Wise schedulling for less headaches

Even though we live in the hi tech era and speed limits go up every passing minute, when it comes to tasks, it seems as if there's never enough time to finish everything you have to do. Throughout the past chaotic periods of my life I've learned a couple of things about organizing your time that turned out to be helpful. Hoping my knowledge can be useful to you, I'll share my advices with you.  

1. Don't stress

No matter how overwhelmed you feel or how many things you have to do, breathe deeply in and relax. Acknowledge the fact that you won't be able to solve the problems if you stress out. In fact, it'll make it harder for you to finish your tasks, so as I said before, relax. As hard as it may seem to you.

2. Write it down 

Maybe to do lists seem like stupid ideas for most of us, but I found them to be incredibly helpful. Writing down everything that you have to do will make it impossible to leave anything out (that unless you forget to write it down in the first place of course). Aw and don't forget to clearly establish the goals ;). 

3. Prioritize

See what's important and what can be delayed. For instance, a doctor's appointment (in case you're feeling bad) cannot be delayed while a manicure or pedicure can be delayed. I know the example i gave you is extremely easy and it seems as if you wouldn't have to prioritize for this case (and i agree with you on that one) but when the tasks gather up, and they mixed up with some stress from your everyday life... it builds up and believe it or not, you won't be able to think clearly anymore. So when the tasks gather up, keep and eye out for the truly important ones and deal with the rest of them later on (even if you think they are small things you have to do and they won't take long. Just trust me on this one)

4. Break them down

I believe every big goal/task can be divided into small parts that are easier to organize, keep track of and finish. Plus, you'll feel so much better when you cross off things from your to do list. I'll be a great source of motivation to keep you going. 

5. Eye on the deadline

The earlier the deadline the earlier you have to deal with them (duh). So don't waste your time with a task that's really important but the deadline is far in the future. Deal with the minor, and major things that need to be done asap. Those small things you have to do in the future might not take as little as you think right now, so why wasting time with those when you can focus on getting rid of a more important task.

6. Take in the downsides

Just as important as taking in the good aspects of a plan, taking in the downsides of it is just as important. I'm not saying get pessimist, just consider what might go wrong so in case that happens you'll be prepared for it. It is true that many plans fail because we fail to focus on the pro's of it, but it's just as true that they sometimes go to pieces because we fail(or simply don't want to consider) the downsides of them. It is of vital importance to think about what might go wrong and how to fix it in case it happens so nothing(or very little) will take you by surprise. 

7. Talk about it

If there are other people involved in your plans as well. Talk to them and tell them your plans regarding them. Synchronize your plans regarding them. I also sometimes find it easier to "talk to myself" about what and how I'm going to do. I don't mean literally talk out loud with myself. I mean have a conversation inside my brain on how and when I should deal with things.

8. Schedule wisely

Last but not least important, organize/schedule wisely. For e.g. Let's say you have to go to a doctor, buy some groceries, get a new flat TV and go to a bank for a loan. Prioritize your tasks. You must go to a doctor and for some odd reason get the flat TV. The bank is pretty close to the doctor so you can first go see your doctor, then since you're in the neighborhood anyway, go to the bank for the loan and then get the flat TV. Lastly, on your way back home you stop to get the groceries. Wasn't that easy? Now try to think of how this would've gone if you didn't organize wisely. You could've ended up wasting time driving from one side of the town to the other because you would've failed to think clearly in the heat of the moment.

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

Ten things you should get rid of

From dust covered magazines to broken pieces of electronic devices, I'm sure we all share our precious room with unnecessary things that make it hard for us to clean, organize and find room for the things that actually work, or are useful. I myself, after a long lecture I gave myself inside my head, decided I should grow up and get rid of the things I don't use anymore... and buy me some sweet treats to celebrate afterwards. 

In case you also want to take this small step for you, but huge leap for your room, here are the best advices I can give you. Throw away:

1. Those old pens that don't work anymore

Yes, they may be cute, and they may be great memories reminders, no one says you can't keep anything that's not working (though that's not a bad idea at all) but need I remind you they aren't working and occupying space on your desk or in the drawers. You can keep some of them for memories but not too many, and if they are only memories related, keep only the ones that stirr good memories. Speaking of memories

2. The suffocating memories

Keep some memories, especially those that remind you of the good old times and other things you know you might want to remember for the rest of your life, but throw away the ones that don't bring a smile on your face when you see them. 

