Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee Acidity Busting Myths

Cold brew vs. iced coffee is the difference in acidity. There is no boiling down in cold brew to help boil it down for your remembrance when you’re confronted on a menu coffee board.

And I break it down even further below. 👇

But first, here is an example of a cold brew (served ice cold) infused with refreshing mint that goes down cooling your body and benefits you and your body ache symptoms. Recipe is below 🌱

But first things first, you probably still may not know what acidity difference makes between cold brew vs. iced coffee when you’re ordering.

If acidity is a concern for you like many people 🙋🏻‍♀️ and you avoid coffee, then maybe this’ll change your mind, and you and your body 😊 can enjoy a cold brew coffee with ice like I do on a warm sticky day… that has added ice at the end.

And that serving is different than iced coffee on most coffee menu boards that is made from regular (warm brew) coffee.

…Can sound a bit like semantics, but it’s not as complicated as it sounds!

And in my life and when sharing with others, I like to break things down to simplicity…

So basically in cold brew vs. iced coffee, the acidity difference boils down to the process… it’s in and is the process.

…And that’s all you really need to know and remember the next time you have a coffee decision to make. ☕️

There’s no boiling or heat in cold brew (that remember is the process).

So when you make or order a cold brew coffee, you’re getting less chlorogenic acid in your drink cup that’s an antioxidant (🎉).

But the catch is, that’s where the acidity is high.

…So it’s only not-so-good if acidity bothers you and your body.

If it does, then it’s a double edged sword. Otherwise plain regular warm caffeinated coffee is plant-based 🌱 good for the body.

Lucky for us coffee drinkers. 🍀

And how this works is…

In warm brewed coffee, the heat tends to bring out the acidity.

And in the cold brew (process) there is no heat… (except it’s fired up ☄️in today’s popularity).

In a regular warm brewed coffee cup made from coffeemakers (like you’ve probably seen poured in orange rimmed coffee pots at diners)… those grounds could be made from the same grinds as in a cold brew coffee cup, but you’re getting more overall acidity.

And it’s not just the warm-ing vs. cold process…

The coffee roast matters too.

…Makes sense intuitively.

Some coffees are more acidic than others.

But what doesn’t make sense is…

Myth #1: that you can taste different types of acids.

Because we can’t really pick those up with our taste buds.

And coffee has many acid types…

There’s acetic, lactic, quinic, gluconic, malic and citric acid to name some.

In a light roast coffee study, the research shows that citric acid is the only one distinguishable to the human tongue… where Brazil coffee was stronger in citric acid than the Bolivian and Kenyan coffee roasts to the same taste testers.

So what does this mean for you?

Besides cold brew vs. iced coffee, picking the right roast matters for acidity.

And it’s still not what you’d naturally think…

Ahh, this second myth is interesting too…

A dark roast can be less acidic than a light roast.

When I’m out drinking coffee, I order a dark roast that has less chlorogenic, malic, and citric acids than the lighter kind.

A dark roast at Starbucks suits me and my acidic self fine. 😊

…Even though the Blonde light roasts may sound like they are less acidic.

But light doesn’t mean less acidic.

If you tend to get heartburn or have a sensitive coffee stomach where you need food to cushion before drinking 🙋🏻‍♀️, then a dark cold brew could be your best choice.

And if it’s hot out or you’re feeling hot (Pitta 😡), add some ice!

…Where cubes are added at the end 🧊

At home a neat trick is to make coffee ice cubes so you don’t get watered down coffee.

You can use traditional ice cube trays, but a fun way is to add coffee to a coffee cup and then freeze the cup for an hour or two.

From the frozen coffee, you’ll get icicle shavings with scraping from a silverware utensil.

You can add those icicle shavings to your coffee that won’t be like the big clumsy ice cubes that almost always end up sliding down your cold brew coffee glass with coffee running down your face. 😁

And at home, my morning routine is making fresh organic cold brew coffee to eliminate the acidity factor especially good before I’ve had food in my stomach. Maybe you have sensitive stomach too?

