Uncertainty can be made certain when you cook dishes you can’t mess up like shakshuka that always tastes great.
Most of life is uncertain. Some days we have some certainty over planned future events and in yesterday’s events.
But we have uncertainty about tomorrow and sometimes what will happen today.
And uncertainty can come with all sorts of flavors and emotions.
Some uncertain days are filled with excitement, so those are double bonus… and are often few and far between over routine days. But that gives us a buffer so we feel the good effects compared to the previous nothing-special happening days.
And on uneventful days, it’s good to be grateful for our own contentment good.
That will get rattled up eventually with the sudden news that changes the direction of our day and possible season.
The way to best handle every situation is to find your joy. And if there is none that a sad or stressful situation can bring, then shed the cleansing tears and find peace. No matter what.
…Because the situation will happen regardless of your misery or staying calm and happy. So why not lean into the healthy positive expressing feelings that your body will reward you for?
Plus, you make more sound decisions that way.
A decision can be as simple as whether to react or not react. Because whatever our actions are, especially when others are involved, there are consequences.
And my best advice for you in uncertainty is if you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything you could regret until you know what to do.
Then bringing this to your awareness, an answer follows at some point. It’s not an automatic response like a knowing that comes with practice and habits and then builds confidence the next time.
Trained professionals know what to do in their specialties, and you know what to do in yours, but not necessarily in theirs.
And when you take an action or make a reaction from a place of peace of wanting to give, then you know you’ve done your best.
So often we take action because someone else has projected the situation onto us and put the burden on our shoulders. It’s our modern protective job (since we’re not running from tigers) to evaluate objectively.
And not always jump on what is asked if the hoops are the wrong ones where we don’t set boundaries. And we end up resentful or bitter about what could have been handled differently.
Give yourself first the chance to think: What are the facts? What do you know about the entire situation that may have a history?
And if we can sleep on the idea over a night or two, then we see how we feel after we think or pray about the idea in peace and meditation which can be starkly different than the knee-jerk reaction. Time and rest allow for wisdom to enter instead of our worry-fear actions.
…Which BTW, this is a great life skill habit to learn and practice.
We’ve all had examples and some practice over the past few years. Our worlds were shaken by the disruptions of the global crises we all experienced on our planet from climate to pandemic.
This led to the greatest uncertainty that may end up being the most in our lifetime.
The toughest unique situations we each had to individually go through may still feel like open wounds. And those are maybe ones we don’t want to think about since we just went through them and are still processing.
BUT, the healthiest thing we can do is to not delay and think about the effects on us this year. We each had trauma of sorts and we want to prevent post-trauma effects that our mind-bodies will cling onto.
The trauma could have been the change in jobs, relationships, losses, lifestyle habits, and where you live, or all of the above. Or that you’re still in those situations. And the bottom line is: there was and is uncertainty.
And on top, there could be fresh wounds mounding on top of older ones.
All of that is part of the adult life. And when you’re super tested during difficult times to take on additional stressors, you can choose to feel like throwing in the towel… or you can look at the upside!
Your tough trials, situations, and setbacks get you ready for what’s on the other side. 🌈
So in the mud, find the hope vision. That could be as simple as recalling the thoughts that when you’re down, there’s nowhere to go but up.
And when you’re feeling Kapha tired, you plow through anyway… not because you feel like doing the work or task, but because you know you’ll feel better after you do. And you’re looking for that victorious after-burn feeling! 😎
It always gets better… and that’s not cliche if you’ve already lived to mid-life.
In the down, you become the resilient person that is needed to appreciate the pot of gold if you fight for your own victory that’s inevitable in your beliefs and if you don’t give up.
So today and every day, find a ray of hope and glimmer. ✨Borrow from nature that hums and runs 24-7 without pause on any part of the globe.
Where I was the year before the pandemic started, was working in close-knit quarters. I was at large-scale annual events where as many as 100,000 global members were invited. And I traveled internationally more frequently than non-existently.
Working in my local offices, I recall appreciating the time I had working remote for years prior in my early 30s. That also made adapting to 2020 life easier.
