Work-Life Balance is the way for daily joy and a recipe for daily joy helps too… Like this Almond Joy Smoothie reminiscent of the candy bar you grew up to without the calories and lower sugar.
Almond Joy Smoothie (Recipe description BELOW) 🥥
These days, workers are choosing work-life balance, joy, self-care, and wellness. One healthy reminder and easy way is with an avocado plant. The steps are below to grow from a simple seed. 🌱
Those small ideas help with daily joy as some are consciously walking off the job for their personal lives, health, and safety.
You have to be your cheerleading advocate and make your best decisions for work-life balance.
And happiness at the end of the rainbow or sprinkles is something we all identify with and define differently.
In my early workdays, I soon realized happy employees don’t quit good companies and jobs.
The motto used to be, “it’s hard to find a good employee,” and that seems to have shifted to: it’s hard to find a good employer. The roles are reversing in our evolving society to a more balanced approach.
How it pans out is revealed only after you take a job. Most jobs begin great.
Like most relationships, where there’s the honeymoon period. And then the cracks become clear. You wouldn’t enter a bad one knowingly.
The 2021 Great Resignation trend became a more defined movement with dissatisfied employees quitting.
It’s not just one reason, but at the top of the list are better life and care, and overall work-life balance dissatisfaction (work misery, burnout, lack of employee care or concern, being pushed to the limit in work demands… and sadly, work toxicity, harassment, and bullying). Often these areas get brushed under the rug.
I know in my many management experiences, I often questioned demands, decisions, and lack of attention from the-powers-that-be, with no satisfying answers.
Sales was a happier place to be because the role empowered me to make opportunities happen. And those were the good management jobs where I felt like a productive workhorse.
But not everyone is cut out for that work or the one they’re in.
Finding a good job these days is a diamond in the rough. And most are tough and will probably get more demanding before it gets better. So what can you do about a better work-life balance in those situations?
Lessons Learned: Creating Better Work-Life Balance and Happiness
As humans we have to find some joy in our lives, or we can break. Getting up in dread over our work is no way to live. And not having work stability is another tough place to be.
I’d been through the washing machine spin cycle (I thought), several times as an adult – starting at the bottom again after career switching and experiencing massive corporate layoffs.
In the post-2008 economy fallout, many industries fell apart like the one I was in.
I went through years of the next phase (the drying machine years) where I found daily joy in the small things. Like a nice cup of chai tea. Or journaling. Seeing friends and volunteering.
And that’s how I ended up back to my hospitality roots where I left off and new opportunities existed (and now in life’s roll-of-the-dice 2020 uncertainty, is the industry that has been impacted the most).
Entering the dryer process lasted until the appointed time. I lost track of my age, as days turned to months. And then years.
I discovered contentment means happiness (and not what the strong-armed negative side of ego feeds you with baloney and leaves you with negative energy).
True happiness and peace is from within and at the moment in the daily joy. You look out for it (and you can miss it in life’s noise and busyness).
I also learned patience (a virtue) in an impatient culture where Patience is a bad word. And where people show their impatience on the road and is part of the get-ahead mentality. People are irritated and angry and don’t realize it’s in the air. No judgment.
Love thy neighbor. We only see snapshots of people in time, and each person has the freedom and accountability to their own lives.
…and btw, have you noticed that when you purposefully let others go ahead of you in line, then deep down, you feel better that you’re sending good karma in the world. Your angel poofs out the ego critic.
Depending on how often you think to do kind acts, this can be your way or standard.
The more you practice, the more it becomes what you see in the mirror and your daily habits. And you feel the difference between good and icky. It can be counter-cultural as we’re taught to try and be first, but you can realize where there’s misalignment between giving and getting.
And, you and I who are wiser, are looking to create more impact in this world and our lives.
We can connect the dots and letting go of disconnects, doing shadow work from our past so we can live our best life now or at least start the process.
For me, that starts in flow, getting in Happy Baby Pose, working out the neck and body kinks, and getting intentional in daily purpose.
Something to fit in today at home if you need a suggestion.
…So, during the unfulfilling season (about a decade ago) after I started my yoga and quiet practices, I could find deep gratitude, contentment, be patient, and let go of judgment and complaining attitudes.
And that became my way. It wasn’t in the things I had or didn’t have. It was a choice.
As with most things, it was in the missing pieces I had to search for and figure out.
Today, I’m grateful for that long season. The practices and attitudes I adopted help define who I am.
And while that was happening, healthier options and new digital resources are available to us today (something else to be grateful for).
These days, it’s hard to be bored, and very easy to get distracted and not listening to our thoughts.
Growing up we found activities with a radio, television, and books. And that was a lot compared to my parents age who grew up on less book options and radio only.
There was no streaming (live or not) or doing online research… I know it’s hard to think of life without!…right?
I believe whatever time you were born into isn’t going wasted.
You were born for the exact right moment that works with you and what you’re meant to do, and that you can make the most of every day in a joyful way.
My first career job was in hotel catering. Those were the days where I learned the hardest management lessons. And as a young adult who was free to make choices, I could develop habits. These eventually evolved into the modern ayurvedic-inspired atomic habits I do today (that I share below).
You see… back then, it became obvious to me that I didn’t have a work-life balance as I missed all the new Friends (and my friends’) episodes, weddings, and any other current events happening other than the ones I was booking.
I didn’t have body balance (I was lucky I was young 😉). And I didn’t think about anti-inflammatory spices as they weren’t existing headlines in western world, metro-city area living.
