A place to support sensitive, introvert, and creative people on their journey towards happiness and wellbeing
Stoics seem to give great lifestyle advice. In a quick recent research, I discovered that Marcus Aurelius used to follow and suggest a set of behaviours and activities that are meant to generate stillness and promote both body and mind awareness. Altogether, these aspects contribute to a greater capacity to be virtuous and act accordingly. Below, you will find seven of Marcus Aurelius' routine recommendations to achieve success.
5 Journaling Prompts | Part IV
5 Journaling Prompts | Part III
I sat on my bed and I suddenly cried as if I had just returned to a conscious state after a car crash. I felt how mad the world has turned and will keep turning in the next couple of weeks, maybe months. It hasn't been pretty due to people's fear, but now it's not just fear; it's resentment, impatience and madness. Everyone is tired and feeling burned out. I don't know if people went a tad crazier over the past week as a result of the news, the hot weather, or the fact that they can't hide they are exhausted. Maybe it's a combination of several aspects, but the truth is that I struggled to face what I saw and keep my act.
I believe self-abandonment is common among people who are highly sensitive and whose emotional needs weren't sufficiently met in their childhood due to neglect, abuse or absence of one or both parents. Such experiences can lead a child to feel unsafe and unlovable, which is psychologically very distressing and traumatising. The lack of love, attention and presence gives then rise to adults who don't know how to soothe and calm themselves. Instead of learning positive coping strategies, these adults often engage in one or more of the following sources of self-abandonment: living exclusively in the head, harsh self-criticism, addictive behaviours, and abandonment of the inner child.
I personally feel it's time to wind down and close this year's cycle with a golden key. This means focusing on my health and wellbeing instead of letting myself burn with other people's choices and negativity. Each person has a time to wake up to several layers of reality. I can't think that it's within my power to rush or control that. We should only help those who ask us for help and we should always speak only once and then let people go their own way. They may take a long time or not so much, but it is important to respect each other's level of consciousness and transformation process. I must focus on my own, because that's all I can do - and if I do that, if I concentrate on changing myself, I'm sure I will be doing enough.
5 Journaling Prompts | Part II
5 Journaling Prompts | Part I
Seconds after, he went through a crisis and froze. Tears started streaming down his face and I realised that we had hit a breaking point. I reached out to him and he told me he would rather die because his family kept saying he was worthless at home and now he was also worthless at school. I thought about my own dark moments in that moment, those in which I secretly held that wish to myself, so I first offered him freedom - those were his feelings and thoughts -, then love and finally trust.
COVID-19 symptoms and narrative is probably the biggest psyop the world has ever witnessed after 9/11. I do know about psyops because I taught Political and War Psychology for two years straight at university and psyops was part of my class content. Like in many other operations, the COVID-19 story has been used to cover up the cumulative effects of electromagnetic pollution, caused by man-made radiation (e.g. wi-fi).
It's nice to recover some of my own energy after a good couple of months out of balance. Life is falling back to that sweet space of daily doses of loving kindness and that's where I'm the happiest. I can start singing that old song that says I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can't believe I'm actually writing this and feeling it.
I believe books always come to me when I need them the most and it was quite therapeutic to read Barron's book, The Final Gift of the Beloved. In this book, Barron describes the tragic loss of his wife, Seana, and how his spirituality enabled him to accommodate his feelings and thoughts while also having to deal with heartbreaking experiences such as going through his wife's belongings.
My friend also asked me if I wasn't sorry for myself. She tells me I had a lot of patience to keep holding on to something that was always cracking and leaving me scarred. My answer was that I wasn't sorry for myself, I was sorry for the other person. Her next question, however, triggered something inside me. She asked if I wasn't sorry for myself, then who was?
Don't break a bird's wings and then tell it to fly. Don't break a heart and then tell it to love. Don't break a soul and then tell it to be happy.
Depression, memory loss, irritability, stress, anxiety, mood swings, fear, rage and cognitive disturbances are just some of the psychological outcomes that many studies have shown to be a result of a constant exposure to electromagnetic fields with micro and radio frequencies. As you can guess, these psychological states not only have a negative impact on the mind of individuals but they also negatively influence human relationships.
