I scheduled this blog post to run on one of the days in which I will be enjoying Bali. Here are a few images from the place I will be at for my four day stay. This is a MUCH needed gem of downtime for me, especially since I love tropical island locales.
Traveling abroad is a wonderful way to break out of established patterns and comfort zones, become exposed to new cultures, and press the spiritual reset button. I have always been interested in doing more international travel, but because of financial and time constraints, the extent of my visits to other countries has been confined to Mexico and parts of Europe. I don’t feel challenged culturally when I visit Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Sacramento, Columbus or Chicago, because the primary language is still English, and American customs are relatively consistent around the country. When I return home from any of these places, I don’t feel a shift in my perspective like I did when I visited Europe.
I will be traveling to Europe, Australia and Indonesia within the next two months and am exhilarated and somewhat terrified. What will I encounter in these places? What kinds of people will I meet? What will I learn about myself? Even the process of gathering information on my upcoming trips to Hungary, Sydney, and Bali is causing my life’s perspective to shift. I have mostly been focusing on the trip to Hungary since it is scheduled a month before the other two locations, and have been making a concerted effort to learn the Hungarian language before I arrive there. In my efforts to learn Hungarian, I have experienced a shift in my cerebral cortex which not only helps me with the language, but to also think like a Hungarian, at least to a certain extent. When I practice the speaking drills, I imagine being in the middle of Budapest, having to ask for directions, struggling with a very difficult language to make my thoughts understood.
In addition to the language barrier, I have no idea how to navigate through Budapest and imagine that I will need to learn the public transportation system or take a taxi to certain areas, while backpacking and walking through other areas. This will be an adventure unlike any other I have experienced. Things I am incredibly reliant on like clean food sources and a gym will be somewhat hit or miss when I am out there. I know I will feel a bit like I got drop kicked into a very unfamiliar territory, and I know I will be well outside my comfort zone during the trip.
Some of the greatest breakthroughs have come from challenging existing patterns. Perhaps I will have an epiphany while in a foreign land, trying to find my way and struggling with a language which I am rather unfamiliar with. I am certainly up for the challenge and the adventure. It has been far too long since i have thrown myself out into the big wide world, at risk of stumbling over every little thing. It certainly doesn’t help that my brain is more like a stone than a sponge when it comes to learning languages now. However, I have made a concerted effort to learn Hungarian. At least I can say things like “szeretnék valamit enni” (I would like something to eat) while in Hungary and hopefully understand the response I will get to that statement.
I am excited for the adventures ahead and fully expect them to influence how I view the life I have built for myself. It’s always good to shake things up a bit!
Ever since my dear friend and meditation teacher Rob died, I have been more aware of little moments I can capture during the course of a typical day which can also serve as brief meditation sessions. One thing I have gotten into the habit of lately is pausing before I stretch and get out of bed, allowing myself to enjoy a moment of stillness. I spend a couple of minutes observing my breathing, how energy flows through me, and how the room feels, looks and sounds. It’s a welcome change from the rushed manner in which I used to hit the ground running as soon as I woke up.
Kazu and Tenshi, my dogs trapped in cats’ bodies
My rescue kitty and nap buddy Shima
The most fulfilling and endearing moments I have allowed myself to indulge in are the ones I spend with my cats. Two of my cats are very doglike and love everyone, while the third cat is extremely attached to me. All three are sweet and tend to demand a lot of my attention when I am home, but I often keep my interaction with them to a minimum because I am in the midst of a pile of work and usually typing or running around the house doing chores. Like faithful dogs, my cats will often follow me from room to room, looking up at me expectantly, purring away and doling out unconditional love.
I have made a concerted effort lately to greet my cats with pets and kisses in the morning while they are sprawled out on my bed. When I come home, I will often lie on the floor, bed, or sofa with them, taking a few moments to just be with them. My shy rescue cat, Shima, will frequently lie on my chest while I pet her, and if we are both very relaxed, we will take a nap together in this position. Every once in a while, a feeling of guilt will wash over me, even though I know I will most likely finish all the items on my to-do list for the day. But this feeling passes quickly, and I remember how important the bonding process with pets is. Even as I write this I have all three cats in the living room with me, with my boy lying alongside my left leg.