Instead, I was surrounded by high-calorie, buttery-tempting, sweet foods from a daily chef-prepared food spread and kitchen where I spent most of my day.
I had a dilemma because part of me liked the rich foodie foods, and part of me just wanted to eat healthy every day. I knew I had to find a middle ground.
So when I left that job and decadent eating world and lifestyle, I entered another dilemma… Yup… fresh Doubletree chocolate chip cookies 🍪 that sat inches away from my office desk (how dare they!). They made for a good snack I thought back then, and was a filling breakfast, high-calorie meal.
Life back then was a blur.
My good habits were going to work, surviving, and trying to do better tomorrow. Little did I know that I was creating space for better work-life habits.
And life improved when I started getting a work-life balance after switching careers. I was able to have a normal work life more like my friends. Working on me, personal growth, the life I wanted, and getting better habits became real.
The previous work must’ve been a test and as far as I’m concerned, all that matters is I passed 😊
But that didn’t come without consequences. I had to replace bad habits I accrued working in a sometimes dysfunctional work environment and from my past.
And I didn’t become serious about better habits until I learned ayurvedic best practices and yoga (about 7 years after I went to a “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” workshop that Stephen Covey taught).
I think the habit stacking idea that James Clear introduced in Atomic Habits (I mentioned in last week’s post) is perfectly timed for what we need now in our complicated society and lives just so we can keep up with all of our habits.
Habit Stacking
Today, in a lot of ways, it’s much easier to develop and stick with healthy habits like eating healthier as we have better resources and tools (digital calorie counters), researched information at our fingertips, and better food options. It’s also easier to get distracted.
But if you focus and lean into the homecourt advantages in your daily surroundings, you don’t have to compete with your possible two critics sitting on your shoulder, and your digital devices staring at you.
Technology and conveniences help us develop automatic and consistent habits, that can eventually become a part of who we are.
Like: I have a writing habit, so now I’m a writer (and a blogger at heart ❤️).
Or, if you can prepare at least 1-2 healthy meals every day, you’re a health-conscious person. In his book, Clear describes these identity shifts as helpful for your atomic habits to take solid root.
For me in my story, I could’ve started a healthy way in my long, hotel workdays, starting each day with a homemade, healthy breakfast (not a cookie) and a light dinner if I had made the decision to create a process or system for healthy eating habits. (Not an excuse, but it’s extra hard for a Vata, as variety is our middle name).
That wasn’t my story though. That would’ve required body-mind agreement in the stressful life I had back then. And I wouldn’t have known how to begin in my life’s busyness.
And that’s how many of us are:
We delay our best life… We can fall into the trap of thinking, “I’ll get healthy (or happy) when… (fill in the blank with the perfect situation… retirement, kids grow up, I have kids, etc..). We don’t know we can do a little here and there to influence a lot.
To make changes, doing the small stuff regularly makes big differences (atomic habits).
James Clear makes clear (his name works for him!) 4 traits to creating habits that stick.
They are: make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.
Your description of each of these will be different than mine but here is an example for creating a healthy snacking habit:
I purposefully set up a nice snack table (… festive decorating is part of the territory of someone who has worked in event planning 🎉). But you can set out a tablecloth and that would be just as good!
On the table, I set out a bowl of almonds or healthy nuts and other seasonal healthy snacks and fruits like baked apples and whole apples.
You won’t see a disguised trail mix, a bowl of M&M’s, or potato chips. That would defeat the purpose.
For the habit creation, I leave out healthy food items that can stay out (obvious food props) on a pleasing presentation (attractive display) that is convenient for a snack hankering (easy) and is enjoyable (satisfying).
And when it’s an afternoon snack or break time I can pull out any refrigerated items like this.
Healthy sweet snack: Sweet potato casserole with apple crisps, oatmeal, and lightly sprinkled toasted marshmallows.
You can take this same idea to other places or find a better way that works for you. In most cases, it’s up to you to create the work-life balance and lifestyle you want. Ideally, I try to make a short break, a small party. Life is short and I’m an Enneagram 7, so I lean into the enjoyable as a motivator and as often as I can.
…I have a smiling photo of me (on my about page) where I’m holding a Strawberry Twizzler, one of my favorite non-fussy sweet treats I can just pull out. You don’t see me holding a healthy baby carrot because that’s not a happy reward unless you’re a rabbit.
Carrots and almonds are the healthy snacks I default to the majority of the time. Because we all want a healthier body as an end goal, so beginning with the end in mind, I have a process (eating healthier most of the time) that supports that.
I keep the end goal in my mind as the compass pointing north.
If you want to be healthy and happy, and ultimately both, then maybe these unwritten rules can help you.
Let me start with… You can cheat along the way with unhealthy foods, but be mind-body aware that you are doing so, so you’re the one in control of your decisions. Make sense?
…Happy is happy (healthy or not), and most of us healthy-minded also want to be happy.
With my healthy identity, I’m no longer fully happy if I’m not overall healthy and I’m not happy if all I’m eating are bean sprouts and edamame pods. So having this happy-healthy (working with each other) attitude helps with daily micro-decisions that become overall atomic habits.
This mix of healthy and happy I believe is sustainable, balanced living and the right environment for creating healthy habits. Because if you diet or go to the extremes or deny yourself, then you can end up yo-yo dieting, quitting, or reverting backward. It starts out good and then is worse than when you started.
I use moderation as the measuring stick. So my internal dialogue can be something like this, where I ask myself, “is it satisfying enough?” or…”will a piece of fruit satisfy me now as much as a biscuit or cookie?”
