Good evening people!
Ok so tonight’s topic is a bit of a joke, but not completely. I do take mindfulness seriously and have recently been working on my mindful practice and have seen amazing results in my life. Typically, during my drive to class, I would become very stressed and anxious; my mind would be racing and my IBS symptoms would begin to bother me. For the past couple weeks, however, I have been practicing mindfulness techniques while I drive to calm these symptoms. My focus has been to remain in the present, in my car, exactly where I am; not 30 feet ahead on the road, not in my class that I have yet to go to. I am present in my car, noticing things around me, listening to the music I am playing, feeling the sensation of holding on to the steering wheel, even noticing my breathing and different tensions and sensations in my body. This can be such a useful technique for those who suffer from anxiety, or just those who find themselves stuck anywhere besides the present.
That all being said, last night I went to my all-time faaaavorite store (as Megan can attest), Trader Joe’s, to do a little “mindful” shopping. The beauty of this trip was that I was by myself, list in hand, but no major goals in mind. I was able to slowly browse through the store at my own pace, which never happens when I’m with 1) Eric–he just rolls his eyes at me and makes sure to hold my hand so that he can gently guide me away from aisles when I begin to get distracted from my list. 2) My mother, who is highly list oriented and likes to be in and out of Trader Joe’s with her essentials.
The relaxed style of my visit was in stark contrast to the husband and wife who were attemping to shop while their two children literally sprinted laps around the store. More than once did the daughter nearly crash into my as I leisurely strolled the store. Last nights list inluded: Organic Spelt Bread, Blueberry Jam, Almond Butter, and Vitamin D for my parents.
What actually appealed to my senses and mindful self?
Aside from the list items of Organic Spelt Bread, Almond Butter, and Blueberry Jam…
Earth Balance: I bought my first tub a few weeks ago and have been loving how great it is for baking! Have a few baking projects coming up so definitely needed some more.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: the supply I got my in my CookVeganLover care package from Megan is dwindling, and with my steady supply of pumpkin I will need more.
Fat-free Refried Beans: Ok so, I am currently eating a pescatarian diet and needing to incorporate more protein (plant based, beans, legumes) into my diet. That being said, I also deal with IBS; thus, fat free refried beans as a deconstructed version of the real thing. We’ll see how this goes 🙂
Peanut Flour: I have been seeing this a lot across blogs lately and have been really excited to try it. I do like peanut butter but opt for almond butter most of the time because I find that peanut oil is harder for me to handle than other nut fats. I am excited to try this as a great way to get more protein, and maybe modeling it after PBFinger’s pumpkin-pb mix 🙂
PUMPKIN BUTTER!!!! Ok so I love pumpkin, I love apple butter, I love spices, I love sweet things…I think you can see why I am soooo excited for this fall treat (I had already been to the store a few weeks ago badgering asking the sales people when it would be available) 🙂
Brown Rice Pasta: A few nights ago Eric and I made Almond Butter Pad Thai with white rice noodles. I really enjoyed the different taste of rice noodles and felt less weighed down by them (maybe less gluten?). I decided these would be a bit of a healthier version of the white rice ones 🙂
Pure Bar: Also another refill from the CookVeganLover care package!
Frozen Spinach: I like that this is in a bag rather than the blocks you get at most stores. I made a quick soup tonight for class and just added some of this to it, perfect!
Ok friends so that’s what happens when this girl goes mindfully shopping unchaperoned 🙂 Before I go though, I wanted to share a few photos and a few thoughts:
This was the beautiful sunset that I saw yesterday evening; my mom noticed it and I quickly grabbed my camera to capture it. Soon after this I was on my laptop and surfing twitter and started to see different HLBloggers commenting about something that I couldn’t figure out. People seemed upset and hurt and I didn’t know why. I was searching but couldn’t find the source, all I knew was the community that I have grown to love was upset and it made me upset.
When I woke up this morning and checked back on twitter, the pieces fell together. I read the horrible Marie Claire article and was truly shocked and upset. Why would someone twist something that has been so powerful and life changing for so many and make it into something bad, viral, and harmful? Why would someone want to deface the names of such wonderful people as Caitlin, Kath, Tina, Heather, Meghann, and Jenna?
I have worked on an acute inpatient unit with eating disordered young women. During this time I also worked with young college women who can also run the spectrum of healthy to disordered eating. I have also battled with my own struggles of disordered eating and exercise obsession. All of that being said, I think I have a pretty good idea of when I see an eating disorder. The allegations that these women were pushing those ideas onto others really scared and upset me. I would be horrified to think that someone had really pulled the wool over my eyes that badly and that these incredible and inspiring women were actually teaching me to be more rather less disordered in my approach to eating and exercise.
I.don’t.buy.it.
Though I understand that those with disordered eating need to take time to truly deal with their issues with food and exercise and separate themselves from the extremes of both, the intent of these blogs is not to target those specific girls. These blogs have taught me the joy of food, of creating new dishes, of trying different and interesting foods. They have taught me to exercise in ways that improve both my mind and my body. My disordered exercise habits included getting on a treadmill, every day, and sprinting intervals for as long as I could stand it. I now choose to run outdoors, at a much slower pace than my sprints, to challenge my mind and body to achieve something I never believed in myself. I am now practicing yoga on my own as a way to connect my mind and body and create strength in more than just my muscles (thank you HEAB). So when I read the article earlier today, I intially was fearful, that I had missed something, but soon I realized how very very wrong that article was.
So thank you Healthy Living Bloggers; you inspire me every day and have seriously contributed to the positive changes in my mind, body, and lifestyle. I will continue to read your blogs and support you 🙂
love and peace of mind,
Em
Mindfully Emily 