3. Some of your old toys

I have absolutely nothing against a couple of old toys, especially those favorite toys you had as a kid, but don't keep everything. I've been in rooms that had more plush toys than shops. I mean come on! That's straight OCD! No one says you shouldn't keep some toys just make sure there's still room to open the doors and windows. You can also do a very nice thing and donate those toys, either to the little neighbors you have or to those more unfortunate than you - you know the type of kids that rarely get toys. This way you'll feel double good - you'll have more space in the room and you'll feel good knowing others are enjoying and playing with those toys that otherwise would've just laid around

4. Clothing and shoes you haven't worn in the last 18 months (I'll include bags in here as well)

Yeah, I know you were going to wear it so many times but... don't start to give me those excuses. I bet there are plenty of clothes you haven't wore in the past 18 months and most probably you never will do it again. Again, I encourage you keeping a couple (when I say a couple I mean a couple - two or three at most!) of your favorite ones but the rest has to go. Look on the bright side, you'll have an excuse to not feel bad when you'll get those jeans you had your eyes on for a while now. 

5. Power cords and various connective cables 

I'm talking about the ones that don't work, are not required anymore (eg. your old phone is long gone but you still keep the charger and the USB cable) or the duplicates. Whenever we buy a new gadget, it comes with its own cables, and at least one of them is a USB cord. So keep the cables, cords for the current gadgets you have and throw the rest. 

6. Magazines 

Yeah, I know there are pages that have useful things like recipes, beauty advices, great stories and so on, and I'm not saying don't keep those, I'm saying don't keep the whole magazine just for that - see where I'm going? Keep only the pages you need from the magazines, keep cut outs or even better, just scan the pages/info you need and keep it in a special folder on your computer/laptop/phone/tablet, whichever you prefer. 

7. Old makeup, perfumes and other beauty products

They do have an expiration date you know? Make up and other beauty products are already toxic enough as it is, you don't need them to get even worse. And about those perfumes you received as gifts and don't really like the scent, ask friends or family if they want them - just make sure you don't ask the person that gave you the gift that.

8. Everything that's expired: pills, vitamins, food and so on

Do I really need to talk to you about why you should not use them after they expire?. Just throw them

9. Broken things you didn't take the time to repair and probably never will 

Yeah, I know you were going to fix it but... insert your excuse here. If you didn't find the time to repair it in the past six months you'll probably never get to it, but just to make sure keep it for six more months. If however, those 6 more months passed and you still didn't fix it (either because you didn't have the time, mood, money bla bla or just you simply couldn't) just throw it. 

10. The grudges

As I stated in a previous post holding grudges, not forgiving doesn't help you at all. So let the past be the past and focus on this moment. What's done is done and you can't change that, but you can change what you do and how you feel right now.

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

Let's not forget about forgiving

I know, after this long period of non activity on blog, you might wonder why would I chose to talk about that "uncomfortable" activity of forgiving? Well, my dearest readers, I've learned so many things in this life and amongst the most important of them was forgiveness (and the hardest). 
I used to be a profesional grudge holder (as one of my poems stated) and no matter how much I would read about forgiveness or hear people talk motivational kind of stuff about it I just couldn't do it. I always believed it was fair to stay angry at someone if they did you wrong. The thing I would always fail to see has how that was damaging me. But oh believe me, when I've finally changed the way I perceive forgiveness I got rid of a lot of headaches and my life really improved.
The things that really changed my perception of forgiveness were two phrases and a book :). The two phrases that caught my attention were: " Holding a grudge is like allowing someone to live rentfree in your mind" - I roared when I realized that's true. The mindblower however was: "you're not even angry because they did something wrong, you're angry because it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, which makes you a selfish little b...". 

Trust me, forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You may wonder why...
- Do you know that when you are feeling angry/frustrated about something, when you hold a grudge, your brain perceives all the sadness or anger as if it's happening right now? When your brain feels in danger, whether it’s real or just imagined, the body responds with a defensive mechanism know as  “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response. This mechanism is your body's way of protecting you. Of course in certain events, such as emergency situation this will save your life by giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example. BUT, when there's no emergency, this mechanism will damage your health. Unforgiveness can cause disease. It can actually make you sick, by acting as if you are in danger and consuming way more energy for no reason, and not just that. You should google doctors opinion on stress, anger and resentment for better explanations :).
- Unforgiveness often leads depression. It keeps you in this vicious circle where you keep thinking back (relieving actually) about what happened and why you are angry at someone, or why you cannot forgive them.
- Unforgiveness keeps you tied to that person and the past. Because whenever you see them, see someone that resembles them, or hear their name, you immediately recall the bad experience you had his those people, hence it'll send your mind in a past loop.
- Unforgiveness fills you with resentment, it makes you feel blue :(. And usually when that happens, you tend to take it out on the ones that are close to you at that time...which is always so unfair.  

