Vision Board- more perspective on life

Selfcare Emergency Meter: Pick Me Up/ Preparatory Measures

Time Commitment: 30 min- 1 hr/ 2 min.

My new roommate, Hannah, suggested this technique to me the other day.  It is truly wonderful!  A vision board allows you to hone in on a personal goal, make a collage out of images meaningful to that goal, and then have a tangible reminder of the goal's presence in your life.  It really helps to provide perspective when you might be bogged down by everyday-life stressors.

Procedure: Making the vision board is the Pick Me Up.  Looking at your vision board everyday is the Preparatory Measure.  Now, gather old magazines and other collage materials if you wish.  I actually used Polyvore.com to create my collage on the computer.  I found out about Polyvore from my friend, Chelsea's, wonderful home DIY blog: http://apt205b.blogspot.com/search/label/DIY (Check it out!).  Polyvore's original purpose is to form your own fashion spreads online, but with its plethora of little collage pictures, it works wonderfully for this vision board idea as well.  When creating your vision board, think of a long term (0r not so long term) goal.  My goal is to travel.  I want to get out of the country.  I want to learn about other cultures.  I want to have the opportunity to live abroad.  I collected digital pictures that really exemplified these wants for me.  Choose pictures that have a real "fit" to them.  Do they feel right to you?  Choose pictures that include steps of reaching your goal.  How will you make your goal come true?  Do you really want it to come true?  Note ideas of obstacles to your goal that come up in your mind.  Are they real obstacles? Can you research to find ways around them? All of these extra thoughts give your goal a foot in the door of reality.  It's the idea of being able to manifest what you want in your life, if you want to take the project that far.  When you finish with your vision board, look at it.  Look at it everyday.  Think about it.  Are you taking steps right now toward your goal?  Are you taking steps right now away from your goal?  Your vision board can really help to provide you with a burst of hope and excitement everyday.

Why this is wonderful: It attends to 2 senses: sight and touch.  Seeing your goal everyday helps to remind you of it, and motivate you toward it.  The texture of the vision board itself may not be too interesting, but being able to hold your goal in your hand is quite the empowering experience.  Your goal becomes within your reach, literally.  You are that much closer to it.  The vision board helps pull you out of the little annoyances of the day, and gives you a look at a bigger picture--your bigger picture.

Cookies- selfcare to share

Selfcare Emergency Meter: Pick Me Up
Time Commitment: 1 hour (preparation and cook time)


I was thinking the other day, I have been living in my current apartment since February, and I hadn't baked anything from scratch the entire time.  Why not?  I like baking, actually I really like baking (every once in awhile).  But, I guess "I didn't have the time."  Well, yesterday morning, between onslaughts of homework, I made time!  I had grocery shopped the day before according to the perfect recipe I found online.  I was going to experiment with vegan baking by making Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies. (click link for recipe!).


**If you want to experiment with vegan cooking yourself, check out this link: Vegan Substitutions and Converting Any Recipe to Vegan  I found it really helpful because not all people may have access to things like "vegan margarine" that was required for my recipe.  Luckily there are a million Whole Foods stores in Boulder, so I was able to find the darn vegan margarine.  :)


Procedure: Turn on your favorite album of the moment (optional, but fun); I had Foster The People's album "Torches" playing.  Gather your ingredients, measuring cups and spoons, and mixing bowls.  Start preparing according to your recipe of choice, but use awareness.  Note the colors, textures, and scents of the ingredients.  How do they change as you add something else?  What happens to the texture when you mix it with the mixer?  Use curiosity.  When rolling the dough into balls in preparation for the cookie sheet, notice the stickiness of the dough.  Sample a bit of the dough (remember, there are no eggs, so this is OK!), what does it taste like?  Do you like it?  Does it remind you of anything?  Anyone?  Bake the cookies according to the recipe.  Be careful not to burn them!  When all the cookies are done, share them with your friends, family, and/or co-workers.  This is an opportunity for you to be the Selfcare Fairy for the day, sharing little bits of hope and happiness with the world!