That’s how my cold brew coffee journey started… I learned to make my first batch of cold brew in Florence, Italy where mind you, delicious (acidic) coffee ☕️ is on every corner.

I saved my 1 euro coins and from that day on haven’t stopped my new calming morning cold brew practice. 🧡

Since then, I’ve learned a trick or two…

Like… these days, I use organic ground coffee mostly that’s generally even less acidic.

And when you add the tips above, you get a much lower acidic coffee.

So when you put all the smarts together, you can make and drink organic dark roast cold brew.

And what I love most about a morning cold brew coffee is that you can mix in flavors without the heat changing the flavor profile.

…Like the mint cold brew coffee ingredients below

Or… for a fruity twist you can add fruity flavors like peach that’s one mellow smooth coffee flavor.

That will give a fragrant note, and pleasant-light sweet taste instead of a bitter coffee after taste.

…I think it would make a light perfume to wear good for sticky days 💭

And on other idea notes… if you have extra peaches, you can also make refreshing fresh peach juice.

Another good cold brew drinking juice idea is a watermelon coffee idea you can sip on… that goes really well on a warmish afternoon like iced tea.

That’s the only good coffee watered down I’d recommend. 🍉 And an even better idea, add mint to your watermelon coffee or make a pure mint iced cold brew coffee like this one here.

Mint Iced Cold Brew Coffee

Course beverages

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

mint leaves, chopped
1 drop peppermint oil
cold brew coffee
chocolate almond milk, unsweetened

Instructions

Blend ingredients and enjoy!

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Fruit Shake Recipes On-the-Go

Fruit shake recipes (aka fruity smoothies) is something good and healthy for mornings or before a hike. Enjoy the 3 fruity ideas 🍓🍒 below.

…I was inspired by smoothie to-go (or on-the-go recipes) because I found I actually crave a cold one on an adventurous hike or on a warm day.

…Or after I’ve reached the mountain top and taken in the height and scenery, I’m thinking, ok… what’s next?

…And a strawberry milkshake 💭 usually comes up, but is not in hand.

It’s a food dream I have in my head… that even matches my pink wear on some days 💕

But then I talk myself out of the shake because the reality sinks in… fast food milkshakes are usually full of sugar and high calories.

…Which isn’t good for all the good exercise calorie loss (or weight loss) that just happened while hiking.

Plus on-the-road, I don’t want to stop if I don’t have to, so I let my craving time pass while driving.

Like you in your travels, I want to keep going…

So to be aligned 😁, I found a good satiating solution… that’s a cold fruit shake I bring along with me… that’s waiting for me after the hike later in the afternoon.

Oh, and it’s HEALTHY too! 🎉

So this week’s post is all about fruit shake recipes you can enjoy and take on-the-go along with you.

And if you like fruit shakes, these easy fruit shake recipes are healthy taste ideas you can use at home or on your next outing adventure! 🧉

Be sure to also check out my tips waaay below 👇 for these enjoyable take-with-you fruit shake recipes….

In the fruit shakes, the fruit and a ‘lil honey, syrup, or spice is the added sweetness.

They’re loaded with vitamin nutrients and the healthy good stuff.

And while a banana is a great smoothie texture and healthy ingredient, if you’re not a fan, below are some other ingredient substitutions that will hold up outside on activity game day.

And the best part is… the ingredients in a fruit shake drink is refreshing, guilt-free, and convenient.

…That’s what I think golfers thought when I was a kid on the golf course serving ice cold lemonade 😀

The most important feature was the ice cold part 🥶 that cools and soothes our Pitta on a warm or overheated activity day.

And in that Pitta Ayurvedic balancing spirit, you can prepare these fruit shake recipes the day before (that’ll please you and others when you want them)!

Easy move: freeze the fruit shakes, and then take them with you in your cool tumbler or cups.

If you take the fruit shakes out from the freezer in the morning, by afternoon or sooner they will have slowly melted for drinking.

