just laugh

I just got to Philadelphia yesterday to spend time with my family in the North East, and help my aunt with my older cousin’s wedding. It hasn’t quite reached the period of crazy franticness and chaos, since it’s still just a few people here, but we are enjoying our time during the calm before the storm.

I am the second oldest cousin on my mom’s side, and I was spending time with 2 of my younger cousins yesterday. Just catching up and goofing off as 3 girls would do when left alone. Cousin #4 out of 5 is about to start her freshman year of college. While we were taking care of random things that needed to get done for my aunt, she wouldn’t stop giggling. Every single moment this girl is giggling and laughing her way through every task. Out of her entire 18 year life, I can’t recall more than 2 times where I’ve actually seen her upset or angry or mad at anyone. Thinking back, I realized that she has just always been like this.

While I was seriously thinking about this weird behavior of hers, the psychology major in me immediately jumped to, “Oh, it’s just a defense mechanism. Oh, she’s just deflecting. Oh, it’s just this or that.” But, later that night I realized that she is just an incredibly happy individual. And I realized that even though she’s my younger cousin, this one little thing is something so much to learn from. She is always freaking happy!

When I talk about living a positive life and constantly having an optimistic outlook, she is literally the embodiment of just that. If someone says something can’t be done, she thinks otherwise. When someone isn’t up for a certain task, she is there, jumping right in and finishing the job. At the age of 18, she’s mastered a skill set and created a personality that most people don’t even achieve by the time they are 80. It really is incredible.

How can one girl just be this incredibly happy? It’s because she chooses to. She is the best example of being aware, and choosing to be the positive one. This is something really hard to do, and I myself struggle to see outside of myself and outside of the smaller picture. But, it comes to show that surrounding yourself with the right people make a huge difference in your life. Every minute I spend with her is just another minute that I feel better, more relaxed. It’s all about the energy you exude.

We have to be constantly aware of what kind of energy we are sending people? Our aura can indirectly and directly affect those around us. Whether she is aware of how great of an energy she gives people, I don’t know. But I know that it is something that I strive to be more mindful of.

Confused as to how to go about doing this? One thing that I do sometimes, is when I am eating breakfast, or doing something part of my daily morning routine, I set my intentions and think about a few people that I want to send positive energy to. I don’t “pray for them”, but I think about our relationship and all the great attributes that specific individual has, and just think to myself that I hope he/she has a good day. Literally just sending some positive and loving energy to them. Whether or not it reaches them, I don’t know. But I do know that for me, there are some days that are just better than others, and I know that someone, somewhere in this crazy world, is thinking about me, and hoping that I have a good day, that I am conquering my fears, that I am achieving my goals. And knowing that is really a great feeling.

Sending all of you positive energy and lots of love on this beautiful Wednesday morning!

floss your teeth

Oh hello there! I know it’s been about a week again. But, I just want to let you all know that today, officially marks the first day of my crazy summer. I work at a summer leadership conference for juniors in high school. It’s a ton of fun, and I love my job, but there is no exaggeration in me saying that I literally come home every night drained after a 10-11 hour work day. So, in advance, I apologize for what will be a slow summer of blog posts.

But, anyways! On to more important and crazier things, like the title of this post. I hope all of my dentist/to-be-dentist friends like this post dedicated to flossing your teeth! I never really got the importance of flossing my teeth until recently. Maybe that officially makes me an adult? Well, whatever it is, I now understand the importance of flossing. I never realized how true the dental care commercials were when they say, “get what brushing leaves behind…”. And let me tell you, its gross. No matter how far back you smash your toothbrush up against the walls of your mouth, and no matter how foamy your toothpaste is, there is still going to be food left in the crevices between your teeth. What’s the solution? Floss.

I began thinking about taking this idea and turning it back onto my life. “Flossing your life” Sounds kind of ridiculous, but the idea started to take shape. I thought about all of the changes I’ve been trying to implement in my life, as well as my progress on the goals I’ve set. A little before my senior year of college, I had made a decision to essentially turn my life 180 and focus my attention on reaching my goal and searching for Truth. Then, this past year, through my encounters and experiences and overall different adventures life had been taking me, I began to pinpoint areas that I wanted to change and things I wanted to do differently.

Of course, all of this requires “taking the trash out”, if you will, of your life. My ideas of trash ranged from something simple to just eating better quality and healthier food, to reading books and articles that are more aligned with my goals, all the way to meditating to literally take the trash out of my mind and purify my mind. But, when I came up with this concept of flossing your life, I began to realize that I need to take care of all the crevices in my life that are still filled with the residue that is just as bad, if not worse, for me. What residue is stuck in the corners of my life?