And if you think you’re missing that gene or self-discipline, you’re not alone. But then you accept the consequences that instant gratification brings.
I know this isn’t new news, and if it’s a struggle for you, then it’s probably a touchy subject and especially if you’re trying to lose weight. But the less aspiration and more awareness you can apply to your situation, the more it can help to break down disconnects from getting you what you ultimately want in your life and what ends up happening.
Some may think who know me…”OK, that’s easy for you to say because you’re naturally trim.”
That btw, is a natural Vata body trait. But that’s not the complete picture…because back in my hotel catering days before I discovered my ideal weight, I fluctuated in my dress size.
Back then my daily dress size was at least a size or two larger, and I couldn’t fit into the clothes I wear today. There shouldn’t be comparisons because it’s all relative to your body because you only get one in your life marathon.
But, that’s how I know in my experience, that it is a healthy habit that makes the difference or at least gives you that edge to what you want, body and all. The body is important because without good health you can’t live your optimum life. And ideal weight is one of the medically accepted measurements to determine this. And low blood pressure is another.
So to me what our hearts look like is more important than how we look in jeans. So cardio is the ultimate for all. But to stay the same jeans size, here’s what I do:
I think of the small, regular daily habits as healthy ones that will make a difference (atomic habits principle)…and the rewarding, happy habits like having a weekly treat, as special celebratory ones.
You are better off when you stay sustainably moderate and don’t deny or go overboard either way. Staying consistent year-round is the ultimate test to seeing if a healthy-happy attitude (like I described above) is stacking into habits.
If you apply the 80/20 rule, then 5-6 days of the week you are eating healthy, and 1-2 days you can be roughly taking off. Like a yo-yo, you resiliently let your string out and pull it back in, and you say no thank you to any yo-yo fad diets that come your way.
I think it’s much easier to do this without keeping score. Your body is always keeping score, but you don’t know what the exact rules are or what the magic number is.
It’s a guess as to what your calorie balance or deficit goal is.…If only your body could give you those exact formulas at any moment?
So, in my opinion, artificial calorie counters or counting sugar grams take the enjoyment out of life when you could use that same useful time and energy to create natural atomic habits.
You can more or less feel the middle balance (and that becomes a worthwhile habit). It’s like training your brain to do quick math without a calculator, but much easier as you’re just using binary numbers 1=yes (eat) or 0=no (don’t eat).
In my world, that’s cutting down the sweets, cookies, and cakes (like those that used to be in open sight in my catering sales days). And now, not indulging in The Great British Bake Off recipes no matter how much I’m a fan of the show! The Jammie Dodgers will have to wait 😉
But I digress.
Healthy and Happy Atomic Habits
If we evaluate our current habits and see which ones are replaceable, tweakable, and what we want to happen, then we can have a balanced (healthy and happy) outcome in life.…And nowww we’re getting somewhere!
Here are 5 atomic habits you can also do if you want (that started small for me and made a big difference):
1.Daily Morning Atomic Habits:
Last time I talked about my morning yoga habit I created from habit stacking that took a lot of tweaking for my Vata self.
For you, maybe you just need to reframe and substitute “yoga” to “a stretching habit,” and then it’s doable and not a formal or intimidating practice that you’re not ready for.
When you get up, you’ve already stretched at least once or twice (so why not give a new name called “habit?”).
And from there, you can keep habit stacking, like doing a few situps or pushups, etc… your mantra here can be: a few adds up!
-Create a habit to be intentional for the day. Getting intentionally grateful for something or everything changed everything for me.
I used to have a weekly gratitude journal so I could really take in appreciation for the small stuff… and I mean small relative to my part of the world where people are blessed! (We all start somewhere as it keeps us humble, hungry, thirsty, and wisdom-seeking).
You can journal or simply look at a joyful image like a framed artwork, photo, or outside your picture window for inspiration.
In this place of gratitude, you find peace and contentment. There’s no room to complain. Or to put up with gossip. That changes your joyful outlook and what happens in your day as you create your next forward step. Don’t just look at what happens to you. See how you react and what your attitude and beliefs are, that will shape your habits.
-Check-in with yourself. Take at least 5 minutes in the quiet morning and scan your mind for any ideas and anything that isn’t in a place of appreciation for your day (or sitting as neutral thoughts)… remember, we all start somewhere.
Get up a little earlier if you have to, in order to claim your quiet minutes.
If you didn’t sleep well, shake off any negative energy, thoughts, and nightmares. You will be okay if you don’t hold onto those thoughts. Let your mind know that your skull is protecting your brain and your thoughts, so it doesn’t have to. I’m serious.
Forcibly if needed, let unforgiveness go. Let the world just be as is in your brand new day – no judgment or comparison to other days. That’s where peace is and you can save yourself the time from eye-shutting transcendental meditation (that I don’t do).
Decide to rise above your insecurities and let go of your worries. Shift to a loving higher road lens that ends fear. (I know because I started out in life afraid of just about anything and everything).
Reset to a day full of abundant possibilities that rely on your hopeful beliefs.
Then check if you feel something physically off in your body? Maybe your stomach needs food. Get to the bottom of what’s not feeling right, and stack onto your other healthy body habits like drinking water first thing.
And notice your bathroom habits in the morning. Are they regular? How can you healthily make them more regular? Depending on if you have a pronounced body imbalance, there are different fixes for each Ayurvedic body type.
Some interesting differences I can point out…
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
Vatas are naturally alert, light sleepers, so having a lot of worrying thoughts is common. Not all worry is bad, but worry as a habit is.