The most important things you need to understand about forgiveness is:
1. Forgiveness doesn't mean you have to accept those people as part of your life. It also doesn't mean you can/should trust them again. It just means you no longer hold on to those bad thoughts about them, don't feel the need to prepare a delicious cold dish of revenge or relieve those past events.
2. Forgiveness cuts the threats keeping you tied in the past. Forgiveness is literally setting yourself free from those bad thoughts and feelings.

3. Forgiveness helps you grow and develop. After you decide to forgive someone that had hurt you in the past, you release those bad thoughts and feelings that took your time, you'll have that time to think positive thoughts. Also, once you let go of seeing yourself as a victim because of what that person did to you, you take responsability for your happiness.
4. Forgiveness helps you heal. As I said before, not letting go of the past, constantly relieving those events keep you in the "flight-of-fight" reaction. As soon as you let go of those thoughts and resentments, the body functions under normal circumstances... imagine how relieving that must be. Just try this: hold a frown for five minutes. After those minutes pass relax your facial muscles, just let them be-see how good that feels.
5. Forgiveness is for your benefit, not the other. The other couldn't give more of a f...fish :) if you forgive them or not, whereas when you are feeling like a victim, you are the one carrying a heavy burden. Forgiveness allows you to get out of the spiderweb or regrets, pain and frustration.

Also, most of the times, the others don't even mean to hurt you, they just have their own messed up lives, and usually there's one of these two situations that causes their behaviour:
1. They envy you for your talent/beauty/mind/whatever it may be and they try to bring you down so that they can feel better about themselves.
2. They think they know what's best for you, case in which they actually want what's best for you. There are also many people that give tough love too much credit and overreact when using it.

Hoping I convinced you to start forgiving I'll wish you the best, and send you my hugs for being brave enough to stop being a victim. And in case you ever need to talk to someone, or need to be heard out, just send me a mail and I'll get back asap. :)

7 tips to help you write blog posts (and not only) easier

First off, Hello again my dearest readers. I know it's been a while since the last post and I know it seems as if I am getting lazier. Believe it or not, it's exactly the other way around. I won't start whining now, I just want to let you know I'm not turning lazy and as soon as I'll get more time on my hands I'll write more. There are so many things I have to share. Anyway, moving on.

This post was initially called just "7 tips to help you write blog posts easier", but then as I was writing and writing I realized I use this tips not only for blog posts but for writing generally, hence I added the not only part. I didn't use to be a good writer, I was rather the talkative one. But throughout this wonderful experience, (it's been 9 months now since I started blogging) I've learned so many things about writing and I also observed an improvement in my writing style and writing speed. Here are the 7 rules that helped me blogging for some time now.    

- Be yourself

In my opinion this is the most important thing to consider while blogging. Being open and honest about your beliefs and your opinions not only makes you feel comfortable helping you to write easier, but it also sends out a positive message of confidence to your readers. There are slight chances of you making it if you don't do it out of pleasure.  It is also important not to worry about pleasing everybody. Some may love your style and some may completely dislike it but the most important thing is to feel good and enjoy what you do. Bill Crosby once said "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody". So let your true nature shine through. Honestly, I believe everybody is beautiful in their own way, everybody has an interesting opinion and beautiful things to share. So be you! Everybody else is taken :)

- Pick up something you like

At least in the beginning. Start writing about what you like, what you know, what you feel comfortable with and confident about. After a while you can try to challenge yourself and approach things you are not used to, you don't really know. I had a post or two on subjects I didn't know much about, but I did my research and it was an amazing experience. There were so many useful things I  wanted to know more about, but didn't find the time to before,  and I've learned them while researching for my posts. 

- Start with the main ideas

Just write the essentials, that way you won't forget the gist ideas. You can even start with writing two, three or more words that are related to what are going to talk about. Just make sure those words are appropriate and will remind you what you wanted to talk about.

