The Great British Bake Off season means baking time, so that’s what this light-hearted foodie is sharing about today to lean into the happy! 😋
…And as a show fan, I get giddy like a school girl. I’ve even got my hair put up in a high up side ponytail like a teen to match my feelings. 🤸🏻
Oh, but don’t worry… this will probably be my only giddy post on the show if you’re not a fan (yet). I’ll be back on the healthy earth channel 🌱 next week… so stay tuned. 📺
…And tuning this week into The GBBO also known as the Great British Baking Show 🇬🇧 is the alarm for me (and us home bakers) that it’s time to fall B-E-ake!
But before we bake, can you guess what this is?
It’s NOT butter. And it’s not fondant even though it makes a good food illusion 💭… but neither are good to eat on its own so that rules those out.
…Well, hang on to your hat (for that finished thought), and keep reading as it will make more sense when I spill the butt-ah…
Btw… in the States, we like our good sense, scents, and cents, as we’re multi-faceted and have many preferences to show.
We’re similar to our neighbors across the pond where we have adopted some nifty baking ways. Isn’t that right, Rahul (our beloved Great British Bake Off friend)? 😊… and we love that! 🇺🇸
I also love that we get to idea mingle with our UK friends that unite the kingdoms through our grams (Instagram and convertable baking gram measurements). 🇬🇧
…and isn’t it about worldly T-I-M-E!?
Cheers! 🎉 (as in thank you in Brit-English and cheers 🥂).
Oh, and did I mention we’re getting mini-Brit speaking lessons from the show’s entertainment side? 🐿️
One lesson note-to-self: I’ll now know to bring more pants than trousers and trackies to the U.K. next time. 😉
But all-in-all, we have a lot and even more in common… both countries speaking some English-variety. We’re also closest in time zones when you consider the other Old World countries.
…And GBBO o‘clock 🕰️ helps us bridge the ocean divide. 🥧
But I will add… it’s a little weird seeing the show baked creations before the episode airs on Netflix.
…Ah, but a few seasons in… like most watchers from the States, I’ve gotten used to the spilled (butt-ah 🧈) beans. 🫘
Plus I grew up in the simpler dialup era so no complaints (not my style).
Which btw, I think I saw one of those ☎️ this week and a green sewing machine that brought me back to my youth where we had one of those in the house.
…Plus I learned a new mini checkerboard technique a.k.a Battenbergs that I heard about from the show. 🏁
And that’s what I was baking up this week in my no-pressure tent? 🎪 Well.. sorta, but not exactly!
…I get excited about sugar talk that goes straight to my head 💭… I forget for a brief moment that I’m a low-sugar baker in the comforts of my kitchen.
So swept back to reality, a MINI Battenberg marzipan dessert is fitting. Because a mini one has very little sugar.
…And this one is reaallly small! …Good for maybe a big Barbie food table.
But too small to bake a cake in unless you’re Barbie baking for Ken and then it’s never too small. 💖
But for the rest o us, an all easy marzipan sweet bite can be made in minutes. It’s like playing with Play-dough.
…So that’s what I turned my butter illusion into. And making a fancy pattern marzipan is still less time than baking.
But I couldn’t leave my oven cold.
Because butter talk inspires baking. Especially on The Great British Bake Off.
…So I made a healthy delicious bake, but instead of butter (or butt-ah) I used an ingredient you may or may not have heard of… MCT oil.
It sounds like a pharmacy prescribed oil, but it’s OTC… and healthy! Now we’re back on track. 🌱
The healthy fat food supports weight loss, helping the body make ketones for energy that then gives us more energy.
It’s a form of coconut oil that most or all of us know. 🥥
And so I thought only fitting to make a healthy chocolate donut.🍩
That was made coconut tasty with organic unsweetened coconut chips that also make delicious snacks on their own!
Healthy coconut flour was used to lean into the tastes of chococonut (say that 10 times). The gluten-free flour makes a denser no-rise bake that’s great for pancakes or ONE donut here…
…that’s btw how us baking peeps fit into our fave jeans so we can better thrive in our mind-bodies 😊 where we’re all slightly different tuned that’s good to celebrate in our turning world.
