Shortly before the New Year, I left my friend’s house – where we had been preparing a joint presentation on bulimia and anorexia. So the importance of treating oneself with kindness and gentleness was on my mind. I passed the bus pictured below.
Obviously, when you don’t listen to your body, be mindful of stressors and triggers, you end up burned-out like the bus.
So, to induce a Buddhist-like state, first I tried gardening – tackling my potted plants that sorely needed larger containers. Whew! Re-potting is hard work, messy and not-calming. See below picture.
Yearning to begin 2019 living mindfully and serenely, I headed to my favorite place to chill and shop – a bookstore. Perusing the magazine racks and best-seller display proved to be a source of great information and inspiration. My mission: discover innovative ways to achieve restfulness and contentment in my own personal sphere amidst the chaos of the world.
I snapped up four magazines – all touting serenity in 2019. Magazines in their essence are designed for flipping through, not reading avidly page by page in one sitting. Below are four of my favorites to peruse when taking a bit of time to recharge.
Woman’s World All Natural Remedies – contains 96 pages filled with wholesome, natural ways to ease everyday ailments – without unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Here’s a sampling of a few that grabbed my attention:
Insomnia – keep a small jasmine plant on your night stand as the sweet scent nudges your brain to make more soothing, sleep-inducing alpha waves.
Overeating – take 500 to 750 mg of Glucomannan with an 8 ounce glass of water – helps you feel comfortably full within 30 minutes
Saggy skin – whisk 1 egg plus 1 additional egg yolk with 3 tablespoons of red wine until well combined. Apply a thin layer with a pastry brush to face, neck and jawline. Dry for 10 minutes and then rinse. It’s a great short-term tightening fix. And my added recommendation: sip a little of that red wine too for a short-term mood boost.
Planet Mindful – Choosing a Calm Life – just buying this magazine brings me a measure of tranquility. The articles are wise and provocative.
Mourning the shortening winter daylight? Embrace the night.
Healing after heartache/loss – the stages we go through and the books that help us mend
Women and anger – reduce your frustration, let it out appropriately and healthily harness the force behind the rage
The Cozy Issue – Bella Grace – wool socks, hot cocoa, and a fireplace crackling with flames – that’s what I envision when yearning for COZY. This periodical is that and so much more.
Exploring the Danish concept of Hygge.
The comfort of shawls, hand warmers, certain sounds, and certain smells.
Hosting a hot chocolate party.
Cottage Style – One of my favorite decorating magazines. Their mantra: the best homes are not the ones with the most stuff or the most rooms – they’re the ones with the most heart. Here’s a sampling:
How to mix eclectic and traditional
Adapting to smaller space living
Sensible, sensitive renovations
High impact paints and textures
Then I hit the best-seller bookshelf in the bookstore – the one display with the 40% off tag. I couldn’t resist the highly touted new book Home Body, by television personality Joanna Gaines. Usually I just look at the pictures, skim the headings and skip the verbiage in decorating materials. This time, I delved deeper and was richly rewarded.
Joanna Gaines’ advice for creating spaces you never want to leave: don’t get bogged down with design rules and styles and don’t aim to always get it “right” the first time. She emphasizes choosing things we love for our homes. Your home, she urges, should tell your story through the heirlooms you’ve inherited, the flea market finds you’ve snapped up, and the treasured pieces you’ve bought when traveling. Gaines stresses creating a home for you and your loved ones that reflects your soul and substance and to have fun while doing it.
Here’s to 2019 – a new year where we do good things to improve the world around us and shoot a little effort our own way to do good things for ourselves and those we love.
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris