[21 Days to Better Sleep Challenge] DAY 1/21 - Sleep Disturbances and Feeling Overwhelmed. How Teaching The Brain New Habits And Routines Can Help | SMart Choice Lifestyle

Feeling excited about your future goals and planning your next trip or experience is a good thing, a healthy thing. But when all this is happening at night, you know it’s time for a self analysis. It’s not even funny how many ideas can pop into your head when you can’t sleep at night. I know myself to be an over thinker, but the speed my brain is processing information at 3 am is still mind blowing.

A few nights ago I just had it! Could no longer passively sit and watch all the to-do lists and worrying about the next day’s activities that my mind was putting me through. I did fall asleep (eventually), but the following day I sat and asked myself why was I constantly in a rush, either doing or thinking? All the roads pointed out to insufficient sleep, to chaotic sleeping patterns.

Constant attempts to find the best morning and evening routines, changing activities and having a full past two months all lead up to my body and brain not caring anymore about whatever discipline I wanted to have in my life. I just wanted to relax and recharge. But what you repeatedly do, you become, and just like that I managed to push myself into a loop: not enough sleep - rushing throughout the day - sleepy in the afternoon - hard to fall asleep at night - not enough sleep and on and on.

When you become used to doing things in a certain way and then you change them and don't try to get back at the initial stage for a while, your body will most definitely send you signals. That’s where [re]CONNECTING with yourself proves helpful.

We have to listen to our body’s needs, to be in sync with what they ask of us and to be able to nurture their wants: sleep, nutritious food, rest, movement. Headspace is essential for me. As much as I love people’s stories, i recharge in solitude. I need to go to bed early enough in order to sleep 8h and wake up recharged at a good AM hour.

Press the reset button and wish to better the way you’re feeling and thinking about ourselves, to gain more self-confidence (or to gain it back), and to do our best in this world and not waste any gifts (ex: writing, inspiring others, empowering, creating, etc).

Most of the times, sleep proves to be the cause of all the chaos in our minds and lifestyle. That’s why going to bed at a decent hour (something like 10pm) can be the best choice you’ve ever done in a while, especially if your schedule is busy or you have sleep issues (like in Multiple Sclerosis or other conditions).

A regular sleeping pattern can reduce our anxiety about schedules, can lead to more productivity (as the brain is more alert), and give us time to start our mornings slow and more mindfully. And overall, sleep is the promoter of less inflammation inside the body. We need sleep in order for our bodies to properly take care of toxin removal, hormone manufacture, and infection fighting. Whenever we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies cannot complete those important tasks, increasing our chances of developing health issues (or worsen preexisting ones) due to excess toxins, inflammation, and hormone imbalances.

In order to achieve having a regular sleeping pattern, some habits need to change. We all stay up to late or go to bed at different times every night. We are caught in the screens of our devices, wanting to finish “that one last episode of Game of Thrones!”, those “last three emails!”, or “one last refresh on Facebook”. We all do that! Because we want to finish what we’re doing, we don’t prioritize sleep.

Remember the chaos I was talking about earlier? Our bodies get confused. But if we set and strictly follow a bedtime routine, we will get in the habit of relaxing at a certain hour, naturally inducing sleepiness. If you know yourself as having a sleep disorder, first check solutions with your physician and add a bedtime routine that includes his/hers suggestions. All this needs to be in our best interest.

Arianna Huffington's #sleeprevolution movement shows a light over the importance of sleep in our lives. Here's her manifesto:

So, my choice / challenge for the following 21 days is to begin getting into some healthy sleeping habits (21 days is the minimum amount of days that can induce a new habit into one’s life). For increasing my chances to actually follow them, they’re included into my night routine. One hour before bedtime I put down all devices and screens, making notes on what I have to finish / see / do the next day. Then I go and make myself a chamomile tea, take a shower and wash my teeth, say my prayers and clear my mind for about 15 minutes and then do some journaling before turning the lights off.

What would your routine look like? How is your relationship with sleep and mental space going? Would love to hear that from you in the comments down below!

Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Denisa

Two Years of Copaxone Daily Injections and A Promise to My Inner Kid | SMart Choice Lifestyle

A bunch of orchids were lined up next to the window, while daylight was filling the room up. I had been waiting for this moment for almost 10 months now, and it was finally here! As I was sitting on the armchair in the neurologist’s office, the MS nurse was giving me basic training for starting Copaxone, a daily injectable drug for Multiple Sclerosis, aiming to slow down the disease progression and reduce the number of possible relapses that could in time cause disability.

I decided to start with my stomach area, to get used to the burn that I so much read about before. The nurse was the one who gave me my first dose that day. As she pressed the auto injector against my skin, I could feel my inner kid wanting me to run away, to stop this and get back to normal. There was no turning back. I was injecting my body with a new substance that promised to help me live well, but still my mind was in fear.

I now know that in that moment I got even more stuck in the “what if…?” scenario that started after the diagnosis.

At the press of a button, the auto injector fired inside my body and after a few seconds, my skin truly felt ON FIRE, as being stung by a bee. The excitement of that all being so new helped me feel like I got over what was the worst part. I felt pride for getting over my fear of needles and, heck! Realizing that I in fact did not have ANY needle phobia whatsoever. My panic was due to the negative emotions associated with having an injection.

And so, little by little, injection by injection, two years passed by. I religiously did each and every one of them, rotating seven areas across my body. Little did I know that with each one, my mind was pinning me down into anxiety. You would expect that after all that I said before and after getting used to the experience, my angst should have lessened, right? That’s what I thought too!

Fast forward to today. I did the 728th injection in my right arm. Special occasion, "special moments": as I pressed the button, the needle seemed to get stuck, but then resumed to injecting veeeeery slowly. It usually takes 10 seconds from start to finish and now it was like it was walking through a swamp. Either way, it was all ok. It all gets ok AFTER the injection. The anxiety comes BEFORE the whole deal.

Rationally, there’s nothing to fear: a 1.2 cm needle, thinner than a 0.5 mechanical pencil tip, no pain when the needle pierces the skin, only the afterwards bee-sting sensation, that usually lasts 5-10 minutes, depending on the day. But my mind has other ideas: it thinks that something devastating is going to happen to me, that I might get a terrible heart attack if I inject in a vein (note: there is a thing called IPIR, meaning you COULD get a heart-attack-feeling-sensation, lasting no more than 20-30 minutes, but nothing lethal!) and maaany, maaaany more things like that.

Unsolved anxiety does “cute” things like these to susceptible people. The brain is used to respond to an immediate threat, but in my case there is no such thing. There’s only the unpredictability of the illness itself and the feeling that I HAVE to live my life QUICKLY, before Multiple Sclerosis strikes again. All that internal turmoil topped with a daily injection that acts like a constant reminder, have me overflowing with anxiety and nervousness that have me living a rollercoaster life.

Effects of this “darling” situation? Hmmm, let me limit it to just three, the most relevant ones to my current lifestyle: emotional eating (trumps all the healthy choices I want to make on a daily basis), feeling overwhelmed by too many creative choices I want to pursue, although I love all my ideas dearly (one of them is SMart Choice Lifestyle itself, victim of my procrastination and emotional ups and downs - I’ve been neglecting it for 2-3 weeks now), losing self-confidence because I am too afraid of that tiny needle and for not ACTING upon all the plans I’ve strategized for the past three years since being diagnosed.

HERE'S TO NEW BEGINNINGS!

Being aware of all this gives way to a new start. No matter what life throws at me, I’ve been given a second chance that not many people get.

I promise my inner kid not to fail her again, for as long as I live! I’ll be present for her fears, loves and wants and not treat her with self-doubt, no matter how fearful she might get.

Copaxone or no Copaxone, I’ll heal this anxiety and resume living my life. The SMart Creative way… by the way ;) Keep you posted!

Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Denisa

5 STEP PROCESS TO ACHIEVE CLARITY FOR YOUR CAREER & PERSONAL GOALS | SMart Choice Lifestyle

I've always had an eclectic way of seeing things. I draw my inspiration from an incredible array of sources, time periods and industries. It's like I'm building a never ending vision board for my life and career. 