Speaking of jeans👖…my baking genes wouldn’t fit in The Great British Bake Off fiery baking tent. 🎪
The show competitors got that competitive gene.🙌👏🏽
…And it looks like all of them this season were very blessed.
For the rest of us, we’re watching TheGreat British Bake Off and doing our stress-free baking. And on that note, you can enjoy with a best melted chocolate dessert.
To make a stacked cardamom tree like this is satisfying. It almost looks like a game of edible Jenga. The recipe is below along with some song title inspiration to get you in the Christmas spirit.
You can get in holiday merry cheer with music that brings you back to the warm-and-fuzzy under-the-mistletoe feelings. 🎶 Ed Sheeran & Elton John have a “Merry Christmas” special duet and happy video to watch along to give you just that…
Peppy Christmas music can wake you up and help restore your mind and body’s anxious moods. If you have anxiety, brain fog, or need some joy, you can year-round get instant healing through the power of sounds, to calm and balance… while you’re making your cardamom tree.
Cardamom is a spice made from several plants (not a tree). It’s sweet, spicy and warm. It can help wake up balance your Kapha with its slight pungent aroma. And calm anxiety with its sweetness.
Along with 30 selected soothing Christmas songs therapy savers to help you relax your worried Vata, soothe Pitta, and wake up your Kapha sides. 🧘🏻♀️👯♂️
Music with a cardamom tree is an Ayurvedic healthy recipe!
So often we think listening to music is nice entertainment, but it’s so much more as it’s used to heal the mind, body, and soul.
Music will do that faster through the ears to the mind, than food that can take the long route from the digestive body to mind.
And if you have setbacks, looming worry, or stress, know that it starts in your mind and shows up on your body in the mind-body connections.
If you have stress, the first warning signs can be a stress pimple, wrinkles, early gray hair, or other visible signs. And if you’re feeling depressed or the blues, you could hold onto extra pounds.
This is common around the holidays and winter months when seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can kick in.
You hear many stories of heart-related diseases around the holidays. The body usually gives earlier warning signs, but the holidays present a stressful time to many hearts.
So baking a Christmas cardamom tree along with Christmas songs therapy and instrumental sounds is one totally healthy and often overlooked preventative way to keep your holidays happy and bright (from the start of the Advent to the end of the year).
Just a few minutes listening can be all you need to restoratively calm an anxious mind or soothe an irritated soul that needs rest and peaceful healing. And on then on the mend you can restore all your anxious, irritated and tired symptoms this season. Take the quick body balance quiz to see what you can do about these sour moods.
Christmas Songs Therapy For Calming Relaxation:
Christmas songs therapy includes soothing songs, instrumental, classical music, and calm sounds.
1. Choral Classics (ethereal music) has a way of bringing peace-filled feelings, like the deep sound of a bell ringing that resonates.
When you hear classic Christmas songs in general, like “Noel,” sung by a melodic chorus in synchrony, they provide harmony to your mind. Even in a world of chaos, they can bring a feeling of peace and order, especially when feelings of uncertainty permeate.
2. “Noel” – Lauren Daigle has a modern twist to this classic Christmas song
3. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” – Sarah Mclachlan (Wintersong Album)
Soothing Pitta From Irritation/Angry Feelings:
4. Christmas Canon – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
5. Christmas Jazz – Kenny G Winter Wonderland
6. Dr. SaxLove – Snazzy instrumental saxophone
7. Kenny G saxophone – if you’re irritated, his instrumental music is known to hold the high notes longer that reach and impact your mind in a healing/soothing way
8. Ocean sounds – in real life, ocean waves are moving year-round (something for us to be grateful for as they affect the world climate). I have fond memories of going to the local beach in the winter when it’s off-season (and maybe you do also where you are). The waves are calm, and the beach uninhabited when everyone is indoors in hibernation
9. Tibetan Singing Bowls – these are used to start and end meditation sessions. Yoga instructors use these bowls for intentional yoga sessions. You can feel like you’re in a place of solitude (like monks).