I haven’t really sat down and actually introspected and thought of an actual list of things that I know need cleaning up, but off the top of my head, I can think of some really simple things that don’t seem like a lot, but can definitely have a negative impact on my life. One of the items that makes my list, is sheer laziness. There are days/times when I don’t feel like doing anything. Let me just sit in my bed and watch Netflix all day long. I try to be as productive as I can on a day-to-day basis, but there are days when I don’t make it. That is the residue. Although it seems minor, each time I choose not to do anything, is time wasted when I could be doing something really great for myself, such as reading a good book, or spending time with the people I love. It’s the accumulation that causes the cavities; same goes to your own life.

Of course, it’s important to stay positive and give your self a pat on the back for the great changes you made in your life, but don’t forget the little stuff. It begins to add up. What other crevices can you think of that could use a little flossing in your life?

shouldering burdens

I made it back to one of my favorite teacher’s yoga class yesterday (my work schedule is so ridiculous, that this is like the best thing that’s happened to me…getting off on a Saturday morning!). I was already pretty sore from my yoga session Friday, but I wanted to go, because Amy really incorporates the spiritual aspect of yoga into her vinyasa flows and I absolutely love it.

Friday, we did a ton of shoulder/upper arm asanas, and focused more on that. To my somewhat displeasure, we again, did a lot of shoulder/upper arm asanas today as well. It seriously was really difficult to get through. But, somehow or another, I did. And it was awesome.

But, this isn’t the point of this post. We started off class just standing in mountain pose and practicing some intentional breathing. The instructor started talking about intention, and what brought us to class that day. She continued to talk about a book she is reading about how mental symptoms manifest into physical symptoms. She was focusing in on the shoulders and how we carry all of our burdens in our shoulders. You can almost tell when someone is overwhelmed by their burdens, or whose ever burdens he/she is carrying, by how their shoulders are at a resting state–they are almost always rolled forward. This unintentionally brings a slouch to your back.

I never really thought of this before. I began to think about it as she was talking about shoulders rolled forward, and I realized that mine were definitely rolled forward. Go ahead and see for yourself. Are your shoulders rolled forward? If they are, roll them back. See what happens. I immediately rolled them back, which automatically opened my chest up and lifted my chin. Amazing. Something as simple as that brought a little bit more physical confidence in my appearance. Incredible.

The book that she was reading is called You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. In the book, the author has different mantras that you say for different physical symptoms. Amy began to read the mantra for shoulders as we were huffing and puffing practicing our intentional breathing and ujayi breathing. She began to tell us that in the book that when people have rolled shoulders it means they feel like they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. I thought, there are definitely times when I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I consistently want to please everyone around me, I willingly bring that pressure upon myself. Does this happen to you guys ever?

Louise Hay’s mantra for the shoulders was kind of long, but I found this one line excerpt from it. “I choose to allow all of my experiences to be joyous and loving.” I think this is a very powerful affirmation to tell yourself on a regular basis. I don’t think we realize that when we don’t take even 2 minutes to focus on our own mental and physical health, how it begins to show physically. I choose to allow all of my experiences to be joyous and loving. There is no one out there in this world, in my life, that is telling me, “Nishita, you must be miserable and stressed and overwhelmed all the time.” No one. I’ve created this reality in my head that tells me I should be in a constant state of frenzy. I choose to allow all of my experiences to be joyous and loving. 

It’s hard to admit to yourself that the way you feel isn’t because of anyone else except yourself. But, I think once we realize this we can begin make our lives a little bit less miserable, and a lot more exciting and joyous.

This week, I’m going to think about my intention in every thing I do, the same way Amy makes me think about my intention every time I walk into her class. What’s your intention going to be this week? I am choosing to allow all of my experiences to be joyous and loving!

ps. This book is definitely on my list of books to read now. Have any of you read it?

carry on

There’s been a lot of buzz around this whole keep calm and carry on business for the past year or so. Everywhere I go, I see some poster that’s taken the original, and turned it into something personal. “Keep calm and buy shoes”, “Keep calm and watch tv”. Shoot, if you go to Pinterest and search “keep calm” you will have an infinite amount of posters and sayings with the theme of keep calm. I think it’s become a little over done now. I get it, if anything happens, just keep calm and do something you like to do.