AWARENESS FIRST

Thankfully I had a constant throughout: thinking in pictures. I draw out the way all my ideas are going to look, act and what purpose are they going to serve and need are they going to take care of. The natural outcome was that I ended up pursuing a creative career, dealing with images and stories. Hence, I decided that I am a visual storyteller. 

Becoming aware of your talents and the skills that can help you move forward is essential if you want to grow a career out of just a passion. "Passion" is such an emotion-filled word. "What you're naturally good at and enjoy doing" sounds better. But for the sake of word economy, let's continue naming it "passion".

Being multi-passionate and loving to do many things can become confusing if you don't spend time working out the bits and pieces that will help you understand what career should you really follow. Most of us finish school and immediately get a job. "That's the safe thing to do!" common sense tells us. Sounds fair, and for many of us, it ends up being their road in life. And that's completely fine and normal. It's their choice and if it makes them happy, go for it!

MY DREAMS AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

I was the other kind. The one that had the regular 9-5 job, but had her mind on creative projects almost all of the time. Given the situation, I kept the things I loved to do as hobbies and tried my best to integrate them into my daily work tasks. Every time I got the chance to do one of them, I felt happy. That feeling went away when I got back to whatever I was working on.

For a long while, I thought it to be normal. We all have jobs that get us tired and hobbies that help us refresh and get us back on track. And so a few years passed and while I was working, I always thought of starting my own thing on the side. The dream of building my own business doing what I loved never left me. 

The decisive moment that completely shifted my actions was the 25th of July 2014, the day the neurologist told me that I had Multiple Sclerosis. In less than 24 hours, all my thoughts pointed to living my life the way I always wanted and making my dreams a reality. Even more so, wanting to continue working equaled pursuing my passion. My time was limited. Nobody knew by how much or less. The illness is unpredictable, so I have to hurry! 

There was no turning back after that. After just a week back at the office, I listened to my gut and left. It no longer provided me with anything rather than monthly pay. I chose my health over money. And so I started my sabbatical. Taking time to clear my head after the diagnosis, learn as much as I could about the disease, find ways in which to keep it inactive and most of all follow my dream career.

Do you know that feeling of liking so many things that you can't really decide which one to really pursue? Or, if you had narrowed in down to two or three areas, it's still difficult to start because for each one there are SO many things that you can say or do? Welcome to my world!

The funny thing is that I already know what I want to do (and I kindda knew it for more than 7 years now), but there's always something left to do, improve or wait to be the right moment for. Up until a few months ago, I thought it to be fear of failure. But no. Failure doesn't scare me for quite a while now. I mean, what's the worse it can happen? I already have an incurable disease! (*smiling ironically here*)

The fear of not being good enough isn't it either, as I managed to get passed peer pressure too. The thing is I find it difficult to decide. And that's so funny, because the blog is named SMart Choice, so technically, I should have mastered the decision making process by now. But not in the things I hold dear to my heart.

And so my one year sabbatical became two years, and the more I learned and the more ideas I had, the worse I became at deciding to start. I had it all planned on paper, all organized, but no action. Constant learning. An eternal student. I like learning, but I also like to be productive. 

The biggest lesson that I've learned these past two years is that you can't work on your dreams if you don't know the dreamer. Meaning that you first have to come back to knowing who you are and then see what you can do for work. 

HOW TO ACHIEVE CLARITY FOR YOUR GOALS - 5 STEP PROCESS

That's why I came up with this 5 step process that you can also take to get in touch with your true self, or at least with your inner motivations and ideas that make you uniquely you, helping with your career goals.

So, without further adue, here are the steps that get you closer to yourself. You'll need a piece of paper and a few minutes to write things down.

1. DEFINE THE CONTEXT

Find a picture of yourself as a kid. Look at it and try to remember who you were back then. Asses your current lifestyle choices, the things you're naturally good at, the skills you've learned throughout the years and see where you stand. What's the thing (or things) that have remained a constant? Note them down and move on to the second step...

2. WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR AND WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR LEGACY TO BE?