As a Vata, we like a lot of variety. I think I could be a Vata poster child. Loving variety is my favorite Vata feature if I had to pick just one. But then there are times when this can go awry. Like if you’re in a relationship and your partner is a Pitta (a lot of men are).
They may not understand why there are so many different choices and cups of beverages around, and for different drinking desires.
For a pure Pitta, they like to drink their drink and move on.
A Kapha will leave things be and to what makes another happy (unless they’re not).
But that can be too stereotypical. …what was that movie line where the actor mentioned pigeon-holing or generalizing saves time, lol?
…ok where was I anyway?
Oh right.. we’re not just one type or the other and we can get imbalanced and change at any time. And that helps us build better habits.
As Vatas, we too have experienced impatience, being critical or more judgmental than usual, which are more Pitta traits. And have accumulated in every sense of the word (that’s more of a Kapha trait).
No one is 100% all Vata, Pitta or Kapha, ever.We can have our Vata, Pitta, and Kapha days and strengths or weaknesses (imbalances) happening all at the same time. But usually, it’s just one or two.
These human nuances I think are part of the fun in learning to read in Ayurveda 😊 (and not having to learn Sanskrit).
So then continuing on with habits… You (and I) can…
-Check in with breathing. After you’re fully awake, get in the habit of focusing on your breath so you can be more aware of this moment.
I often find I wake up with a slightly stuffy nose. If that’s you, practice breathing in and out of your mouth so you can get full breaths. See if that improves your mental clarity and from being slightly forgetful. Our brains (not just our lungs) need oxygen to optimally function.
You can also add a plant (adds oxygen), humidifier, and steaming (from the shower or in a pot on the stove). Watering can be part of the atomic habits you adopt for a more whole life.
2. Afternoon Atomic Habits:
Sandwich the news in the afternoon and early evening when you’re in the swing of things or eating lunch. I don’t recommend news in the early morning or late night (to start and end your day with other worries and gloomy thoughts).
Eating a heavier lunch will help carry you through at least part of the afternoon. I don’t combine breakfast and lunch (brunch). I actually eat breakfast, brunch, and lunch. And the afternoon snack already mentioned. And I add spices.
My body runs efficiently that way as I’ve taught it to work and burn calories when I feed it regularly, and it’s hungry for more.
Call it healthy snacking or what you want, but if you try small bites, that could be an atomic habit that works as it has for me.
I also turn music on in the afternoon and you may find that enhances your mood if you select the right genre.
3. Evening Atomic Habits:
Eat a light dinner. This works better for most body types because naturally, your body is winding down, getting ready for night and sleep that are just hours away. This is where I like to keep a light protein or plant-based meal based on the season. So that could be a homemade soup (low sodium) or a salad.
I reserve the lasagnas and similar heavier meals for leftovers. They taste better the next day anyway. I don’t eat the way I did growing up where we ate our heartiest meal at dinner.
And if you watch nightly media shows or television, end on neutral or warm and fuzzy thoughts. Watch a light-hearted comedy, cooking show, HGTV, or Friends.
4. Weekly Atomic Habits:
I moisturize A LOT. If you’re a Kapha, you don’t need to as much.
While I’m sitting down, I also make a list of revelations and progress that I made in the past week. They help me feel good and keep me focused on what I need to grow or start (that can become a good habit).
And I feed my mind-spirit with a weekly church where I hear stories and messages I can relate to (like podcast messages). I know I’m not alone. But I know a lot of people out there who feel they are.
So, frequently throughout the week in my quiet mornings and minutes I include outward prayer, higher intellect self-talk, and meditation as absorbing thoughts I get from the Universe while my eyes are open and I’m fully receiving and present.
I started this habit and process of attending church throughout the week, and spiritual identity around when my healthy identity changed. The practice makes everything else work and come alive.
5. Check Your Process (Are you missing anything?)
And FINALLY… homestretch here! For all of us, once you start a process you can recalibrate from that standpoint.
Like, when I restored my mind-body imbalances from Ayurvedic practical habits after I first learned what to do… and then I noticed sometime later, a new set of imbalances settled in.
It was like: Ok, you got this one down, nowit’s time to learn and be tested with another.
…Isn’t that how most of Life feels?
I found sometimes the imbalance combinations overlapped like feeling tired in the morning and anxious heart palpitations in the afternoon, and sometimes lingering irritation thoughts from a previous season.
So I started paying attention more from the lens of healthy Ayurvedic habits I formed that complemented my spiritual-faith-based ones. Daily and seasonal restoration work is now natural to me and doesn’t feel like work, but they too have become atomic habits, when needed.
…but I am ALWAYS checking to see (and aware) if I’m missing anything in life (similar to checking if a jean zipper is pulled up).
A balanced mind-body-spirit supports a healthy, whole lifestyle, where you’re open, but not unsure of the most important things about you and your life.
It’s never too late (or too soon) to find what completes you. And, I hope I inspired you to never give up on your healthy life and the small, atomic habits you can start that can grow wings especially if you believe the Universe has your back.
You just never know how a split-second and tiny action can help lead you to what you’re wanting most, and even when you don’t know what that might be right now.
Ayurvedic habits was introduced to me 13- years ago to date when I embarked on a new healthy way of doing life. Yoga was still a new concept to the western world. And I was about to start my first blog.
Those were the days before personal awareness,#metoo movements, and before western Ayurveda ways caught on with some (like me and maybe you?).