Did y’all know that this was actually used in Britain during the beginning of WWII to boost morale of their citizens? Yeah, it was created by the government. I think if we look at the original purpose and original message behind the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster, there is a ton of value behind it; something that is very applicable in our own lives.

a scanned copy of what the original poster looked like

Has there ever been a time in your life where you are just so anxiety-ridden, it becomes the controller of your life? Personally, I am an anxiety-prone individual. I am super Type-A and a huge micro-manager. Mainly when it comes to things not working out like I planned (which rarely happens anyways), the anxiety kicks in. But, I panic. I panic when I don’t have control of my life, my future, whatever.

The past few months have been very much like this. I’m not sure what the next few months are going to hold in my life. Things aren’t working out like I had planned in my head. And it stresses me out. A lot.

When I saw this picture, a “keep calm and carry on” one, I began to think, it is so true. I just need to keep calm and carry on.

Sometimes I have a hard time living in the moments. I worry so much about the next day or the next few months and the future, that I don’t even realize that the entire day is done. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think there is a lot of value in planning ahead and preparing. It makes for things to be less stressful. But, when it comes to parts of the future that you can’t even control, why do I waste so much time behind it? It’s hard to realize this and constantly remember this, but, the only thing you have control over is the moment you are currently in. You can’t do anything about what happened even 4 seconds ago, let alone 4 seconds from now. So, why do we, or at least me, why do I allow myself to let anxiety over something I can’t even control, control my life?

Keep calm and carry on. Carry on with what you can control right now. You can control if you’re going to be nice to a person who has never rubbed you the right way. You can control what you’re going to eat for lunch. You can control how you are going to spend the 10 minutes of break you get during your work day or school day.

Keep calm. Keep calm and have faith that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to. There is a bigger plan for all of us that we may not be aware of just yet. Sometimes, we all just have to bite the bullet and take that leap of faith. It may be a big leap or a small leap. We can’t always have the reasons for everything at our fingertips. Sometimes, it takes a while to figure things out. But, we have to have that faith, and keep reminding ourselves that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to.

Faith is a topic that I can literally talk for days about. I mean, the last post I wrote was about faith as well. There are many times where I’ve lost my faith in myself, my family, whatever. But, it’s not hard to get that back. I think we’re all meant to be faithful people, to something, anything. So, if you’re ever in need of a faith boost, just open up a spiritual book, visit a place of worship, close your room door, light some candles, and just relax and focus on the moment, do some introspection. There’s always something that will renew that faith. But, most importantly, always have faith in yourself. Keep calm and carry on. We’re all meant for greatness. Keep calm and carry on until you’ve found it.

Have a happy day!

be kind, be kind, be kind

I’m reading this book “Discovering Your Spiritual Resources” by Eknath Easwaran. It’s fantastic. My goal is to finish it by this week, if not next week. Anyways, there’s this one line that really caught my attention.

“‘Be kind, be kind, be kind.’ That is the prescription for holiness issued by a wise medieval mystic. Half its wisdom lies in its insistence on being kind over and over; for to make kindness the mind’s natural response even in the unconscious requires years of practice.”

The part that got me was how being kind is the prescription for holiness. Being kind definitely makes you a better person (in my opinion) than someone who is mean. And I can’t think of any spiritual leader, person, messenger, prophet, what have you as being not kind. I think it’s safe to say that kindness is a good quality, a desirable quality, a spiritual quality. Interesting. I wonder how many acts of kindness I am really demonstrating on a day to day basis.

But more importantly, I began to think back to a conversation I had several weeks ago, where I was reminded of a statement I heard back in September, “You have to be kind to yourself first.” You have to be kind to yourself first. Really thinking about that, I realize I am not kind to myself at all. And if the old saying goes “do unto others as you would do yourself”, then sure as heck I am not being kind to others. “Be the change you wish to see” says Gandhi. Well, I guess I need to start being kind to myself.

I stress out all the time. I don’t always eat as healthy as I should. I overwork myself. I worry a lot. And the worst thing of them all, I blame myself for my failures, despite my hard effort and persistence. I am not kind to myself.

I have a lot of work to do. And it starts with focusing on the positive attributes…the good things I have going on for myself. I need to stop dwelling on the things that didn’t work out the way I expected them to, and start focusing on all the good things I’ve accomplished (which includes the hard work I put into situations that I wouldn’t necessarily categorize as a “success”). I need to be kind to myself.

Growing up, I struggled with self-esteem issues and self-confidence a lot of times. I think that is one of the best ways to be kind to yourself is having confidence in yourself that you can conquer anything that comes your way.