The last couple of days have been really difficult. I hadn't bad days such as these since last summer, when I made the clear decision to tackle what was bothering and pushing me down to then start creating happier episodes in life. Before that decision though, there were a good couple of dark moments or … Continue reading Breaking Through The Darkness
Based on his practise and experience, Carl Gustav Jung identified four stages through which an adult person may spiritually evolve. These stages are not necessarily linear and they aren't pre-determined either. This means you may, or may not, go through each stage, and you can also jump back and forth depending on your consciousness level, purpose and ability to deal with your life's circumstances.
One of the perks of having ESP is the ability to tap into what Abraham-Hicks identifies as the vortex and have a conversation with the universe - or God/dess, or Source, or whatever you feel like calling to it. The vortex to me is an energetic grid or net. It's not a singular place or moment in time. It's all that it is, always has been and always will be. Since energy is information, you can have access to a myriad of data both at the individual and collective levels.
How to know whether are you tuning into your intuition or simply engaging with 'old' unhelpful thoughts and beliefs? This is a complex topic and a skill we all need to mature. Since both intuition and unhelpful thoughts can arise automatically within us, it takes some level of awareness and practise to start being able to differentiate which one is which. The best way to go about it is to pay more attention to your own mental patterns. What is going on in your head? Which part of you is talking? And how?
It can take you a lifetime to find your own person, but I truly think this is the way it must be, if you want to experience authentic and unconditional love. You have to master your personal lessons, be willing to learn, be very honest when assessing the existence of the aspects I mentioned before (recognition, chemistry, communication, compatibility, connection and a shared vision for the future) and, most of all, be willing to outgrow your individual limitations/weaknesses. If you can put a checkmark on each of these factors, you're on a good path to find your life partner.
Have you ever heard of the Council of Light? And what about Ascension? Are you sensitive to energy and you would like to understand that further? These are just some of the spiritual concepts you will find more about in Darlene Green’s beautifully channelled book series In Service to Love. I was gifted with her first book in the series, Love Remembered, which leads us through a process of releasing who we are not and of embodying all that we already are. Only then we can start to see and manifest the loving being and the life we always yearned for – consciously or not.
Being a highly sensitive person means you feel and you think deeper about your inner and outer reality, because your brain is wired differently when compared to the vast majority (80-85%) of other human beings. Your cognitive capacity is ready to process information using much more filters and making more complex connections between concepts, ideas and facts. In order to successfully manage your energy as a sensitive, you must pay attention to five important aspects at least: sleep, food, fresh air, quiet time, and meaningful activities. I will address each one of these aspects next.
Since I sat here on the couch to write my heart down, for the last half an hour, I have been interrupted three times by my grandmother. On the last time, I tried to do something about it and I started saying "Grandma, I'm doing something here and I really need to be focused". And what did I get? She snapped, turned her back and went away, leaving me feeling guilty for trying to assert boundaries. Seriously, what is the right approach here? What am I doing wrong? Do I speak a different language? How many times have I asked for the exact same thing in the past? I'm literally banging my head on the wall now and I just want to sleep the whole afternoon. Another unproductive, wasted afternoon, because I feel too tired to even breathe.
I'm still running after the consequences of spending some time in overload. I'm still shut down, unable to even make a conversation. If you're an empath and you're feeling sad, apathetic, stressed out, worried, pained, disconnected, vulnerable, lost and disturbed for quite some time, you will eventually reach a point of no return. It's not exactly of no return... but it's a point in which the amount of energy you need to get you back to life is really big. If I hadn't dismissed the early signs of needing to shut down and leave, my emotional scale wouldn't be this damaged.
While yesterday I managed to sleep, today I saw that my lower chakras were deviated to the left and that my heart chakra was pushed to the right though. This was during my yoga session in the morning and I spent the rest of the day emotionally down but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary giving my circumstances. I felt a sort of painful vortex in my heart chakra in the evening nonetheless, which was only gone after a good cry. I take that the painful energy needed to be released.
While we can't make everyone see that organic farming and a greater level of exposure to natural conditions (e.g. sunshine) are key to maintain and improve our health and wellbeing, there are, nonetheless, some strategies we can activate in our day to day life to reduce inflammation and overall pain. I will share with you next three of these to get you started.
Some time ago, I mentioned here on the blog that I was severely struggling with back pain. Oddly enough, the pain came back when the global lockdown began. I rationally thought that the problem was probably linked to my mattress, but then my grandad disclosed that he too was having the same kind of pain, which really feels like a needle going through the skin and right to the kidney's area. He was the one pointing out to me, however, that his pain was caused by the fact that both knees were pressuring ahd hurting each other during sleep. Could that be my problem too?