I’d been striving for balance ever since the day I realized I didn’t have any, and in my memory as far back as when the popular Friendssitcomshow first came on.
Those were pre-internet days where you never saw a laptop atthe Central Perktelevision set or anywhere for that matter ☕️
You and I can laugh at the wired phone cord that would be fun to untangle now. Phones back then weren’t wireless or smart. And watches were used to just tell time.
Technology and life are interesting in how it’s constantly evolving, and never going backward. Along the way, your tastes and wants can also change as you grow up.
I’m not a traditionalist, soI lean towards growth and doing things differently.
…but I started out ona traditional college to the corporate work-life path(with no work-life balance). And through life’s swerves, hidden turns, and purposeful career switching, I gradually turned around the tide.
You know when you don’t have the life you want when you run into dead ends, and that makes you search for the unknown. You know there has to be better if you use the right optimistic attitude. That btw, teaches you to steer away from sarcasm and Murphy’s Law thinking that was common during the Friends and Seinfeld show era.
Starting out in my career in hotel catering management taught me that not filling hotel rooms with guests was the biggest (opportunity) cost to the bottom line. I carried that way of thinking into my life even back then when I wasn’t aware. I realized not doing my highest and best use (that was taught in college) was my biggest loss.
That concept became my motivator to leave jobs I was unhappy or miserable with that had no rewarding path I could see for personal growth or in their business improvement.
In my late 20’s I wanted work-life balance, and to end the 50-60 hour workweek rut I was in walking around like a zombie in my downtime, that I started out with.
I kept the mantra running in my mind that I would not get my time back…and when I saw no way out, I found a way out.
And that’s how I switched industries into corporate tech office work. There I experienced newfound balance, and after I got a taste of that, I wanted more.
I went from not-so-healthy to balance, healing, and eventually wholeness. It was an overnight change that took over a decade.
And somewhere in that mix, the economic downturn hit where I went back to where I began in hospitality work. I had changed but the industry had not, so I moved on yet again.
…And that’s why I believe for everyone, Life is meant to get better despite the curve balls thrown at you.
Yes, you age, but you grow wiser and smarter. And you can adopt the right attitude if you help yourself to get there. I would never want to go backward in time.
…and I know now time can be underrated, and that it’s our most valuable asset (especially as you enter your 30’s and beyond).
I also now know that time is well spent when all 365 days of the year, I practice healthy and happy balance (that means green smoothies, food variety, and never changing Strawberry Twizzlers!). Plus, daily reset and renewal, and Ayurveda prevention and restoring ways.
….And that last one is what I’m most proud of for taking care of my body and mind.
Learning Ayurvedic habits was a new concept for me as a mid-adult who had lived around suburban malls and eating prepared foods in popular restaurants (and some that I couldn’t resist as I marketed their foods).
So then when I switched to Ayurveda I had choices (it’s not a diet, as I don’t believe in those). It encourages you to lean into your body’s natural desires, and often those are against the popular culture desires or what you think you want, like restaurant food (where you have no control over the cooking and ingredients).
I like to think of modern, western Ayurveda as a flexible lifestyle where you choose balance. You have a healthy plan and you enjoy what you like that you don’t regret.
For example, you won’t see me ordering or drinking a coffee drink with 53 grams of sugar. If it starts out that way, I will order most of the fat and sugar off, or just choose a black cold brew. That’s how I roll.
And that’s an ingrained habit.
But someone may say, “that’s no fun.” And I would say, “it is for me. I want to feel and look good, and for a long time. Then I can have more fun!”
We’re a much more health-conscious society now, but you still have critics and that can be the one sitting on your shoulder giving you internal debates on choices.
These days, I prepare at least 80% of my meals (and 100% in the past year). And Ayurvedic habits have helped me with balance, prevention, and restoration. And they can help you too!
Western Ayurvedic Habits
TheAyurvedic habits I do are not new to our western culture like they would have been a few decades ago. Like: theneti pot works for preventing sinus infections and doing regular yoga helps with balance, flexibility, and strength building.
Sanskrit is not my native or secondary tongue, so some rituals I’ve walked into that I wish I didn’t. Like: incense (…you might as well smoke a pack of cigarettes.. thankfully you rarely run into either and if it’s a certain church occasion where incense is, you know to expect it).
Another less than desirable one is chanting, like in a new yoga class that gives me an eerie feeling. I don’t participate. The mystical woo stuff doesn’t woo me.
I like to have my feet planted on the western ground unless I’m doing fun acrobatics (photo up top and here). Just kidding.
So some Ayurvedic habits and ways stuck with me and some didn’t, and from the beginning so I knew that they were meant (or not meant) for me.
And if you’re trying to figure out what Ayurveda or healthy lifestyle works or would work for you, then you can use your preferences as a natural guide if you don’t have a coach or someone helping you.
Essentially, Ayurveda is what’s healthy and natural to you, your body, and mind-body, so you can’t go wrong if it’s a healthy choice you like.
And when creating Ayurvedic habits, some habits need more practice to fully adopt than others.
In his NY Times bestseller,Atomic Habits, habit advice expert, James Clear, describes thathabit stacking is an easier way to have a habit stick.
An example of this is: I conveniently have a yoga mat rolled out near my bathroom with a side door, so that I can do a few yoga stretches before I start my day and after brushing my teeth (habit stacking). For some people, that’s enough of a reminder to create a habit.
But for a heavy Vatamind-body where routine (and sticking to the same way) is not a natural friend, Itweaked this idea to work for me…
A few days later after the novelty of the yoga morning activity wore off (and the habit broke), I rolled up half the mat, which triggered me to see the mat change when I had to look down so I didn’t trip over it.
