Raw Girl in a Toxic World

This past weekend I had one of those classic Oprah aha! moments. It was a beautiful shift that immediately led to me getting my groove back. Have any of you ever been so deep in your problems, issues, or challenges sometimes that you completely loose your joie de vivre? It’s so easy to get blindsided by our own misfortunes and forget that there is always someone who will see us as blessed; someone who may have had it worse than us to begin with. Well that’s where I was late last week, I felt like the veggie had really hit the fan and there wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. The mind goes over and over all the horrible things that have gone wrong and laments the new day like it’s the end of the world. I know I’m not the only one whose been there. Can I get an Amen?  Whether it’s job loss, family issues, love issues, sickness or terminal illness there’s enough going on in this toxic world to cause us to really believe “The Veggie Has Hit the Fan!”

The worst part about receding into that space is that it not only effects you and how you relate to yourself, it affects others, especially the ones you truly love. Sometimes it’s not until you snap out of it, that you really see clearly through the fog and address the core of what is really bothering you. What has always inspired me about healthy living and raw foods in general is that consuming those foods, for me, puts one into direct alignment with a deep sense of peace and a natural flow where worry and chaos continuously diminishes and what is possible becomes increasingly evident. Some people may feel that from other practices or none at all…but I feel it from consuming living foods, meditation, prayer, and in the safety net that loving relationships provide when they are at their best. That’s really at the core of why I choose the lifestyle I lead.

The thing I am learning is that none of those emotions we tend to have worry, anxiety, fear, sadness, etc are ever bad. It’s how we deal with them that is important. They must be expressed or at the very least acknowledged verbally even physically sometimes in order to keep us from manifesting unhealthy habits to cope with the overflowing well of stuff we haven’t dealt with yet. Once they are released and acknowledged it’s amazing how that once looming grip looses it’s hold. All of a sudden the situation we once thought was our personal “hell” becomes our “heaven.”

Panache Desai who was a guest on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday said several profound things about emotions and vibrational energy. First off that emotions are “energies in motion” and meant to be expressed. When we don’t express them over time they build up and become density in the the body and this changes our vibration. Mindfulness practices of all kinds and deep breathing are about keeping us light and free from the density of clogged vibrational centers that can accumulate from holding onto emotions as well as  the damage we do by eating a bunch of junk food! Acknowledging what you are feeling, right now in this moment, voicing it, and being fully in the anger, the fear, or whatever allows you to create space for something else in a new moment. Below are a few ideas from my book of life lessons on how you can live a more balanced emotional life that feeds optimal health. Feel free to write your own chapter and own whatever comes to you, because it’s a very personal thing. That said, I must express that I am feeling a very profound sense of gratitude for you readers and for this revelation. Namaste.-XoXo Raw Girl

1. Take a Long Walk in Nature. As I write this I have that Jill Scott song running through my head. Well Jill got it right to a great degree. A long walk in the park before or after dark will help you clear your head. If you walk in nature you will receive a lovely dose of oxygen, and can get energy from marveling at the trees, the lake, the chirping birds…whatever strikes your fancy. Just walk it out and be with what your feeling. Cry as you walk if you need to. You’ll eventually stop I promise. Nature has a beautiful way of reminding us how small we are, and returning us to the harmony we desperately yearn for that sometimes seems out of our grasp. It’s all an illusion. 
2. Meditate or Simply Be Still. A couple weeks ago I was watching a lecture by Wayne Dyer, who I love, and I remember this funny anecdote that he threw in about Deepak Chopra, (another one of my favorite people in the world that I haven’t met personally yet but will soon). Wayne said that whenever he calls Deepak to talk to him about a situation or problem in his life, Deepak says ever time, no matter what it is: “Meditate.” I know most of us love to call our friend that we know is going to validate our opinion or our emotions, and talking through it is definitely useful. But silence is golden. Silence gives you a chance to engage with your inner sage that already knows what it needs and what you should do. It’s so easy to loose touch of that voice, just like it’s easy to stop listening to our bodies and hearing when we should stop giving it toxic fuel. Along with meditation, stillness is key. The strangest thing about this funny universe we live in is that it already has all of the answers and solutions. We are so used to making it happen, exerting, forcing, and trying so much sometimes that we can forget that simply being is what can allow the answer or solution to emerge. So take a moment to just be, and breathe.
3. Engage in Random Acts of TLC. What floats your boat? Perhaps you unwind with baths (my favorite), music, being creative, running, juicing, manicures, a new hair cut, and the list goes on. What makes you feel like the best version of you? Even if you are in a bind or have a small budget there are so many little pleasures that can bring a sense of luxury into your life, and your spirit will say thank you. If you are a giver, like me, and tend to over function by giving so much to others until you are depleted, this goes to the top of your list. Give to yourself FIRST, make yourself the only priority and watch how things shift. You will feel better and also beat whatever funky mood you’re in to the punch. Who is there to take care of you but you? How you treat yourself, teaches others how to treat you. So love on you, dance with you, sing with you, and all of a sudden life will start to feel lighter.
4. Seek Divine Inspiration. There are a million and one spiritual teachers, preachers, or success coaches that I can think of who inspire the heck out of me. Who gets you going? If Oprah doesn’t do it for you (like she does for me) perhaps it’s your pastor, your neighbor, your old sage grandmother. Even if you don’t believe in a higher power or God, you can silently ask the silence around your hustle and bustle to lead you or guide you to the right inspiration in any given moment. You will always be answered in divine timing.
5. Get into Downward Dog. We’ve gotten so accustomed with looking at yoga as great exercise, but don’t forget it also serves a major spiritual purpose and can help align body with mind. It is one of the great vibrational practices that can immediately bring you back to state of calm, surrender, and peace. So when things get cray cray, just say namaste.
6. Fast. This is one of my favorite things to remember to do when I need a shift in energy or a breakthrough. Fasting is severely underrated. This kind of fasting would not be for the purposes of losing weight or cosmetic reasons although that can happen. Its more to subtract the distraction of bodily senses so that you can pay attention to the spirit’s call. Even one day can do wonders. You can chose to drink only water, or drink only liquids like vegetable juices. You set the parameters and your intention going in and without a doubt your energy does shift.
7. Create Something. I’m an artist in the purest sense in that I thrive on new ideas and on birthing a concept from start to finish whether it be a blog article, a radio episode, a character, or a film. As an artist I know that a lot of times the drama I am creating in my real life, needs to be channeled to a stage, a piece of paper, an instrument, or a camera. Creativity can be so healing. The best music or art in general that becomes timeless for its ability to touch the masses always comes from the space of a deep emotional truth that we all know. We’ve all been there in some capacity. We’ve been afraid, in love, angry, frustrated, or just plain borderline depressed. Creating something, anything, is way to facilitate your emotions or “energies in motion” into something beautiful that just may touch the lives of others. A book that I am obsessed with that encourages creative flow is Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way. You may be thinking, “Well I’m not an artist.” The truth is yes you are, each of us were made in the image of a Creator and have the ability to express our unique soul ideas into something anything. So paint, scribble, compose a silly song, sing, take that dance class; do whatever you like to express your divine soul signature.