How does any Kardashian look so good on those tight outfits? Are they crazily fit? I know plastic surgery helps too, but you can only fix the shape and texture of your skin to a certain extent. I'm not a big fan of the Kardashians' style, but I'm a great fan of feeling confidently sexy, and they are well-known for that. How they do it? Shapewear, of course.
For some odd reason, now it's time to tell you what happens next, once you have done enough for yourself. I can't tell you how much 'enough' is enough, but I can surely tell you that life will let you know when that time has just arrived. At first, you won't even want to believe in it, because will eventually make peace with the fact that finding peace in another human being is just a childish dream.So here are a few signs I think to be important and which can let you know that you have finally found someone worth your time, energy and love.
It was only when I showed up for myself that I finally realised it had been there all the time, waiting for me to stop running away and stop climbing the highest mountains. It was closer than I could ever guess and all it took was a direction shift. The moment I chose myself was also the moment my dreams chose me.
I have slowly become the woman and the adult I wanted to have around when I was just growing up. That has somehow taken away the self-destructive edginess that used to fuel my actions and thoughts. Instead of burning and crashing down, I have managed to give myself space and time to bounce back. It's not yet an easy thing to do but I choose to be present and face my feelings, even if it's still an imperfect version of what it might become.
There's no point in striving. To fight and try to make things work. To please and do anything for someone solely because you are afraid to 'lose' them. In the past, I used to run after the problem, so I could fix it. Even when other people didn't want it fixed. Now I just let myself be, trusting that the universe always holds something better for us, whatever that is. I hope tomorrow it stays the same way, but if it doesn't that's ok too.
It's time to accept the natural tides of life and give myself a break. Time to live each moment as it is, something I haven't been good at. I love being in the moment with my students, but I'm rarely in the moment when I'm by myself. Instead, I'm always looking for something else to do, because that way I know I won't feel a thing. I'm terrified of painful feelings because, believe it or not, my body has nowhere else to store them. I keep locking those ones down. I bury and hide them deep inside so that they won't come out. The trouble is that they have to surface and I have to make peace with them. In fact, the next step after stopping to put everyone else first is to tell myself that it's ok to be sad and mad at people. I own the right to feel whatever I feel and, if that's too much for some people, then I can't take that as my problem. I need to stop being at war with my own feelings and needs.
Forty-six years ago, Portugal woke up to a revolution that became known as the Carnation Revolution. Dictatorship came to an end and so did censorship and colonial war. At 3 o'clock, our people came to their balconies and played the song that 46 years ago let everyone know that we were about to be set free. In that moment, we were all connected. We were all feeling the same. We were confined and yet we felt like rebels with a good cause: no one shall take our freedom away.
It's so painful to open my scar tissue to only find out that it was worthless in the end. I know, I know, life is dukkha. I also know I might well be running away from experiencing all those feelings I don't want to feel and which inevitably come with abandonment. Sadness, disappointment, anger. I'm a hurt bitch after all.
Mindfulness skills are quite handy when it comes to food. Not because mindfulness became trendy over the last couple of years, but because it can nurture your self-awareness and expand your senses. Who doesn’t want to enjoy food even more? By being mindful, you can deepen your relationship with food. Suddenly, you may find yourself more appreciative of the people who work to grow your food, or even realise that you can waste less food.
Oral health as well as oral hygiene, is very crucial. You will not be able to flash your smile while people are around if you have missing teeth or damaged teeth or jaw structure. You will probably feel uncomfortable & embarrassed. If you are an adult & have somehow lost your tooth, this won’t grow back again, and the only recourse for this particular matter is teeth replacement.
The Sunday Blues is a phenomenon that many people experience. Out of the 7 day week – most people will have 2 days away from work and time to themselves. However, for many of us, the later part of Sunday is filled with dread and fear. Nervous anticipation builds as we ready ourselves for yet another working week to begin. But does it have to be this way? Or are there some little tips and tricks we can use to avoid this weekly ritual? Here are 7 ways to Upswing your life and beat those Sunday blues.
