A healthy body and mind

Like most people I have a busy life and a job that requires my full attention. It can be quite stressful at times. If I am not careful it consumes most of my energy,  leaving me feeling too drained and tired to have happy adventures. I can only be on top of my game if I take care of myself. Eating healthy and exercising are important elements to a balanced life. However, I believe that this is not enough. Everyone needs alone time every once in a while. A moment when you can let go of everything else and just be, reenergizing your mind to find complete balance.

I often hear people say I don't have time. They find it a struggle to do everything in their life AND find time to reenergize. When you find life a struggle, you lose your balance. When you find balance, there is no struggle to be found. Take a step back, look at your schedule and prioritize. The people around you will understand if you need a moment to reenergize and in the end they will be grateful for the happier and healthier you. Remember there is a reason you have to put your oxygen mask on first before you help a child on a plane that loses pressure. How can you help others or do everything you are dreaming of if you are out of breath? The answer is simple, you can't.

To help you along the way I compiled a list of a few of my favorite ways to keep my mind healthy.

The morning ritual:
I start my mornings with a little ME time. I have issues leaving my soft comfy bed in the morning. Don't we all? So I take my time. I deliberately set my alarm clock earlier so I can snooze till I finally come to terms with having to leave my bed. First I catch up with the world and do a little social media browsing. After that it's finally time to say goodbye to my bed and start my day. For 20 to 30 minutes I do yoga and meditate, making sure my energy flows through my body and my mind is calm and peaceful. I listen to the soothing voice of Deepak Chopra while I let go of all thoughts and empower myself.  When I am done I hop into the shower and start my singing and dancing routine.  Reenergizing my mind and body only takes 60-90 minutes of my day.

Breath in, breath out:
If I feel stressed or jumpy throughout the day I take a few minutes to concentrate on my breathing, slowing down my heartbeat and emptying my mind. The good thing about breathing exercise is that you can do this anywhere.

The road to nowhere:
When the weather allows it I take a walk and let my feet decide where I will end up. This way my mind can be at peace and wander off to happy places. Just make sure you don't bump into any lamppost or cars on your walk to zen paradise.

Let your body take control:
Doing things that require your hands to take control is a good way to let your mind rest. Muscle memory will be activated and this way your mind doesn’t have to think about doing anything. Your body decides and your mind will simply follow. Gardening, cooking or painting are perfect examples of these types of activities that let your mind rest for a bit.

With love, Ana

The joy in flying.

The happystepz duo is on the road this month and we will be sharing our adventures whenever we can. One of the things about traveling is that it can take up a lot of your time and sometimes you can lose site of the joy around you when you're stuck on a plane for endless amount of hours. I'm not talking about those short flights you take for a quick city trip or getaway. No, I'm talking about those 14 hours or more flights where everything starts to annoy you after a while. When you read the in-flight magazine and see that they're screening that new movie you're dying to see only to find out that it's not showing on your tiny screen. When everything around you smells like feet and the airplane food looks like something your cat threw up. It can be a challenge to find joy in those moments, however there is joy to be found.

To help you through these lonely hours of torture I compiled a few joyful tips how to survive those dreaded intercontinental flights:

- Make up silly nicknames for your surrounding passengers and flight crew. This at least will give you a couple of moments of laugher coming up with names like Sally Scarecrow, Chinless Chris or Smelly McFarts. And it's okay if you get less creative and end up calling some of them Mr. Bouncy chair 1 and Mr. Bouncy chair 2. You will be happier for spending time observing your neighbors than you would be just staring blankly into space.

- Reading is a great way to make the time pass by quickly, but here is a crucial detail about reading books in the air. Start reading them a day or so (depending on your reading speed) in advance. Once the airplane boredom and annoyance has set in, it's really difficult to get to know your new story. Concentration is easily lost up in the air unless you already got to know the story your book has to tell. Once you know your characters or storyline you'll be quickly motivated to continue reading their tale.

- Don't make the rookie mistake and dress to impress. We all know you will end up like a pretzel shape in your chair, trying to find the perfect position to sleep in. How are you going to do that if you're wearing uncomfortable fitting clothes? Obviously comfort is an important element to your outfit. This doesn't mean you have to look like a hobo. Choose something shabby chic, casual hipster or bohemian. You will be grateful and joyful for your clothing choice once you have found that perfect position where you have one leg bent in an awkward sideways position and the other somewhere near your nose while your arms brace your body like a warm blanket.