- Fill it in

I found this step to be extremely hard sometimes yet other times it was just a piece of cake. I guess it depends on the subject and the mood. In this step you will fill in the blank spaces. You will add words and sense to those gist ideas. You'll give more detailed explanations, even examples if you feel the need to. Here's where your fingerprint comes in. Here's where those unique ways of expressing yourself can be seen. In this step, you'll only be preoccupied with writing. Don't worry about how it sounds, if it really makes sense, just get lost in the moment and do what you do the best - write.

- Edit

You might think it's the easiest part...haha, good joke. Honestly, I find editing the hardest. During the editing process you'll have to make sure your sentences make sense, you'll also have to make sure it's grammatically correct and if you get new ideas, new sentences to write, you'll have to make sure they go with the rest of the text. Heming Nessingway once said: "Write drunk. Edit sober." Make sure you'll be as sober as possible for the editing part. 

- Find a title

Finding an attractive, related to the subject in matter title is vital. Your content might be really good, yet if the title is completely boring there are thin chances it will be read. Also, don't be a prick! Don't just use names and words for your titles that are completely unrelated to the post itself. People will fall for it the first time but it'll raise anger and frustration, and in the long run they won't stick with your blog and you'll lose credibility.   

- An image is worth a thousand words

And that phrase couldn't be more right. Images stick in your head easier than words, that's why if you can, add some pictures to the blog post to make sure the readers will keep in mind your blog posts. 

I hope this will be useful and it'll help you write blog posts (and not only :) ) easier. Let me know if you found my tips useful and if you have some to share as well.

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

Healing your body and senses with aromatherapy

Aromatherapy – you just say it out loud and it already gives you an idea of how it feels like. Can you smell the incense? Can you see the candles slowly burning? Can you feel the floral smell? Can you hear the smooth music playing in the background? I don’t know about you but that’s what I feel when I hear the word aromatherapy. I know it seems really fancy but believe it or not aromatherapy is not so complicated once you get the grip of it. Let's get to the basics so you can start using aromatherapy in your everyday life. 

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils extracted from plants for psychological and physical well-being purposes. Aromatherapy can be used in various ways such as inhalations, massages and even swallowed (these cases are less frequent, and I personally didn’t give it a try yet). Inhaled or applied on the skin, essential oils are becoming an alternative treatment for infections, pain, stress and other health problems. Essential oils have been used for therapeutic purposes for nearly 6,000 years. The ancient Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used them in cosmetics, perfumes, and drugs. They were also used for spiritual, therapeutic, hygienic, and ritualistic purposes.

Note: You should never take essential oils by mouth without specific instruction from a trained and qualified specialist.

Aromatherapy can be used for more than healing proprieties. It can also be used for:

• Air freshening
• Bathing
• Compresses
• Recipes for creams and lotions
• Floral waters
• Foot and hand baths
• Hair care
• Jacuzzis
• Massage
• Saunas
• Showers
• Sits bath
• Steam inhalations
• Vaporization / diffusing

So what are essential oils?

Essential oils are concentrated extracts taken from the roots, seeds, leaves or blossoms of plants. Each contains its own mix of active ingredients, and this mix determines what the oil is used for. While some oils are used to promote physical healing (to treat swelling, fungal infections, nasal decongestion, allergies and so on) others are used for their mood shifting powers (help you relax, energize your body, induce a well being feeling, make a room smell pleasant and so on). Many of the oils have powerful antibacterial and antiviral qualities which, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, do not leave behind dangerous toxins.

For example, orange blossom oil contains a large amount of an active ingredient that is thought to be energizing, whereas lavender essential oil can be used to help you relax. Essential oils, the pure essence of a plant, have been found to provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly and safely.

Keep an eye out for "perfume oils" or "fragrance oils", since they are not the same as essential oils! Fragrance oils and perfume oils contain synthetic chemicals and do not provide the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Because of the chemical substances they contain they can actually be harmful if ingested. This doesn’t mean you should avoid them; just don’t apply them of the skin or even worse swallow fragrance oils. Use them just for the pleasant smell they have – air freshening. Of course it’s best if you use essential oils at all times but fragrance oils are cheaper.