That reminded me to do yoga. And thenslowly but surely I didn’t need to look down anymore because I knew where the roll ended. So I then took the half-rolled-up mat, and rolled it back down, and then rolled it in a different way several days later. I mixed it up. And now I have a mat under the mat to keep things interesting… and to keep me interested. That forced the habit to start, so it had a chance to stick.
I then reinforced the habit further with a set alarm. ...Phew! That was a lot for just one habit. But it’s worth it.
And you know what’s worth it for you, what works, and what it takes for you to create a habit! The harder part I think is figuring and finding out what habit to even start. And, knowing why you’re creating a habit.
Overall in the long run, when you do better habits, this keeps the healthy balance. You also improve and run your best marathon.
This is also how you keep growing. Keep trying new things (a Vata’s motto) until it becomes unhealthy or non-serving. Then in awareness of what you previously tried and want to improve, tweak again.
A good goal is to find what makes you happy, healthy, and whole, because without good physical and mental health, you can’t really optimally grow and contribute in your highest and best use way (maybe this is important to you too).
In the beginning, when I was forming Ayurvedic habits and concepts, I still felt stress or anxious even though I knew how to restore those feelings. I just hadn’t practiced enough.
And then I learned what worked for those symptoms and that became old hat like learning to ride a bicycle. And then I would feel other emotional symptoms like feeling irritated or judgmental. So then I fixed those.
While the symptoms were obvious, the changes were subtle (going in and out of moods). In those cases, I could’ve chosen to do nothing. And that’s what I think most people choose.
But that my friend (if I can call you that)… is not the highest-quality life, and maybe even semi-existence. I know because I lived that way in my no work-life balance-joy-robbing time that I will never go back to…
Feeling down, self-(fill in the blank ____), or negative thoughts and other big mood swings taking up mind real estate during prime leisure time and at night. But, I guess I was aware enough to do something about it. There’s always a silver lining.
For me, it would start with getting internally upset, angry, or irritated about something… and on and on it would spiral out of control spewing in my day and mood.
And I know that’s how a lot of people operate some of the time. And, that’s too much time!
There’s a much better way. 🎉
Transforming these ways has been worth going through the trials (to not lose any more valuable time), so that some of the time, becomes rarely or never when we learn better habits and ways.
These days, I choose peace. It’s a habit. Like most people,I have emotions running all the time and even more thoughts. And you can’t control how others behave towards you and some situations that happen to you. But you can control how you respond and react. So that’s what I do (and I encourage everyone to do that, so we can live our best lives now).
Ayurvedic habits allowed me to tap into daily peace, joy, and love that I already knew was there. That sounds so cliché and Hallmark card-ish, but that’s the nitty-gritty truth and what good habits can do for you.
You can get happiness (joy). Because if you find those things in you, your wants and feelings change. So the secret ingredient is getting healthy control over your thoughts and feelings. Letting go of the negative, and holding on to the good. And you can more easily get there if you’re healthy and balanced.
When you can remove (and nip in the bud) non-productive or toxic feelings and moods as soon as possible, you can avoid mental stress and stress on the body that can lead to inflammation.
And maybe that’s why I’m passionate about a balanced life. Because I know it’s in the palm of each of our hands and the ticket to true life’s success and happiness.
It took me not having it to discover it in a much deeper way.
So when I tested out new habits from the better information I gathered, I found it worked like a magic wand over the imbalances I had. It was like a magic pill without any pills or drugs. I didn’t know I had so much power to control.
Thirteen years in, it’s very easy for me to tell what’s happening in or out of balance for the mind by actions, and for the body by symptoms. And since my 20’s I’ve always been discerning and aligned with living balancedas my compass pointing north.
But I know not everyone is like this and many do better with boundaries and strict rules. And some do better with something they can relate to, like this car and body analogy…
Car and Body Analogy
Your Body is Like a Car (except it’s so much more valuable and you only get one in your life).
When you’re getting your car regularly maintained, the car shop can ask a few questions, and they can tell what’s wrong based on the slight off-ness.
All cars are not exactly the same as no one body is alike, even though you and I could both be Vata.
And all cars have wheels and need energy to run. And all our bodies alike have the same running parts like a heart, brain, and skin, with differentproduct needs. Like, we all need moisturizers but in varying degrees to our dry vs. oily skin, and the ingredients that our specific skin likes.
And certain things happen as we travel around, like our bodies age and a car gets out of alignment with mileage and wear and tear. But the symptoms can appear the same. That’s why a doctor or a mechanic can diagnose ailments from inflammations or problems down the road.
And we humans living in our bodies can diagnose and restore our non-serious body irregularities.
When you have Ayurveda habits, you are intentionally preventing stress or letting your body get aggravated.
Next week, I’ll share my specific ayurvedic habits and routines and talk about the Ayurvedic body type habit nuances. If you want to be notified when that and future blog posts come out, you can sign up in the upper right-hand corner of the main/home website page.
Tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed feeling as shown in this word cloud are general feelings many of us have.
These are eye-opening common feelings from my community surveyed in September 2021
But you don’t have to stay tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed. It’s the start of a new season and you can transition into your best season (no matter your situation). You can handle it with grace if you stay conscious of your attitudes and what you’re focusing on.
How you react is a direct determinant of how you perceive and interpret your situation.
