Let's think positive and...apple cake.
This is definitely not the second blog I had intended to write.
I have been wanting to say something on social media for a while about what is going on at the moment, but I have realised I feel paralysed. There is so much panic and bad news around us and so much information coming our way about this, by now, infamous virus, that I feel my words are redundant. What can I possibly say that no one else has already eloquently expressed?
Talking to my Italian friends and family and feeling their distress and worry is quite traumatic and my mood is on a daily roller coaster.
As I have already written in my first blog, I have always been a positive person with a very sunny outlook on life. Even in the darkest of times, I will turn towards the light…I will look for the silver lining…for the positive words…for the encouragement and support to those that need it.
So, here I am now…asking you…what do YOU need right now? How can I help?
I know I really need GOOD news. Something positive and uplifting to look forward to.
As Marianne Williamson recently said, this very strange situation is not only survivable but THRIVABLE. We might not be always in control of our circumstances, but we sure can control WHO we want to be IN the experience.
Maybe, this temporary suspension of our everyday hustle was much needed by all of us to realise how we normally take our life and freedom for granted. How necessary it is to face some DISCOMFORT to appreciate all we have. Hopefully, the result will be some kind of global awakening…
To be fair, I have read some positive, constructive articles about how this period of forced global pause is healing the Earth. Satellite images are showing already a pronounced reduction in the level of pollution around the world.
Moreover, this period of isolation is allowing us to rest and reconnect with ourselves, our loved ones, our house, our interests and all those things that we usually put on the back burner for “when we have time”. Well, NOW IT’S THE TIME.
Let’s try and concentrate on what gives us JOY and do more of it. Let’s be MINDFUL.
Whatever your age, there are many activities to keep you busy during this quarantine period. And if you have INTROVERTED TENDENCIES like me, I bet you don’t mind spending time at home reading, researching, working from your laptop, daydreaming, meditating, exercising, cooking up a storm, tiding up the junk that has been accumulating in the corners over the last few years, connecting with friends online or by phone, writing…and JUST LEARNING… Personally, I am a life-long student and will take advantage of this suspended time to finally take all the online courses I have bought and haven’t had the time to start yet; I will try and work my way through the pile of books that have been gathering dust by my bedside; I will look at all the cookbooks I have to find different recipes to add to my repertoire!
I will try and keep myself and my family as strong and healthy as possible by cooking nutritious, healing food. By taking some herbal supplements my naturopath has recommended and by doing some gentle exercise.
I feel it’s not the time to be extreme now but to be soft and take good, loving care of yourself.
I have also started meditating more often. I don’t know your position on meditation. It’s one of those things I have always wanted to do and never got around to…it’s always sounded so woo woo that I imagined I had to sit cross-legged and chant to achieve a connection with a higher spirit. And that sounded very uncomfortable to me!
Until I actually started to be curious about it. It turns out it’s much less dogmatic than I thought and the benefits are tremendous, for both mind and body.
Just sitting in silence, with your eyes shut and focusing on your breath for a few minutes does wonders for your nervous system, especially when you feel extremely stressed and anxious. There’s a lot of information out there about it and I am not an expert, but I wanted to let you know I use an app called Insight Timer. It’s free and it’s wonderful and very helpful. It even has sleep music for soothing you before going to bed.
Anyway, let’s talk about food, shall we?
Getting your hands dirty is a proven stress-buster so if you feel like doing a bit of “procrastibaking” (just came across this term on social media and it made me crack up! “Verb: when you have a million things to do but ignore everything and bake”) here is a recipe I grew up with, my mother’s Apple Cake. I can’t think of anything better to soothe a frazzled heart. Click the link below for the recipe.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and please stay safe and at home.
If you have any suggestions on how I can help you through this very weird time, please go to my contact page and drop me a line…and if you haven’t already signed up for my mailing list click here to join my community and get my free guide “Eat like an Italian, Lose weight and Feel Great”.