How to tell if essential oils are genuine

Not all ready-made aromatherapy products labeled with the word aromatherapy are pure and natural. When shopping for essential oils you should always check the ingredient label to be sure that the product does not contain fragrance oils or impure (chemical) components. A general rule-of-thumb is to be wary of products that do not list their ingredients and those that do not boast of having pure essential oils (look for products that contain pure essential oils on their ingredient list and avoid those that have words like fragrance).

Using essential oils

Inhaling essential oils. Essential oils that are inhaled into the lungs provide both psychological and physical benefits. The aroma of the natural essential oil stimulates the brain to trigger a reaction, and when inhaled into the lungs, the natural constituents (naturally occurring chemicals) can supply therapeutic benefit. Diffusing eucalyptus essential oil to help ease congestion is a good example.

Applying essential oils to the skin. Another way of using essential oils is to apply them to the skin from where they will be absorbed into the bloodstream. The constituents of essential oils can aid in health, beauty and hygiene conditions. Since essential oils are powerful and concentrated, they should never be applied to the skin in their undiluted form. To apply essential oils to the skin, they have to be diluted into carrier oil. The carrier oil, also known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils before they are applied to the skin in massage and aromatherapy. They are so named because they carry the essential oil onto the skin Common carrier oils include sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil and grape seed oil.

In addition to therapeutic benefit at the emotional and physical level, essential oils are helpful in other applications. Essential oils can be used in household and laundry cleaners. Some oils act as a natural insect repellent and pesticide. Citronella essential oil is well known for its ability to repel mosquitoes.

Essential Oil Blends

Essential oils can be blended together to create appealing and complex aromas. Essential oils can also be blended for a specific therapeutic application. For example a blend of tea tree, sandalwood and rosemary essential oils, make a great “cocktail” that’ll help you fight hayfever (the mix has to be diluted with a carrier oil and will be used for inhalations or massages). Essential oils that are carefully blended with a specific therapeutic purpose in mind may be referred to as an essential oil synergy. A synergistic essential oil blend is considered to be more powerful in total action than each oil working independently.

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

 

Books I recommend: Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality

"Don’t try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it irritates the pig." Anthony de Mello

Anthony de Mello's Awareness book was one amongst the first books on spirituality that I've read and it was the first I resonated with on subjects such as: love, happiness, spirituality, ego and so on.
Besides the funny yet practical short stories that stuck inside my head I also loved his natural way of writing. I've always been interested in what the message is saying not how sophisticated the words are. Sophisticated words with no meaning leave me cold whereas simple words with great meaning do move me. And that's exactly what Tony's message is all about, therefore I adored it from the very start. 
Another great thing about the book was that it made me think, whereas some books I just read and moved on saying: "Aw yeah, that's so cute." or "So impractical, let's move on" and some just seemed a complete waste of time, having a book to make me stop reading to consider for more than two seconds what is written inside it, is a great experience for me. Sometimes I just passed pages smiling, reading the confirmation of what I've always thought but there were times when I just had to stop to think about what was written in there, to try and see if there was indeed a connection between what the book said and certain aspects of reality. And nine out of ten times, I was amazed to see he was actually right. 

This book changed me - in a good way I like to believe. Truth is, this book helped me get rid of a whole awful lot of headaches and helped me see things through one more perspective. He did open my eyes once and for all regarding the expectations I had of others with the following phrase"A young man came to complain that his girlfriend had let him down, that she had played false. What are you complaining about? Did you expect any better? Expect the worst, you're dealing with selfish people. You're the idiot—you glorified her, didn't you? You thought she was a princess, you thought people were nice. They're not! They're not nice." It made me realize that I always used to judge people as this or that and then I expected from them what I thought of them, which was really rude and wrong of me. With that phrase in mind, I started looking at people differently, stopped expecting them to be the way I thought they should and guess what? they turned out to be way cooler than I would've imagined it. And oh, that was not the only thing this book helped me with. It also confirmed my beliefs on happiness. 

I'm a happy person most of the times and with no apparent reason. I don't know why, all I know is, I've been this way ever since I know me. Oh and trust me, I have problems as well, actually loads of them, but they never stepped in the way of my happiness. Being like this, I rarely place my happiness in things. Of course, I cursed a couple of times when things didn't go my way, I might have even been rude to those that "stood" between me and my happiness, and I even cried a couple of times, but I was never the obsessed kind, the one that completely refuses to be happy unless they get what they want. That's why this passage of the book convinced me I was right "...we don't want to be happy. We want other things. Or let's put it more accurately: We don't want to be unconditionally happy. I'm ready to be happy provided I have this and that and the other thing. But this is really to say to our friend or to our God or to anyone, 'You are my happiness. If I don't get you, I refuse to be happy.' It's so important to understand that. We cannot imagine being happy without those conditions. We've been taught to place our happiness in them." It would make me a big fat liar to say I don't act stupid sometimes and refuse to be happy unless I get things my way, but it's even less than before and I snap out of it faster. 