Using coffee has been a great experience so far. It smells wonderfully, it gets the job done and it's easier to remove. There is also a ton of benefits of using coffee as a face treatment. It is said to prevent inflammation, improve blood flow, remove dead skin cells and reduce puffiness. All these benefits are key for a healthy and glowing skin. Now let's get hands on it!
Besides the need of focusing and practising patience towards ourselves and others, I believe there are many positive lifestyle changes we can embrace. In this post, I'm sharing three behavioural strategies have helped me a lot: healthy eating, physical activity, and alone time. Yes, alone time is extremely important when you are sharing your house with your family or mates, 24h a day!
My grandfather has some really nice, organic lettuces on his little urban garden and I've always wanted to explore recipes in which I can add a good amount of greens. So here's a baking experience and suggestion that turned out pretty tasty!
I can confidently say that bodybuilding has changed my life thanks to its physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. Did I just say spiritual? Yes, I did! People may think that bodybuilding is rather superficial or vain. It can be, but so can Yoga or Pilates. The way you live through a physical activity is always a personal decision and choice, because the meaning you attach to it depends on your values and impressions. To me, bodybuilding goes way beyond the physical aspect, so I will save the physical benefits of it for last.
I think the future history of periods needs a new, more creative direction. We need to make sure that girls and women have access to menstrual health and wellbeing information, but we also need to counteract the taboo, myths, social stigma and religious beliefs associated with menstruation. Last but not least, we also need to look after the impact that period-related products have on female health and on the environment.
Although my normal routine is totally different from the routine I'm having right now due to the pandemic we are experiencing worldwide, I feel tempted to change a couple of things so that I stop feeling like every day is just the same as the day before. In fact, it's like I went back to that 'life draining mode' in which I was about a year ago: sleep, eat, drool, eat, sleep. That's no way of living. At least for me.
This is a place for kindness. Gentleness. If you don't agree with my opinions, that's perfectly fine. You are welcome to present your point of view with kindness and humanity. You are not allowed, however, to come here and pollute my space. You are not allowed to humiliate me or any of my readers in public. We are living times of madness. We are all vulnerable and we also have too much time on our hands now to read and comment blogs. Let's just make sure we keep being kind and cordial to each other, because that's what we need to base our future on.
In order to complete or master this lesson to some extent, we need to train our mind. For instances, I have trained and developed my body, but my mind remains scattered. I do understand now I must train this aspect as much as I have been training and conditioning my body. Otherwise I won't be able to achieve my goals and manifest my life's vision. That part of the puzzle has been missing and I think it is about time to take mind training more seriously now. According to buddhist scriptures, there are at least six conditions we must meet beforehand, if we want to train the mind. I will eventually talk about them in a future post.
Coronavirus is a family of virus that leads to illness or aggravation of respiratory problems. It can be transmitted between animals and people, a phenomenon called spillover. COVID-19, a particular strain of this family of virus, has been massively found in humans. Official sources have reported that the virus spread from a group of people with pneumonia who were connected to a seafood and live animal market in Wuhan, China. The virus has since then spread between people in China and to other countries all over the world.
A 2015 study by Silentnight concluded that people nowadays spend more time on their mobile phones and laptops than sleeping. This means people are not only more exposed to several electromagnetic frequencies, which can negatively impact our health and wellbeing in the long run, but they are also depriving themselves of important healthy habits such as sleeping enough, having quality time with others or keeping an active lifestyle. To counteract this mindless tendency, in this post I'm suggesting you 5 different activities that will not only contribute to your wellbeing but also help you stay offline more often.
As soon as you begin to spot your inner critic, it becomes easier to invite it out of your life. You need, however, to feed your mind and body with more positive programs. For instances, you need to feed your mind with positive affirmations about yourself and your body with nourishing foods. You need to tell yourself that you are deserving of love, no matter your circumstances in the present moment or your past actions.
The worst part is that these cycles of infatuation followed by almost instant devaluation take a toll on my wellbeing. I no longer generate high hopes and I do my best to keep myself aware of any sort of illusion. I keep myself at bay as much as I can, meaning that I don't want to jump to conclusions or give into impulses that will lead me nowhere safe. However, I can't avoid being sad or upset when it happens. I lose energy and focus from the work I need to be doing. Today, for instances, I accomplished very little because I felt I needed closure from yesterday's date. So that's why I'm deciding to stay away from online dating. It always sabotages what I cherish the most: inner peace and happiness.
