Lessons In Solitude

I recently moved into my own space, and have found myself spending a lot of time alone,  which is something that is taking some adjusting to.  I am 100% certain that anyone who is related to me or knows me personally rolled their eyes at the first sentence because even when I am at home or at a social gathering I often become quite reclusive (anti-social extrovert), but to my defense, self-isolation in a house full of people or at an outing is different from being alone, I mean alone, ALONE. 

Although I grew up in a house filled with siblings and preferred moving in with my best friends when I first moved away from home. I have never been afraid of being on my own and to some degree thought that I naturally preferred it.  To my surprise, the first two weeks in my new home started off with trying to fill my space with noise, overthinking myself into an anxious pulp and eventually enjoying my own make-shift routine.  Even though my new found life of solitude is still taking shape, I’ve compiled a list of 3 lessons I have learned in my time alone… 

Lesson No 1: Value Time With Loved Ones 

Time on your own can remind you to value the time you spend with your loved ones, teach you to value their conversation, laughter and even encourage you to put your phone down.  For instance, when I was still living at home catch up time with my little brother was  often characterized by ”uhms” and ”yeahs” while we both stared at our phone screens but the last time I went back home we made it a point to get the picnic blanket, lay it out in the backyard and have an actual conversation, he even convinced me to give Trapo’s  Oil Change a listen.

Lesson No 2: Enjoy Your Own Company (boredom) / Get to know yourself

The world will always try to put you in a box, label and tell you who you are but society will not have that hold on you if you are firmly standing in who you believe you are and you can only get to that point from spending time with yourself, battling through your boredom and literally getting to know yourself.   I personally believe in the power of Self-acceptance and Self-awareness.  The benefits of being aware of your habits, (sub)conscious coping mechanisms, strengths, weaknesses and the complexity of your humanity are essential for the progress you wish to make in any area of your life. An awareness of your strengths gives you an opportunity to know how to build on them. On the other hand, being aware of your weaknesses gives you an opportunity to turn them into strengths or simply embrace them. It is also important to note that, the world cannot invalidate you if you have already validated yourself. The world can not break your character if it is built on a solid foundation.

Lesson No 3: Make time for your spiritual well-being

” I sit in silence and find whenever I meditate
My fears alleviate, my tears evaporate
My faith don’t deviate, ideas don’t have a date” – J Cole

The world is filled with so much noise and pressure that we often find ourselves drowning in it. We seem to forget that there’s more to life than deadlines, he-say/she-say, Instagram likes disappearing and Twitter hashtags.  Making time for your spiritual well-being goes beyond Sunday services and involves habitual practice on your own. A few years ago a preacher told me that my mental and spiritual well-being are intertwined, which is something I have found to be true. So, in my experience, meditation, and prayer help alleviate my anxiety.  Making the time for my spiritual well -being includes 15sec conversations with God at hourly intervals and logging off social media platforms for as long as I need to. My time alone has allowed me to define what spirituality looks like to me even though there really isn’t a script for this type of stuff.

No man is an island, we all need companionship and human connection. I believe in the power of community and the importance of the relationships that we have with the people we have in our lives. All I hope for is that this blog post has inspired you to make time to get to know yourself, take care of your spiritual well-being and hopefully,  see the value in being fully present in the moments spent with your loved ones.

One last reminder:  Life is a journey and no one will ever have it figured out but that should not stop us from trying.

 

 

Self-Validation is a Super Power

Self-validation is YOUR superpower, it is the ability to clap for yourself even when no one else is clapping for you. In my humble opinion, Self-Love and Self-Validation are CLOSE cousins…

The ability to validate yourself allows you to own all the good/bad decisions you make and that is the fertile ground to cultivate the best version of yourself. In the long run, Self-Validation curbs self-doubt and negative self-criticism which often leave us feeling frustrated, insecure and unworthy. 

“Self-Validation is a form of Self-care, it also breeds Self-Awareness, which leads to Self-Acceptance.” – iSlenderSaMaCatalogue

I am a firm believer in mentorship and getting a second opinion, however, I believe that the most successful people in the world mastered owning their voice and setting the pace for their story. The likes of Oprah Winfrey, Afua Osei, Sho Madjozi and the likes individually learned to trust their voice and be their own hype man which now serves as the foundation to their success.