Today’s blog post (and it’s a big one) is all about your different tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed feelings that bubble up when triggered that arise from some form of dissatisfaction (or trigger) in your life. I’m gonna share how to put those non-serving feelings aside so you can LIVE fully!
And that can start with a recipe that cools and refreshes.
Ice cream cookie recipe below 🍓
If you’re tired overall, then I’ve also got a tea beverage that’ll help put a pep in your step (especially if you have a Kapha imbalance). So keep on reading…
But – just a little side warning upfront: this is a long (and maybe deep) blog post. I didn’t intend for this to turn into an article-length piece, but I’m very passionate about the topic of balance restoration (having suffered in my ways before with unfulfilling work), so I believe that this is useful information for those who want it (and the data is showing people are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated these days).
So to further help with exhaustion and offer some tired relief in the way I know that works, I’m providing some know-how advice and practical nuggets of wisdom that I picked up along my journey.
I chopped up the blog article down into 4 main sections and here are some of the highlights:
Section 1: I explain how feelings can guide you and share what you could productively do with your feelings, plus lessons I learned that can help you turn your life around from tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed feelings.
Section 2: I share how to turn your feelings around with your thoughts and two revelations that changed my life (and since the tennis U.S. Open just ended, I use an analogy from the sporting event to describe how you can improve your thought life).
I also share with you some of my lifelong learner ways you can use to help you turn your life around from tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed feelings. And I explain how to reset your life now to a better path of possibilities.
Section 3: You can learn how to change your moods (whether they’re daily or seasonal moods) and how to use your time wisely with a break pause in your day (and life).
I include plenty of peppery questions you can ask yourself to get to the heart of the matter and find yourself in this season, along with oodles of examples throughout (so be sure to read it all and come back if you need to take a break!)
…and then finally in Section 4: you can learn how to change your perspectives from the tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed lens.
And I wrap up with some joy and inspiring ways you can look forward to your season and the upcoming 4 seasons.
So be ready to be encouraged and if you’re ready, grab a beverage and here we go!…
Emotional wheel is something you’ve probably heard about. Daily, we are bombarded with triggered emotions. If we process them when they happen or within the week, that’s healthy for us so we don’t assume trauma that hurts our happiness. I learned the hard way, but lessons learned gave me wisdom to end the madness even if it was delayed by years.
And these healthy black and white chocolate dipped biscotti (recipe below) ⬇️ represent the refining process of going through (the oven) again to get to the optimal finish line bake. You can make these when you’re working on your emotional wheel feelings, and not sure if you’re feeling up or down or all around that life can serve up.
These black and white chocolate biscotti that are duo chocolate and twice baked, went through the process. So you know they’re healthy! 😅
I was on a recent webinar presentation watching a respected leader and expert I have been listening to for years. She’s usually always on point except for this one display of being on an emotional wheel.
Consequently, her mind jumped all around, from one thought back to another. I felt for her. Like a trouper, she just went on like the professional she is.
Halfway through, she mentioned her forgetful mood was because she didn’t have anything to eat as a result of a hectic morning. But I could see and feel through the screen that the turmoil she was having was from a temporary Vata and Pitta imbalance, simultaneously going on at the same time.
I know that because I’ve been there and I’m sensitive to those imbalances.
We often try and associate our off-ness with a routine missed, or else we just let the moments pass and resolve themselves.
But what if it doesn’t? …and those moody feelings go from a day into days or weeks?
In this webinar I was on, this expert was also more impatient than usual. She didn’t usually point out when she had answered a question already. She typically just graciously found a new way to answer with additional ideas and value. She’s usually very calm and in control in mind-body connection ways.
I’m using this as a case study, as this can happen to any of us in our human-ness, no matter how put together or skilled we are. We’re not robots, thank goodness!
And this helps explain tennis pro, Naomi Osaka’s performance this week in the U.S. Open tennis match (and previous matches) where she has shown signs of frustration, throwing her racquet to the hardcourt. She was up and winning in the first set and then her mind-body turned on her, and she ended up going on a losing streak to a younger underdog player.
This is why they play in professional sports, because mostly if they can contain their emotions and control with a focused, coordinated mind-body, then they shine. But no matter how pro they are, they can lose it if they get inside their heads, and their bodies don’t perform in the tip-top way they want.
Anxiety is one of those emotions that can be crippling. And anger (or irritation as a subtler form) is another. You can go from one undesirable emotion to the next in the spectrum of the emotional wheel.
In my wholeness journey (as a 3rd study case), I’ve learned how to remove and calm those emotions that used to play a regular or seasonal role in my life. I just thought that was the way I was. I didn’t know back then I could do something about it that would change my life.
Then on top of those emotions, I used to think SADD (seasonal affective disorder) was what I would experience all my life from a teenager on, when every February I would feel hormonally imbalanced or slightly depressed. Do they even talk about this anymore as there are so many other known disorders in our more open, aware society?
I knew once March rolled around I was good and chipper again. But not everyone bounces back that way.
As I grew up, I learned to get the right vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements, and that helped along with all the other healthy and daily practices I implemented to enjoy every day.
In this similar way of seeking knowledge, I learned how to restore anxious-irritated feelings. We all have some feelings we have running on the surface or as undercurrents in our life, and are sometimes stronger based on our life situations.
In my desires and awareness, I learned how to faster restore those symptoms from the body-mind perspective, so that even the inward expression and feelings disappear. That’s a big transformation. And I realized it’s possible to improve your life with better wisdom and practice.
Emotional Wheel: Anxious Vata vs Angry Pitta Imbalances
There’s a varying spectrum of symptoms or descriptions you can use for Vata vs. Pitta imbalances on the emotional wheel.