Christmas Songs Therapy For Anxiety:
Find indie music and off-beat music and chants.
Get out of the common everyday music and go into worldly music… in America, it’s easy to stick with the popular music bands that are advertised and played over and over again on television, radio, and half-time shows. You’ll get better mind-body satisfaction if you step out and explore other music. For a Vata especially, discovering fresh variety is going to be a breath of fresh air that awakens the mind if there’s a little Kapha going on.
10. “One Toy Solider” song AndWinter Came Album – Enya
11. Amaratine Album (Special Christmas Edition)- Enya
12. The Reindeer Room – A Christmas Chillout Album – Most of the artists you won’t recognize but the instrument twists are not your usual beats. They have a futuristic vibe that you may detect. They are remakes of classic songs such as Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, and Little Drummer Boy
13. Gregorian chants that can make you feel like you’ve been whisked back in time
14. Chamber music (Saint-Saens Chamber music) – You feel like you’re listening from inside a music chamber
15. Crystal singing bowls. These sounds are so light and airy and can make you feel enlightened. They’re good to use while meditating or journaling and can be restorative for panic attacks
16. Waterfall or rain instrumental sounds that have varying tempos. Those light background sounds (including fire crackling) can restore stubborn moods
17. Christmas blues songs – unlike jazz, there are greater varied ranges and moods
18. Dee Yan Key – snazzy, upbeat instrumental that you can find in Music Archives to help you create or compose your own music
20. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (1984) – this is an oldie but goodie with a couple of George’s… Boy George, George Michael, Duran Duran, and a bunch of the famous rock singers of the past. So nostalgic (when the Brat Pack on film were popular…I digress), but you just can’t recreate the same 80’s happy music and the time period it represented
…if you start singing along to your favorite songs, you’re doing double good. You can’t be depressed and joyful at the same time. Singing no matter what you sound like, off-key or not, will make you feel better and open up your throat.
Another one…
21. “So This Is Christmas” – John Lennon (if you’re a Beatles fan)
22. Andrea Bocelli – “The Prayer” duet will wake up your heart and soul with the opera-esque components. Andrea’s amazing singing quality holds onto long high notes. Return to Love is a beautiful video where Andrea Bocelli serenades with a chorus, to his wife, that can remind you of fleeting moments. As a blind musician, Bocelli started his young career as an attorney. But he could sense the happiness and smiles that his singing brought to crowds and that’s what tipped his decision to become a professional musician
23. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is a classical classic, that’s good for balance. The violin in the spring concerto is going to be light and help wake up your senses. Summer is going to be fast and dramatic. Fall is light. Winter is best for Kapha imbalances, as it’s a faster tempo.
24. Another classic is listening to the music from The Nutcracker. You’ve probably seen the dreamy fairy tale performance before and can watch it online. The varying instruments piped into the drama is good for getting your mind out of routine.
25. Bret Eldridge – a cross between a big band, country, and Harry Connick, Jr.-esque. His fresh, modern take on class Christmas songs can awaken your senses
26. “Amazing Grace” – The Il Divo tenors are captivating to watch as they sing their parts of the same song
27. “Hallelujah” – Pentatonix has a chorus that’s refreshing to listen to especially if you’re in a mood funk. It’s like throwing a splash of warm water on your face as the singers echo melodies and imitate sounds
28. “Christmas Tree Farm” – Taylor Swift jingles can be a reminder of a jolly and hopeful time that Christmas is.
29. “Christmas Valentine” – Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz (maybe he can add a Dancing with the Stars dance to his video?)
30. “Please Come Home For Christmas” – The John Mayer modern version with high guitar riffs, Jon Bon Jovi sultry version, or original Charles Brown oldie blues version can bring different moods. See if you can find the version that makes your day a couple minutes happier.
Just remember if you’re fatigued in any way, Christmas-y songs lift up your spirit. They will stay classic, as long as you want to remember them that way.
