxing. It’s also a good tool for insomnia.
Daily thoughts/mantras for good health
Positive thinking has been shown to boost our immunity and help manage anxiety. Get an email a day for 35 days, each with a positive meditation thought for health or peace of mind.
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Our helpful, hopeful healing affirmations for those coping with a disease or chronic condition are now available free as an online subscription.
You’ll get an email a day for 50 days, each with a healing thought. A helpful tool if you are in treatment or dealing with any kind of health challenge. Completely free (no checkout code needed) right here.
We’re all in this together, and in that spirit, I’m happy to make these tools available to all. Please share as you see fit.
Oh and if you or anyone you know would like to receive my several times a week posts (now mostly about ways to cope with our new world), sign up on the home page, right here.
May we all find our way out of this to a world more like we remember. Sending peace, love, light your way.
by Carol | Mar 17, 2020
Let me cut to the chase. Here are some easy ways to strengthen your immune system. I do mean EASY. Anyone can do them.
Breathe.
This is #1 because it really is effective: Diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the immune system but any breathwork with a good slow controlled exhale works.
Here’s how to do diaphragmatic breathing:
- Put one hand on your upper chest; the other just below your rib cage. You should be able to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe.
- Gently slowly breathe in through your nose. Feel your tummy move against your hand.
- You are doing it correctly if the hand on your chest remains mostly still.
Meditate
See breathe, above. If you’d like affordable, effective healing and healthy mantras to help you meditate, see these.
Control anxiety
I know some folks are almost overwhelmed with anxiety. Limit the virus news you consume to only what you need to know to take appropriate action. Do not sit in front of the TV all day. Do not read every online post or article. Choose.
If you’re having trouble controlling anxiety, I can help. I’ve made my anxiety downloadable meditation free with the checkout coupon FREE. It can help. Free offer is indefinite. Share away.
Positive thinking
See anxiety, above. This, too, shall pass, sooner rather than later, if we all do our part.
Positive activities
I’m cooking, reading, walking outside and watching escapist programs. See my post here for other positive ideas that help distract us from the news.
Nutrition
Supplements are ok but whole food nutrition is best. Eat your fruits and veggies. Anything with high antioxidant levels is helpful: dark chocolate, blueberries, artichoke, strawberries, kale, raspberries, red cabbage, beans. Oh yes, red wine! We are enjoying some nice pinot noir this month.
Dark leafy greens–excellent. I love Swiss chard. Most fish, also excellent.
Garlic and onions are good for immunity. My vegetable soup last week was loaded with them. Polyphenols are also supportive — found in berries, apples, walnuts, almonds, beans, soy, black and green tea. Sipping tea all day is easy!
Move your body
No gym right now, they are hotbeds of germs. Walk or bike outside–nature is calming so it’s a double dose of immune support. Yoga inside. Lift gentle weights at home.
Dance in the living room for fun cardio–15 minutes is all you need, you can do it in 5 minute increments to music you love.
There’s a way; find it.
Fresh air
See Exercise, above. Also open your windows, sit in the yard–get outside for sun and fresh air.
Be responsible: reduce exposure and transmission
I hope by now everyone realizes that you can not go about business as usual without exposing yourself or others. If you don’t, let me educate you, and I am obnoxiously persistent about this:
We can only stop this pandemic by not carrying or getting this virus. Viruses can be spread by people who have no symptoms. They are invisible. Therefore: it is absolutely unnecessary to meet in groups of any size. Or to go out and about as if nothing has changed.
So stay home as much as possible. Wash your hands constantly for at least 20 seconds a wash. Wear gloves if you are pushing a shopping cart. If you go out, no hand shaking.
There’s a lot of good advice about how to protect yourself and then there is just good common sense, the same thing that keeps us at home cooking and doing fun things at home.
Play your part
At our house we feel strongly that it’s important to play our part in stopping this. We are horrified by people who do not feel the same way and put themselves and others at risk. It only extends the time we have to cope with this situation.We hope you will do your part.
by Carol | Mar 12, 2020
Does your calendar run your life? How would it feel to have an empty calendar?
I’ll tell you how it feels: it feels GREAT.
This is what my normal calendar looks like.
Meetings, client appointments, dinners, lunches. Community events. I’m out and about all the time. Well, ok, probably not as much as some of you, but a lot for someone who really should be retired. After all, I run my little business and that requires being out and about. Plus I like hanging with my friends.
Now, during this time of plague, my calendar looks completely different.
I like it! Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like this virus. I don’t like that we must run our lives so we avoid it. But I am choosing to find a bright side: the gift of an empty calendar.
The gift of time.
If you’ve got blocks of time to fill, here are some ideas:
Cook fabulous meals.
Read books.
Write real letters to friends and family in other cities.
Get outside and walk in the fresh air. Or take a bike ride.
Crank up your music and dance. Yes, by yourself!
Meditate.
Play with your kids and/or your pets.
Organize your closet, junk drawer or entire house. Throw stuff away!
Sort those photos you’ve been meaning to get to.
