My Body is Really, Really Smart

I've realized over the past year that listening to my body is one of the best things I can do for myself. I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure out that my body is telling me what it needs, what it likes, and what it doesn't.

How I used to think about my body

• pimples: Why does my face want to humiliate me?
• stomach ache: I probably just ate too much chocolate. Whatever.
• tense shoulders: Schools give too much homework, otherwise I would never be hunched over like this.
• achy feet: Will companies ever make comfortable and aesthetic shoes?
• hair falling out: I don't know why my hair hates me.

I noticed that I blamed everything but myself for hurting my body. I blamed my homework, the shoe company, the grocery store. Sure, none of these symptoms were drastic enough to prompt a visit to the doctor, but they were definitely there.

While many events created this change within me (cue Wicked music), one of the biggest moments that changed the way I think about myself happened earlier this year. My friend, Maggie, asked me, "How do you feel?" I was confused. There was nothing overtly "wrong" with me, and I wasn't sure how to respond. She said, "I mean, how do you really feel?"

Ever since then, I have paid attention to how I feel instead of ignoring myself. This isn't just physically, but emotionally too. Especially because the two are linked, whether you like it or not. So I started to listen to my body, and I learned that my body is really, really smart.

How I think about my body now

• pimples: Have I been touching my face too much? What did I eat today that may have caused this?
• stomach ache: Am I anxious about something? Did I eat something bad today? I should avoid it tomorrow.
• tense shoulders: How did I sleep last night? Do I need to add some relaxation exercises throughout my day?
• achy feet: I'm donating those boots. I promise to only buy comfortable shoes.
• hair falling out: Have I changed my diet recently? What chemicals am I putting in my hair?

Turns out that asking myself these questions has drastically changed my lifestyle. I no longer buy uncomfortable shoes, I know what I am putting in and on my body, and I am in tune with my emotions. Once I became conscious of the choices I was making, I could figure out the causes of my problems. I felt healthier and happier. And most importantly, I accepted responsibility for I how feel.

You decide whether or not to see the signs your body is giving you. I suggest asking your body how it feels, because it's the only one you've got.

TL;DR: Your body is smart. Listen to it.

Apps for Lists

I AM A LIST-MAKER HEAR ME ROAR.

It's ever so slightly obsessive, but I absolutely adore lists. I wrote a post about making lists at night, but I thought I would share how my list-making has evolved. Maybe I can even convert some of you into to-doers and cross-off-ers. :)

The Apps I Use
Food on the Table
This one is for my groceries. It's nifty because it categorizes items by where they will be in the store. Without it, I walk in circles. Literally. It also is wired to some popular recipe sites, so if you find something you like, it can put the ingredients straight into your shopping list.

These ingredients will make eggplant parmesan lasagna. DELISH.

iProcrastinate
This one is for my long-term school assignments. I like it because I can prioritize my schoolwork, AND create steps for each task. It syncs with the app on my computer, too. I don't really write down daily assignments on here, unless they require multiple steps.

Reminders (built in iPhone)
This is the built-in iPhone app that connects to Siri. I use this one when I know I will forget something in the short-term. Printing papers, emailing someone, changing passwords--I am prone to getting immersed in something totally different and forgetting about it.

P.S. My phone is in Polish so I can practice and things. :)

Wunderlist
For all other categories :). I love Wunderlist because I can make tons of lists and organize them exactly the way I want them too. I use this one for everything from gift ideas for birthdays to what to pack for a trip. It also syncs with the app on my computer. And you can change the background. Hehe.

The Non-Apps I Use
Post-It Notes
So maybe I am getting excessive by using both digital AND paper lists, but I just like them, OK? I use these to plan out what I want to achieve during the day. They are mostly activities or hobbies. Or they remind me to do something that is on another list. :) Like packing.

Weekly Planner
I use my planner to write down my daily schedule, my work hours, and any meetings I have. Daily assignments for school also go here.

Notebooks
Notebooks are for specific goal setting. The best example of this is a workout regimen. I'll write the date and the exercises to do, then move up to more difficult exercises or more repetitions after a few weeks.



Yup. That's all. Usually. :)

And if you're like me, don't freak out when you don't cross off everything on your daily to-do list. If you don't get around to it, it's probably not a big deal. Set realistic goals. And include things that help you be appreciative!

TODAY

-smell the Spring air

TL;DR: If you couldn't tell, lists are awesome.