You can also bring with you some water and ice in a cooler (if you weren’t planning to already).

And if your fruit smoothie shake has melted too much, add a few ice cubes.

…And if still too frozen, add a ‘lil water to melt.

It’s that easy to get the perfect temperature drink on-the-go! 🧡

Your fruit smoothie will be temperature ready for you when you’re ready to celebrate and feeling happy that you reached the summit top (or whatever that is for your day)…

You can stroll, sip, and enjoy a cold strawberry 🍓 with a strawberries-and-cream fruit shake vibe wherever you are.

…That’s what I’m talking about!

Another fruit shake idea is a grapefruit shake for less sweet-on-the-go tastes.

This fruit shake recipe has whole grapefruit prepared, unsweetened applesauce, and ginger powder.

When you pair whole ingredients that are a tasty duo together, they don’t need sweetness… and that’s coming from the mouth of a serious sweet tooth with former-caterer tastes. 😊

Grapefruit is loaded with Vitamin C that’s anti-inflammatory and good for you especially if you have outdoor allergies, but want to enjoy a sunshine-y day.

Or a star day.

…Anthocyanin strawberries can be the red star ingredient you add.

Anthocyanin is a polyphenol that’s eat-from-the-rainbow 🌈 anti-inflammatory healthy. It’s also part of a healthy Mediterranean diet full of red, blue, and black berries.

For a strawberry fruit shake, the strawberries are also loaded with Vitamin C (as are most food in the same fruit category)… and Vitamin B-9 or folate that’s especially good for cells.

Keeping healthy cells is what matters most in anti-inflammatory living.

And this strawberry fruit shake recipe is made with almond flour, 3-5 strawberries, and almond milk.

The almond flour texture gives it a slight thicker strawberries-and-cream vibe.

But there’s no cream.

…That wouldn’t be good on warm days or for healthy dessert drinks.

Speaking of which a cherry and apple fruit shake is another one that’s enjoyable and has whole and healthy ingredients that are great for travel. See recipe below 🍒🍎

Ingredients for a cherry shake include: dark cherry and chopped apples. For some sweetness, you can add cinnamon and/or maple syrup.

And for texture, you can add ground flax seed that’s filled with omega-3, fiber, and protein.

You can also add chia seeds and ground oats for an overnight oats effect if you want to go that route.

But whatever ingredients you ultimately decide on, the dark cherry and apple make this one satisfying fruit shake. 😋

Ingredients for fruit shake recipes are whole and healthy like in an cherry apple smoothie shake. — Ingredients for a cherry apple fruit shake drink.

And these are some good tips for your on-the-go fruit shake recipes…

Fruit Shake Tips For Recipes

✅Use frozen fruit as ice! Also, when fruit isn’t yet in season, buy frozen fruit that’s more economical and doesn’t go bad.

✅Look for organic berries and fruits.

If you’re using the fruit peels, citrus zest or berries, whether frozen or fresh produce, organic is the better pesticide-free way for healthy living. Bananas are an exception since the peels aren’t consumed.

✅Bananas make great smoothie textures. And if you don’t prefer bananas for smoothie fruit shake recipes or don’t have any bananas on hand, these make great fruit shake recipe ingredient substitutes:

chopped apples

applesauce

protein, collagen, or energy powder – will help you keep going in the day

fruit zest (from the outside peel)

If you don’t have a nutrition powder, you can use a gluten-free (healthy) flour like almond or coconut flour good for sweet drinks.

Use a freezer-safe cup or tumbler, and freeze overnight so that your fruit shake stays cold. Pull out in the morning and put by your things you’ll be packing for the day (so you don’t forget!).

For more healthy smoothie ideas, grab this FREE smoothie guide challenge (if you dare 😊)!

Cherry Fruit Shake

This will fill about 12 of an 8 ounce cup leaving room for ice or water as needed during the day. For a full cup, double the ingredients.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/2 cup tart or Bing cherries
1/2 cup peeled and chopped apple
1/2 cup almond milk

Instructions

Blend ingredients and freeze for at least several hours.