Not to mention the thing that triggered my interest from the very beginning of the book was this "Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep. They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence." Now, I could talk about this book all day long but I don't intend to ruin the reading experience for you by commenting each phrase of the book, so I will finish this post by telling you that this book helped me very much in life and I hope it will help you as well. If, however you don't like it, just let it be, don't waste your time trying to like it or waste energy disliking it. If it doesn't appeal to you, if it doesn't feel natural, just let it go. 

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

Write about this! Spoken word ideas.

Poetry is a wonderful way of expressing feelings, letting things off your chest and even spending time. Where as others will smoke or drink, get all sorts of addictions, poets are addicted to words and use them to relieve negative feelings and emphasize good ones or vice versa. I'm pretty sure there comes a time in every poet's life when he/she doesn't know what to write about anymore. It's not that they cannot write. Give them any word and they'll build a castle of words around it. It's not about lack of inspiration rather than lack of subjects. Of course they could write all day long about what they feel or what they think/see but dedicated poets are those who face challenges - write about what they don't know, get out of their comfort zone. With that in mind, I searched the Internet and made a selection (and of course added some of my own ideas) of topics to write poems about. I hope this will come in hand to all of you that just don't know what to write about at the moment. Feel free to send me your poems if you want to.

• Describing someone by their belongings.
• Describing an event that occured to you/someone you know a long time ago. 
• A conversation between two people, objects, ideas, or animals.
• Defining words in strange and new ways or creating anagrams and acronyms
• About your favorite sport/food/weather/movie/poet/person/animal - really this list can go on forever
• Describing the world around you right now (the room/bus/nature)
• Pretending you are someone else.
• Speaking from the point of view of something you lost or misplaced.
• A poem composed entirely of adjectives/verbs/nouns
• About a feeling
• A poem in which you are finding excuses
• A poem inspired by conversations you had or heard
• A dialogue between body parts 
• Your opinion on historic events
• Explaining the beginning of something in reverse motion
• A love poem dedicated to an object. 
• Describing places from your childhood or the future
• From the inside of something inanimate.
• Explaining why you don't have your homework -  to your teacher/mother/yourself 
• About something you are passionate about or studying
• Explaining where you hid something and why
• A letter to someone you like/dislike
• A poem about what you wish people would tell you/not tell you
• A stalker letter
• Your memories as carousels in an amusement park
• About things that make you smile/cry/laugh/feel hope/feel hopeless, etc 
• As a string of metaphors 
• About something in the news or on social media
• Answering a question you've always had
• Your opinion about news/social media
• A poem composed of questions you can't answer
• A poem about good reasons to throw things out the window
• Explaining why the rain is falling/sun is shinning and other natural things
• Telling a dream you had and explaining it, or explaining a dream you have for the future.
• As your last words
• Closing your eyes and describing what you imagine
• Describing a poem you once wrote or a painting you made
• A to-do list of all the things you want to do in life.
• About a place you know well and its story, or why you know it so well
• A poem about sunrise/sunset/twilight/night,etc
• About an ordinary object, in unexpected ways.
• Describing the history of your fears.
• From the point of view of an alien visiting Earth, or someone who just awoke from a hundred-year sleep.
• About imaginary planets/worlds/cities/animals/plants/
• About contraries
• Describing how you got over something in your life
• Write a poem with a partner - rules: each of you can only write a line at a time which means you have to pass the poem after every line you write
• Describing a crime you committed in your imagination.
• Making recipes - how to make something that isn't food. (my fav examples are love, smile, life)
• Describing how you got rid of your biggest fear
• Explaining why something is important to you (poetry,music,movies,games,candy,pets)

And of course, the well known lists: Things I like/dislike/love. Things I should have learned by now. Things my parents/teaches told me and turned out to be true. And so on. I heard about the list technique from Sarah Kay and I believe it is a great way of finding inspiration, so feel free to make as many lists as you can.