Note down your core values (limit yourself to just 5, the most important ones). After a life spent working, what would you like to be remembered for? What are the most important things that you leave behind as a professional?

3. ALIGN GOALS TO PERSONALITY AND VALUES?

Make a list of goals that you want to achieve during this lifetime. Be specific in naming them. No matter how big or unimportant they seem, they are part of your vision, so note them down. Given the values and legacy that you've decided upon already, how do you plan to achieve those goals? Define a short strategy. What choices will you need to make in order to achieve those goals?

4. DAILY ACTION PLANNING

Achieving mastery or anything in life means discipline and work. All the people that got somewhere with their lives and careers have to (and most still are) work hard to get their goal. You'll need a plan. Make it simple, actionable and daily. Think of the bigger picture and then narrow it down to what are the daily tasks that you need to do in order to get where you want to. Start with the first goal on your list and go from there. Then act upon that plan, but...

5. FOLLOW-UP AND REVIEW

To know how far you've came, you need to do regular reviews and measurements. Nothing fancy, just, for example, see how much of Project X is done and what's left to do. You need to know what you need to do, in order to plan your day and efficiently dose your energy, especially when living with Multiple Sclerosis.

Liked this post? Subscribe HERE, to be sure we stay connected. Let me know if you’d want me to write a more extensive piece on this topic, or on smaller topics from it. Would love to hear your opinion on this! Leave your comments down below.

Sincerely,

Denisa

Why You Need to Follow Your Heart. Time Waits for No One

As I'm sitting here with my late-time cuppa, cloudy weather and writing in English, my inner reality couldn't be more different than what's really happening outside this room. But that's what dreamers and idealists do. Or at least that's what I have been told.

I always loved escaping into words and daydream. When I was a kid, it was all productive and such, as it was my job to have an imagination an develop interesting worlds and stories. The worlds I was constructing had strong visuals and fierce heroes. But that was back to the time of dinosaurs. Kids today are technology-bound, well adapted to a world of gadgets and science.

But what about one's soul? What about one' purpose?

My generation lived mostly in its head and thoughts. This generation lives more in its social media pages or apps. Things change and there's nothing wrong with that! It would be pretty hypocritical of me to criticize tech, as I'm writing this from a wireless-connected laptop, as I just finished a mini-browsing of my Facebook and Instagram.

All that I'm saying here is that we need a return to ourselves, to our inner beings, to our hearts. We are so connected, so informed, so skilled, so prepared nowadays, that we forget to stand still and often find ourselves on autopilot. Mostly like a machine.

It all comes back to the soul. To the heart. To the purpose.

For the past 7 years, my life has been like the one of a hamster on a treadmill. That's the typical image of a 30-something in this century. I was doing all of what society and peers were expecting of me, yet I wasn't fulfilled. "Things can't always be perfect!" I kept telling myself in order to soothe that restlessness I had inside. Over and over again.

Numbing life with life and getting smacked down by life.

Ironically enough, our minds are not the masters of the lives we have. We might... think we have control over what's happening, but if we don't take conscious choices, if we don't stand up and fight for what we believe in, it all happens to us. And then it leaves us with a lesson to learn and a question to answer: "Will you follow your heart?".

Again and again, life decided to give me some "subtle" pokes. 

As a storyteller, I dreamed of becoming a movie director, to be able to tell stories through image, sound and words. Life happened. Peer pressure made me give up because "There's too much competition! You'll lose precious time! Take the safe path!". Ended up studying Sociology for four years instead. 

Yeah! Like this proved to be the "safe path". Either way, it was my choice.

Finished Uni, got admitted to a Master's programe, got my first job as a Life Insurance Consultant (the irony of selling life protection when mine was going to be tumbled down!). 

Life happened. My mother got breast cancer

That marked my first meeting with chronic disease and full-on regret. Feeling sorry for all that I made wrong, for all that I should have or shouldn't have said made me realize that we always have a choice to how we act. We always have a choice to do or not to do something. I chose to be strong for her and look for stability. I wasn't living for myself. I was now living for her. 