Take a look at this Ted Talk from Ryerson University on self-confidence. It’s only like 13 minutes, so it won’t take up any of your time!

How are you going to be kind to yourself? I think I’m going to start documenting these moments on my goals board (remember?). And as I document personal kind moments, I’m going to track my acts of kindness to others. There has to be some positive correlation. Try for yourself and see what happens. 

 

new

When I came back from India a week ago, the first thought that came to my mind (besides the wonderful feeling of thinking how soon I’ll be showering in my own shower and sleeping in my own bed) was how my journey is over. It had been a great three months, but now it’s over.

And now, it’s 2013. I didn’t really think of resolutions or things that I wanted to work on. I thought back to the ones I made for 2012, and started thinking about where I fell short and what I could have done better. I went back to thinking about what my resolutions could be for the new year.

We make such a huge hype over the new year. It’s time to start fresh. Make goals that we want to accomplish that year, things we want to change about ourselves, etc. But, why do we limit ourselves to just that one year? Not only that, but then when we miss one day of not working out or waking up early, we sort of just give up. I mean, I do at least. I realized that this way of setting resolutions for that one year, it just doesn’t work for me. I can honestly say that I’ve never, to this day, lived through on any resolutions I’ve ever made in the new year. I even get a second try during the Indian New Year!

So, I thought about what I can do differently this year. If there is one (okay there were a lot, but here’s one that is pertinent to this situation) thing that I learned while I was in India, it was that the world isn’t waiting for you. Incredible moments don’t come to you. You have to create incredible moments for yourself, all the time. I was talking to two of my close friends on January 1, and at that moment I made the decision. I decided that I’m not going to sit around and wait anymore. Life is going by quick, I mean, I’m going to be 23 in May. 23! If I don’t start making my life incredible, it might be too late.

Here’s what I decided: to make a list of every place I want to travel to, every dream I want to accomplish, every lifestyle change I want to make, every relationship I can’t live without, everything. Everything. And every day, I’m going to put some sort of effort into living my life with incredible moments, instead of just waiting for them. The best part about this is, first, these aren’t restricted to just one year. 2013 is going to be a year where I begin to start doing something great for myself. I want to really do things that make me happy. I won’t beat myself up when I don’t do something one day. (I told myself I’ll start doing surya namaskars every day, even if it’s just one or two. Didn’t even start on Jan. 1.) I’m going to create incredible moments for myself. Second, incredible is defined by me. I no longer need an external reference to tell me if I’m progressing or not.

It’s going to take a lot of effort to accomplish the task at hand. But, the beauty of it, it’s not a “mission-accomplished” kind of task. It’s a journey.

So, here I am. It’s January 2, 2013, with a brand new journey at hand. I’m excited for what this year is going to bring. There are lots of new adventures to be had, so here’s to 2013–a year of hope, love, excitement, and many many incredible moments.

relationships

One of the most important things that goes on in India is visiting family. I haven’t seen a lot of them in 7 years, and a lot of family I’m meeting for the first time! I really didn’t realize how big my family was, until I for real thought about it, while I was at my mom’s mom’s house in the village. There were new relationships and connections with my family every day. It was pretty cool, and way more than I can remember

I started thinking about all of the relationships I have in my life: friendships, personal relationships, family, co-workers, my relationship with my community, and yes, even my Facebook friends. Each one of those relationships play a very crucial role in my spiritual development.

A real relationship is where you are really truly developing into a better version of yourself, ultimately bringing you closer to the Ultimate. Just recently, my best friend and I were talking about how after our friendship rekindled essentially, we’ve been more confident in ourselves, are more optimistic, and are really just happier. This is what a true relationship is about. I think to my friends from college, Bridge Builders, youth camp, whatever situation, and how blessed I am to have found people in whom I can grow closer with the Supreme.

“The true soulmates, those who are really meant for you, they always show up, at the right time, and at the right places. You can’t search for these friendships, they just happen. A real friendship consists of more than social exchange and emotional support. In a real friendship, one plus one always exceeds two. Such friendships need hard work. You can’t plan on coming across such friends; you have to leave the start of such friendships to the chances”

This quote is from a book I just finished reading, “The Alchemy of Well-Being” by Indrajit Garai, and I think it sums up pretty well the essence of a relationship. People come into your life at exactly the right time, when you need them the most. And if they leave, then they’ve played the part they need to make you a better person. This last part is sometimes hard for me to grasp and understand. Why do friendships end? Why do I stop talking to people I once was so close to? Everyone who you cross paths with has a role they play in your life, whether it be to be your best friend, hurt you so that you are able to learn from the experience later on, encourage you to achieve your ultimate goal, to love, whatever. But, not everyone is meant to stay in our life forever. We can learn something about who we are from each encounter.