My blue male Burmese, Tenshi, is very much a dude and exhibits alpha type behavior with the other two (female) cats. But he also loves to be hugged and squeezed, will push his face into my hands and actually likes having his muzzle grabbed and scratched and his belly softly rubbed while he is on his back. He is also a lap kitty and will often snuggle with me while I write away. My female European Burmese, Kazu, will sometimes take up residence on my lap, and at other times, will rest her head on her favorite pillow just like a human would, and will watch me work. Kazu is also the cat who plays fetch, greets me at the door most faithfully, and purrs if I merely look at her. Basically, my cats make it very easy for me to steal moments of presence and joy with them. I just wasn’t paying enough attention to their signals before Rob died.
If you have pets and you find yourself ignoring them because of your workload, do yourself and them a favor by pausing each day to bond with them. I am not talking about a couple of quick pets, I am referring to a true connection in which your animal senses that you are fully interacting and remaining in the moment. There have been particularly hectic times in which I became so incredibly busy that my cats got nothing more than a perfunctory tickle under the chin or an ear scratch, but considering how highly socialized two of them are and how needy my rescue cat is, I definitely neglected them somewhat during those times. It doesn’t seem fair to them, especially considering the fact that they greet me at the door, hang out with me in whatever room I am in, and sleep by my side at night. Who knows? Maybe if I had a daily nap with Shima atop my chest, all my stress would easily melt away.
Some people fly by the seats of their pants constantly and love navigating through life that way. Ideas like last-minute dinner plans, jaunts to the movie theater, or an unplanned weekend road trip flow through their minds like a constant river stream. I think that’s fine if you have enough free time to randomly throw new things into the mix, but I am the exact opposite. It’s not that I am incapable of being spontaneous, but with the packed schedule I have, I can’t just drop everything and do something unplanned at the last minute.
Here’s the extent of my spontaneity. If, by some odd and rare chance, I have a day or weekend which is not jam-packed, and someone contacts me to see if I can get together for a movie, dinner or other outing, I still need at least a day’s notice so that I can schedule my gym time and make sure that any random chores or errands I might have been planning to do get moved to another time or day. If it’s a weekend road trip or other getaway, I will never be available on a moment’s notice. I simply never have more than one free day on a weekend. As a matter of fact, I cannot fathom the idea of having an entire weekend free and wide open unless I move heaven and earth to make such a thing occur!
I can’t help but feel that there are two strong correlations at work when it comes to living spontaneously. First off, I have noticed that my friends who are very spontaneous on a consistent basis have creative careers and VERY flexible schedules which give them the freedom to move things around. In many cases they can work from home or, in some cases, completely take off from work. The other thing that I have noticed is that my more spontaneous friends tend to have attention deficit disorder, and are accustomed to bouncing around mentally. Both of these correlations are beginning to make me think that creative brilliance and attention deficit disorder go hand in hand.
Difficulties arise when a spontaneous spirit becomes shackled by a rigid schedule. Even the most spontaneous person, provided that person is responsible, will not be able to let loose and do things at the last minute if he or she has a crazy work schedule. It’s quite possible that my spontaneous energy got squashed many years ago when I began medical school, but I am more inclined to believe that I have always been more organized and regimented, and have sought the structure which defines my daily life. We create the environments in which we live.
Another thing I have noticed personally is that when I do something spontaneous, there are certain harsh critics in my life who will always question my decisions and make me feel as if I have made a terrible mistake by allowing myself to get a small taste of personal freedom. It has been a challenge to stand strong and support my beliefs when I make a decision which seems to be spontaneous or random to these critics. After all, I rarely change the rhythm of my life, and I think such a habit is in some respect a bit damaging to my spirit. My sense of wonder and fun often gets squashed by all of my career responsibilities and other obligations which keep me locked into a certain predictability.
Probably the most spontaneous thing I have done this year is to decide to see a movie by myself, and it was one of the most enjoyable days of the year. I had made a snap decision on a Saturday around noon to see a film I very much wanted to see which had just been released (“Grand Budapest Hotel”). I checked showtimes, finished my workout, went home to shower and change, then two hours later, was sitting in a movie theater by myself. Instead of waiting to schedule the activity into my busy schedule, I had just said, “screw it” and reworked my schedule to accommodate a fun two hour date with myself.
In conclusion, I believe that a certain amount of spontaneity, especially when added to a particularly demanding schedule, is healthy. I also think the “birds of a feather” concept applies when it comes to degrees of spontaneity. Spontaneous people should hang out with each other, while individuals who are more regimented would be better off scheduling outings with each other. Otherwise, a spontaneous person could get extremely frustrated, while the more rigid person would only become anxious with the last minute ideas a spontaneous person always seems to present.