- Try meditating. If you're a nervous flyer or just plain agitated from having to sit in one spot for hours on end it's good to calm down your nerves. Close your eyes put your hands on your lap and concentrate on your breathing. Choose a mantra to repeat. Breathe deeply in and out while repeating words like calm, relax or peaceful. If you like you can listen to a relaxing playlist you compiled beforehand while meditating. If you don't have a playlist ready, the on board entertainment is surely to have some classical or lounge music that you can choose from. Meditate for a few minutes and repeat whenever you feel like punching Mr. Bouncy chair 1.

- Say cheese! Spending loads of time in the sky taking pictures is a perfect way to distract you from the time slowly ticking by.  From taking sneaky pictures of your travel companions sleeping to crazy selfies compilations, clicking away is a perfect joy/ memory maker.

- Write down whatever comes to mind; don't worry if you end up with only weird sentences or words. Your mind is full of thoughts that need to escape. Putting pen to paper or (finger to touch screen in most cases) will make sure you empty your head, resulting in a clear and peaceful mind once you arrive at your destination.

If nothing works remember: "The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Or in this case a single flight.

With love, Ana

The joy of painting

“Now then, today let’s just have some fun and enjoy it, let our imagination take us to some beautiful places and see what happens.” – Bob Ross

Last Sunday we took an empty canvas and had a little fun in creating a happy place just like Bob Ross did. Never heard of Bob Ross? Bob had a show called "The joy of painting" and it was really a joy to see him paint a beautiful landscape in just 30 minutes with a few strokes of his paintbrush. When I mention Bob Ross to people, the response is overwhelmingly positive. I think because of Bobs contagious enthusiasm. Yes happiness frontiers, enthusiasm is contagious. This is a bug you don't mind catching. It wasn't just his skills that made him so beloved. It was the way he inspired people through painting. His positive mindset and his encouragement make us believe we can create anything we want.

Painting like Bob isn’t as hard as it may look. It is all about having fun and letting go of everything else. Bob said: “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.”  So pick up a paintbrush, watch an episode of "The joy of painting" and start creating happiness. The canvas is blank for you to create whatever your happy heart can imagine. To maximize the fun dress for the occasion. Imagine yourself painting on a patio overlooking a field of daisies somewhere in France. Quiet your mind by letting go of all thoughts and let your inner artist run free. Don’t forget to add a little tree friend to your painting because everyone needs a little friend.

With love, Ana

How to quiet your mind

"Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave." ~ Remez Sasson

You are a creator of your own reality, whether you are consciously aware of it or not. When I first started reading philosophical and spiritual books and became aware or my "creatorship" I was trilled! I imagined myself being some genie in a lamp appearing on my own command anytime I felt a wish needed to be fulfilled. A bit odd when you think about it, appearing on your own command. It is basically the same as talking to yourself and expecting to be answered. Maybe we all do it, but nobody ever feels the need to mention it during a coffee break at the office and expects to be seen as "normal" afterwards.

That 'me being a genie' dream got shattered quite quickly when I had an epiphany. I realized that my awareness of my creatorship didn't just suddenly make me a creator. I have been creating my whole life, the good things and the bad. I must say that sometimes I wish that I could command the genie-me to take a big eraser and make all my errors go away in one "poof". 

Your reality is a mirror of all your thoughts and emotions. It is a reflection of all the good and the bad inside of you. Although bad feelings are a good indicator of changes that can be made, there are moments when your thoughts and emotions feel uncontrollable. Your mind is all over the place and if you can't get a hold of that clutter, your reality will reflect the unstable state of your mind in negativity and problems. However, as a creator, you hold the power to change what ever you want. You can control your thoughts by quieting your mind. Get a hold of the clutter that is clouding your reality and get back into a state of balance.

When my friends talk about their problems, I always advise them to quiet their minds. They often think about meditation when I say that and their response is that they can't sit still and think of nothing. While meditation is an excellent way of quieting your mind, it is hard for many people to lock their minds and think of absolutely nothing. It takes practice and skills and it is something that you can master over time. By quieting your mind I merely mean getting rid of that clutter, and shut down those negative voices in your head. If you think you don't have any negative voices inside your head, take a look at your reality and the things you don't like. They are the manifestations of your thoughts and we all have them. 

Enough theory on this matter, how can you put it into practice? When you meditate, let your thoughts flow. When negativity enters the mind, just let them be and direct your thoughts towards the things you do want in your life. If you are not a "I can sit and be quiet" person, keep on reading our blog because we are quieting our minds by doing many things that give us joy.

Be happy,

~Ilona~