…Similarly, leaning into your positives in your situations can be your saving grace. Recalling your past that helped you in the tough times and today can make you feel that all will be well. And it will!
…It’s that same knowing from experience, that if you have a bad day, the next ones will be great.
Focus on those optimistic thoughts and look forward to your next steps.
Find your blessings amid uncertainty. Staying in joy is going to help you not lose precious years of productivity.
Maybe look at life as a learning opportunity?
Each year comes with different situations and dreams. And you want to keep your head high and ride the cloud through the stormy and silver linings as though every opportunity is a joy to learn something.
And when you look down, you notice that the ground below you offers a chance to jump on a new landed opportunity and experience.
Make this year a triumph in how you see life and learning… and maybe someone you know needed to hear this that you can pass this on to, especially since we just passed Mental Health Awareness month that’s now part of our every month.
You’re never alone. And life is on your side. 🎉
And one thing you can control is keeping your joy and restoring your balance preferences with your spices.
You can restore your Vata, Pitta, and Kapha balance with Shakshuka
Course Breakfast
Cuisine lebanese
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
eggs
tomato sauce
coriander or cumin (cooling)- Pitta restoring
red pepper (heating) - Kapha restoring
oregano and tarragon - Vata restoring
olive oil
Instructions
Add your tomato sauce and EVOO and leave 3 dips to add your eggs. Cook until sauce is thickened about 10 minutes. Add the spices you want using your nose as to which you want to add. Your preferences will change because your nose knows to balance your Ayurvedic dosha that needs balancing related to your moods (e.g. tired, anger, anxious).
Bake dish at 350°F/180° C with spices about another 10 minutes.
Kapha tiredness is an accurate way to describe seasons when you’re feeling lazy and sleepy.
These are some common life situations that make us tired…
✔️Taking care of everyone and their demands
✔️Getting up early for routine work
✔️Staying up late to get more done
✔️Allergy congestion and headaches
✔️Burden from a stressful or emotional situation
✔️Colder seasons
These all put our bodies on overdrive where more rest is needed. And if we’re not giving that to our bodies, then we’re outta balance. Our tired Ayurvedic Kapha runs the show (when Vata and Pitta are still in the background).
We all have Kapha tiredness traits in us and some of us are born Kapha dominant.
In those tired Kapha heavy seasons, whether we sleep 5 hours or 9 hours, we’re tired (and maybe walking around like human zombies).
Because overall we’re not getting enough sleep. And Kapha metabolism may slow down.
These are a few easy, but effective habits to help your body push through (and not cut corners when you’re called for more):
…Having cold brew coffee ready to go while the fresh warm coffee is brewing makes life easier. ☕️ There are many healthy caffeine sources for energy other than coffee.
I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was over 35. Other caffeine sources can be black tea, green tea, and matcha tea.
And there are many other healthy energy sources besides beverages such as:
…Have savory leftovers to tie us over for an energy-giving meal. 🌯. Energy foods include prebiotic pickle juice that’s fermented, eggs with B-vitamins, and pasta.
…Do jumping jacks or running in place to get your heart beat up and blood flowing for instant brain energy.
You could add a spice kick like cloves or cinnamon, or punchy flavors like lime, onion, or cilantro to your meals.
I remember myths (we used to refer to as rumors) that you can’t catch up on sleep. But actually, you can!
And if your body gets a dose, your Kapha tiredness can grow. That’s a sign that you’re depleted.
And if you’re never tired, that can also be a waving flag to pay attention to…
Because this life is meant to have work burdens and unpredictability for our best life of meaning.
Short-term stressors give us growth and can wake us up temporaily. But if we’ve been tired over a season, then for our good we need to do something about it to prevent burnout.
One thing we can try first is to gain more appreciation for what we have so we change our perspective and outlook.
We can also try new things. Failing at many things means we’re trying, and trying is leading us to purpose.
Without purpose, that can lead us to more stuck tiredness and weariness.
If you’ve ever watched the animals in the wild either live or on film footage, every moment is a form of work for them. They sleep out of necessity, but they are always on guard if not hunting.
…Or just surviving the natural that’s getting harder with climate change.
Finding shade in hot temps and shelter in cold seasons is a challenge.