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Belgian Waffle – Gluten-Free

Belgian waffle is a healthy plate mixed with gluten-free flour and olive oil… it’s something I LOVE whipping up on a lazy weekend start (and maybe IS an idea you can use sooner or later!)

These Belgian waffle 🧇 bites are below… as in recipe bites you can scoop up. And here you can learn a ‘lil history too.

…Because there’s a story behind the Belgian waffle that I’ll get to…

But first, lemme explain why I love these…

For starters, it meets foodie tastes as in good tasting healthy food and the textures that my former professional catering-self would approve of too 🍽️

…Plus it’s a practical breakfast or brunch food. You don’t have to wait 10 minutes like you do for the oven or stove just to heat up before anything starts.

A waffle maker heats quick and cools slowly, so it’s a quick way to warm up and slow down (…good inspo for your life?).

And in case you need to toast a bread-something, a waffle maker can do the job like a panini maker with waffle marks. I use my waffle iron as a reliable toaster too that doesn’t burn out 🍞.

…If you’re in an eating hurry or need to get morning meal-on-the-table fast, a waffle maker is a convenient answer… and making Belgian waffles can be an elevated, close alternative to a quick bowl of cereal or oatmeal. 🥣

And this article’s Belgian waffle recipe 🧇 is warming for a delicious, easy-to-eat bite with healthy inspo.

And if you can’t mix in egg yolks because of the cholesterol or some other reason, you’ll love that this recipe uses NO EGG YOLK.

You can always add it in, but it’s not needed. 🍳

These waffles are made with all gluten-free (almond) flour so there’s still protein 💪 and more than all-purpose gluten flour.

You probably won’t notice the difference in texture from all-purpose or gluten flours, but you’re making a healthy move.

Cooked up, they’re easy to pick up and eat by hand so they’re great on a plate or as street food (you take with ya)!

And they are made so easy.

Look 🍨at these soft scoops that are minutes away from becoming crisp, soft and fluffy Belgian waffle bites…

These were scooped and rolled by hand. You can use a mini ice scooper or spoon to assist.

And while shaping them you can take a moment to reflect and think of the Belgian waffle history that dates back to the Middle Ages…

Waffles back then were called Bel-gems… ahem, they were clever back then too!

And waffle irons have been around for ages since the 9th or 10th centuries when they were no longer in the dark. 😉

…The irons were called gaufriers.

But melting iron and metal tools have been around since 1200 B.C. so they weren’t the OGs or first inventors.

They were innovators for a better bite.

And for us, it’s funny that we think we’re fancy these days with our centuries-forward tech gadgets and kitchen tools… when we’re just following the way of our ancestors. 😁

…Why reinvent a good thing that works?

…And Belgian waffles and waffle irons still work so we’re living out our past today a ‘lil when we’re making home waffles.

It’s modern tool and food good for anyone.

Where a Belgian waffle started out as a peasant food that grew into chic street food.

Think from soup kitchen to food truck. 🥣🚛

…And then turned into royal food as Liege waffles…

Those are made from a dough (like bread) instead of a batter texture (for waffle or cake).

And in your daily choice of which waffle kind…

It’s kinda like asking yourself: do you like crunchy or softer cookies? 💭 …And waffles in this case.

And if you also want to keep it low-sugar like the healthy Belgian waffle recipe here, then k.i.s.s. (keep it super simple) 😘 with a simple 4-ingredient Belgian waffle recipe (like the one below).

The difference between Liege vs Belgian waffles are that the royal ones are more dense from the pearl sugar ingredient… that automatically make them sound more regal. 👑

The Liege kind were the royal waffles for the town’s Bishop (for a ‘lil more history bites to peak your interest).

…and the liege waffles were a luxury upgrade.

If your ears are perking up learning about history, cultures, and food making…

You can learn all about the juicy Belgian waffling history from Llege to the U.S.

…or you can skip and just know it’s a big deal because liege waffles put Liege and Belgian waffles on the map.