The Internet is a Vampire

Alternate title: What I Learned From Being Mildly Addicted to the Internet


Vampires                                                  Internet
drain your blood (aka life-force)                   yup
most powerful at night                                yup
turn into bats                                             maybe not so much
sparkly                                                      just kidding :)


I love the Internet. There is so much knowledge to be shared and to discuss. But there's one issue with it.

Reading about things on the Internet does not substitute experiencing said things.

I can read about all the face masks and exercises and sewing techniques and recipes I want. (Yes, I'm very cool.) This is awesome. But after 4 hours, I will still have participated in nothing. No interaction between myself and the physical world, other than a keyboard and a screen.

So I challenge you, Internet friends. Learn what you can from the Internet. And then go do it. As long as it's legal and ethical and things like that.



Yay!

Gardens Will Save the World

Have you ever had a garden? If yes, awesome! If no, I'm with you, friends. But over the past year, I have become utterly convinced that gardens will save the world. So this spring, I'm planting one. I'm going to go through the process step by step, with beginner instructions on how to do everything as it comes along.

I have the privilege of being guided by a master gardener, my boyfriend. (Hey boyfriend!) Because you may not know anyone who is a gardening buff, I am here to relate my learning experience to you, in the simplest way. So stay tuned for posts that start with the word "garden" (and every other post). :)

WHY GARDENS WILL SAVE YOU & THE WORLD 

1. A garden will save your wallet. Less trips to the grocery store means less money spent on gas and less time in the car. Now if you must spend time in the car and you happen to abhor it, please see this post. Also, you can grow fresh, organic produce in your yard/balcony, and pay a fraction of what it would cost at the store. Anything you don't eat during the growing season, you can preserve and enjoy in colder months.
2. A garden will save your health in two ways :)
1. Food. I'm assuming that if you grow vegetables, you will at least try eating them, right? The overwhelming message from doctors is to eat more whole produce. Just Google it. Honestly, I don't think that your main source of food should be from a processing plant. Is it even food if it has so many unknown ingredients in it? You can also avoid ingesting pesticides and herbicides typically found in/on commercial produce.
2. Exercise. Maintaining a garden involves moving around. You'll be required to go outside and *gasp* even get some vitamin D while you're at it. Getting exercise by gardening has an advantage over going to the gym--you're getting fresh air rather than stale air. And no one is watching you. Except for GoogleEarth.
3. A garden will save your taste buds. Raise your hand if you know what kabocha is. You are missing out, my friend. It's a delicious squash, and while you may not like squash, there are so many varieties of all kinds of vegetables, you are bound to be astonished that these things even exist. Stores only carry a few varieties at most. You can grow a tomato that is so scrumptious, you can bite into it as a snack. You probably don't believe me. Please try.
4. A garden will save your social life. Make your garden a social project too. Get a couple of friends or family members on board. You can learn and share knowledge together. You can also split up the labor. Even better, recruit some kids. Your children, younger cousins, neighbors, etc. are the next generation. If we spread the awesomeness of gardening to them too, we'll be in even better shape for the future.
5. A garden will save the earth. This is the big one. So big I have to split it up! :)
1. Less garbage. This works in multiple ways. First, you can compost produce you eat now to make (yes, literally make) dirt for your garden. Then you can compost things from your garden (like it's feeding itself :)). Also, buying less food from the store will reduce the amount of garbage in your kitchen. Less plastic bags, less cans, less bottles, you get the point.
2. Smaller carbon footprint. By planting a garden, you are reducing your carbon footprint. I don't care if you believe in this or not, it is common sense that the less traveling your food does, the yummier it is going to be. So if you aren't doing it for the earth, do it for yourself.
3. Less pollution. I know I haven't discussed meat in this post at all, but this is relevant. By eating a more vegetable-based diet (and I'm not saying you have to go vegetarian or vegan or anything), you will be reducing the demand for CAFO animals. These are basically factory farms that are not sustainable and are creating a lot of trouble (including hyper-resistant disease and a lot of concentrated animal waste). With your saved money from having a garden, try buying Amish-raised meat, or find a local, sustainable farmer to buy meat from. Then you can see how things should be run. 
4. More variety. Every biologist knows that gene variety is important for resistance to negative events (weather, disease, etc.). By planting a wider variety of plants, you allow for greater variation among open pollinated crops. This actually increases food security. Also, if you were the earth and someone planted the same things in you all the time, you'd get pretty bored wouldn't you?
5. Appreciation. I truly believe that the key to taking care of the earth is to first appreciate it. My accounting teacher (of all people!) said something a few months ago that made my heart go thump-thump. wait. what? thumpthumpthumpthump. That probably doesn't make sense, but here's what he said, "We do not depreciate land. Why? Because it will always be there for you." It will always be there for us. We choose whether we return the favor.