They live nomadic lives that are very different than the house cats and dogs around us, that still have those primitive instincts but to a much lesser degree.
Today’s household pets are kinda like us modern peeps compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. 🐯
And what we can learn from wild animals is that: they do it anyway.
They are motivated to stay alive and keep their young alive. They do it tired and for survival.
Laziness would be a luxury.
And in our daily human modern lives, it’s complex because we aren’t often faced with li-gers to deal with.
But our minds are and make it complex. Beneath our rational mind, if the ego intercepts at any moment, then we’re driven down a lesser path.
And for those who don’t even know that they’re being intercepted daily is the biggest danger of all. Those are the male lions of today and the pride in us.
Usually, it’s muddled in modern fear. In those moments for any of us, we all have a choice to either live in denial (stands for “Don’t Even kNow IAm Lying”)… or flip the switch back to healthy thinking.
I’ve written many articles and posts on healthy thinking. And that comes from learning from my own suffering from unhealthy thinking and ego attacks.
Similarly, anyone unaware that they’re under daily attack is the most dangerous to themselves and others especially without a plan
In my case, I moved away from the prideful environment I lived in and gained awareness. It was the same area that had tiring demands and a faster-paced life.
So, if you’re tired or busy, you’re more likely to be unaware.
Changing your environment (work, moving, etc.) could also be your remedy and just what you need too for Kapha tiredness.
When you’re younger you don’t have those choices, but now you do.
Like, when I was a child, they commonly used smelling salt to keep us on our toes and from fainting in body-shocking situations. It worked. As we got older and went through more experiences, our body systems learned to adapt better.
Getting more experiences keeps us growing and helps us from growing tired and the Kapha tiredness in you.
To grow less tired, find something that you can use your gift and talents with. At home, that could be dancing, singing, yoga, or gardening.
Or working on a project like muddling coffee beans or dips, decorating, or painting. It doesn’t have to require much, just change your tired feelings.
And from there, when you’re wrapped up in the moment, then you can think of other wake-up opportunities. Because when you’re alive, that impacts everything you do in the season.
So I have a quick question for you…
Do you remember the last time you were excited about possibilities? You know that feeling where you felt lit up and endorphins awakened your senses.
You probably had strong desires to pursue and stay up late because of the hope in possibilities.
…And if that was too long ago to remember, then you especially want to get going with something new…
Because one day, your biological age will catch up to you. And you’ll realize you aren’t the same age or person you were in your younger adult years (and even a decade ago).
And that could lead to thoughts of regret if you didn’t pursue all that you wanted in those unrepeatable years.
The way to ensure that doesn’t happen is to make every day count.
I know when I worked in the “rat race” that was not how I felt. I did a job, went home, and then did the same work the next day. I was lucky I didn’t spend my time all in one place so I could grow quicker and have more stressor experiences.
Those times and experiences helped me to get to today, the only time that matters.
Tomorrow is the next most important.
And this is for everyone. Your experiences do the same for you (looking different in each of us)!
And especially if you feel stuck, one thing you can do almost immediately is volunteer or try a new activity.
Volunteer experiences were introduced to us as teenagers.
Everywhere on this planet there’s help needed… I was a volunteer candy striper in a local hospital.
And while I was not cut out for the work, I learned to be dedicated and give back my time.
We always have something we can offer even when we don’t have the gifts and talents.
And it’s always a learning opportunity that stimulates our minds as we’re growing and excited about new possibilities. This helps our Kapha tiredness and breaking out of a slump.
Most volunteer general tasks are easy enough to do that even most young teenagers can do. For adults, it can be a welcomed break to do something easy and can open up more doors.
The most valuable is when you do it for a cause or purpose outside of you, then you’re growing and making an impact that awakens our souls.
It’s healthy to think of volunteering not as work, but an opportunity to serve. It’s providing more than what we’re giving. But we won’t know what that “more” is until we raise our hand to participate. ✋
These days you can find volunteer opportunities online or in-person and this can be what sets you apart from the rest. And you gain gratitude for your good fortunes.