So I changed jobs to a place that in other conditions I never would have looked at. 

But I ended staying there for two and a half years. I learned how mean and double-faced human nature can be, and how damaging stress can be. Looking back, this experience also taught me to be humble and serve others, despite of their behavior. I was beginning to learn life. 

At the end of those years, I chose me above all else, and quit. The pressure on my emotions was too big and wanted to brake free. I give my praise to God that my mother recovered and is still a part of my life. It made me begin to lose Ego.

Got another job in sales and vehicle management coordination, and felt at ease. I was beginning to get back to myself bit by bit. But after only seven months, and having the past experience of feeling trapped in a place I didn't belong, I chose to leave and pursue my own thing (once more) in graphic design. 

I had just finished a beginner's course and was preparing for my final exams, Steve Jobs just died and made me become aware of my own limited time. I compulsively watched his Stanford 2005 Commencement Speech until it became engraved inside my mind. 

Although it was a normal consequence of life, death still scared me and put some anxiety all over my actions. Do things now!

So I did! Got the best results at the Graphic Design exam, and went into planning mode to pursue my dream. The focus was mostly on myself and on what I would achieve.

In came life again. Because, you know, shit happens! My grandma died

At the beginning of that year, the woman who was one of the pillars of my personality and the one that I drew much of my inspiration from was gone. Leaving me with an inflamed Ego and a big regret that I wasn't more time there for her.

Time doesn't wait for anyone. Life goes on even without your input. I needed to choose once again. I thought of her, and what would she want me to do. 

I just started a Photography course, as it was the closer that I could get to telling visual stories. Given the death of a close family member, many would have stayed at home for some days, grieve and then go back to their activities. But I chose to be strong once more and go to my course. 

So, that night I stayed at her wake, went to sleep at 7 am, rested for 4-5 hours, and then went to class. Nobody knew, nobody saw anything on my face. I kept it to myself. Once more, I chose to be strong for my family and do the right thing. There's a whole other story about this experience, but I'm not going to cover this now, maybe in a later post.

All these experiences were bringing me back to God

I always been like this. I grew up an Ortodox-Christian, not actually a church-goer, but passionate about all those stories in the Bible and God's goodness and protection. In my deepest despair, He is the one I turn to, He is the one my soul needs. Nothing else. Even if I do it unconscious, when I get afraid, I pray.

That year I prayed to be happy. I let my soul in His hands and prayed for it to be soothed. 

And it was. That fall I began a relationship with my best friend, a guy I've met at my Graphic Design course and that quickly became my go-to person. He is similar to me in so many ways (good and bad), that I really couldn't have asked for a better match. I wouldn't had known what to ask for! Our relationship grew stronger as months went by. We had our ups and downs, but it was all fine in the end. 

Life resumed its course. I got a job as a Shop Manager for a telecom retail company, got passed some of my limits, learned a lot about me and people once again. But something felt off again. Stress was much higher than my inner feeling of fulfillment. It ended up putting great strain on me, and I came to work only to wait anxiously to get back home to my plans, peace and quiet. So I left. It didn't feel right. 

As I felt myself calming down, I began to see things clearly and once more planned starting my own thing. 

Guess what?! Once more it didn't happen right!

I planned to get a job in order to raise money to start my own photography business. Found a job in sales, advertising space and client relationship. All good, all stressful as always, but it was comfortable. Somehow, my dream got postponed, as I never felt quite ready. I was scared shitless, to be honest!

Life grew bored with my behavior and decided to give me one more "poke". Into my right eye. On a Friday.

The time when it happened was just right, as I once more grew to comfortable into being pushed and pulled by life and not listening to my intuition. Whenever that happened, fear took command and made me settle, going totally against my dreams of always going for what it feels right.

I told the story of my multiple sclerosis diagnosis here. The thing that I would like to add to it is that as I write this story, I understand that our lives are empty without doing something with purpose, without really using the gifts we have been given. 

I have always loved to write and tell stories. I was always able to leave myself aside in times of great distress and turn to helping others.

Now you tell me. What do you choose: a life that happens to you, or one designed by choice? 