A relationship should be a mirror reflecting the image of who you really are, and helping you turn your flaws into perfections. Something that I’ve begun to think about is if I’m being a true good friend to those around me. I’m glad that I have so many relationships that really reflect the person I am, and friends who have my back, encourage me in all that I want to accomplish, and tell me when I’m being unrealistic or just dumb.

So, whoever you consider family or friend, love that person/group. They’re here for your personal growth!

“In a real friendship, one plus one always exceeds two.”

Countdown to America: 13 days

routine life

My granddad (dad’s dad) just celebrated his 83rd birthday during Diwali. I really admire him. For a good majority of his working career, he would ride his bicycle to and from work, and work at least 10 hour shifts 6 days a week. Talk about a “when I was your age” story. So, at 83 years old, I’m sure anyone can imagine, that someone is going to be pretty stuck in their ways and routines. The first few weeks I was here, I was really astonished at the fact that he would easily wake up at 4, 5 in the morning. Naturally, my grandma would yell at him and tell that’s entirely too early to be getting up and making a ruckus in the house. So, now of course, he wakes up at a little later…at 6:30 am (this is a struggle for me regardless).

His routine is pretty perfect and to the tee. He wakes up at 6:30. Makes a cup of tea for himself. Waits for the milkman (yes, a milkman still comes to the house to give you milk here). After the milkman has come, he sits on our swing and reads the paper (but only the headlines, because the other print is too small for him to read). Then, when everyone else wakes up around 7:30/8:00, it’s round 2 of tea. And by 9:00am, he’s showered, gotten ready for the day, morning prayers completed, and is sitting quietly on the swing. And that’s his routine. Every morning.

I began to think of my “morning route”, and realized it’s so willy nilly, and very dependent on what I have going on for the day. Whereas my gdad, no matter what’s going on, his routine is stable. If I have yoga, I wake up at maybe, 6:30, sometimes 6:55 (for my 7am class that is). If I don’t, hello 9:00am! Sometimes I eat breakfast, sometimes I don’t. Basically, it’s so irregular. And sometimes, I’m just too lazy where I don’t even do my morning prayers or make time for meditating. What’s wrong with me? Will it take me another 60 years to reach the same place my granddaddy is at? Why am I so situation-dependent?

I don’t have an answer to this question. But, I know it takes constant effort. I mean, seriously, how good are we at keeping our New Year’s Resolutions? (If you’ve figured out the secrets, share them here!) It’s really hard to live a stable life. But, I do know that some sort of routine is good for a healthy life. I mean, my gdad, he’s 83 with not a single health problem. He’s doin’ something right.

Do you have a daily routine that yo follow no matter what the situation is?

solar power

About a month before I left to come to India, I went to my doctor’s office for a basic check up to make sure all the wheels in my body were turning right. I didn’t want to have any surprise mishaps when I got here, knowing I was going to be here for 3 months, and I wanted to make sure I was in tip top shape.

One week after my check up, I got a phone call saying I was Vitamin D deficient, nothing too major, but definitely something I need to boost in my body. The first thing my parents jumped to was, you don’t drink enough milk, so of course you’re going to be low in Vitamin D levels. This is true, I don’t drink a lot of milk. Maybe one glass a day, and here in India, I don’t drink it at all. I don’t like the taste of it. I’m also at a point in my life, where I am really questioning the true benefits of milk, and really how natural it is for us to be consuming milk (we’re the only species consuming milk of another species after infancy). There are definite benefits of milk. This, I am not arguing with. But, these benefits can definitely be found in other sources such as plants and vegetables. Okay, my last thing about milk and then I’m moving on to the point of this post, I have a huge thing about what dairy farms are feeding cows which is then going into our own bodies. I mean, cows are supposed to be fed grass and walk around in fresh air, not be cooped up in some barn thing and fed processed, fortified, extra-hormone-added crap. All that in turn, we are feeding our body. If you’re gonna drink milk, drink organic. I have found no final conclusion on the milk issue, and if I ever do, I’ll let y’all know.

Okay, so back to my point. Is milk the only way for us to receive Vitamin D? And the answer is false. There is one source of Vitamin D that is free for us to use, and is one of the best sources-The Sun. Vitamin D deficiency is more common than you may think. And, we all know the reasons: kids choose video games over playing outside, we’ve become so engrossed in our work that we neglect our own physical health, and we become so tired by the end of the day or week, that we sleep in late. When was the last time you took a walk outside during a sunrise or sunset?

