This is the part where I tell you all about my December favorites and inspiration sources. Let’s get to it!
The first thing I want to mention is Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic”. And a big magic...al book it is! If you ever wanted to boost your creative activities or career whilst accepting and getting over the fear of failure, this is the book for you. It’s part motivational, part self-disclosure, as Liz takes us through examples of her own life and what has she learned about the ongoing battle between creativity and fear. The book was the gift I gave myself for turning 30.
Besides her, other inspirational people I learned a lot from were Gary Vaynerchuk and Tony Robbins and Marie Forleo. Such motivational and hard-working people!
Another important staple of my month was a recap of all the Star Wars movies. My boyfriend persuaded me into getting to know/remember what the story of Vader and Skywalker is. We awakened the Force by watching them in chronological order. As we saw little Anakin grow up and bit by bit turn into Lord Vader, I couldn’t help but to think of how similar the message is to budhism and the no violence philosophy!
That leads us to the next favorite.
Yoga played a huge role in my life for this month also. I have been doing Vinyasa Yoga for more than a year now, every single day. This month, as it was all rushed and had loads of things to do, I was fine with doing only about 10 minutes of it with or without the help of my lovely Adriene Mishler (Yoga With Adriene on Youtube) during my morning routine and then going off to my other tasks. But don’t be mislead: a little yoga goes a loooong way! It’s more about connecting to your body and easing up the mind, making your day more at ease.
The way I managed the holiday stress and my MS was by sticking to meditating for at least 20 minutes a day (10 min in the morning and 10 min in the evening, before I went to bed). It allowed me to let go of all the December cheer that was too much at some point. Taking time to clear your mind and relax the body does wonders for your overall wellbeing. Plus you get to find out how well (or not) you react if an itch happens while you’re standing still! True story! Seriously now, in time, it teaches you how to be patient and don’t react to every tiny thing that happens to you. It teaches you acceptance and how to become more at peace with yourself.
Every morning, just after I got out of bed, I went into the kitchen and made myself a glass of lemon water. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze one of it, pour it into about 500 ml of water and drink it all then and there. It cleanses and hidrates your body from the inside out, kickstarting the metabolism and making you feel better. Can’t stand the taste of lemon? Put about 1-2 teaspoons of honey. Morning lemonade. Enjoy! I forgot to mention tangerines and oranges! The only fruit that make the house smell like Christmas when you open them.
As I mentioned before, I’m opening my own business, in spite of dealing with a diagnosis like multiple sclerosis. December was the month I always decide to relax and unwind so that I come back strong the following year. I worked so hard throughout the year and my mind needed a rest from all that. What use am I to this blog if I get exhausted?
So, starting from the 21th of December, I layed back, got the Christmassy mood on and enjoyed some well-deserved time with family and friends. I thought and did most of the things that I love, not forgetting to express my gratitude for the wins, blessings and life lessons I received throughout 2015.
This was all for this week’s #LifestyleFriday and for 2015 posts!
Thanks for being here!
Thanks for being here!
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Love,
Alexis