They are from the same area where Liege flowers are named. Those are the kind popular around graduations as usually a fragrant bouquet of colorful, mixed flowers you choose like orchids, Gerbera daisies, and lilies.

And flowers like these in this framed Belgian letter at the Belgian Embassy.

This is where I first learned about the Liege town (at the Belgium Embassy 🇧🇪in Washington, DC)… which happens to be the area where I’m from.

…So I know the approximate size where btw Liege is about the same size as DC on a map.

Zooming out to the larger country, Belgium is not much bigger… spanning the size of the state of Maryland.

But for a small country, they sure are famous for A LOT… like premium chocolates! 🇧🇪

They’re also known for frites… similar to Maryland’s (…there’s that state mentioned again!) Ocean City boardwalk fries.

…But better?

And now that your mouth is watering 😋, it’s time to make your fast Belgian waffles!

These are syrup-ed and ready for enjoyment!

You can also set a table with more healthy and simple brunch waffle recipes.

Healthy Belgian Waffle - Gluten Free

These are gluten free waffles you can enjoy that look like the ones you see in the markets.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/4 cup almond flour
1 egg white
1 tsp light olive oil (or neutral oil)
1/2 tsp water

Instructions

Combine dry and wet ingredients. The batter will be very soft and blended like a mashed potato consistency.
Hand roll into small 1 inch balls if you will make Belgian waffle bites. You can cook four at a time on waffle maker in each of the four waffle quadrants. Cook waffles on medium setting (usually 3-5 minutes) until golden brown. Let cool.

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Chocolate Cake – No Eggs

Chocolate cake that’s healthy exists! And it’s not Devil’s cake with all the calories.

Like these chocolate cakes in ice cream cone cookie cutter shapes you can make without any egg.

These are topped with healthy Greek yogurt “frosting” in colors like a pairing match spumoni ice cream with no eggs. 🇮🇹

It is anti-inflammatory healthy with the ingredients in the chocolate cake recipe below 👇… but don’t let the healthy fool you.

Because this is a DELICIOUS and moist cake (you’ll see the batter below) that smells chocolate amazing from the oven when baking.

You may be surprised at the good food tastes and healthy, plant-based ingredients… and this may tip you in favor of becoming a healthy chocolate cake convert. 🧡

…Plus this chocolate cake has a melt-in-your-mouth soft cake texture like that from an ice cream sandwich or a packaged dessert with cream in the middle… 😋

On that note, you can add a cream in the middle or on the top… and maraschino or glace cherries too like in this ice cream illusion trio. 🍒🍦

Based on the previous descriptions, it’s hard to believe that mostly gluten-free flour is part of the chocolate cake mix.

Gluten-Free Flour

Since non-gluten flours are softer (and mostly used in this healthy chocolate cake recipe), you will need more gluten-free flour than if you were using all or mostly gluten flours like all-purpose flour commonly used.

Gluten-free flours will make a soft batter without gluten. So you will not need to use a mixer. All you need is a spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients.

It’s so easy to mix that I even just used one of the plastic teaspoons I was using to measure in ingredients to mix, that works just fine. Less cleanup. 😊

This is the perfect lazy day bake!

And you can use a silver spoon (or messy whisk) to mix ingredients if you prefer (or whatever makes you happy!).

The batter consistency almost looks like chocolate ice cream. How fitting!

And what makes this cake special and low-sugar healthy is the special sugar choice…

Maple Syrup

Table or white sugar is not needed for most bakes to add sweetness. And it’s not needed in this cake recipe, as the more healthy sugar choice is maple syrup.

A little maple syrup goes a long way to sweeten… and is low glycemic which means it won’t spike your blood sugar the way table sugar would.

That’s good for anti-inflammatory benefits.

Vermont Grade A maple syrup is one of the best.

And you can easily source maple syrup all over the Northeast. Maybe even around their sugar maple trees. 🌳

I used maple syrup from the Adirondacks for this recipe below. But our Canadian friends are also well known for their maple syrup that’s part of the country’s tradition.

