Change it Up!

Courtney Morris
Change it Up!

I have recently begun to appreciate the importance of switching things around occasionally.  This can be beneficial for our physical, mental, and emotional well beings.  While it can be great to have a routine, as this allows many of us to be productive and consistent in our work and social activities, it is often too easy for us to get stuck in a habitual rut, especially as the temperature starts to drop and we want to bundle up in the warmth of our homes.  The lack of new physical activity and mental stimulation can take a toll on us all.

The cure for this? Simple! Try something new...or perhaps call that friend or family member you rarely speak to anymore but really miss and make a date to catch up.  Or, perhaps try a new activity which makes you a little nervous; extra points for the further you venture out of your comfort zone as this is where the most opportunity for character growth is offered.  What's the worst that can happen?  If you're brave, try doing this once or twice a week for a more exciting life and see where it takes you!

Asking for Help

Asking for Help

Cara Chill

  I have recently taken notice in my life that asking for help seems to have a negative connotation.  Ever since I can remember, if I did not understand something, I would ask for assistance.  However, in adulthood, I am noticing a lot of individuals who see this as a sign of weakness or incompetence.  When did we start to say that it is not acceptable to ask for help? Many of us would admit to going above and beyond when it comes to helping our friends and family but when it is us who needs help, we have a tendency to refuse it.  Understandably, it is not the most comfortable experience to admit that you may be struggling.  However, if you do not seek help, how are you supposed to receive it? I have been ruminating over this topic for a while now and simply cannot grasp it.  I have finally come to the conclusion that you have to accept that you cannot do everything yourself 100% of the time and there is nothing wrong with that! Even the best and the brightest have had trouble at one point or another.  There are many people throughout history who have struggled and ended up succeeding in the end.  Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, Thomas Edison had 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before creating the first light bulb, and Oprah Winfrey was fired when she was once a television reporter.  What I am trying to demonstrate is, everyone has flops in life but it is up to you to turn that flop into something useful.  I try to make every negative experience into something I can learn from.  Learning is a process that we go through our entire lives and along the way, we may ask for help.  Asking for help should not be a negative reflection of someone’s intelligence or ability.  It should demonstrate their strength and courage for seeking the opportunity to learn and better themselves. Teaching, learning, and helping others, is a part of life, and appreciating those times in life where we can learn something new or teach something to someone makes life a bit more exciting.  I will leave you all with a quote that may be a tad bit cliché but fitting for my thoughts. “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.” Chinese Proverb

Getting Caught in the Rain: a Personal Story

Getting caught in the rain: a personal story

By Jade Braden

I recalled an instance in my life that involved a very drenched girl with a beaming face to boot. When I was in 6^th grade, I was waiting for my mom to pick me up after school. She was running late but she asked me to wait outside of the library, across from my middle school. As I was waiting, I remember seeing the clouds continue to grow darker and the wind pick up. As a couple more minutes passed, it suddenly began pouring. At first, I took the initial reaction of trying to take cover to avoid getting wet. Seeing that I was already soaked during the first two minutes, I decided to stop trying to hide under a half-covered tree, place my book bag on the ground and spread my arms wide with my head tilted up. I closed my eyes and felt the raindrops fall on my face and run off my chin. As I listened to the rain fall on the concrete and into quickly forming puddles on the ground, I felt my face slowly draw a smile. I couldn’t help but laugh as I felt an unexplainable joy well up inside which encouraged me to spin around a couple of times. This seemingly infinite time abruptly ended with the sound of a horn and a mother’s cry, asking for her daughter to get out of the rain.

Although this moment was somewhat brief, this theme of getting caught in the rain consistently comes up, while I’m going out for a run or heading out of work. What I learned was more than simply accepting a ruined hairstyle and clammy feet. I learned to experience and maintain the joy that a child felt when she recognized the pure nature of rain. The soothing sounds of rainfall combined with cool raindrops on ones’ skin are a reinvigorating experience but the weather is often widely dismissed as bad weather. I figured out that the moment one decides that they are not afraid of the effects on ones’ appearance I was more ready to jump into the moment and enjoy life as it comes at me. So, consider this an opportunity: when a storm is brewing and there is nothing to lose, give it a try. Close your eyes and look up to the sky as the rain comes down on you and feel invigorated.

Not Being Perfect is Perfectly OKAY!

Not Being Perfect is Perfectly OKAY!

 Deandra Christianson

I have recently been thinking about how important it is to not only acknowledge and appreciate our strengths, but also acknowledge our weaknesses. By doing this, we give ourselves options. Instead of being critical of ourselves for having weakness, we can make changes or just “own” it. This concept can be extraordinarily frightening, but we just cannot be perfect. We are human. We make mistakes. We have weaknesses. AND IT IS OKAY! That, to me, is a HUGE relief!

For example, I am not good at sports. I am very uncoordinated, and if a ball is flying at my face, I will run the other way. I love being active, but I have found other ways such as dance, running, and yoga to move my body. This is a weakness I “own.” At this point in my life, it is not a priority for me to be good at sports. Maybe in another time, this will be something I will work on. This is where it is very important to know my strengths. I can appreciate that there are other things I do well.

