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We all recognize that feeling we get when in our gut we know that something is right for us, or maybe even wrong. There is no concrete reason for this, other than a deep feeling. This is our gut instinct or intuition.
“Intuition is the key to everything, in painting, filmmaking, business- everything. I think you could have an intellectual ability, but if you can sharpen your intuition, which they say is the emotion and intellect joining together, then a knowingness occurs.” David Lynch
A while back I wrote about eating intuitively, and I decided today to expand on this concept of intuition. Intuition is about acknowledging, listening to, and following those feelings we know as gut-feelings, inner knowing, or awareness.
I recognize that the more I listen to my intuition, the better my life turns out. In fact, I chide myself when I don’t follow my intuition, because it regularly comes back to bite me- in a sense.
Our gut, among other parts of our bodies, is essential to our intuition. Intuition guides us and helps us make decisions. I’ll tell you how to do it, but first give you a reason why it benefits us.
We’re in the midst of the holiday season and with it an increased consumption of sweet and baked goods. At a time where so many of the foods commercially available are laden with sugar, and excess sugar consumption has been found to be detrimental to our health, it is important to find alternatives.
There are, of course, many alternatives to sugar, including honey, agave, molasses as well as sugar substitutes that don’t add caloric content to the food. However, most of these calorie-free sugar substitutes come with consumer alerts. The latest one I saw was on a toxic chemical released in Splenda when it is heated. Studies found that dioxin, a cancer-causing compound, is released when Splenda, particularly sucralose, is cooked (Ji, 2018).
On the other hand, stevia is touted as the healthy alternative to sugar (Santana, 2018). I decided to learn more about it, and here is what I found.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), nearly ¼ of adults in the United States are affected by mental health, whether it be anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among others (2017). This means that over 44 million people in the US suffer from a mental health issue (Mental Health America, n.d.).
There are social stigmas surrounding mental health, including the misunderstanding that people who suffer from mental health issues are more likely to be violent or institutionalized.
The truth is mental health issues affect people of all ages and are no different than any other issues that we face. In fact, we all suffer from some form of mental health issue at some point in our life. Having discussions and open communication about mental health can provide people with proper support.
Ashely Santangelo (2018) discusses her experience with mental health issues, diagnoses, and eventual support. I was inspired by her story, and it motivated me to write this article. The holiday season can be a particular trigger for those suffering from mental health issues, which made me feel this is an appropriate time to write about this.
Measuring ourselves against others leads to feelings of insecurity and that we are not enough. Comparisons are draining and keep our focus on others rather than on ourselves. In the long-run, they hurt us.
There will always be people who have more than us, who can do more than us, and who have what we desire. Similarly, there will always be people who have less than us, do less than us, and are in situations we don’t desire. It is inevitable. It is a fact of life that we are better off accepting and not indulging in.
Don’t get me wrong, even though I realize comparisons aren’t healthy, I struggle with comparing myself to others. I have done it my whole life and continue doing it still, but I have gotten better at managing it. Here is how I have learned to reduce the desire to compare.