…It’s not just GOOD for pancakes. 🥞

Maple syrup is also a cooling food, so it’s a great sweetner choice for warm days, your Pitta stress and irritations you have in your life. 😊, and for ice cream cool chocolate cake…

This is where it gets happy and fun!

Pick Your Flavors

For your chocolate cake batter, you can lean into pure chocolate with just the cocoa in the recipe, or you can add sophisticated adult tasting vibes with ginger, coconut flour, or dark cocoa (more like an Oreo cookie vibe).

You get to choose your flavors before you bake… like when you’re in an ice cream parlor shop picking out flavors.

If you want a dark cocoa vibe, you can add black cocoa that will be a more intense cocoa. Think of the blackish color from the black cocoa as dramatic chocolate like in your cookies and cream desserts.

Keep in mind, adding dark cocoa will mean that it’ll take longer to bake as any time you have dark (blackish) color bakes (cakes, cookies, bread, etc.), they take longer than lighter bakes to bake.

And for this healthy cake, if you prefer more chocolate and pure chocolate tastes, you can add chocolate chip morsels (approx. 1-2 tbsps) where you’ll get pops of chocolates in your baked bites like a chocolate chip cookie. 🍪

And if you want to make this cake with chocolate coconut-y vibes 😋, you can include 1 tsp of coconut chips. And substitute the almond flour in the recipe with coconut flour that’s also gluten-free.

And for more choices and variety, if you don’t mind a spicy kick… pair with pungent ginger (that’s delightful!). You can add a teaspoon of ginger powder. Red (chili) pepper flakes also go great with chocolate.

There are very few baking spices that don’t pair well with chocolate! 🍫

Other Tips:

Flatten and even out your chocolate cake batter with a plastic lid. Dust with cocoa (or a little flour) so that it doesn’t stick. Easy peasy! No need for a rolling pin.

Also, you can pre-score cut your cake shapes before baking. Or use a round springform pan for a traditional cake if you will be making a round cake to more easily pop the cake out since the cake won’t be as springy like with a mostly gluten-flour cake.

You’ll know when it’s baked done when you can lift the bottom in one baking piece. Don’t over bake this one or you’ll have cookies! 🍪🍪

And technically, you could eat this without baking like a chocolate mousse and don’t need to bake this cake batter because there’s no egg, BUT for the decadent light chocolate cake texture (and not no-bake cocoa balls), pop it in the magical oven.

And if you want to use egg, you can. I did an experiment to see the rise difference and there wasn’t much. Can you tell which ice cream chocolate cake has egg?

…Didn’t think so.

It’s the one on the right that’s slightly fuller and higher but only by comparison. 🐣 You’d not notice the difference on a ready-to-eat plate.

So the choice is yours… to egg or not. Either way, enjoy these crowd pleasers for your next table party!

Healthy Chocolate Cake

Healthy chocolate cake where you can make one 8" or 9" round cake or 4 - 3" wide cakes shaped in ice cream cone or fun cookie cutter shape (your choice). Great for parties and all ages!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup almond milk, plus additional (add as needed)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tsp
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp light olive oil (or neutral oil)
pinch of salt

Instructions

Mix ingredients by hand with a spoon. Almond flour is a gluten-free flour that will make a softer batter. Work in enough wet ingredients so the batter falls off the spoon together. The batter will be noticeably more grainy and less gloppy/smooth than a full gluten flour batter. For chocolate cake sandwiches, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.
Bake at 325°F for about 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Don't overbake or you'll get cookies.
Sometimes the bottom is still moist, so if you use a springform cake pan, you can take a small peek or simply add another 5-10 minutes to ensure it's dry at the bottom. When you bake at low temps and slow, you don't have to worry about burning your cake and still getting a little rise.
Let cool, frost, and enjoy!

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Calm Mind Best Way Ever

Calm mind is an aspiration often when you’re served up stressful situations in life… from work, family, or friendships that you balance in your life wheel.

