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Recently happiness.com gets flooded with scammers. I guess that's somewhat normal for a community, and maybe it means that we are growing, but I also feel really sad, disappointed, and at times mad about this development. Perhaps we are naive to think we can create a safe space anywhere for people to be themselves, create a supportive community, and relax. Maybe the lesson here is never to let our guard down, never to trust, and never to help anyone because it might be a scam. But this is not the world I want to live in. I want to actively work towards a world where people can trust each other, look out for each other, and support each other selflessly. You scammers are actively making this a whole lot harder, and it sucks! I am actively engaged in educating myself regarding racist stereotypes and demolishing white supremacy and heteronormative patriarchy. As a member of the community managers, I see the fake check images. So please explain why 99% of all "in your face sexy" white woman accounts and "older white men looking for real love after a successful life" accounts are run by black men mainly from Nigeria and Ghana? What does it tell about this world and our (internalized) racist, sexist, classist, colonialist, and what-not-ist stereotypes and how does it reinforce them? Maybe try to "trick" someone else into loving you for being this nice guy from Nigeria? Why invest time into pretending that you are a "random pornstar picture from the internet" lady when you could be YOU? It might even be faster. And I bet it's a lot easier to be yourself. I apologize to the people from Nigeria for this generalized thought upfront. I am aware that it's of cause, not all Nigerians. I don't want to be left with only one learning "If the person is from Nigeria, be careful it's likely that they want to rip you off." I don't want the name Nigeria ring an alarm bell in my mind. Do you see the damaging nature of those scammer interactions? I want to learn about Nigeria and the Nigerian people, the many different tribes and languages, about culture, food, traditions, and values instead. I want to be respectful, humble, open, amazed and appreciative, not mistrusting and expecting the worst. Try honesty - it's easier and more sustainable. It doesn't hurt your soul, spirit, your character - whatever you call it. You are beautiful and worthy the way you are! Thank you.

😄 Why's that? Is it your favourite food?

Definitely agree with Candy! ?? There is no magic trick to weight loss. Basically it comes down to the balance between the energy we consume (the food we eat) and the energy we use up (exercise and moving your body). To loses weight you want to use/burn more than you consume, and the best way is to find a healthy lifestyle that works for you long term, instead of starting a crazy diet. Personally, I recommend staying away from processed foods, reading the ingredients list on food items you buy, and try to eat wholesome, natural, clean foods the majority of the time. Look for added sugar in juices, yogurts, sauces, bread etc. Cut back on sugar, fast food, and other items that are not healthy for your body. And, cooking you meals yourself instead of eating out / ordering take out gives you better control of what you're consuming. I would however like to add that I think it's important to keep a good balance in life - sometimes we want to eat a piece of cake because it makes us happy, and that's ok too!

