Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert had an impact on me. After reading it a few years back, I wanted nothing more than to go on one of these sabbaticals to get my act together, write a bestseller, probably have a blockbuster made out of it and then my life would be set and sitting pretty.
Recently, I became exhausted – no – depleted. But I don’t have the resources to eat, pray, love my way around the world to get rejuvenated. But with a little creativity, I did discover that regaining notions of hope and rest aren’t confined to the ability to up and travel the world, though. There are things you can do that will change your mindset and have a lasting impact on your emotional and physical health. Here are changes I made to eat, pray, love my way through a stay-cation and gain all I needed to refresh from my exhausted and burnt out state:
Eat
Start a Sugar Detox:
If you have an insatiable sweet tooth like mine, you will not like this one in the beginning. It is unavoidable, though, if you want to feel calm and at your best. Research has shown that sugar depletes the B vitamins in our bodies needed to give us that good mood feeling.
Four ways you can reduce sugar:
- Swapping cakes and cookies with fresh fruit and sugar cane.
- Replacing simple carbs with complex carbs: sweet potato instead of rice, a huge salad as opposed to pasta and bread.
- Replacing additive-rich beverages with more natural options: my favorite was drinking coconut water as opposed to processed juices.
- Eating monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) foods, such as avocado, coconut oil, and nuts.
At first, kicking the sugar habit really took some effort. But soon my sweet cravings subsided and I had more energy and was less crabby and irritable.
Hello, Water
When we are dehydrated our brains stop firing at full speed. It’s like the engine of a car: if the radiator runs out of water, the engine overheats and if this happens for too long, there goes the engine and in essence the entire car. That is how important water is. To both our cars and bodies.
Drinking processed juices, coffees, and highly caffeinated teas deplete our water levels and leaves us feeling stressed out, tired and brain-fogged. Make sure you are getting enough water – drink a few ounces every time you feel hungry, tired or just plain bummed out and see the difference it makes to your brain and body.
Pray
Breathe
Yes, I know -- very cliché. However, there is a valid scientific point and reason for this. Did you know that about 85% or more of the western population are not breathing correctly? This is due to many reasons such as poor posture, shallow breathing, breathing through the mouth and upper chest breathing. These incorrect breathing practices send stress signals to the brain and make it impossible for us to calm down enough for our bodies to rejuvenate properly.
1. Try this practice twice a day for a week and notice the difference:
- Lie on your back for 5 minutes minimum, arms straight down by your sides.
- Lift your head up slightly, lifting the chin and then lay back down to make sure your neck is properly aligned
- Now, place one palm on the upper chest and one on your abdomen
- Inhale through your nose to the count of 4, just filling your lungs to the top of your stomach, feeling your belly inflate like a balloon
- Exhale through your mouth. Let all the air out, feeling your tummy deflate like a balloon. Inhale once more without pausing.
- Continue until you feel your body melting into the floor and you are relaxed.
2. Try some Pranayama! Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms down your body and mind. Learn how to practice Nadi Shodhana Pranayama here!
Depending on how stressed out you feel it may take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to feel relaxed; even if it takes longer it is still normal. After continued practice, you will feel relaxed in a much shorter time.
Power Thoughts
Affirmations are often touted as a miracle cure for all our stress. Gurus and motivational speakers often tout the benefits and 'miracles' of it. If you are feeling as angry with life as I was, then you want to tell these people where to put their positive thoughts instead of trying them out.
Don’t!
Affirmations work; you just have to make them believable to you, for where you are right now. Renowned author and New York Times’ Best Selling Author Gregg Braden says the ‘feeling is the prayer’ and if you want anything in your life to change you have to transform the way you feel, in spite of what is happening around you.
Start with being honest. These are a few of the ones I used at my worst:
“It’s rough right now, and everything feels negative but this is a feeling, and it too will pass. “
“I am a silent observer of this horror flick; it’s almost over, and I get to write the ending.”
“My life is constantly being written and rewritten by me. What do I want in this script?”
“Ok, so now that I have the perfect example of what I don’t want in my life. I am in a good place to know what I do want. It is a time of great opportunity for me.”
Love
Bask in Simplicity- What would make me feel good right now? You should ask yourself this question when you start to feel ennui coming on. Ask and answer the call. It might be something as simple as taking a walk, having a nice long shower, or in my case, enjoying an herbal steam bath. Go for a swim. Watch a movie. Do what makes you happy if even for five minutes. Keep practicing to take care of yourself. Treat yourself with the affection and kindness you would give to someone else. Things will start to turn around.
Practicing all of these techniques on a regular basis helped me to sit back and take a sabbatical from all that’s causing me negative feelings and outcomes. I will continue to use them whenever I need to. I hope they help you too. Let me know how your Eat, Pray, Love went.