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

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How about those apples?

Besides the well known "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away." saying, how much do you actually know about the health benefits apple consumption bring? It's rather amazing. 

Apples will help you:

Have a healthier heart
The phenolic compound found in the apple skin prevents the cholesterol that gets into your system from solidifying on your artery walls. The plaque that builds inside your arteries, reduces the blood flow to your heart, and that's how you get coronary artery disease.

Reduce  cholesterol
The soluble fibre found in apples binds with fats in the intestine, which translates into lower cholesterol levels.

Detoxify your liver
You're liver is "bombed" on a daily basis by those delicious choices of meals and those unhealthy drinks you savor. The liver's job is to get those toxins out of your system, which believe it or not, is not such an easy job. Apples are a great help for your liver - and for you as well. 

Boost your immune system
Quercetin is a very effective antioxidant that is proven to help you boost your immune system, especially when you're stressed out. This amazing antioxidant can be found... as you probably guessed already - in apples... red apples that is.

Get rid of diarrhea and constipation
The fibres found in apples come in great help for those of you who struggle with diarrhea or constipation.  

Control your weight
A rich fibre diet is a well known trick amongst those who struggle to lose weight and/or eat healthy. Foods rich in fibre fill you up with less calories than regular food.

About those hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are not life threatening but a huge pain in the *** - literally! Hemorroids are caused by too much pressure in the pelvic and rectal areas. Fibres can prevent you from straining too much when going to the bathroom and thereby help alleviate hemorrhoids.

Prevent gallstones
Trust me. Gallstones are not cool at all! Gallstones form when there's too much cholesterol in your bile for it to remain as a liquid, so it solidifies. Guess what helps you control the weight and cholesterol levels? Exactly. Fibres. And fibres can be found in... you already know this don't you?

Get White, healthy teeth

When you bite and chew apples it stimulates the production of saliva in your mouth. This is very effective because it lowers the levels of bacteria in your mouth. No bacteria, no tooth decay.  

Decrease the risk of diabetes

Women who eat at least one apple a day are 28 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don't eat apples. Apples are loaded with soluble fibre, the key to blunting blood sugar swings.

Neutralize irritable bowel syndrome

To control the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome doctors recommend staying away from dairy and fatty foods while including a high intake of fibre in your diet.

Keep your brain young and avoid Alzheimer's
A study performed on mice shows that drinking apple juice could keep Alzheimer's away and fight the effects of aging on the brain. The mice were fed an apple-enhanced diet showed higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and did better in maze tests than those on a regular diet.

Protect yourself against Parkinson's
Research has shown that people who eat fruits and other high-fibre foods gain a certain amount of protection against Parkinson’s.

Prevent cataracts
Long-term studies suggest that people who have a diet rich in fruits that contain antioxidants—such as apples—are 10 - 15 per cent less likely to develop cataracts.

Curb all sorts of cancer
Researchers at Cornell University have identified several compounds—interpenetrates—in apple peel that have potent anti-growth activities against cancer cells in the liver, colon and breast. Their earlier research found that extracts from whole apples can reduce the number and size of mammary tumors in rats. 

Hope I convinced you to start eating at least an apple a day! Even if you don't like apples, (freak! apples are delicious) you should consider eating an apple a day. It's really such a small price to pay for so many health benefits. 

Wishing you the best,

Rachel

Pick my brain day

Well the title is kind of self explanatory isn't it? But just to make sure, I'm going to tell you more about it (um... I'm not going to tell you because I literally can't, but I'm going to write) .

You probably have lots of questions to which you are searching for answers - so do I. And I know I would appreciate some answers, or opinions at least, and since we are not that different, you would probably appreciate some answers as well.  That thought led me to the following idea: to dedicate a day of the week for your questions and curiosities my dearest readers. Chances are I won't know all the answers but I bet I have some answers for you. 

Here's how this day (post) will work. I'll receive questions from you guys on the following email address: wandering.rachel@yahoo.com during the week, and there will be a day of the week (most probably Friday) when I'll have a special post. That post will consist of your questions and the answers I'll give you. If, however you want your questions to stay between you and me, I'm cool with that as well. Just let me know in the email. 

I don't like to impose rules generally, but there is a line I'll have to draw. And that is - my private life is well...mine! Of course, you can ask me personal things... but not too personal. Capisce? 

Well, with all that being said, I can't wait to hear from you. 