Ofcourse. So let me share in brief the meditation technique. 5 things to consider before you start meditating (not hard and fast rules but just what I follow) 1. Keep gap of minimum 2 hours after eating and stick to vegetarian food. 2. Preferably have a shower or ensure you are not facing any itching or any allergies. 3. Make sure you are not having a bad cold or fever or any kind of severe pain. 4. Not to have any stressful activity or in arguments with anyone. 5. Not to engage in any other religious or spiritual activities such as Yoga or other forms of meditation. 5 things to consider after meditation (Living a Neutral lifestyle) 1. Avoid getting into arguments or stressful situations as much as possible. 2. Avoid eating meat and over eating and wasting food. Please donate extra food. 3. Avoid judging others or passing judgments. 4. Be empathic to people around you and offer care and help those in desperate need. 5. Avoid getting into new addictions and attachments. Morning Affirmations (after ending meditation) I wish that I am protected from all evil eyes, evil people, negative thoughts and negative energies. I wish that I have good health and a long and healthy life and recover from any illness that I may suffer or suffering. I wish that I am protected from all natural and man-made calamities and any unfortunate events or accidents. I wish that I arrive at my destination safely and reach my home safely. I wish that I am able to manifest all that is positive or neutral for myself and others around me and able to focus and be successful in whatever I wish to undertake. Evening Affirmations (before going to sleep) I thank the source for guiding me through the day, helping me focus on myself and protecting my body and my soul. I allow the source to support me in my manifestations through my subconscious mind in my sleep. I wish to wake up in sound mind and good health with my soul and body under the protection of the source. Meditation (Day 1 & 2) Before breakfast on empty stomach after shower Mind Taming Exercise: Breath Awareness Meditation (5 minutes) This is a simple form of meditation. It will clear your mind and focus your awareness. Sit or lie down, close your eyes focused on one particular thing a person or object that ensures any other external thoughts do not enter your mind. It is a good practice to start the first day by taking the help of a source of positive energy such as an image of God or a saint or an angel or anything you feel is a source of positive energy. If you are an atheist then you can focus on your own body at the centre of your forehead or something from nature. As long it signifies positive or neutral energy. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply in and slowly out and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body. Feel it coming in and feel it going out. This simple action is enough to occupy your surface mind. Breath awareness occupies the surface mind and allows you to think on a much deeper level. Firmly push intruding thoughts away, as they begin, before they can gather strength and distract you. End the meditation with folded hands making your morning affirmations. Evening after sunset and 2 hours after meal or dinner Ego Release exercise: Getting detached meditation (10 minutes) Sit or lie down, close your eyes. PRETEND you are a bird imaging your hands as the wings of a bird flying higher and higher. Free from the ground, the earth, the reality, letting go of your physical existence. While you are doing this, you may feel sleepy or tears rolling down your eyes. Do not break the meditation and be attentive with the mind focused on your hands and body. End the meditation with folded hands releasing your ego from your conscious being and making your evening affirmations. Meditation (Day 3 & 4) Before breakfast on empty stomach after shower Rejuvenation Exercise: Self Awareness Meditation (5 minutes) As in Day 1 and Day 2 you will b e focusing on clearing your mind. But in day 3 and 4, you should try to focus your own self, your body and what you want from life in general. Such as your positive desires and goals in life. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply in and slowly out and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body imagining your own image or desires. Feel it coming in and feel it going out. Make sure that your mind is occupied with yourself, you inner and outer self. Firmly push intruding thoughts away, as they begin, before they can gather strength and distract you. End the meditation with folded hands making your morning affirmations. Evening after sunset and 2 hours after meal or dinner Energy Work exercise: Accessing Neutral Energy (10 minutes) Sit or lie down, close your eyes. Focus on your own image on the left and the source of positive energy on the right. If you are an atheist then you can focus on your own body at the centre of your forehead or something from nature. As long it signifies positive or neutral energy. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply and slowly and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body. While you are doing this, you may notice brightness in your eyes. Do not resist it. Allow it to reach within you. Then spread your hands all over your body to spread the energy all over you. Repeat this exercise three to four times so you receive as much energy as you need to remove all the negativity around you that has been accumulated and release your soul. End the meditation with folded hands making your evening affirmations. Meditation (Day 5 & 6) Before breakfast on empty stomach after shower Love affirmation Exercise: Social Awareness Meditation (5 minutes) In these two days you will be trying to clear your mind and focus the people you love and care about. Sit or lie down, close your eyes. So you begin first by focusing outwards on the people you love such as your friends and family or the society you live in, your environment, your country or the world in general. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply and slowly and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body. As your breathe in, think of a loved one and imagine hugging the person as your breathe out. Firmly push intruding thoughts away, as they begin, before they can gather strength and distract you. End the meditation with folded hands making your morning affirmations. Evening after sunset and 2 hours after meal or dinner Energy Work exercise: Transferring Neutral Energy (10 minutes) Sit or lie down, close your eyes. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply in and slowly breathe out focusing on the image of a loved one on the left and the source of positive energy on the right. If you are an atheist then you can focus on your own body at the centre of your forehead or something from nature. As long it signifies positive or neutral energy. Repeat this exercise for each person whom you wish to transfer the energy to and then in the end, spread your hands all over your body to spread the remaining energy all over you. End the meditation with folded hands making your evening affirmations. Meditation (Day 7 onwards) After completing Day 1 to Day 6 successfully and achieving complete silence of the mind, one can start practicing Neu Energy Meditation which is very intense and requires guidance and protection from the trainer for the first few sessions. So I cannot share the technique openly here. But will see if I can attach a live video my practicing this meditation. For details please message me personally. I am ready to teach this intense meditation to those interested but only if the learner meets the conditions for the practice. Note for Admin/Moderators: Was unable to embed the meditation video with MP4 format.