You always see friendly volunteer faces that are glad to see you. And that happiness is infectious. You’ll also develop more positive skills and learn sides of yourself that you didn’t know before.
…And that can help you get out of any tired season. 🤗
Have you ever thought about the worse that could happen in a situation like dental worry, but it didn’t end up so bad?… Or end up at all?
…And that’s usually because your worry prevented a bad outcome. Some worry is healthy… it’s built into our DNA human-ness.
But in society, we tend to demonize all worry when it can help us to magnify an area we should focus more on, and then put the thoughts to rest.
Worry is healthy when it prevents growing problems. And worry is healthy when it helps us come up with better solutions.
When it falls healthy short and is outta balance, is when the scales need to tip back to peace and calm.
Don’t let your worry take over your Vata mind and from living life… because long-term stress is an inflammation cause in the mind-body connection that shows up in or on the body as a warning.
When you’re conscious knowing what you’re doing and thinking, you activate your subconscious to help you out in the back of your mind.
…EVEN when you can’t connect the dots.
Your subconscious mind is like your passenger seat helper who’s providing directions even when you’re focused on what’s in front of you.
…So, when I didn’t get to the dentist because of the pandemic and several moves later, I thought I would have a bad report.
A month before I could get into the busy dentist’s office, I did everything to keep my teeth and healthy smile at their maintained best… flossing with multiple flosser types, brushing, rinsing, and even scraping. And if you have teeth and dental worry about your teeth, then you may floss more often.
These days, it’s so much more easy… we have much better dental supplies from convenience stores than we did as kids… or imagine what they did back in the Stone Ages?
And those memories and dental worry kept me magnifying on healthy habits leading up to the Big D-Day…
At that dentist chair moment, time stood still and I was pleasantly surprised with the assessment. I had nothing to dental worry about.
It was a compliment when I heard the word “good” from my new dentist, and was even asked about how I take care of my teeth.
She asked me what I did. And my response was, “I do everything!”
I shared my routine and healthy daily teeth habits that make up for the food and coffee acid, and sugar buildup. Really the best tip is to brush more often softly or with an electric toothbrush. 🪥
…There’s nothing new under the sun. ☀️
But I also told the dentist about teeth healthy foods I ate to fortify the good and diminish the bad. We add back healthy for a more neutral effect.
So often we forget that foods act as secondary toothbrushes when we can’t get to our toothbrush.
You don’t need to dental worry if you brush after eating sugary foods.
And with acidic sources… you can soften the blow. For ACV, use an eyedropper or a straw where you drop the liquid to the back of your throat.
And certain foods are teeth helpers that have Vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals that re-mineralize natural teeth enamel.
That’s double bonus points for bones and teeth. 🎯
Stronger teeth enamel helps prevent common inflammation or an infection spreading inflammation.
Because inflammation or worsened infections in the mouth can cause problems just like inflammation in other parts of the body.
To counteract, they say that flossing can add 4 years and so can eating beans. (They these days are healthy social media sources that’s common knowledge). But at worst, you won’t lose 4 years, so it’s worth the effort gamble. 😉
Happy gut is something that makes for your healthier and happy life!
Sourdough is one way to take measures to get a happy gut. And making sourdough is a great experience to learn about fermented foods. In the process, you see how easily bacteria is created.
If you’ve never tried making sourdough, it’s much easier than it sounds. Actually… it’s so easy in steps, that it fits on the small infographic I created (here on my blog).
A happy gut= happy life. There’s a gut – life connection. Over 90% of the happy hormone (serotonin) is made in the gut. So if you have a less-than-balanced gut, then the happy balance in moods and how you feel can run off (or need some restoration).
Our bodies are fascinating and even more interesting is all the nutrition and body science accumulated knowledge. It changes as fast as tech I know, having worked in both fields for years.
We’ll never know everything about our evolving bodies and as our bodies change with the society we’re living in. And those changes get passed down. Like newly prescribed antibodies that some of us are getting.
And in this article, you’ll learn some encouragement to evolve your healthy and happy gut with a few tweaks…
For one, if you want to calm your gut, try fermented foods like the sourdough mentioned, or sauerkraut.
And fermented beverages like kombucha.