The sun drives our planet. It is the ultimate source of energy for all beings on Earth. And, best of all, it’s free for us to use! We don’t have to pay 5 something dollars for just one gallon of it! The benefits of the sun are tremendous! But, then why do we stay cooped up in our house all day long?

A practice I’m trying to develop as a habit here in India to bring back with to the states, is Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutation. It is said that if you are able to only practice 2 things for your wellness, Pranayama and Surya Namaskar are both beneficial enough to keep your body, mind, and spirit healthy. And I don’t doubt it at all. Surya Namaskar is seriously an all body work out. After just one or two rounds on your first few days, you will wake up sore the next. It is no understatement when I say you are literally harnessing the energy of the Sun, and bringing it into your body. After a few rounds, you will be energized and ready to take on the day.

it’s all about the surya y’all

The Sun, so powerful, that we literally don’t know how life can go on without it. We have a relationship with the Sun (read my post about it here), but we’ve forgotten that relationship. It’s time we rekindle it, and really reap the benefits.

In the Geeta, God himself states: “Yadadityagatam tejo jagadbhasayate’khilam | Yaccandramasi yaccagnau tattejo viddhi mamakam ||” This translates to “The light in the sun, that illumnines the entire solar world, and that which shines in the moon and that too which shines in the fire, know that light to be Mine.”

We have the ability to take in light straight from the Supreme himself. Let’s start taking in that light, and empowering ourselves to truly be healthy mind, body, and spirit.

Here are some great articles on the benefits of the Sun and Surya Namaskar:

10 Healing Benefits of the Sun; How Effective Is Sun Salutation; Sun Benefits 

Also, if you’re wanting to learn Surya Namaskar, check out your local yoga studio, college rec center for courses, ask a friend, or check out YouTube. The options are limitless. Don’t let excuses get in the way of a healthy life.

mind over matter

so what seems like the inevitable finally happened. i got sick. but, luckily not the stomach kind of sick that you would expect most foreigners to get (speaking of foreigner, i have an interesting post on this coming soon), but the fever and cold kinda sick. and let me tell you, it has not been fun. getting the chills and a cold straight from alaska is not the most pleasant feeling in this tropical feeling. so, i want to tell you guys how i got over this ailment.

it all started with what i thought were allergies. i’m highly allergic to what seems like every particle that’s in the air, so basically air. well, if you’re unaware, there is a lot of dust in india. i mean a lot. every where you walk, you’re inhaling a good amount of dust and pollution. so, it started off really mild, as in just a few sniffles and sneezed every now and then. typical allergy systems. nbd. my mom was coming in a few weeks and she was gonna bring my zyrtec for me.

well, she came, and i took that zyrtec everyday, but nothing happened. ok, still, it’s only been like 2 days, it’ll take some time to kick in. well, it’s safe to say something kicked in, but it wasn’t the zyrtec. i got sick. sick like with chills and runny nose, and i don’t want to do anything but lay in the bed sick because my body was so achy. bleh.

it didn’t help that i hate taking medicine. i really don’t want to put in anymore chemicals in my body than i do already, so naturally i got yelled at by aunt, grandmother, and mom for not going to the drug store to help shake this. i was gonna fight this and let it run it’s own natural course.

but here’s how i actually got over my sickness: i kept telling myself that i’m okay, and that i wasn’t sick. and i know it sounds silly, but self-pity isn’t going to help you feel better. i don’t know the exact psychology behind it, but it has a lot to do with attitude and perspective, and this is something i learned very early during college. if i’m going to have a negative attitude going in, then how can i expect to have a positive attitude during? positivity breeds positivity. it’s as easy as that.

our brain is the most powerful organ, and if we choose to actually use our brain for the better, then we can make a lot of situations into favorable ones. we have the capability to manipulate any situation. but are we going to manipulate it for the positive or negative?

here’s a daily encouragement that is perfect for this situation:

It is only natural that sometimes we fall sick. But we must see that sickness as a sickness that originally exists in life, based on the principle of the Mystic Law. In other words, there is no reason to allow yourself to be controlled by illness, for it to fill your life with suffering and distress. From the standpoint of eternal life through the three existences, your fundamentally happy self is incontrovertibly established.  Daisaku Ikeda

Mosquito Bite Count: I squashed a mosquito 5 minutes ago | Serious Craving: Olive Garden Bread Sticks

peace and love all.