I have been chomping at the bit to take a much-needed vacation. I have not had a bona fide vacation since 2007 and long to spend a week somewhere that offers relaxation, adventure, culture, and which finally gives me a chance to catch my breath from the hustle and bustle of a life that is full of activity and responsibility. Everyone needs this kind of break!
I think because I have waited so long to give myself permission to go anywhere for fun, my brain is getting flooded with all the places I have longed to visit. One criterion which I have established in my determination of where to go is that it must be a place I have not yet visited, and it must be outside of the United States. Out of habit I have included the IFBB Tijuana Pro as part of my travel plans despite the fact that this is a competition and thus not a vacation destination on my list.
My desire to go somewhere I have not yet been rules out the following countries: England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece and Turkey. But that’s only eight countries out of a relatively long list of countries I would love to visit. One question I have entertained is, do I visit a country of my origin? That is relatively easy since my heritage stems from only two countries: Japan and Hungary. However, my knowledge of the Japanese language is quite limited now, and I feel somewhat ashamed even though as a Eurasian half-Japanese mutt, I am considered “gaijin”. And with Hungary, I only know a couple of Hungarian words. I know that the other language which is spoken in Hungary is German, and sadly, my knowledge of German is quite limited as well.
I just looked up a list of all the countries in the world and this is the list of countries I have not yet been to that I would like to visit:
Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Brazil
Canada
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Egypt
Fiji
Hungary
Jamaica
Japan
Monaco
New Zealand
Peru
Portugal
Spain
Venezuela
Virgin Islands
I am thinking of going somewhere at the end of July or the beginning of August before my contest prep for November gets too restrictive. I welcome suggestions on what locales are the best to visit, especially on a shoestring budget.
Original post can be found here:
http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/11102-melatonin.html
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain which regulates the wake-sleep cycle. Production is turned on later in the evening when lights are turned off for bedtime. However, there are a number of poor habits which people commonly engage in which interfere with the body’s production of melatonin, with harmful results such as impaired immune response, increased rate of cellular aging, and increasing the risk of cancer formation. Basically, those late nights you spend watching T.V. or reading are interfering with optimal health. As soon as a light is turned on at night, you send a signal to your brain that is daytime, and production of melatonin ceases, and does not resume when you turn the light off either.
Shorter wavelengths (red, orange, yellow) of light are less detrimental than white or blue light and should be used in the evening. I love the salt lamp I have in my bedroom and try to use that light as my sole illumination in the bedroom as much as possible at night. Why is it so important to preserve the body’s natural production of melatonin? Because melatonin is a potent antioxidant and excellent for reducing inflammation throughout the body, including the brain.
Implement the following guidelines to optimize the body’s production of melatonin:
1. Try to get daily bright sun exposure. Production of melatonin approximates the contrast between bright sun exposure during the day and complete darkness in the evening.
2. Turn off your computer and T.V. at least one hour before going to bed. Both computers and T.V.’s emit blue light which interferes with the body’s normal production of melatonin.
3. Sleep without any lights on. The darker your room is while you sleep, the better chance you have of allowing your body to produce melatonin without interruption.
4. Drop the thermostat to 60 to 70 degrees.
If you think your melatonin levels are low or you have labwork demonstrating low melatonin, and you also suffer from insomnia, you might want to supplement with melatonin tablets. Beware of the dosage, and keep it at 0.5 to 3 milligrams maximum dosage each night. At higher doses, melatonin can have hypnotic effects on some individuals, and on others, a paradoxical hyperaware state may manifest. On a personal note, I had labwork early this year which demonstrated low melatonin, but I wasn’t suffering from insomnia. A colleague insisted I supplement with 3 milligrams of melatonin per night, which resulted in anxiety and a completely sleepless night for all of the nights I took melatonin. Another caution is if you are trying to get pregnant, you must avoid taking melatonin supplements, because they interfere with fertility.
We all know that constant stress can play havoc with our health and well being. In this post I will focus on the effects of excessive stress on progesterone levels.
Progesterone is produced in the ovaries, the adrenal glands, and in the placentas of pregnant women. It has a calming effect, is a natural diuretic, regulates menstrual cycles, and prepares the body for conception and pregnancy. Some women can experience excessive levels of progesterone which usually produces symptoms of PMS, but in general, progesterone is a vital and beneficial hormone.