Yes I started living a simple or I would call it a Neutral life some 8 years ago. I started by first getting rid of my addictions. Being a geek that I am, I had this urge always to get the latest gadget out there. And I let go off this addiction in 2012. Now, if I buy a gadget it is more for utilitarian application then for peer pressure. The other addition that I had was eating and I simply could not resist what I LOVED. Be it creamy pastries or street food. I decided that I need to eat to live and not live to eat and certainly not waste food. I had long given up meat and fish and plants are also alive so I started eating on as much as I need to live and be healthy and never waste food. The third thing that I loved was fast cars and at one time I had 2 and if I had continued down this path would have had many more. But as I awakened and decided to follow a neutral life, Uber came along and many other share riding services so getting a car that will only add to the environmental mess was not something part of neutral lifestyle. I sold both my cars and started walking as much as I can and taking to public transportation for longer distances and if I need to go somewhere in a huff hike on a bike. The final thing that made my life simpler was stop thinking just about myself and think about the rest of the people around me. Do I need to have all these things when others are barely able to survive. My soul which had already woke up and buzzing me all day with directions on a neutral lifestyle made sure I gave more to others then take from them. That made my life so much simpler. No expectations. No attachments. Not so many desires. Yes some do remain such as using the computer, using a cellphone and my love for travel. But living a simple neutral life does not mean giving away everything. It is about living with loving your own self and others including nature and all that is part of it.

That's an interesting thought. Without modern society there is no money, but there are things equal to money. Like property and work. And if you don't have much property like a place you are able to defend, or food you picked up before others did, you can still be poor and sad.

Years ago I began to struggle with recurring depression. I read books, went to therapy, and tried many things to get myself out of it. Over time, I discovered that there were many things I could do to feel better, but I would often just forget (or not want to do them). So I made myself the "I don't feel good and want to feel better" checklist which I could refer to when I felt badly. I've never shared it before, but figure this might be a good place (sorry it's super long - I was going to attach it as a pdf, but couldn't attach pdfs here) The "I Don't Feel Good and Want to Feel Better" Checklist Oftentimes, when you don’t feel good, you have a hard time listening to the positive voice. As a result, you may be tempted to think that "something is wrong” - with your life, with your relationships, or maybe even with the world. Before jumping to the conclusion that you need to quit your job, abandon your partner, or go hide in a bunker, review this list to see if there’s something more internal that you can do first. * Have I had good posture recently? (TED talk Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are) * Has the rest of my physiology been positive? (facial expressions, type and quantity of movement) * Have I done anything that gets me moving in an excited / animated way? (dancing, a sport I like, etc) * If I’ve been doing anything that’s been negatively stressing myself, can I be a little kinder or more gentle to myself in some way? * Are there any things (responsibilities, etc) that I’ve been taking on myself that really aren’t mine (either because they’re unnecessary, impossible, or belong to someone else)? * Have I gotten enough sleep? (quality and quantity) * Have I eaten mostly healthy food recently? (lots of vegetables and low sugar) * Have I had enough water to drink? (impacts mood, fatigue, etc) * Have I exercised recently? (worked up a sweat, did some resistance training) * Do I have any physical pain or soreness that I need to handle? (foam rolling, other) * Have I been meditating regularly? (or doing a meditative activity) * Have I regularly been doing an intentional gratitude practice? * Have I been outside in the sun and fresh air? * Do I remember Why I want to be positive and have I pondered that regularly? (Simon Sinek - Start with Why) * Even if I am planning to leave or change my current situation, have I fully accepted the present moment exactly as it is? (Eckhart Tolle) * Have I been doing breathing exercises regularly (Wim Hoff)? * Have I chosen an exciting purpose or a goal that I’m moving toward? * Can I just consciously make the choice to be positive? * Have I been having fun and enjoying things without being too serious? (Listen to music, eat good food, etc) * Have I remembered that challenges are actually good in the long run, and therefore not allowed myself to get upset by things I perceive as making the world worse?