Fermenting is an add-on new-old process that makes life smooth. We already established a happy gut is a happy life. 😊
And prebiotic fibers will feed the good bacteria. Foods such as asparagus are abundant in spring. And garlic and onions peak… (see these ones peeking out here 🧅).
Probiotic healthy bacteria will encourage more good bacteria. You can prevent leaky gut, dysbiosis, SIBO, and IBS that you hear more about in young and older people.
Good bacteria are kinda like the positive, loving thoughts we want to crowd out the negative, sour ones in our minds.
That’s the deeper gut-mind connection.
Anything can invade our bodies at any time. We live in a modern petri dish society. And if you ever take a round of antibiotics that most of us in this life have, probiotic supplements plus spoonfuls of low-sugar yogurts with bacteria strains are always recommended. 💊
Because antibiotics destroy the gut microbiome, changing the happy gut flora.
If you think of a healthy gut like a well-run garden (vs. an unbalanced jungle that can turn into weeds), then you have a good mental picture of healthy balance vs. dysbiosis when we need to restore the healthy flora especially until things clear up.
When things go back to normal (and a new normal as our bodies are changing daily), then maintaining a regular gut tuneup lifestyle habit helps.
…And especially since most of us don’t just eat organic foods. A lot of the modern healthy foods we eat today are sprayed with toxins in the process.
Prebiotic and probiotic foods like sourdough help with preventative tune-ups.
You may notice your gut doesn’t feel the same as usual. And the sign is that you feel a sore spot or dull ache discomfort. That’s stress on you and to the body.
Our bodies naturally clean and detox during sleep, but sometimes our stress and wear and tear outweigh our body’s defenses.
What you eat and what you don’t eat matters, and can change everything in healing the gut.
In my own healthy lifestyle journey, I found anti-inflammatory foods matter. They help to restore balance and they’re known to prevent certain common chronic diseases. You can find them in many beverages, spices, and foods when you look around. Many of them are eat from the rainbow foods with colorful polyphenols.
Staying sensitive to sensations in the body is a healthy choice.
…I found the best way to do this is to document or write down what you’re feeling with a dated entry. And that way, you can refer back to factually what has happened, and not just what you think happened.
Another effective way is to take photos to document what has happened in the process. You can show the medical practitioner (if needed) what your situation looked like besides the patient snapshot they see in front of them.
Like this antioxidant-full butterfly 🦋 tea drink… that gradually changes even though it’s still the same drink.
If you keep a daily happy gut, you live comfortably and enjoy and fulfill more each day. That’s something to look forward to! ✨
You can also start your day with a happy prebiotic oat meal with a pear granola crumble you can substitute with apples that’s a divine pairing with cinnamon. Use Ceylon cinnamon for additional anti-inflammatory benefits. 🧡
New spring seasons are a time to celebrate growth. It’s when we see the birthing nature buds. 🌱 It’s also a new spring reminder of our year… a time of personal growth renewal, another chanceto decide on goals,and a possible new direction change from a less active winter or Kapha season.
…And maybe that’s why spring is so often associated with spring cleaning or a spring makeover…And a fresh coat of green.
And with a new spring, there’s usually a lot of unpredictable, plus an up-and-down roller coaster winter weather season. Some things haven’t yet bloomed in our lives.
But one thing is for certain… we’re one season more mature by nature’s design. We get to be a year wiser. We don’t have to look out the same lens as last year. And that can make all the difference.
This welcomed change is especially great if, well… a year ago wasn’t so great.
And looking back 3 years, frozen in time we came together as a world when we started a new normal.
In my own reflection, the wheels underneath me were turning where I left positions that no longer served me. And that springboarded completely different seasons with new work, some that I still do today.
The fresh starts kept me productive. That’s where growth is and was highest, when I was most sensitive to new surroundings, new people, and there’s a steep climb learning curve.
You step out of your comfort zone. There’s excitement and nervousness with new beginnings. It’s the butterfly coming out of the chrysalis. 🦋
And in exchange for uncertainty, each day is an opportunity for bright possibilities and step-up manifestations.
…One day canpivot into a new direction. And each step brings more clarity and moves us closer to what our life’s purpose is about even if we can’t see it in the process or even today.