Let’s examine what happens to progesterone if you are under constant and chronic stress. When the body is pummeled with endless stress, the adrenal glands simply cannot keep up with the demand for more cortisol, so they turn to progesterone, converting it into cortisol to make up for the deficit. Eventually, however, not only do cortisol levels plummet, but progesterone levels also drop to precipitously low levels. So that calming, diuretic effect of progesterone falls away, and menstrual cycles become erratic or periods cease altogether. Sounds like fun, huh?
I cam tell you that running on an empty tank of progesterone is no fun at all. You retain water, you get irritable and cranky, and you lose your ability to navigate calmly through stressful situations. If you’re like me and you depend on a regular menstrual cycle as a reassurance that all is right with the world, then living with the mystery of whether or when you might have a period can be maddening. I found out that I actually WANT a period, and I thought I would never feel that way.
Though I had regular periods until very recently, I began retaining water like crazy after attaining IFBB Pro Status last July, and I knew something just wasn’t right. I didn’t feel like I was in my own body, as strange as it sounds. I began flailing, and went through a rebound which was disturbing and unexpected. My emotional barometer was all over the place, and I couldn’t get out of the funk that I was in. Gaining eight pounds (which is considerable for me), most of which was water weight, made me even more depressed.
Another completely irritating set of symptoms which suddenly popped up at the end of January and which persisted every single night is that I would wake up at around 4 a.m., completely drenched in sweat and with a sensation which could best be described as being lit on fire from the inside. I would throw the covers off and quickly disrobe, then rather quickly fall asleep, only to awaken about 30 minutes later, shivering and pulling the covers over me.
The nightmare finally subsided to a great extent once I began replenishing my body with bioidentical progesterone in late February. Though I still retain a bit of water, my weight is back to a reasonable 120 lbs. versus the 125 I had been at in the Fall, my hot and cold episodes have subsided, i feel much calmer and I feel more like myself.
Had I removed the stressors that I had some control over, I am firmly convinced I would not have bottomed out with my progesterone levels like I did. Even if I had engaged in meditation more regularly a couple of years ago, I think I could have saved my progesterone levels from bottoming out. Trust me when I say that progesterone depletion can be incredibly disruptive and upsetting. And don’t think for a second that this is only a problem which women past the age of 45 deal with. I have come across female patients as young as 32 who had almost no progesterone in their lab tests.
If you do one thing to improve your health, please reduce your stress! You can do this by removing the stressors that you have some control over, practice breathing exercises, tai chi, yoga, and meditation, enjoy time with friends, loved ones and pets more often, and let go of anxiety and worry.
This incredible site helps to conquer negative thoughts and feel happier through fun, daily, science-based activities and games. It is an excellent way to truly improve the quality of your life. I tried the activities which only took a few minutes to do, and I really enjoyed them. It was like sprinkling happiness on my day!
On the Happify site, the home page says:
“Reduce Stress and Lower Anxiety
Improve Relationships and Gain Confidence
Feel Happier and Embrace Life More”
…and these statements are all accurate in my humble opinion. The program is designed so that it suggests activities based on your profile and goals. Honestly, this program is genius!
Get started today by clicking on the link below! It’s free, it’s fun, and it will make you HAPPIER!
I am starting to think that it might be an excellent idea to play hooky from the day to day routine on a fairly regular basis. Such a viewpoint flies directly in the face of my usual nose-to-the-grindstone attitude towards life. The shift in my thinking has something to do with my recent high level of physical and mental burnout from constantly running from one thing to another, like a sputtering vehicle which probably would warrant a ticket for exhaust emissions (no, this is not a reference to gaseous emissions, but a reference to loss of efficiency). r
Without balance in one’s life, efficiency and power dwindle to very low levels, making it next to impossible to keep up or catch up with tasks at hand. The “one step forward, two steps back” theory asserts itself here. The answer is not to keep pushing through in hopes that, by some miracle, you will suddenly catch up to everything on your to-do list and feel completely fulfilled, but to take a break from it all.
When you take a break from your to-do list and learn to truly enjoy life and your surroundings, you press the reset button and recharge your spiritual, mental and physical batteries, which in turn makes you more efficient at tackling mundane day-to-day tasks. Though you may panic at the thought of losing precious time in which you could keep treading along that hamster wheel, you will actually gain momentum by stepping away from the busywork and taking care of your spirit so that you are balanced. You will return to your tasks with more energy and focus.
dr. stacey naito's blog 