We all grew up hearing the classic songs sung by different artists and repurposing an old song to a new version. Or are sung in collaboration with other artists. New re-made versions and meditative healing music are good for restoring different imbalances that your body is quietly thanking you for.
May your Advent season be happy and bright with a Cardamom Tree! 🌲
Work freedom is possible if that’s what you want. Keep in mind that you are in control of your ship and the experiences you are gaining today will be part of what you need in the future especially if it’s a creative one.
If you could have more work freedom in your life, what would that look like?
I describe freedoms below that I think would make all the difference in the world in work life balance, time flexibility, and to unleash creativity in your life if that’s what you want. 🌎
That’s what I wanted.
…And if that’s what you want, you deserve in this life, so your work future is worth fighting for!
Each of our personal desired versions of work freedom is different.
For me, like many of us, it’s not having a boss. And, being able to create my own schedule deciding when I’ll show up. In 2019, I started my humble self-employed journey after I left my last corporate job and office life.
2019 corporate life
As far as I’m concerned, I retired from my corporate career for good. Before that, I reported to many bosses with the exception of a few years in between when I dabbled on my own doing consulting work where I felt most empowered.
Some workplaces and bosses were good enough for a little while, and others, well… let’s just say they aren’t for everyone. 😉
All of us who have worked know what that’s like for at least part of our careers where we may have stuck it out as a stepping stone to climb the ladder 🪜 or as a bridge to our next venture.
…Or to take a different turn. I’ve done all of the above to eventually move toward my better work freedom.
I know that not having the pieces fit together in the dozen or so roles from my first, second, or even third corporate career helped me realize that’s what I wanted!
Every pivot made me more intentional about what I wanted my work life to look like.
And not having a mentor but instead becoming one, helped me realize I didn’t want to work for anybody EVER again.
I started out in corporate hospitality and working with catering management, so foodie likes is up my alley. And then I went into other office management fields.
Dutch baby pancake recipe below. 👇
But I had to take that windy journey in the corporate work world to confidently know that, and what I’m capable of…
And to also know that you can be excelling at your job that looks good on paper, but not be fulfilled.
Looking back, I realize those experiences made me the person I am today who’s resilient and not gonna settle for less than what the whole life has to best offer in every season (God willing!). No experience goes wasted.
And in my last corporate job, I had this whisper that could’ve been a billboard sign because it was that loud to me as by then I was used to following whispers that others often miss or ignore.
In my mind I heard, I would not get this time back. And from that point on a cascade of work problems followed where I knew I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The only way UP was OUT. And then I got my time freedom back. Once again I felt cage-free to pursue new opportunities.
And I know I’m not alone in how I feel here because even the conservative peers I’ve talked to in their mid-careers who left jobs prematurely before they thought they would, said they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders when they gave their notice.
Feeling good was a sign that a right decision was made. And every time I gave my notice, that’s how I felt.
But that satisfying feeling fades into now what? that gradually replaces excitement.
This is where people differ. Some would run from misery to insecurity and others would stick it out and stand firm for security.
And you know where you stand on that.
In the years I started in the workforce, workers didn’t leave jobs as they do for mental health and happiness reasons that are recognized these days.
Our younger workers today value health over stability and moving away from discomfort and into promising ideas and possibilities.
The workforce generations today have amped up the employers’ game where bosses can’t get away with the same toxic behavior or red tape antics they used to without a backlash or being caught on camera.
And I think that’s great that our society is moving away from that type of dysfunctional workplace.
So #1 is creating work freedom away from the wrong kind of bossing.
And #2 is freedom from stress or anxiety.
As someone who valued work-life balance in her 20s, I also believe reducing stress is underrated and needs more stressing these days.
Having lived through stressful work situations, I know enduring stress can be the cause of so many health problems and arising mystery ailments.
I think stress reduction is even more important than sleep because if you’re tired, your body crashes. With stress, it could go on quietly for years without visible detection and a remedy.