Wishing you the best, 
Rachel

So...what do you think? 

The birth of a martyr

Merriam Webster defines martyr as "a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle".   Martyr...just another word, yet such a powerful one. And it gives the word even more power when it's spoken by a warrior like Immortal Technique. It's not a question of how much talent he has, cause we all know that...It's about, how much better can you get ? I mean seriously. "Leaving the past" was the first song I heard from him and I froze in place at that time. It was just so real. I felt reborn at the time. As if all I thought and never had the courage to admit even for myself was put in words. Ever since, I listened to his songs so much that I've actually learned most of them by heart - with no intention of doing so. And just when I thought he couldn't possibly be getting better than that, he came out with "The martyr" which is not only incredibly amazing but one of the best albums ever (in my opinion). And to leave you speechless I'll tell you one more thing. You might think of running to the shop to get his album right? Well, you don't have to do that. He decided the album was going to be available for free. 

The album is a masterpiece, his lyrics speak to your mind and spirit, the instrumental is just as always, simple yet perfect. Overall, listening to his album is an amazing experience you shouldn't miss. It takes you courage to write down such lyrics and it takes carrying for the realness to rhyme like this, so even though it's 35 later than it should've been said...A martyr by the name of Immortal Technique was born. And I'm sure, he'll never be forgotten. 

I full hearted recommend his album to those of you that can see life past what they show you on TV and in magazines. Stay awake! 

Wishing you the best,
Rachel

Poem - Life is so...

This is a poem I wrote a couple of months ago. I still remember the day...I was so stressed out that I thought I would die. I couldn't focus on doing  what I had to, I was completely uninspired and feeling bad overall. And then, something amazing happened. I heard my wind chimes "song" (you know the sound they make. I like to call it their "little song" ) and became instantly inspired by that. So I relaxed and enjoyed their song after which I started to look around me, and see the beauty of life. That is how this poem was born. Hope you'll enjoy it. 

Life is so… beautiful!

Like the first breath you take in each morning.

Beautiful, like the music of your heart.

Like, wind chimes in the wind and birds flying high – spreading their wings just for the sake of being blessed and caressed by the wind.

Like sunrises seen from mountaintops and skyline sunsets on rooftops.

Like the steam raising from the sewers in wintertime…

Like waves crushing the shore… again and again, like feeling the impact the full moon has on them.

Beautiful like dandelions in full bloom… like… you in full bloom.

Beautiful, like a room full of people that appreciate your metaphors… or just that someone in the room with you, that someone who knows your scars stories by heart and knows how to sing your favorite lullaby when bad thoughts make it impossible for you to fall asleep.

Life is beautiful.

Like a child's innocent laugh and your loved ones smiles.

Like whispers and secret wishes, silly situations and pillow fights.

Like cats being afraid of dogs that fear those cats already.

Like us… being all fouls. Cause see, sometimes I fear you may hurt me while you fear I'll do the same to you so instead of reaching out to touch your soul… I reach out to touch your insecurities and then point at your flaws.

Beautiful… like when I realize I can see myself in you so we connect.

Beautiful, like how no matter how different we all are we always find something in common, the way a sudden rain takes us all by surprise and gets all of us wet.

Life is beautiful… Like painters, painting their way out of the night, writers writing their way out of confusion and singers singing their way out of depression.

Beautiful…just like the sun's rays finding them all in the morning and shining on their tired bodies, hoping that will be a good enough reason for them to carry on and stay strong.

Beautiful…like kids jumping the rope on the block and you still watching cartoons from time to time. Like that special color of a winter's sunset.

Beautiful… like life seen from a hot air balloon flight and little flaws seen from outer space.

Life is just… breathtaking.

Like inhaling your mother's perfume and exhaling hope, love, devotion in your lover's ear.

Like scratching the words powerful and perfect on the foreheads of all the renegades, who shine brighter than others but are being judged by the standards of these sick societies. Beautiful like pay it forward (the concept of the movie), do overs and being able to dream above the limits. Like saying: Yes, I can!

Beautiful… like rainbows and daisies, fireflies and sprinklers during warm summer nights.

Like oak trees, wolf's solitude and owl's wisdom. Midnight cups of coffee over conversations and ideas, puffy clouds and poetry.

Life is so…beautiful…

Like when I remember, it's not in the words so I'll drop the pen and start living it.

Wishing you the best,

Rachel