A sign that this is not your practice life and life is not a dress rehearsal are good reminders to live a calm mind life as the secret to health and happiness. — Reminder: you get one life to live well 😊

The sooner you practice a calm mind and mindset, create boundaries, and step higher than your face-value situations…

…The better your life and work-life balance.

For the ONE life you get.

And during stressful testing times, the best way to calm your mind is to give the mind a way out.

This article is about how to calm your mind.

Because first off… you are not your mind, but the mind is in you.

Separating yourself as the choice and decision maker (that your mind is not) is your way out… and away from stress and toward your calm, peace, and happiness.

They are opposite directions where you get to choose which way you go. ⬅️➡️

You can take subtle, enjoyable baby steps toward the better direction choice using calm mind apps and daily music therapy 🎶 that will help turn the tide.

Those are the Ayurvedic ways I love. 🧡

But they subtly work in the background, so you won’t necessarily know they worked because they gradually turn the tide from the inside-out into the right direction (mind-body calm and peace).

Using your sense of sight, smell, hearing, and touch are all part of the prescription… and they are Ayurvedic comforting and add joy to your daily life. So why not?

…Gotta love that!

And when you have a loud interfering monkey mind 🙉 that swarms in worry or high ego-drama unrest in your mind, feeling good again is the goal.

To break out of those clouded mind moments or seasons, you would need to shout back at your untouchable and unseen ego that’s your then-invisible enemy in play that’s blocking truth, love, and peace.

At the root, your ego’s job is to protect you in survival situations… to get you to act and react to save your life if a tiger is chasing you.

But in modern daily life, it’s a detriment as ego goes overboard in its protective role!

Shutting off your ego (that shows up as pride) is the answer in most modern stressful situations.

It’s never your fault that your ego acts up due to situational triggers.

…But it is completely up to you how you want it to play out. And if healthy and happy is your goal, then the following tips will help support this…

Lowering ego is the restoring way back to your happiness and inner love-peace.

But not so easy is shutting off others… and actually impossible to do!

So you need to manage those situations.

Because misery is an option that adds zero daily benefits.

I know this well through many trials and situations…

I grew up and lived most my life in the DC metro area where egos fly high in close proximity to America’s politically charged circles where heads butt.

And that permeates in the local air and work environments close by outside of politics.

Pride in ego runs high and causes riffs anywhere in the world.

The problem is: everyone thinks it’s normal.

So it has been normalized. And even congratulated by people (through their egos) in the wins that are sometimes harmful.

This “normal” way trickles down into how we day-to-day operate and our relationships at work, and with family and friends.

But you can rise higher for a better calm mind AND life…

In your daily circles, when you have conflicts and tough situations that you may often grin and bear, do a healthy action that frees your mind from the ego bondage…

To escape from the trappings of you ego, look for an out that will settle your mind.

This is especially useful and needed for your happiness if you are being treated unfairly or feeling displeasure from other people’s ways.

Take the mind-out of the situation by creating options.

And when you have options, your ego mind is no longer a prisoner.

It’s set free and so are you! 🎉

Example: your under-stress boss demands undesired actions from you creating a miserable work environment for you. While you may do the tasks begrudgingly to keep your job (that’s important to keep a roof over your head), in your free time, lunch break, or evenings, start proactively looking for other jobs.

This will subtly show your ego-mind that you have options (and are not trapped) and then you will feel better about your life and situation.

You are free from your ego’s captivity.

And you may even find the job of your dreams in the process!

Another example: your spouse or partner has been taking things out on you or bringing their negative emotional energy that has caused arguments between the two of you. Let the other person work out their unrest issues themselves. Start spending more time with your productive activities and friendships.

Because you can’t control or change other adult’s behaviors and actions.

That’s the bottomline.

Changing people is not the answer.

Provide the information they need, but it’s up to them to come up with their conclusions as it is for you to come up with yours and your peace of mind.