An anxious Vata imbalance can show signs of being worried, scared or fearful (like if you will lose something valuable or if you feel uncertain about an outcome).
An angry Pitta imbalance can feel hot-tempered, irritated, annoyed, critical, or impatient (or feel a need to be more right about everything than usual).
In both cases, you want to get back to your calmest self as soon as possible. We all know stress causes havoc on our bodies and minds. And when you’re calm, you make better decisions when you can think and act clearly.
But each specific imbalance needs a different remedy.
If you have a Vata imbalance, you can first more notice your symptoms in your heartbeat, stomach, and sweaty hands (before it impacts your mind). You want to control those with your thoughts. You want to change that, to feel fearless and confident.
In a high-pressure situation like in a world-is-watching-your tennis court performance, that’s not easy to do and to revert back right away. At home or in your life, that’s what you want to do.
If you have a Pitta imbalance, your mind can often be impacted first. Triggers can set off your mind, and then your actions create your behaviors that lead to body stressors.
We all are born with a split mind that I won’t get into here, but this can be part of a personal growth journey you take to have one productive, loving mind in your higher self-space.
It’s the stuff I breathe, share, teach (and stand for). I believe your health and happiness are dependent on your growth and based on your choice and decision to take a better path than how you started or were given.
And in either case of Vata or Pitta imbalances, if you’re not calm then you’re stunted momentarily until you can restore and get back to your balance. You’re frozen from being creative and fully productive as your mind is distracted and can be racing, and that can impact your physical health like getting enough sleep and functioning optimally in the waking hours.
…Such as sitting still can be a Vata challenge and getting motivated to do calming yoga can be something you need to convince your body to do if it will cooperate. And a Pitta challenge can be to not express knee-jerk reactions, opinions, or interrupt. These subtle occurrences are emotional wheel signs that can be balance restored. Just like you get your tire wheels balanced (in alignment) on a car, your body-mind needs addressing, tune-ups and check-ins, so it runs optimally for life.
If you have a Vata imbalance you can witness your jumping from task to task more than usual.
When you have a Pitta imbalance you can also be jumpy, but you may want to interject more often.
You can go from one imbalance to another quickly, the same day, or as often as the weather changes (along with the storms in your body), and naturally can go away.
But, a better goal is you don’t want to be jumpy at all. You want to get off the emotional hamster wheel. There’s no good benefit being on it. You want to be cool, calm and collected. Or happy, and your excitement is contagious so you can be your BEST YOU.
If you let go of the unwanted feelings, then that’s victory. But if these hindering feelings spin out of control in your thought life, then you can end up lashing out at others, being angry, or running away. And these can in a usually-delayed way show up on your body in some form.
When your balance is restored, you know because the feelings of calm and peace wash over, and you can find the joyful moments to keep you productive and happy at the moment. You are free and own the most important thing you have, Your Life. You feel on top of the world and your emotional wheel is balanced.
So now you know about the Vata-Pitta differences (or are getting a little more aware). What do you do about restoring your emotional wheel of undesired feelings?
It’s not exactly one size fits all as we have different bodies and minds (biodiversity), but since we’re all born with a body and mind, there are similar specific remedies that work for these imbalances.
For a Vata, ginger, and cinnamon in black teas can be your magic tea. Orange is one of your magical scents.
If you’re a Vata or have a Vata imbalance, you won’t want grassy tasting green teas (green smoothies are okay all the time 😊) or to do the creative activities, as your mind will still want to protect you like you’re being chased by a tiger.
If you’re a Pitta or have a Pitta imbalance, you won’t want sweets. You’ll prefer a plummy-sour fruit flavor or green tea, and you’ll want to get active. You can want the grassy cologne scents that you won’t normally be attracted to if you’re not a naturally dominant Pitta.
From anxiety to anger, you can easily go into a distracted fight-flight-frozen mode.
You get to know which imbalances you have when you like certain scented lotions and perfumes you like sometimes but not others. All that information is connected to your body-mind intelligence and imbalances.
Your body naturally knows what it wants and needs. It’s fascinating. That’s why I’m passionate about restoring imbalances that lead to better daily happiness and long-term health.
You can learn how to do this for yourself and others. As a first step you could take the body balance quiz to get some quick tips on how to restore your dominant imbalance and get advice for deeper insight on your body-mind imbalances. I love this mantra:
“When you know better, you do better.”
-Oprah and Maya Angelou
Break your patterns, stay curious, and with a growth mindset, you can make tweaks and improvements that affect your health and happiness. Let your emotional wheel of feelings help guide you. Be well.
Healthy Biscotti (No Butter or Sugar) - Black and White Chocolate Biscotti
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
2-1/2cup flour
3tspbaking powder
1-1/2tspaniseed, crushed
3/4tspsalt
1/4tspcinnamon
1/4tspnutmeg
1/2cupcoconut oil
1-1/4tspalmond extract
2eggs
1cupsblanched almonds
2tspmilk
finely choped dates, orange zest, dried fruits as sweet
Instructions
Make your dough with the ingredients. It should be cohesive and sticky enough to become a dough. You may need to add more oil or can substitute with yogurt or apple sauce.
Roll our two rectangular loafs flattened at the top in 350°F oven for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely. Then use a serated knife to make even-cut biscotti pieces.
Then flip over and bake for 10 more minutes for twice baked.
Let cool and dip in melted chocolate.
Refrigerate and then dip in white chocolate for duo-chocolate.