Because things will always happen, go well, go bad, get stuck, or anything else. But what really matters is what you do with the cards that you have been dealt, and how you use them to serve others? 

For me, that's what life is all about: smart choices. God knows what He's doing. Always!

Liked this post? Subscribe HERE, to be sure we stay connected. Let me know if you’d want me to write a more extensive piece on this topic, or on smaller topics from it. Would love to hear your opinion on this! Leave your comments down below.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa

How to Get Back to What's Important? Three Steps | SMart Choice Lifestyle

This past year has been so far full of events, opportunities and things to do. I almost spread myself too thin between travelling, managing three projects simultaneously, learning new things, planning and thinking things into minute details.

Don’t get me wrong, I am deeply grateful for all that has come my way for the past months. I love what I’m doing and had many breakthroughs and “aha!” moments that I’m happy for. But the constant push and pull of doing all these things wasn’t integrating my personal life. The time I had left for sleep, relationships and recharge was feeling smaller and smaller and it all was beginning to get suffocating. That’s when I knew it was time for taking a few steps back and look at the bigger picture while I get back to myself, to my core, to my WHY.

It’s important to be active, to do the things you love and are passionate about. But at the same time, it’s vital to not lose track of what motivated you to do all that in the first place. We tend to lose our Northern Star while we keep our eyes on the end goal.

There is the need for time to just look at the stars, look within and allow yourself to relax and just be. For me, for the past two years since working for myself, that time usually begins in July. It’s also the anniversary of the day I first met multiple sclerosis and got diagnosed, and it somehow gets me into a more reflexive state. The perfect time to take a break. This period extends to August and I go back to work on September.

It doesn’t mean that I’m just sitting on my couch all day doing nothing. That’s just boring! It’s a time I review ideas, thoughts, journals. I listen more than I talk. I learn. I sleep and take care of my mind and body. I get back to my purpose, to my why: getting people to be the best version of themselves, and help them not feel alone.

Since being diagnosed with an incurable illness like multiple sclerosis, I learned to make time for myself. Meaning I always prioritize my health above anything else. I can’t stress enough how important looking after yourself is. When we’re young, we think we’re indestructible, but life can prove us wrong. I can’t do anything to cure myself, just to recover and keep my health as stable as possible. On top of the yearly vacation, I also take a few steps daily, just to get back to what’s important.

And these are…

1. Take time off everyday. No matter how busy you are, we all have just 24 hours to live each day: 8 hours of sleep are non-negotiable. These should be your “default prescription” for brain and mental health. Also, add brakes throughout the day, 10-20 minute naps (if the conditions permit it). At the end of your workday, switch off: shower, eat dinner, relax with family and friends, or on your own.

2. Divide your day into active and passive segments of time. Meaning, the active interval is the one you are the most able, clear-minded and fit to do work. Schedule your tasks to be done during that period. The passive half has to do with switching off. It’s the time of the day when you can’t focus as well, when you’re sleepy and get ready for sleep. Respect your biological clock. It doesn’t matter if right now you’re out of sink. You can program your mind to wake up and go to sleep at certain hours, so that your clock works just fine. It’s all done by learning new habits, by choosing the right things.

3. Review your progress, be it personal or professional. I assume that if you got this far into reading this article, you have a why in place. If you do, the need to measure where you are with your goals is important. It keeps you on track and connected to what really matters.  Keep a journal of your thoughts, feelings and achievements. Show gratitude for your wins and forgive your losses. See where you need to improve and plan how to do that.

Liked this post? Subscribe HERE, to be sure we stay connected.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 21 - I Am Open #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries l SMart Choice Lifestyle

Yours truly is not that open. I am more of a private person that doesn't like to feel exposed and scrutinized in detail by others. I choose to only show what I think to be relevant, helpful and purposeful in a given situation. No more, no less.

Of course, it depends on the context, the person or how at ease I feel, or how in tune I feel. It's a protective measure most of the times. A protection for getting hurt emotionally. With time, I began to see that some people act strangely around me, while others are perfectly in sync. 