The other option is to work on a weakness. For example, I tend to run late or arrive somewhere with no time to spare. This is a weakness I am aware of, and I think it is important to work on it. I have been making improvements in this area. For me, this was something that was impacting my life and needed to be addressed.

Having these options can be freeing. These examples may seem arbitrary, but I believe this can be applied to many areas. I think the root of this is feeling so grounded in one’s strengths that other things are not as important. It also incorporates the idea of being compassionate toward ourselves instead of critical.

You can give so much to the world through your strengths. Let them shine, and don’t worry about perfection.

How Many Calories Do I Need?

How Many Calories Do I Need?

Most clients will at one point ask me this question. In fact, most people - whether I am at the grocery store or the coffee shop - ask me that question as soon as they find out I am a registered dietitian. If only that question were as simple to answer as it is to ask.

What makes the answer so complicated? The truth is that there is no one number that I can guarantee your body will need every single day. The reason is that there are many things that affect how much energy you need to take in over a 24hr period. Here is a short list:

- Number of hours of sleep

- Presence or absence of illness, such as a fever

- Presence or absence of menstrual cycle

- How much time spent outside in what type of environment

- Physical activity: time, intensity, type and wearing what type of clothing in what type of environment

- Level of stress and how well you deal with it

Each of these variables affect what your body needs on a given day not just to survive, but to help you do what you want to do, such as work, exercise, or spend quality time with friends and family. Remember that food is fuel and - just like a car - without fuel your body can't go where it needs.

So perhaps the question shouldn't be "how many calories do I need", but "how can I fuel my body to do what I want to do"? The answer to that question is mindful eating. Your body does a very good job of telling you exactly when it needs more energy and in what portion...but you have to listen and respond. When you eat intuitively (eat when you are hungry; stop when you are full), you are honoring and respecting your body. In addition, mindful eating is significantly less stressful than trying to worry about counting every bite that goes into your mouth because - as I keep saying - you don't know how much you should eat anyhow! Only your body determines that - not your mind! So the next time you are tempted to start counting calories, I challenge you to stop and instead ask, "how hungry am I?" Then let your body tell you how much is enough.

Katie Davis, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN offers both individual and group nutrition counseling at The Awakening Center. For more info call 773-929-6262.   

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Being You: Courtney Morris, Graduate Intern

“Being You”

Courtney Morris

I have recently become increasingly aware of the pressure many of us put on ourselves to constantly be “doing”.  We base a large portion of our self-worth on our achievements and activities rather than who we are intrinsically.  This external focus is largely created and reinforced by society at large.  We are taught from a young age the importance of attaining high grades in the classroom and winning trophies in little league, dance recitals, or art shows. 

Our culture continues to push competition through achievement, placing a strong emphasis on constant striving to “do” more.  We often internalize such messages, thus telling ourselves that we must live up to this incessant force taking the place of our true selves. There is no doubt that we are a fast-paced society, but where does this leave room for us to just simply “be”?  How and when can we learn who we are at the core, when we are not striving to achieve what we are told we are supposed to? 

The formation and maintenance of our true identities seem important in providing a core basis for giving us a strong sense of self.  This core self is important to have throughout the highs and lows we all experience in life, something which will carry us through when times are tough and we feel lost.

However, it is easy to get wrapped up in the achievement-focused whirlwind of society.  How then do we separate the “doing” versus “being” components of our identities?  This can be difficult, especially for those of us who are used to judging ourselves based on our accomplishments.  Here are a few suggestions: try out new things you have never done before, not to challenge yourself but rather to learn more about your own preferences; make a list of as many descriptive words about yourself as you can (unrelated to activities you participate in); ask your close friends and family members to describe you in detail; keep a journal about your feelings, thoughts, and ideas.  These are just a few ways to become more aware of your self.  Remember, this may be a slow process!

Focus on Today

Focus on Today

Cara Chill

In an effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle and accomplish a personal goal of mine, I have decided to start training for my first 5k.  Working out and going for walks or jogs has always been a great way for me to cope with stress while having a moment to myself.  I have always wanted to take jogging to the next level and run a 5k but have never had the courage to register.  The fear of coming in last was always something that deterred me from pursuing this dream of mine.  However, several weeks ago, I had a realization that encouraged me to register.  Something inside me believed that I was capable of running a 5k. It took me a very long time to relinquish my anxiety and my “what if” thinking, but now; I am focusing on the present, and understand that worrying about something in the future will not help me in the present. I then began browsing the internet and came across a quote that I found most fitting to my situation. “Worrying does not empty tomorrow if its troubles, it empties today of its strengths,” Corrie Ten Boom. I have always been the type of person who worries about things in the distance instead of focusing on the here and now.  As difficult as it was to change this type of thinking, I feel a lot more confident in my abilities when I maintain focused on the present. What I can do is try to focus on the present and try to not worry about things that are out of my control.  In order for me to be successful at my first 5k, I can practice, eat right, and sleep well.  This way of thinking can be taken into many different contexts.  People tend to worry about many aspects of their daily lives such as school, work, family, etc.  From my recent experience, my advice would be to focus more on whatever your current situation is and less on worrying about things off into the distance.  I know this may be easier said than done but I am trying to use this approach as much as I can.  I am beginning with something simple like running my first 5k and hopefully will use this to become more present the different aspects of my life.