Our bodies do their best to try to daily whisper to us in headaches, our skin, and even our bathroom life. 🚽
But if we ignore the signs for too long, the wear-and-tears become loud. And in those anxious-filled stressful seasons, we aren’t running optimally as our self-care and immunity defenses go down.
Not to mention our creativity isn’t reachable.
…And creativity I believe is where our happiness is. It’s the passion we can control, that gives us freedom.
When we can birth new ideas or re-create old ones for new life, our body cells are happier and that radiates through our daily life, outlook, and how we feel about ourselves.
Don’t you beam from to ear-to-ear when you’ve contributed and acknowledged (or have been recognized by someone) that those new ideas came from you?
That uplifting feeling creates space for opportunity and opens doors for hope, more achievement, and possibilities that we all aspire to in our lives.
But most workers never get to that sweet spot.
I know I didn’t because of all the work constraints and limitations…
And the answer isn’t to quit your job necessarily. The answer is to add more playtime in the quality free time, doing the creative things that light you up and you’re passionate about. And maybe those activities become your next season.
A few hours could be an enjoyable weekend afternoon. And then let those happy feelings and memories carry you through the tough week ahead if that’s what you face.
And then look forward to the next free future playtime afternoon.
And if you find that you’re skipping off from work to do more of that, then maybe that’s a sign.
Because having been on both sides, I now know that not doing daily work that inspires you gets old.
The new could be: if today were your last day (not at work, but your LAST DAY), would you be happy?
…And if the answer is no, then coming up with a plan to do more of those passionate things or to discover more of what you want to do is going to help get you to your happiest place.
Explore creativity and develop your gifts, talents, and abilities. Remember, you won’t get this time back. And this season will end.
Not all plans come to fruition, but you’ll never know something better or your highest achieving potential self if you don’t try.
Take some risks and do projects that you want to do more of or explore to see what you like at both work and in your personal time.
With a more enriched life, you can dream new and better dreams and start heading in the new re-routed direction that becomes your NEW LIFE.
And eventually, if you keep pacing slowly, inching toward what you figure out you like, you’ll be doing more of what you want and not what was old in the past.
Like a butterfly that struggles to get out of the chrysalis, the creatures that we are, in determination successfully make it out.
Believe that in yourself.
That’s so liberating! 🦋
In the humble beginnings, like most, you pay the price of being inexperienced, and then the price is paid and life gets better with experiences.
And Life is unlimited. And you see it as abundant.
And once you get a taste of the potential and the genie is let out of the bottle, you know you’ll never go back to the old, lesser ways.
OK, and finally…
# 3. Mind freedom is another freedom worth gaining when you have work freedom. It’s another one that slips under the radar (and can cause stress).
But, with mind awareness, we know we can change our happiness from the inside out.
For whatever life and work freedom you’re yearning for most, mind freedom is something to create space for in yourself first to be successful.
It grows when you make mindset shifts from old ways, beliefs, and attitudes, and rewrite daily thoughts and doubts.
Because so easily, what is within our potential reach can easily fade if the mind isn’t daily reset, in-check, and our motivations (our why) isn’t prioritized.
So often our busy situations and demanding lives can get in the way and make us tired and lazy. And that’s how we get stuck while our clocks keep running.
So having your why and what defines your work freedom can keep you moving toward your north star. 🧭
And keep you from going back to the old thinking ways that are meant to stay in the past that got you to where you are today.
Keep pressing forward in your life and let that forward motion become your guide in life to greater freedom and happiness.
…That includes a passionate, purposeful life of creativity if you want that, where you get to express your human you-niqueness and contributions where work is joy.
Blend the ingredients (except the butter). You can use a Magic Bullet that makes smoothie drinks if you have one.
Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Coat the pan with butter and pour in batter.
Bake in oven at 350°F/180°C until the pancakes are crispy.
For syrup: add maple syrup and a little blueberry juice to make a jammy blueberry syrup. Zhugh with blueberries.
Notes
I find frozen wild blueberries work very well for this recipes and other breakfast-y pancakes. They are uniform in size and give the right amount of juice.
