Have you ever went on a diet? Did it work ? Really? I think that they do not produce any satisfactory or permanent results.Most diets ignore the true problem, the emotional attachment or addiction of food. I had never thought of this before now. I realized that for everything we celebrate there is food, or in every problem, disappointment, or hurt we use food to soothe. Even crying babies, children etc...are rewarded with food.
The things we eat are largely refined sugars and simple carbs and we could be said to be self medicating with them.
"The food we eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison."
Interesting quote, isn't it?
A very good book on this subject is one by Angela Stokes Monarch called Raw Emotions. I am finding it very enlightening.
My journey to Raw foods has been a roller coaster ride really. I feel great when I can eat healthy but when I slide and eat SAD foods, boy can I feel it. I do know the difference. I challenge you to try eating at least 50% raw fruits & vegetables in your meals and see and feel the difference. It is so amazing.
I am also writing a journal of foods I eat and the emotions I feel.
And I'm beginning a vision board!
What is a Vision Board?
A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn out from various magazines. It’s simple.
The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
There are several methods you can use for creating your vision board. I’ve written about each one below. You can choose which one works best for you, depending on where you find yourself on this path of creating your life.
Supplies you’ll need for creating a Vision Board:
- Poster board.
- A big stack of different magazines. (You can get them at libraries, hair salons, dentist offices, the YMCA.) Make sure you find lots of different types like Oprah, Real Simple, Natural Home, Yoga Journal, Dwell, Ode, Parenting, Money, and an assortment of nature magazines.
- Glue. Not Elmers. (It makes the pages ripple.) Try
Yes! Glue
or Rubber cement.
Before you begin your vision board:
No matter which method you’re choosing, have a little ritual before you begin your vision board. Sit quietly and set the intent. With lots of kindness and openness, ask yourself what it is you want. Maybe images will come into your head. Just take a moment to be with that. This process makes it a deeper experience. It gives a chance for your ego to step aside just a little, so that you can more clearly create your vision.
Put on soft music.
The Five Steps of Creating a Vision Board:
Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear the images from them. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines and pulling out pictures or words or headlines that strike your fancy. Have fun with it. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.
Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you’ll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme to each corner of the board. Health, Job, Spirituality, Relationships, for instance. Or it may just be that the images want to go all over the place. Or you might want to fold the board into a book that tells a story.
Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.
Step 4: (optional, but powerful) Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the center of your board.
Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.
Three Types of Vision Boards:
1 - The “I Know Exactly What I Want” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re very clear about your desires.
- You want to change your environment or surroundings.
- There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life. (i.e. a new home, or starting a business.)
How to create this vision board:
With your clear desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures which portray your vision. If you want a house by the water, then get out the Home magazines and start there. If you want to start your own business, find images that capture that idea for you. If you want to learn guitar, then find that picture.
2 – The “Opening and Allowing” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re not sure what exactly you want
- You’ve been in a period of depression or grief
- You have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way.
- You know you want change but don’t know how it’s possible.
How to create this vision board:
Go through each magazine. Tear out images that delight you. Don’t ask why. Just keep going through the magazines. If it’s a picture of a teddy bear that makes you smile, then pull it out. If it’s a cottage in a misty countryside, then rip it out. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Then, as you go through Step 2 above, hold that same openness, but ask yourself what this picture might mean. What is it telling you about you? Does it mean you need to take more naps? Does it mean you want to get a dog, or stop hanging out with a particular person who drains you? Most likely you’ll know the answer. If you don’t, but you still love the image, then put it on your vision board anyway. It will have an answer for you soon enough.The Opening and Allowing Vision Board can be a powerful guide for you. I like it better than the first model because sometimes our egos think they know what we want, and lots of times those desires aren’t in alignment with who we really are. This goes deeper than just getting what you want. It can speak to you and teach you a little bit about yourself and your passion.
3 – The “Theme” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- It’s your birthday or New Years Eve or some significant event that starts a new cycle.
- If you are working with one particular area of your life. For instance, Work & Career.
How to create this vision board:
The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.
Some things to remember about vision boards:
- You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That’s called creativity. Just roll with it.
- Your vision board might change as you are making it. You might find that you have little epiphanies from making a vision board.
Make a Vision Journal
Another option is to use these same principles in a big sketch book. Get a large sketch book and keep an on-going vision journal. This is especially effective if you’re going through many transitions in your life.
I welcome anyone who has created a vision board to write your own experience in the comments…
Raspberry-Avocado Smoothie
A creamy avocado makes a surprise appearance in a sweet beverage. The fruit is great for your skin because it contains essential oils and B-complex vitamins, especially niacin. This vitamin is an anti-inflammatory that soothes red, blotchy and irritated skin. Ingredients:
· 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
· 3/4 cup orange juice
· 3/4 cup raspberry juice
· 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, (not thawed)
Preparation:
1. Puree avocado, orange juice, raspberry juice and raspberries in a blender until smooth.
