" Soak It Up ... "

Turn On The Light Inside Your Eyes

It Gets Me Inspired Every Time ...

Up With The World, So Much I Could Cry

I Let The Hard Times Pass Me By

A Feet On The Ground I Gave Up My Wings

I Look at You, And You Make Me Sing ...

I’m Standing On The Edge Of

A Cliff I've Never Known Before

I Wanna Dive Into The Water

Soak It Up, Soak It Up, Up, Up

…Thoughts,… On My Lies

Doing Beyond That’S From My Previous Life

I Know It’S Gonna Be A Beautiful Day

Because my ... Was Made That Way

~ Nelly Furtado ~ Soak It Up ~

***

Do you ever feel like an emotional sponge?  You know someone who takes on other people’s energies without maybe even realizing it ... my answers, yes and yes.

You see I am a “empath”, someone who “possess the ability to feel the unspoken emotions of other people without conscious intent”.

Oddly enough, I have been proud of being one ... someone who has a sixth sense when it comes to emotions, someone who thinks they understand motivations that drive behaviours.  A keen sense of intuition, an inner compass if you will.  Just knowing or feeling without actually putting into words what is occurring.

I know this has allowed for colorful life experiences in my life.  But it also has a flip side ... as an empath, I have soaked in energies, full of negative emotions such as fear, anger, helplessness, despair and frustrations ... which zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in myself.  And the absorption of these have resulted in the physical manifestation of symptoms.  

Everyone projects, but what we choose to absorb is what matters ...

Learning to set physical and emotional boundaries can help you establish a sense of self-defined control and vitality ... 

How?

Start with identifying if you are susceptible.  Ask if the feeling is your own or someone else’s.  If someone else’s, distance yourself from the source and see if you feel relief.  If it yours, confront what is causing it.  Try centering yourself and concentrating on your breath.  Visualize negativity as dark cloud lifting from your body, and hope as white light entering. 

Easier said than done ... of course, but I am doing what I can with where I am at this time ... I am learning to continue practicing these and developing strategies to cope, feel safer and still allow my sensitivities to blossom in a world where it is needed now more than ever.

" Eat it ... "

Don't want to argue, I don't want to debate

Don't want to hear about what kind of food you hate

You won't get no dessert 'till you clean off your plate

So eat it ...

Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it

If it's gettin' cold, reheat it

Have a big dinner, have a light snack

If you don't like it, you can't send it back

Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it ...

Don't you make me repeat it (oh no)

Have a banana, have a whole bunch

It doesn't matter what you had for lunch

Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it ...

~ Weird Al Yankovic ~ Eat It ~

***

I haven’t written recently about food and nutrition but yet another conversation got me thinking that there are quite a few misconceptions out there.  First of all, YES I eat food, and YES I have been eating food since starting the Gerson Therapy ... it is not just juicing, it is REAL food.  I'll leave it at that as those that what to know about this "nutritional therapy" there are many links on my blog site.

So, from that note, we have all heard the saying “you are what you eat” but have you really considered what that really means?  My understanding is we are actually what we consume, digest, absorb and transfer to our cells.  How our cells function determines life.  

For optimal health, body composition and performance, our cells must function properly.  And I believe the key is nutrition because nutritional deficiencies or excess disrupt the balance of this function and therefore decrease our health.

The food that we eat is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream where nutrients are delivered to our cells and form tissues, organs and organ systems ... from eating ~ digestion ~ cell function ... this is metabolism.

And how quickly we eat is a factor as well.  Remember when we were growing up and our Mom’s said “chew your food”.   Well guess what, she was right! because the more we chew our food, the less work we leave for the rest of our digestive organs ... stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and intestines.

Since saliva produces the enzyme amlase, which begins to digest carbohydrates, digestion actually starts in our mouth.  So food must be mixed and chewed well to release its full potential of nutritional value.  

The truth is that you can be eating the most nutritious foods but if you are not absorbing the nutrients, they are of very little value.  The key is to be as relaxed as possible when we’re eating because a relaxed mind equals a relaxed digestive system.  

Try to become a “conscience eater” by focusing on the real food on your plate, what it tastes like, by chewing each and every bite.  And what is REAL food to me?

• comes from the ground
• rarely advertised on TV (fast food versus carrots)
• ingredients can be pronounced
• no dyes, artificial additives, herbicides, pesticides or GMO
• wholesome and nourishing
• simple, pure and unchanged by man

So when you decide on your next meal, give a thought to what you are willing to put into your body and if it will do you good or harm ... because as Jim Roth said ... 

“take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live”.