On this Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), I’m remembering my past visit to New Orleans around Mardi Gras celebrations. And these days I’m celebrating how I live life so differently. And in one big way, is how I view happiness. You too?
And one smaller way is how I eat and bake healthy… as proof, here are some healthy whole wheat beignets with a light dusting of powdered sugar compared to those heavy-handed sugar days.
But since those trying earlier years, I’ve come to know that happiness comes from a different deeper lens in the thoughts today. And happiness is in your ability to control, changing arising and spinning dysfunctional ego mind thoughts from the past.
In the daily moments, happiness is searching for and magnifying past happy experiences. For me, that’s recalling birthday parties and cakes. And I have even more photos as evidence (but I’ll spare you those this time). 😉
And the happy, good memories are not usually what the mind actually serve up in the messy thoughts that a busy day can bring. That’s anything but happiness. So for happiness, it’s good to be mindful of these specific thoughts:
Past thoughts. Consciously be aware of re-framing the bad memories and negative repeated tapes that interruptingly come up in the day. And these thoughts crowd out the happy ones. So it’s often necessary to rewrite your present thoughts of the past so you can keep them in the past…
Because your today’s happiness depends on that…
And your happiness depends on what version of thoughts you want to magnify today.
The mind often likes to serve up what we didn’t get that others got. And in those past dysfunctional areas dwelling in the present, keeps us playing small in our lives. Even decades later.
Like, I remember a few daily childhood situations where I wasn’t put first by others. Because that’s what the brain does in the present moment. The brain doesn’t pull up memories like all the years of having celebrational cake for birthdays and throwing fun birthday parties.
So to better get out of that fast (think fast!), we can either think of better past memories. Or we can focus on the present… And in this moment…well, I’m writing but you’re doing what you’re doing. So having a good standby conscious thought ready to replace the bad thoughts is what you want.
And that’s why as a reminder, gratitude is so important. Because you can always be thankful and replace negative thoughts with appreciation, and that can be the maze out of the fuzzy mind on any given day.
Or putting love on yourself: “I am loved.” That’s a post-it note worth keeping around! 💌
Remember to focus on what helps you out completely, not what soothes the same hurts time and time again like a band-aid.
Heal the hurt and then rewrite what is served up. Healing is found in the re-write thoughts and not the re-living of the same past storyline that happened many decades ago. You already suffered once from the situation, which was more than enough.
And today, it’s not physically hurting you unless you allow your thoughts to keep going there in the same way.
Present thoughts. In this moment and today, you canapply wisdom knowing what’s up vs. what’s down (right or wrong as best you know). And every day there’s an opportunity for wrong to creep in.
So it’s good to be objective. See the what-is truth behind your thoughts and operate from that perspective… Not what it could be or what you think it could be. And you’re NOT the bad person for saying “no!” Think the opposite. You’re the foolish person saying “yes” to something you don’t agree with out of guilt or feeling selfish. The ego brain loves that beating up yourself-stuff.
And always saying yes or letting guilty feelings take over are costing happiness, unproductive time, and emotional energy.
If you think you’re being selfish, that’s all twisted information anyway because when you’re *really* acting selfish, you don’t give another thought to it!
And there are other areas that go under the radar where we did act selfish without us having a conscience. So then we know our brains aren’t always helping us!
…So don’t buy into every thought you have.
…Stop the madness! Go with your gut-feeling thoughts and check in with your heart that guides in whispers. Is what you’re thinking and feeling, loving? … and to you?
And that again takes knowing what your right and wrongs are, so you do have to noodle them out some.
Sometimes noodling takes up mind space or sleep, but they’re worth the short time because you don’t want to be caught deer in the headlights without knowing your thoughts and how to respond in certain life situations. So you save time in the long-run.
You do want your boundaries honored, especially with others.
Others will try to cross over your boundaries. And don’t let that bother you. We’re all imperfect (and some of us try more than others). All you can count on is yourself.
For others who cause ripples, love the person but hate the action that they’re responsible for. And give tougher love more often when needed. If someone in your daily life today is not carrying their weight or responsibility, then let their actions catch up with their words.