I noticed that if I thought a person to be tight up, that's what that person thought of me back. Lastly, I discovered that if I disliked a person for a particular reason, most certain that reason was one of my flaws.

"Open your heart, open your mind, open yourself to all possibilities."

(Adriene Mishler - Yoga With Adriene)

How I discovered that? Simple! (Wrote some more about this HERE and HERE)

I tried being more open with people I didn't think so much of at first glance, or with people that intimidated me or made me feel nervous (either excited or anxious). And guess what? They were normal, pleasant and fun to be around. I was the one who shut them out and didn't interract.

This goes the same for opportunities. Be open to them. Try new things. Challenge yourself. You'll be surprised. I know I did! The moment I gave up those gremlins inside of my mind (as @BreneBrown calls that inner negative voice we all have), it all fell seamlessly into place.

Of course there are ups and downs, good days and bad days, but the purpose of all this is to make up the courage to be yourself, no matter what others say, or what your mind tells you. It doesn't mean you can run on the street naked, howling at the Moon, but it allows you to be more self-confident and live life more assertively.

Be curious about what you encounter in life. Keep exploring unbeated trails. Keep exploring (deep) within. Be happy about opportunities and learning. They lead to growth and growth leads to wisdom.

Look at your best and worst moments in life and add those "grey" areas too. Be curious about why they happened and what you've learned from each. Dig deeper and ask yourself "why?". Be open for whatever reasons might come up and be prepared to accept, adapt, overcome and heal each one. Grow.

You open yourself up to knowing and understanding better who you are and what you need. Take into account that you might get scared, sad or disappointed, even angry because of what you'll discover about yourself.

All in all, people are pretty simple. They act like a mirror, so become aware of what you show them in you. You might not like the reflection.

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 15 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Am Open. Enjoy!

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out HERE.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 20 - I Go With The Flow #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

Vinyasa yoga gets your body and blood pumpin'! If you haven't exercised for some time, you'll get tired quickly. You can also become frustrated. The session might not be that hard, but your overachiever Ego can want to be on top. You get angry at not being the best and at feeling left behind and exhausted by the video. Humbling experience.

In life, we don't always get what we want, what we plan to get, but the trick is to continue, to go with the flow. Eventually, things will get better. There is a time for everything. Have patience.

The so-called "flow" isn't always going smoothly. It has ups and downs, bumps and detours, it can become stuck or vortexed... depending on the circumstances it encounters. But it manages to adapt, to brake free from all the challenges and push through, continuing its course.

Take water for example. It's always flowing. Be like water! As Bruce Lee said it: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”

Be clear-minded, asses your options, accept the situation you're going through, work with what you have, innovate. Change is a part of moving forward. We have challenges, we learn, we grow. We become wiser. Experience got us where we are now.

Continue that flow that began when you were a baby: explore, keep trying, be curious and happy about what you have and succeed in doing. Enjoy what this life has to offer. Live morally, in love and kindness. Avoid temptation and anything that makes your soul feels strange, heavy or fearfull. Listen to your conscience first.

Live in the present moment and hope for redemption. Choose the good in the world. Don't tie your happiness to money! Share, be humble and let go of Ego. Learn to work with others for a common goal. Collaborate. Be just and do justice for all. Choose to see the love in all things, the love in all people. Focus on the beauty life has, on its good things.

Throughout your lifetime, you cannot amass all the knowledge in the world. Remember to take care of your soul and live your life according to God's Law. Enjoy life while you are young, do the things you want to do decisively, you only get one go in life. 

Did you ever had that moment when you thought "man, this is the worst day of my life! I don't know how I'm going to get through tomorrow!"? And then tomorrow came and you were alive and well? And then a week, a month, a year passed and you became stronger that you've ever been? What happened then?

Your mind, your Ego was telling you that you can't do it, that it is to hard, that something bad will happen, right? That was fear, our oldest defense and survival mechanism that alerts us when something is wrong and we need to take care of it to avoid dying. 

But we can't die multiple times. Only once. Just go with the flow. Everything is smoke. It shall pass, let it flow. Breathe!

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 9 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Go With The Flow. Enjoy!

                           

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)