Music Is the food for the soul ...music releases stress and also heals the heart that's my little experience

@Tine I was quite surprised when you mentioned about poetry. It did occurred to me recently that the things that I wish to say are sometime better presented in verse-like manner; relating about an ideology, even though I literally also meant what I said. And probably because poetry is closer to the heart and therefore it resonates well with healing & liberation - my perpetual wish for others. I'm quite concern about how the world is driven along by crazy folks or people abusing their powers. Even the smarter ones are not addressing the crucial points, nor are the spiritual ones. The attitude is more like "it's beyond me, or not my concern". But does this gives us the excuse to turn a blind eye to the problems? Or perhaps we have too much problems on hand. Given the above problems and including those of our own, where do we turn? Perhaps I could shoulder your problems, while we dive our hearts into contemplating "How would you like your World to be?". Hence send me your grief, your pain and I'll return you a light that shine clarity into your heart; albeit telepathically. We are very connected with everyone, through our minds, in this world. We can always steer the World from self-destruction, if anyone still not aware what's coming. And I believe there are more episodes on the way, where even survival would become a problem; not just about food. My mom visited my sister, from Pure Land, a few months after her passed on last year. My sister is not a spiritual or religious person, and this utterly convinced me that Pure Land is not a myth. Comparing Pure Land to our current world, it's laughable. But it leads me into asking "What kind of World would I wish for?". My solution to the problems - Contemplate would be the key; from a person with an ordinary and yet unordinary heart. And everyone, don't forget to send me your grief and pain! =)

That depends on the situation. If somebody asks me, how much money I earn or have, I answer: "Enough.", because to me, enough means to be able to pay your monthly duties, like rent, energy, internet, food, to be able to go to a restaurant when you want and still have some money to put aside. This means, a a guy earning 1 000 000 whatever currency a year, but spending >= 1000 000 a year, doesn't have enough money. And a guy, who earns 1000 whatever currency a month, only needing 900 to live, has enough money.

That's abuse of office. I recommend talking to your mom so you can put the money on your own private bank account. You can offer her some money to get along in return. But before you go the ugly path, make sure, you can afford your own appartment, food and stuff. Because if it goes wrong, you will be in a very bad position.

A friend of mine is fighting against a family member with a lowyer. A different topic, but I can tell, it's very ugly. So since you are 26 and your mom cares for you by feeding you and giving you space to live, the bare minimum you can do is to support her financially. I can feel your rage, but think about, what happens if you and your mom really fight each other like strangers. You woud have to pay rent for a place to live, you would have to pay food, you would have to do household tasks... I bet it would be less expensive, if you just help her out a little bit. If you want certainty about your money in the future, you can just create another private bank account, where you put your money. And you could negotiate an agreement with your mom, how much money you pay her every month. This way, she can get along, you dont have to worry about your living situation and you can put aside some money for your dreams. Fighting your family should be avoided whenever possible. She cares for you, so she loves you and if you fight with lawyers, it will hurt you both + you will have to pay the lawyers.

Happiness is an elusive bird, they say..the more one tries to capture her the farther away she flies. I have often found her in the least probable places; in the rays of the rising sun, in the purring of my pet, even in great food cooked with a lot of love & in finding this wonderful app & it's lovely community. What is Your idea of happiness? :)

Health of myself and my close ones is what i´m most grateful for. As well i´m grateful to be able to have food & clean water everyday. Often times these things we just have and forget how lucky we are

I am a mother of two children who is constantly anxious about how to meet our daily meal. I work very hard to see that things go well for my children, but my husband,who is the father of my second child and jobless has not been helping out. Rather he would get up in the morning and nah....nag when he gets back from a drinking place ask for food and sleep, then nag at night when he gets back. This has caused me constant pain and depression. I am looking for a way to get out of this. But how do I do that with no savings. I am so deeply sad. It hurts