If you are skeptical about starting a garden, I highly recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. You can get it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and probably your public library. It is also available as an audiobook.

If you are unable to garden, for any reason, then this website is a wonderful resource to find farmer's markets. You can also become a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and receive boxes of yummy vegetables as they come into season. If the link isn't working, the URL is http://www.localharvest.org/

TL;DR: Will you start a garden with me this year?

The Idiot Who Cut Me Off

Sometimes I forget that people are people.

Does that make sense?

I was reminded this weekend to see a person in every person. A soul in every body. An individual in every human. And this is the most important rule that I hang on to.

There's something called the fundamental attribution error (FAE), which you probably have heard of if you've taken an introductory psychology course. (If you didn't hear about it in your class, you probably weren't paying attention, or your teacher was totally robbing you of important information.) Now, sorry to break it to you dear friends of mine, but humans make a lot of mistakes that we are not always aware of. The basic idea of the FAE is that we tend to overestimate how much someone else's personal attributes are influencing their actions, and we underestimate how much that someone's situation is influencing their actions. Por ejemplo...

Have you ever been cut off by that idiot during rush hour? He's a total a**hole, right? But here's another question, and be honest about this one. Have you ever cut someone off during rush hour? Chances are you have, and you probably don't consider yourself a bad person. If you have ever cut someone off, you may have had a perfectly good reason (the guy behind you was about to rear-end your car). Do you see what I'm getting at?

I've noticed that I become much less judgmental when I admit that I don't know the situations that people are in. The driver who I think is recklessly speeding may have a friend in the hospital. The teacher who I think is inconsiderate of her students may be going through a divorce. The person drinking the energy drink may have had to stay up all night with a sick child. It's really hard to give people excuses for their actions. But I'm not giving them excuses. I'm simply trying to put myself in their shoes, and acknowledging the fact that I will probably never know why the person in the suit is yelling over the phone. Perhaps they are really mean, but perhaps they are expressing their frustration at some unmentionable injustice. Perhaps it's a combination of the two.

It's the last day of 2013. Tonight, when you look around at the people at the party, or the restaurant, or even the TV, give them a chance to be a person.

Happy last day of 2013! :)


TL;DR: A person's a person, if only you notice.

Thanksgiving Work Week Day #1

I am bitter, my dear friends, that I have classes Monday through Wednesday night. But I shouldn't be. And neither should you.

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends and good food! Yes, I agree. But most importantly it is about being grateful for all of who you are, who you are with, and everything you can do.

Here's a light-hearted interview with the Dalai Lama to boost your spirits (because mine definitely needed boosting this morning). He points out what makes us happy. But wait! Being "warm-hearted" (helping others), spending time with friends, and finding our purpose in life sounds awfully familiar... I guess the Dalai Lama doesn't need social psychology to know these things. 

TL;DW (too long; didn't watch): A change in attitude may be all you need to make a dreaded work week a positive one.

P.S. I encourage you to post comments or contact me about the content of my blog. What do you like? What do you want to read more of? There are millions of things in my head and sometimes I don't know which to address first. :)

Your 1 Minute Guide to Happiness

So I'm reading about happiness in my social psychology book, and what do I find? Three things that you have control over that will make you happier.

1. Engage in positive social relationships.

2. Flow. Get lost doing what you love!

3. Help others.

:)

OK, so they seem pretty obvious, but there is one other thing that seems to "obviously" make us happy. Things. We think that having things makes us happy. Research shows that this is not true, and actually the opposite. Focusing on money and material possessions makes us less attuned to the moment. What a shame.

On the other hand, research shows that having healthy social interactions, practicing your passions, and performing random acts of kindness make us happier! (The social thing is actually correlational, but you get my point. And if you'd like me to explain further, just ask and I will be happy to.)

And if you'd like an interesting video on happiness, here is the lovely Dan Gilbert:

TL;DR: Happiness=awesome friends, hobbies, and helping!

P.S. I have been fiddling with the format of my page. Just trying what I feel works best. :)