Craft. Maybe you have crafting supplies stashed away that you keep meaning to do something with. Do it.
Do nothing. Catch up on sleep!
How about you? What are you doing with your empty calendar?
by Carol | Mar 11, 2020
You might know this at that famous coffee chain as
sick tea or Medicine Ball. It’s soothing for a sore throat or cold –but I like it any time, actually. In fact, I’m sipping it, now–but I made it myself, at home. My version. Which is pretty darn close to theirs. Maybe better.
It’s a great winter drink. So I thought this might be a good time to offer the recipe to you to make at home. My version of their sick tea :
Citrus teabag
Peach teabag
Peppermint teabag
(I had these on hand–you don’t need the ginger part but I like it)
Equal parts steamed lemonade and hot water. I heated my lemonade in the microwave.
A spoonful of honey
Steep the bags in the lemonade water/honey mix. Sip.
Sometimes, I pull back a little on the amount of lemonade so it doesn’t overwhelm the drink. Also you can re-use the bags at least one more time; flavor is not as strong, but still good. And it makes me feel good to reuse.
I just made the mug of sick tea pictured. A few things to note (besides my rocking countertop, which I still love, five years later):
The glass mug survives from 1972 and our first marriage to each other. I know, right? The only other survivor is my stainless steel cooking pots, a shower gift from my mother.
The lilies are from my garden. They are prolific right now.
On the windowsill, you can see the tiny tin square with lemons painted on them. I got that in Spain 20 years ago.
On the right is a painting, a gift from my friend, the artist Marylou Falstreau. Find her inspirational and affordable work at mfalstreau.com
As for me, I’m not sick, but enjoying my sick tea just the same. And so will you. Give it a try!
Oh, and if you’re sick or want a gift for someone who is? Come see this stuff!
by Carol | Mar 5, 2020
Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
Let me start by saying I feel no fear about corona virus. No anxiety. I do feel the necessity for prudence and precautions, though, to prevent coronavirus. I’m exercising both, even while I hang on, because this is already a pretty bumpy ride.
Looking around social media I see a couple of camps. One is the “media hysteria” group, where scary stories are meant to mislead because they serve as clickbait. Still, buried within are nuggets of real news, real information. You just have to dig past the fear-mongering.
Don’t be frightened–knowledge is power, so get as much as you can from respected sources. Double-check anything that feels like hysteria. Don’t let anxiety take hold.
I also see those who discredit the news about coronavirus: “it’s just like the flu, why is everyone going crazy?” Well, it’s NOT like the flu for many reasons, most important that its mortality rate is significantly higher, according to respected infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, MD.
You can only prevent coronavirus if you know the facts. And ignore those who feel they have to arrogantly discredit everything.
There’s no need to feel anxious. Not if you take common-sense precautions. Here’s what I’m doing –maybe it’ll give you ideas, too.
Special note: My older friends & those with underlying conditions really do need to take these precautions. It could be a matter of life or death for them.
1. I’m steering clear of close gatherings and crowds. Crowds aren’t my favorite thing, anyway, but I am not going to the movies or plays or even museums right now. Why should I, when I can read or stream entertainment? Play with my dogs? Talk to friends? Write?
I weigh the risk factors of every gathering I’m invited to. Closed rooms with no air circulation and bunches of people? No. That’s ok—I have lots to do at home. No gathering is so important that I absolutely have to go.
2. I’m eating out less. This weekend we’re having our adopted nephews over for a meal, while two weeks ago we all went out. No one will suffer–I’m a good cook –making my famous and delicious lasagna. As a Sicilian-American, I know my way around the kitchen. Oh and pay attention to good nutrition!
3. Not going to the gym. The gym is a hotbed of germs. Fifteen years ago I got RINGWORM on my leg from gym equipment. So no gym right now. But that’s ok–we’ve been for great walks in this beautiful weather. Rain is due all next week and that will be a bummer. But no gym.
4. I do have a dental appointment next week but overall I’m staying out of hospitals and doctors’ offices at present. God willing! Routine appointments can wait.
5. Did you know the average shopping cart has 361 times more bacteria than bathroom door knobs? Research showed 73,000 colony-forming units of bacteria per square inch. Filthy. I routinely use latex gloves for food prep and around the house and have them on hand. So I wear them when I push a cart. I don’t think it’s overkill right now–it’s prudent. Those cart wipes were installed for a reason. I strip the gloves off and discard before I drive home, use hand sanitizer in the car–and wash my hands really well at home. My car has always had a bottle hand sanitizer and so has my handbag. Nothing new for me.
6. I flush public toilets with my foot or a paper towel. That’s not new, either.
7. I wash my hands so much I could perform surgery at any given time. Skin gets dry, though. So at night I use an emollient hand cream and glove up so it really sinks in.
Prevent coronavirus by being prudent and taking common-sense precautions. This, too shall pass.
And it’s always good to remember that there is no worst-case-scenario because there is life after this life. And yes, that IS something I think about and the reason I am not afraid of this virus. You don’t have to be afraid either.