Hey everyone.... This is my first post where I would like to share my thoughts on getting out of the stress we face at work, at home, etc. During this pandemic each and everyone of us must have faced a mental pressure like "come on leave me alone". Yes we all felt the same. Though everything is back to normal I would like to share some ideas that I had followed to overcome this stress which may help you all at times in future to come out of all the pressures we face and have our own happiness. 1) Planning out a random on spot trip- This is the thing which I loved the most and it really helped me a lot to overcome stress. People who work please make sure you are available on a weekend and students make sure that you don't have school on saturday and all your works are completed. Plan for a nice one day trip the night before. What we did was we planned the night before during our dinner and the next morning we were off to the trip. If there are kids in your house never ever inform them about this trip let it be a surprise for them. Because the surprise that they get along with the unplanned trip increases their happiness and reduces a lot of stress from their school works and also improves their mental health. Well back to the point. Plan for the trip the night before and leave to some nice hill station or a field or a river or some beautiful place nearby. Come out of the concrete jungle we live in for a day. Enjoy yourself. Take nice pictures of the nature you enjoy. Cherish the memories. Make sure you take necessary stuffs like water, food, extra pair of clothing, a camera if you can, cash in hand etc. This way you can get a relief from stress, forget everything for a while, be happy and improve your mental health. 2) Indulge in the things that you love- This is another way that really helped me a lot. I love creating mandala arts so making them really helped reduce my stress. You can indulge in any activity that you love to do say singing, sports, cooking, etc. Literally anything that you like. Working on the things that we love helps reduce depression and stress. 3) Families are First- Stop your works for a while and take a break. Have a conversation with your family. Spend more time with them. Because there is no one more supportive than our parents and family. Have good time with them. 4) Take timeouts- Take regular breaks in between your work. Break in the sense not getting into social media and doing a vigorous swiping or checking on other person's status or texting random stuffs. Breaks I mean are take a break in between your work go outside or to the balcony see the outside world, get fresh air, have a glass of water, come back and start with your work. Getting into social media or anything in mobile increases the stress and makes us even more tired as our eyes are stressed so much by looking into laptops and mobiles. And also sitting in the same spot weakens our spine and creates back pain. So walking out to the porch or balcony and seeing the outside world gives us a quick refreshment, makes us active and gives ability to work even faster, reduces stress both physically and mentally. 5) Get in touch with your buddies- Meet your friends in person or talk to them for a while. Going out with them also helps in reducing stress. 6) Reduce unnecessary anger- It's more like pouring fuel into the fire. It doesn't even help but increases the stress even more. So avoid getting angry and try to solve the issue in a calm manner. So these are some things that I follow to overcome stress and I hope this would help you guys too. Thanks for reading. Have a great day ahead. Be positive and always remember to be kind!!!

People didn't accept me and now i am scared to approach them. When i fell ill i didn't suddenly became aware of my illness, slowly little by little my body parts was showing abnormalities. I was in discomfort , not able to do anything , consults with many clinics but no one knows. People around me ignored me , didn't believe me , my family was fed-up (even though it wasn't years, i salute to those families who keep patient with their children, when children face some kind of illness which can't go away soon but takes years to get well) so in the end my family was so fed up that.. when i told them i really can't go to loo because i can't support my body, they said i am just not trying enough. 2years, when slowly my body was like this. My faith in family was fading and at-last i became numb. Family to me, i owe them like it's debt. Loan i have to give back with interest. In this time, friends left me because i was slowing them down "sorry i couldn't type text or hold phone to call because my hands is falling". All left. I wasn't even able to eat, i supported my hands in my knees to hold my jaws and move so my jaw could move (because after one chew i had to rest 2min then chew, same for hand) could hold the spoon for more than few seconds. At last, when my brain stop working for 1sec and i fall with no movement at all. Mom and me to go to biggest hospital in country and then doctor team sent me to neurologist. Then they find out i was diagnosis with "mysthania gravis". Had operation , plasma phase and still on medicine though but i am so much better. At that time no one was there but then my spiritual energy was with me. God was with me all the time. God was the only one with me. God give me positivity. God never mad me realized that i was alone. Now i want to know, will some one accept me in this world? Not so perfect me? I could do all the things normal person could do. But i am highly sensitive like a baby. If outside weather is hot/cold and i suddenly enter in AC/heater i will have fever and rest for 3days. When i go outside Uber driver drive roughly and my body become feverish and i have to take pain medicine and rest for 3-4 days. Every seasonal changes occur , high perfume/smell , high intensity food . Now i am scared... Can I live with this weak body? Will some one accept me this way?