If nothing else, we all did and saw life differently just a few years ago.
And today, by focusing on learnings (and not dwelling on what didn’t work), you set yourself up for success. A winning mindset sees the positive and flips the script to help propel forward.
You may be embarking on, inching toward, or considering starting something new in your life. That’ll help you move one step closer to where you’ll be next.
When I left my corporate work in 2019 I didn’t know what the next steps would be. I had no plans in place. But the writing on the wall was clear.
And it wasn’t having a writing career.😊
I just knew I had no business being in the space I was occupying anymore. And after-hours one day, I heard a distinct whisper in my corner of the office that stuck with me: “you will not get this time back.”
My first reaction was, “oh no, not again” as I was just starting to get used to the new people, systems, and work projects I was around. And the hoopla of all-hands-on-deck Convention Center events.
The constant wouldn’t be those temporary experiences, but the life I had outside… The life I built and the friends I’d known forever are still my friends.
When we connect, we just pick up where we left off. It’s like a comfy pair of shoes thatalwaysfits and you still love ‘em.
That’s probably how it is for you in your life.
And then the new friends made were about shared similar interests. Being worlds apart made for interesting connections. Just a couple decades ago, that wouldn’t have been easily possible.
So we’re growing one way or another. We’re mixing the new with the old as we’re blending in-person with digital. And that helps us evolve. And it helps us bridge the life and identity transitions.
In my own transition, I was a mentor in the corporate space when my daily work in the corporate trenches had ended.
And that’s when new work took up residence and writing became the daily …every day I showed up to the keyboard and started typing. I didn’t realize how much I had to say and all the lessons I had accumulated to share with those who may want some answers in the same areas.
I was making a cup of tea when I burned my finger on the tea kettle and that became my first published article. How random!
And that’s how life miracles and blessings are. You can start something big in your life just from a simple occurrence in your day. And then you work in and manifest what happens next.
And today since I’m sharing about this particular new spring season, it’s a great time if you need a nudge or poke 😊, to find a new purposeful feeling in your life.
Maybe that’s from taking a hike,yoga classes, trips abroad. Or time off to journal. The world is at our fingertips.
And when you can get relaxed and find space to explore a new side of you that you never did before, that creates new openings.
..And you discover you actually are creative (as nature intended)! If you want to know how to create consistently daily, I wrote an article about that just for your encouragement.
…My daily writing and creativity would’ve never started, had I stayed in my corporate career.
So if today you’re feeling a bit stuck… take some time to see what you’d be interested in doing that makes you feel alive… that’s not a one-and-done experience. It’s something you can build on.
Get mind-body space to take it in. Maybe a ‘lil yoga?
Another example I had was in 2020, when I started baking that spring in lockdown. It started with simple scones baking like this orange scone recipe.
… And then my baking never stopped. Baking was never on my list of want-to-do weekly projects.
It seemed like work that went against my healthy values. But I found ways to look at it differently and do things my way.
So that’s how your amazing crafts can be. You put your stamp on how and what you do. And yes, they can be found in this new spring season!
Start by carving out a ‘lil time to explore. Get a new spring in your step. And let that lead you into a new spring. Maybe this carrot cake will inspire your creativity and help balance your Ayurvedic Vata-Kapha transitions.
This recipe is for an individual carrot cake, but for a one pan/layer cake multiply by 3, and for a two layer cake, multiply by 6.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
2/3cupmilk
1tspcoconut oil
1/3cupshredded carrots
1egg
1/3cupcoconut flour
1/4tspbaking powder
1/4tspbaking soda
syrup for glaze
Instructions
Mix dry and wet ingredients. The coconut flour will absorb the milk more than a gluten flour. You will end up with a batter that looks like creamy mashed potatoes (instead of a more liquid batter).
Bake at 350°F/180°C for at least 45 minutes depending on size of your baking vessel and amount of liquid. This recipe could be baked in a variety of baking pans: e.g. deep dish glass pan, oven-safe ceramic pan, or a bundt pan. When a toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done.
Add a glaze. Zhugh with nuts and mandarin oranges (optional).