Why this is wonderful: It attends to 4 main senses: sight, smell, touch, taste.  Paying attention to the little things and the details as you move through the recipe helps you to enjoy the process more and brings you into the current moment.  The stress in your life seems smaller and more manageable.  Also, I like taking breaks from homework to cook because I still feel productive- You gotta eat, right? :)

Trail Mix- morsels of amazing

Selfcare Emergency Meter: Get Me Through the Day
Time Commitment: 5 min (preparation)

I never used to be much of a trail mix person before.  The pre-mixed bags always have too much of one thing (like peanuts) and I get bored and never finish the dang thing.  But, now, I have discovered the option of making my own. Many grocery stores with a health food section have a line-up of bins with separate ingredients. I always assumed these lil guys would be too expensive, but they are definitely cheap if you don't go for a whole pound of each thing at a time.  My mixes are made up of salted nuts, chocolate, and fruit; whichever options appeal to me at the time.  My current mix has pistachios, M&Ms, and dried mango (although I really like dried apricots, too).  The key is to vary tastes and textures for mix that will keep your palate interested.


Procedure: At home, keep your ingredients separate.  Combine your trail mix daily before you head off to school, work, whatever.  Do not make a huge bag of trail mix to last for days because the nuts will pick up moisture from the fruit, and lose their crunch.  I know this from experience.  Soft pistachios are not as fun to eat as crunchy, fresh ones.  Also, just mix up a small container because this is not a meal.  I use a 6.5oz. jar that originally came with artichoke hearts in it.  The small portion helps me to appreciate the individual pieces of the trail mix more.  When eating the mixture, wherever you are, slow down and eat one piece at a time.  I will reiterate that this is not meant for a meal.  The purpose is not as much to stifle hunger, but to bring you into the moment to appreciate this little gift to yourself.  Before it touches your tongue, notice the colors and textures of each piece.  Then, with your tongue, notice the textures and flavors.  Chew deliberately.


Why this is wonderful: It attends to 3 senses: sight, touch, and taste.  By giving attention and awareness to the effect the trail mix has on these senses, each morsel can help ground you into the present moment, making you better able to get through your day!

Coffee- a snuggly blanket for your insides

Selfcare Emergency Meter: Get Me Through the Day
Time Commitment: ~5 min. for preparation (varies depending on how you like to brew yours)


This is definitely an old favorite, but it deserves a post because it makes me so happy (and keeps me sane) everyday.  I enjoy my ritual of coffee, especially on Sundays when it holds my hand through an overwhelming pile of school work. I have such an appreciation for my ritual that I will spend a little extra money at the store to get the good stuff.  Yes, the situation is exactly as described in the "Jimmy" scene in Pulp Fiction:

My favorite is Peet's Coffee brand in the House Blend. I also like to pick a flavored creamer that sounds comforting.  Currently, I have liquid Coffee-Mate creamer in Coconut Creme flavor, yessss.
I drink coffee everyday, but in this post I will only describe the Sunday experience because it is the most nurturing and most helpful to this blog.


Procedure: Brew coffee in whatever way you enjoy.  I use an instant coffee maker because I can set it up super quick, then do other things while it brews.  When the coffee is ready, pour it into your favorite mug.  This step is super important.  To me, the mug makes all the difference.  All the mugs I use are large, fit in my hand(s) nicely, and have nostalgic value.  I usually use a mug that I made in a pottery class in undergrad, but I have others that friends have given me, so those are nice too!  After poured, add creamer, mix, sniff, and gulp at your leisure while doing whatever you need to do that day!


Why this is wonderful: It attends to 3 senses: touch, smell, and taste.  You feel the warmth and weight of the mug.  You smell the enveloping aroma of the coffee.  You taste its full bodied flavor and hints of sweetness.  The procedure may also appeal to your sense of sight if you find your coffee mug visually pleasing. Each sip snuggles you into the moment, whether you are at work, cleaning your house, or writing papers. It is a gentle way of helping you through potentially stressful events.


**Note: If you are not fond of coffee, hot tea or other favorite drinks of yours may work as well!

LUSH- topical selfcare

Selfcare Emergency Meter:  Preparatory Measures
Time Commitment: 2 min (after shower is best)


My favorite selfcare treat at this moment is a combination of LUSH products:  Each Peach scented lotion/massage bar with Coconut scented deodorant powder on top.


Procedure: After you get out of the shower and have toweled off, take out the massage bar and rub it all over your body.  Put the bar down and rub the lotion into your skin.  Then, shake some deodorant powder onto your hand and rub it everywhere the lotion is.  The result leaves a clean, matte finish, and YOU smelling (and feeling) great!


Why this is wonderful:  It attends to two senses: touch and smell.  The action of rubbing all of this onto your skin really helps to reconnect your mind with your body.  I don't know about you, but I get lost in my mind and thoughts while I am in the shower.  I organize my day, plan my meals, make mental notes of things to remember...  This ritual pulls my awareness back into my body so I can start my day in a more connected state.  When one is more connected, they are less vulnerable to stress :) Yay!