What I have learned in moe than 13 years of working from home: Many people are suddenly working from home, which is in itself already very much of a privilege. If you can work from home, your income is most likely somewhat safe, and you have something to do while we are in lockdown. So we can already be enormously grateful for that. Having said that it's also tricky to work from home suddenly, so here are some tips or rather my learnings and how I go about it after more than 13 years of mostly home office: Do your morning routine as usual: Get up, shower, get dressed, have breakfast, meditate. Do all of that before you "go to the office". You can wear slippers but other than that dress as if you are going out. Once you sit down on your desk, you are at work. Write down the time you start and do not allow yourself longer breaks to do random things around the house. Get a coffee, chat with coworkers but do not start unloading the dishwasher. If you have a dog, walk the dog before you go to work and/ or in your lunch break. Stay focused, check-in with colleagues, talk about what has a priority. Make sure you share what you do in the relevant groups to keep things transparent as you won't be able to overhear things or stay in the loop by merely sitting at the same table as your team. I use a binaural beat app and divide my time into 30min to 1h chunks in which I try to stay with one topic. Ideally, I create a list of tasks I want to finish that day in the morning which helps a lot but is something I struggle with. We are using Jira so at least I have a clear overview and priorities on what to focus on in that week. Take lunch break serious. Tell your coworkers, start at a fixed time. Sit down, have some proper food and a real break, followed by some walking if that is possible or stretching. Anything that is not related to sitting on a desk looking at your computer. Maybe you have been preparing some freshly cooked food. Finish work at an appropriate time and close the computer. It's essential to have a precise cut between working hours and private time. I have spent way too many hours still on my laptop until late without being fully productive. Concentrate at one thing at a time: Do not turn the TV on while working, only turn the TV on if you are sitting down watching something. Focus on what you are doing and finish the task. I can't speak for all childcare situations. Here the kids are 9 and 11, and they also stay as close as possible to their regular schedule. However, when a child needs attention, be there fully and then go back to your work and focus on that entirely. Do not expect 8 hours of 100% concentrated and productive work. You won't be able to do that in the office, and you won't be able to do that at home, even when you are alone. So do the best you can during your work hours and do not beat yourself. Tomorrow is another day. Please add more ideas, experiences and tips! Stay safe, stay mentally and physically healthy!

Thanks for the links, much food for thought and the heart!

Thank you. The mortality rate for seniors is from 5 to 15 percent. I am copying and pasting some recommendations for seniors and probably those also who are high risk. It is from this article on quora: https://www.quora.com/q/aging-with-an-attitude?__filter__=14&__ni__=0&__nsrc__=1&__sncid__=4372432240&__snid3__=7108834050&__tiids__=5883129#anchor Seniors can take action to do the following: Stock up on food, medication and other supplies so you can stay at home for several weeks. Remember your pets! Postpone all visits and family gatherings. Handle delivered food like “meals on wheels” or “skip the dishes” very carefully! You don't know if people preparing it or delivering it are infected. Virus can live up to 48 hours on a contaminated surface! Use disinfectant wipes on any package or container surface that may have been touched. Stay at least 2 metres or 6 feet away from others. For example, keep your social distance from other pet owners when walking your dog! Don't allow others to pet your dog or cat! They could transfer virus on to their fur … and then on to you! Wear disposable gloves if you must touch any public surface such as a bank machine keypad or a gas pump handle. Stay away from any public gatherings such as cinemas or services at a church or mosque. Postpone any vacation or trips until the flu wave has passed by. Forget handshakes or kissing! Greet people, if necessary, using the “knuckle bump” or better yet the “elbow bump”!