And more importantly, don’t be part of their actions and antics. That would just be okay-ing their dysfunctions and now yours. 🤨
And for the future thoughts… Uncertainty is certain for everyone, so be happy today.
Worry is optional. Use worry to prepare and write out potential answers and solutions. Noodle out. And then forget about it.
Other than that, worry produces nothing.
And anxiety is the same. …I get it. I’m a Vata. The anxious symptoms are not something you can control the onset of. And you try to manage best each time in life’s sticky situations and triggers. But use those opportunities to rewrite how you handle your anxious symptoms.
We first developed anxiety and panic in our childhood pasts where we first felt anxieties about out of our control situations (like 90% of the time). And if not careful they become wound thoughts.
And if you’re primarily a Pitta, you’re not off the hook either 😊…maybe you deal with anger issues still; and Kaphas, hang onto clinging issues.
And since we have earth, wind, and fire in us (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), we can express any of those counterproductive ways at any time.
So don’t let your ego think you have it better or worse than anyone else. Rewrite those “better than others” thoughts as practice. That’s another sour ego mind trick.
Our happiness is in our wisdom (and maybe knowledge applied from above). It’s in what we do today in our thoughts and redesign how we want to think and be.
And if you want to operate in more daily wisdom, I can’t think of a better source than seeking Biblical wisdom (like that in Psalms/Proverbs and in the New Testament). If you weren’t taught along the way like so many of us, you have this resource that is reliable and relevant.
And even better, develop the fruits of the spirit that include kindness, goodness, patience, self-control, peace, joy, and love. And love yourself first. That could be your guiding mantra this week 💚💛💜
Did you know you could listen to these snack blog posts in usually under 10 minutes?
Grow self-awareness to “believe in yourself” never grows old. That mantra can change your entire day and how you feel about yourself… and still be you, but better!
Be You and Believe in Yourself! 🪞And love yourself with chocolate heart cookies. A health conscious sweet cookie recipe below… 🧡
A few weeks ago, I published Part 1 (of this 2-part series) on using yoga meditation as a way to develop and grow self-awareness for your happiness. And the one thing yoga and your happiness have in common is self-love.
Think about this, you are loving on yourself when you’re focused inward (and in yoga pretzel bends 🥨).
…So first and foremost, love yourself first.
And if that’s what you’re doing, then that love energy radiates and carries over to the (and your) world that needs more light.
And know that the opposite of love is fear. (It’s not hate that can be usually what we’re constantly upset about).
And by knowing this, we can do something about it as we grow self-awareness.
Our ego is built-into our brain construction that serves up internal obscure thought messages to us every day in a “lizard brain” protection way. Triggers turn into threats in the subconscious ego mind and thrives in our dark area where self-love is missing.
So to grow, we want to bring back love to restore.
Ego fear shows up first in our thoughts, so we have a chance then to shut it down, walk away, change our thoughts, and replace with loving thoughts that grow self-awareness and our happiness.
And if anyone you know thinks they’re not affected, then their ego is definitely playing them every day.
As silly as it can sound to our ego minds, telling yourself and believing “I am loved” (or substitute with your fave loving mantra to build yourself up) will eventually kick out the ugly ego imposter ways.
And then you have a concrete go-to way that helps the next time. And you count on that there will be a next time whether it’s later in the day, week, or a few weeks away.
And if this ego idea is newer to you, think of ego as fear and how you feel when you’re scared in some way. Similarly, an unhealthy amount of ego shows up from time to time from some situational trigger, memory, or enemy forces (where ego stands for Edging God Out if you’re spiritual).
And know that ego fear is disguised on a platter to you in your subconscious thoughts, behaviors, and decisions. More serious is when it shows up in you, and that affects others in your actions if the thought is allowed to grow.
So, do yourself good…
Healthy Love yourself more… and stop the ego fear madness!
When you bring out the accumulated baggage in self-awareness that you’ve been carrying around already too long, let it go, and magnify self-love, then you’re on your merry way to personal happiness.