That’s the peacemaking way that will add years to your calm mind life…

And that protects your mind from the ugly ego (yours and theirs) rearing its ugly head in your situations… where anger, resentment, or taking out on other areas grow.

You’re likely served up these type of situations from most people in the world, and specifically those who aren’t as evolved… and letting their ego invisibly and cunningly play them.

In those times, the high ego person may even commonly accuse you of what they are actually going through if you’re in their regular or daily path.

BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE AREN’T AWARE OF THEIR EGO. AND IF THEY ARE, THEY ARE BEING PLAYED IN THEIR STRESSFUL SITUATIONS, UNTIL THEY STEP OUT.

As someone who considers herself evolved 🙋🏻‍♀️… for me, it still takes a while to step out of ego’s loud ways and see what’s going on.

And I completely remember the days when I had no clue I was being played.

But information is power!

Breaking out of old mindsets is a worthy fight for a calm mind and inner peace.

And the more practice, the easier it gets…

It sounds ridiculous (and to the ego that effort needs to be made), but my dear friend… the daily effort is the path to happiness.

Effort is the way out of stressful situations with people who walk around not knowing their ego (enemy) is playing them.

And all of us who are doing modern life have experienced people’s ego rearing their ugly heads.

You don’t have to turn far to find examples.

And if you’re in those situations now, don’t play the ego game served up.

Most importantly, don’t further enable bad behavior.

Train the ego person with your boundaries:

Love the person, but hate their behavior.

Be calm and kind, but firm.

Don’t let others manipulate you because they are persistent (e.g. kids can be the worst ego maniacs because they know no better).

It will only get worse if you say yes… to both ego adults or kids.

Stand your ground no matter how you feel in the moment… or the fear you feel creeping up in your that the ego is drumming up.

Rise higher to the opposite that’s love (that the Universe is full of).

Stand your ground with tough love that may feel harsh, but you and the ego-other will be grateful later.

Don’t let your ego block and blind you from seeing the harm that’s so common.

I can see ego-action from a mile away now (informed), and as you learn more you will be able to too! 😊

Ego is the danger for most people where they can’t see what’s going on in their mind and play-by-play actions in them or others’ egos.

Ego-blinding in you or others happen if you don’t consistently pay attention no matter how busy you are… 🙈

Use loss of sleep, appetite, gray hairs, sudden pimples, and body aches for no physical reason as more obvious signs something undesirable is happening to you!

A.K.A ego situations are near.

To catch all this, slow down, be aware and sensitized, and witness what’s happening…

Use your deep breathing present moments to slow down to see clearer and insight into what’s going on.

This is where time on your yoga mat or quiet chair help so you’re more sensitive of your symptoms that are more easy to spot.

Think of it as a diagnoses session where you get your calm mind peace and years back!

Because your body and loving, peaceful mind don’t lie (like the ego does in your busy moments).

And you can use this revealing body balance quiz to help you see what’s going on with your body and mind-body today from your body symptoms POV.

It’s like seeing the printed words on your car side mirror: objects are closer than they appear.

Or the nearby signs.

But in daily myopia and ego-blindness, we don’t see the signs.

When we become aware and get close-sight clarity, then you can see what’s happening in your stressful situations.

You can effectively calm your mind… AND use those stressful situations to make positive impact in your life.

AND OH, this is the best part of stress that makes it healthy good and worthwhile!…

If you’ve already spent or wasted hours or days on a stressful situation that robbed you of joy and peace, you might as well turn your victimhood into something useful in life (and help others going through similar situations).

…like I’m intently doing here in this article I wrote. 😊

I learned at one of my early-on jobs that you teach others how to treat you in life. I use that as a guiding mantra.

And you can too, to set healthy boundaries with others to get your calm mind, peace, happiness, and time back.

You’ve probably heard before that kids need… and LIKE boundaries.

They actually like ’em. And as grown up kids, adults do too!

So embrace that counterintuitive way in your daily situations.

That’s how you’ll get your calm life you aspire to.

And remember, tough love is a good thing for everyone. 🎉

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