Thanks for your reply. I totally understand about the power of nature. My practice of stopping this week is to say ‘itadakimasu before eating which is Japanese for receiving, but not just receiving a plate of food but to appreciate the life energy in it. Of the animal that has given its life for you to live if it is meat or the energy of nature that has gone into plant based food and also the energy of the person who prepared it. I usually go outside every morning to eat breakfast and when I’m in nature with the sun on my face, a breeze around me and listening to the birds chirping, it is so easy to stop and appreciate all of those things. I take one mouthful at a time, put my spoon down in between and don’t take the next spoonful until I’ve finished what’s in my mouth. This is relatively easy outside in nature but if it’s raining for example and I’m inside, I start to multitask, reading the news on the internet while eating my breakfast and barely aware of what I’m eating. It’s a completely different experience even if I say ‘itadakimasu’ first. My thinking mind has been active this week and it’s been hard to sleep so I’ve been doing a body scan in bed to take my focus away from thoughts. It works pretty well but the thinking mind is strong and my toes seem so far away from my head when it’s in full swing :) im enjoying the yoga. I climbed a mountain on Tuesday and my body has been aching from using the different muscles, so even though it’s not exactly a pleasant feeling while doing yoga with an aching body, I know that it is helping to stretch out and can still enjoy it. A bit like training ourselves to think that Stephens’s can be useful. Unpleasant movement can also be enjoyable if I view it as good for me :) I hope I will be able to transfer this to other areas of life. i can’t find the mid way point assessment sheet. I’ve been back through week 4 to look for the link but can’t find it. Could anyone help with that please. thank you with a smile :)

A tip I can add is looking at the calorie density of your food. Compare the number of calories in the foods you eat per 100g. Tomatoes, for example, have a low calorie density with 18 calories per 100g while cheddar cheese has 400. Only consume the ones with a high calorie density in small quantities. Highly processed food usually has a high calorie density, but so have avocados and olive oil. Mix things up. Instead of filling up on a whole pizza, take a slice and add a cucumber tomato salad with salt, pepper, oregano, and just a sprinkle of olive oil to it. Equally as filling, equally as tasty and fewer calories. ?

I'm a big fan of recycling and have kind of started a personal war against plastic - it is honestly crazy how much plastic is accumulated from food packaging! I would love to get your best tips on reducing plastic in your day-to-day life as well as any tips on how you manage your recyclables at home. Thanks!

Thank you for your input and caution. You are totally right, everyone needs to make their own opinion. This is not medical advice, but just an interesting youtube comment I found... I added a question mark to the title, to make it more of a discussion than a statement Having said that, I am not a big fan of the whole pharmaceutical industry, they are not in the business of healing people. Personally I encounter more and more cases where medication is actually doing more harm than good and I think they are completely over prescribed in our society. The pharmaceutical industry has some of the strongest lobbies and do not only influence laws, but also determine what is being taught to doctors. People are manipulated through tv-shows and other media into perceiving doctors as uber-smart life savers, where in nearly all cases I encountered they blindly prescribe medication to treat symptoms without even questioning what circumstances lead to their existence in the first place. Many, if not most doctors do not stay up to date with the latest research, but simply follow the industry sponsored journals and therefore deepen their narrow view points and frankly ignorance to a more holistic picture. Obviously this does not count for all doctors, there are exceptions who dare to question what they have been taught and continue learning and broadening their perspectives. Personally I doubt every recommendation any doctor gives me, do my own research and develop my own opinion. Part of that bigger picture which is forming for me is that maybe we need very little external medicine. Whether or not we can see schizophrenia cured by diet, nature itself has tremendous healing potential. Fasting and/or well chosen foods/diets seem to be capable of healing a lot of mental and physical diseases. Or as Socrates said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Hey Riaz, how is thou’st faring this fine day? Go on then, piqued the grey matter now...tell us some random things about yourself my friend. Fave animal, person, food, book, film, quote and, this is a very important one: something no-one on the planet knows about you (apart from those here and present) but now they do...ie ‘when I pump/break wind/farted/parped’ I usually pull my face at the dog, esp’ at meal times haha! Laughter is the best medicine! 🤗😂