“A million likes will never be enough if you do not like yourself.” – Leanne Dlamini

Self-Validation is a form of Self-care, it also breeds Self-Awareness, which leads to Self-Acceptance. In the 21st century, being able to validate your decisions, your beliefs, your boundaries and simply being able to say NO is a form of Self-preservation. External validation prevents you from being able to put yourself first which results in your well-being taking the back seat. External validation makes the idea of prioritizing oneself seem selfish, which sums up my theory that Self-Validation and Self-Love are LA Familia.

I am honestly still doing the work, faking it until I make it where the need is,  intentionally choosing myself despite how anxious I get when I choose to let my friends down and miss out on on a ladies night in the name of Self-Care. Through trial and error, I am learning to confidently set the pace for my life, before I worry about what the next person will say, I owe it to myself to own my life and so do you.

 

Juice Revolution 7 Day Super Juice Cleanse Review.

Review: I recently embarked on a 7 day juice revolution super juice cleanse and this is what happened..

Cleanse

Noun

1. A process or period of time during which a person attempts to rid the body of substances regarded as toxic or unhealthy.

Verb

1. To make (something) throughly clean.

Juice Revolution’s intention is to consider and cater to the needs of the human body. Juice Revolution’s range of juices are fresh pre-washed raw produce and unlike junk food, juice revolution juices are free of artificial ingredients and preservatives which can cause illness.

Raw produce i.e vegetables and fruit are perfectly matched to our human needs. That is why drinking freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices will detoxify your body and boost your immune system. Getting your 5-a-day in a form of a delicious and fresh cold press juice not only tastes good but allows for better absorption of nutrients and minerals.

Yellow/Orange fruits and vegetables and a variety of leafy vegetables keep your skin looking younger for longer and help your skin look fresh.Fruit and vegetable help fight the cell damage caused by air pollution..

Pre-Cleanse

For two days before starting my cleanse I removed sugar, bread, meat and my personal weakness (chocolate) from my diet. This change prepared me for what followed..

Day 1

The thought of consuming more nutrients than most people do in 3 months excited me a lot. I started my first day on the cleanse with a mug of hot lemon water. I then followed with my very first juice on the cleanse, the Tangy & Tart – a green juice containing cucumber and lime which naturally cleanse the body and are great for hair, skin and nails. I then followed with the rest of my scheduled juices at 2 hour intervals. I ended my day with juice revolution’s specially formulated blend of green  and strong herbs that stimulate and support detoxification.

Day 3

To my surprise I did not feel hungry at all, I felt well fed throughout my cleanse. I did however start feeling a bit fatigued that’s why I really appreciated the Rise ‘n shine smoothie, the bananas found in the smoothie provided my body with energy.

Day 5

As the end drew closer the harder it was to remain disciplined.Day 5 was without a doubt the hardest day of my cleanse.  Thank goodness I read my daily motivational mailer from Juice Revolution founder, Fiona Stander who reminded me that it’s as much of a mental cleanse as it is physical.

“It’s only one week, anyone can do anything for one week.”- Fiona Stander

I reflected on the reason I wanted to cleanse in the first place which was to kick-start a healthy lifestyle and commit to taking exceptional care of my body.

Day 7

I made it to-day 7 !

I felt physically and mentally energized and I was glowing.

My cells had all the nutrients I needed and more. There were no unhealthy cravings all I craved for was a colorful salad bowl. On the 11th of October at exactly 7:59 pm I sipped on the ” Garden Nectar” green juice with a smile on my face and called it a day.

Juice Revolution’s juice packages are a brilliant way to kickstart a healthy lifestyle because they are convenient – the mess and fuss after making one Juice is enough to put anyone off.

• The 7 Day Super Juice Cleanse came with a useful and helpful daily planner which explained how to drink the juice and in which order during my cleanse. Plus I received day-to-day support while on the cleanse, and a daily motivational mailer that also shed light unto what’s in the juices I was drinking.
• I was also provided with a pack of supplements to take while I was on the cleanse…
• Juice Revolution’s  tablets contain between 65-70% protein. That is 270% more protein than fish and 334% than beef.

Overall

I had a positive experience while on my juice cleanse and would recommend Juice Revolution’s juice packages to everyone that is  looking to kick-start a healthy life style , boost their energy levels and rid their bodies from the day-to-day toxins found in polluted air and the genetically modified food we consume on a day-to-day basis. In the words of Jim Rohn, ” Take care of your body it’s the only place you have to live.”

Juice Revolution offers various packages and cleansing plans to suit your lifestyle and nutritional needs.

Visit Juice Revolution to learn more about their amazing juices and wellness programs.

“1.Practice makes perfect.

2.Health is wealth.

3.All things in moderation.

4.Plan your work, work your plan.” – Dead PreZ

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