By now I hope you’re making progress with my 1 Month Detox….

I’m sure you’re feeling naturally energized and are planning on doing more of what you want minus the guilt based on my last few blog posts about Letting Go of things we don’t need to grow.

But, you might be wondering where to start because it probably seems like your schedule is already jam packed with a ton of To-Do’s. I get it and I’ve been there many times so I’m here to do a little minor intervention, get you clear on why you always feel like you’ve gotta do 10 million things a day. Why is it that so many of us don’t feel important if we’re not busy–and resting instead? It’s such an odd thing that I’ve noticed more and more with my clients in the last few years with the increase in social media and the media in general being in our face 24/7.

{Side-note: I personally turned off my cable. I couldn’t handle watching the news or any of those scary TV shows that freaked me out and totally blew out my adrenals, ha. Now I spend my time reading or watching animated movies—Frozen, anyone? That was such a good movie! Or watching episodes of Sex and the City on DVD’s….who’s with me there?}

If the thought of adding one more thing to your to-do list makes you stressed and anxious leads to putting your self-love and self-care needs at the bottom of the list so you can feel good about crossing out every.single.gosh.darn.thing. on your ‘lists’.

I recently took a look at all the to-do’s on my lists and realized I was doing so many of these things out of guilt and NOT being mindful. Before my relapse of health issues in July (which I talk about in my Mindfulness Post), I was multi-tasking, trying to do everything, trying to be superwoman, trying to make everyone happy, etc…pretty much the typical Manhattan woman. I realized I was in a blur….I couldn’t give my full attention to anything. I couldn’t even recall the last time I had given my undivided attention to something. Sad? Yes. And I’m sure you can relate. Right?

I was doing all of this just to stay BUSY…because the word BUSY made me feel important and worthy. But when I sat back and looked at all this ‘busy stuff’ I was exhausted, my adrenals were shot, my cortisol was totally off, I was cranky and just not the good ol’ Amie. Why did I feel like I had to answer every single email — every single day? Why? I’m going to share some steps with you below that helped me get my life back…and now, I don’t answer every email everyday and I don’t feel guilty about it at all.

My cousin, Lisa, told me about this little exercise a few months ago and I put off doing it for months…then I did it and I cleared up all the junk in my trunk, if you know what I mean. So, let’s get started. Take out a pencil and a piece of paper. Make two columns. In one column, jot down the to-do’s that you’re doing that are draining you. Really sit and think about it–because at first, you probably don’t think anything is draining you.  In the other column, jot down some of the things that naturally give you energy and inspire you and make you happy!

Keep a running list of these things in your pocket for a week and notice when you are stressed and relaxed throughout the day. Write that down!

If you’re having trouble with generating content for these two columns, here are a few questions to help you pull some info out of your head.

Ready? Go!

1. What depletes you?

Checking your phone every 5 minutes.

Checking your email every 20 minutes.

Spending too much time online.

Multi-tasking.

Jealousy. Comparing yourself to others.

Guilt.

Trying to make everyone happy.

Trying to be perfect.

Trying to look perfect.

Working out and pushing our bodies way too hard to achieve an ideal appearance.

Buying clothes, makeup, bags, shoes, cars, homes, etc. to prove to others that you are important.

2. What energizes you?

Going for a walk in the park.

Laughing.

Volunteering.

Taking a bath.

Sleep.

Naps.

Resting.

Reading a good book about a subject you’re passionate about.

Once you have your lists filled up, take a look at where you spend your energy and start to make shifts in your life by removing things from your depleting column and adding more to your energizing column. Start with one thing and take it OFF your list. That’s right. Remove it from your list and cross it off because you don’t need to get it done right now and you can put it on the back burner. Why? Because your health and your happiness are much more important. Plus, the last thing you want or need is your stress to skyrocket and your cortisol to be high-which will lead to inflammation and host of awful issues in your physical body. Trust me, you don’t want that happening.

This little exercise will help you gain back the energy you need to get more out of what you want in your life. Life is too short to be stressed and unhappy and ‘busy’ for no good reason. Take a breath. Take a break. Take a bath. Shut off the TV, turn off your phone and computer and switch up your routine to become fully present in your day-to-day life.

xo

Now onto some Swiss chard….you’re gunna love it!

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Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why: The Benefits of Eating Organic.

Sauteed Swiss Chard

Serves: 4

 

Print

Prep

5 minutes

Cook

5 minutes

Total

10 minutes

 

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Paleo, Grain-Free

Author: Amie Valpone

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1 large head Swiss chard chopped
• 1 small head kale stems removed and chopped
• fresh lemon juice to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil to coat the entire surface. Add Swiss chard and kale. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add lemon juice, sea salt and pepper; cook for another minute or until very tender.
2. Remove from heat and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Sauteed Swiss Chard

Amount Per Serving

Calories 62 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Sodium 172mg7%

Potassium 444mg13%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 7834IU157%

Vitamin C 62mg75%

Calcium 87mg9%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.