5 HEALTHY HABITS TO IMPLEMENT WHEN WORKING AT HOME

Hey beauty.

What a month this has been, only just 6 days into it. Can you even believe 2020 is less than 25 days away?!? We are hitting an entirely new decade and I could not be more excited for what’s to come. I am most excited about my flourishing jewelry business, this month has been so good to me, especially the incredible holiday shopping markets I have gotten to be a part of. I love connecting with some many beautiful souls.

Here’s the crazy thing. I have 2 desks at home. Literally 2 working spaces. I need one for my jewelry making and one for my everyday blogging, podcasting, bills, note writing, etc. A very large portion of our home is taken up by my desks.

It really had me thinking about how hard is it to have a working space at home and I really would love to have an actual office to get out and go to. The luxury of working from home seems attractive but honestly, it takes up a lot of energy and space. It’s important to not let your daily life and your work intertwine. It was fine for me when I lived alone but now with my little family, I feel like my work things are overpowering our sacred space.

In an effort to keep focused and flourishing, I have really had to be mindful about how I spend my time and my attention, how to not let work take over and how to not get distracted when I am choosing to work. So that I’m not finishing up random things I forgot to do when my boys are home, which totally sucks the life and energy out of our family time.

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5 HEALTHY HABITS TO IMPLEMENT WHEN WORKING AT HOME:

1. TIME BATCHING: When you work from home, anything and everything can distract you from laundry to dishes to people walking in and out. So, read up on how to do your time batching. The first thing I suggest is getting yourself a timer (do NOT use your phone) , you need a true compass to help you focus on one thing at a time. A cute little kitchen timer provides you time increments of 5 minutes to help you keep from getting distracted so easily and its cute too. Just think about it, when you make yourself lunch and eat at your desk, are you enjoying what you eat? Does that serve you? Or are you really getting things done at work while you’re focused on feeding yourself? Probably not. Set a timer for 30 or 45 min (of whatever you choose) and cook your food, eat it slowly, enjoy it, etc. Use this time wisely and you will feel more centered as you return to work after you are done.

2. TIME LOGGING: It’s just as important to do time logging too. Time logging is writing down exactly how you spend your day in a daily planner. Have you ever written down exactly how you spend your day and see what you actually do? The results for me are always astounding. Grab yourself a daily notebook, something that is lined with the times in the day from 6 am to at least 6 or 7 pm, I love this one. Write down exactly how you spend your day. Then see what you spent the most time actually doing. I will bet you, you’ll find some sort of wasted time sucker that can help you implement something else. For example, one time I realized that I scrolled instagram for over 25 minutes when I was supposed to be responding to emails. Something that small can add up over the course of a day to something like 3 hours. What could you be doing for 3 hours instead of scrolling on instagram?………………………let that sink in for a minute. Similarly, when people log the food they eat, they can use that information to make better decisions. It’s a TOTAL ADDED BENEFIT to your life. Try it, see if it works for you.

3. NATURAL LIGHT: You would not believe the health risks associated with fluorescent lighting, especially while you work. Natural light near your desk can help improve your sight, boost your vitamin D, boosts productivity and benefits your natural sleep patterns. A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois concluded that workers exposed to natural light sleep longer and better (at home, and not at their desks) than those who aren’t exposed to natural light. Those working next to windows receive 176 percent more white light exposure than do their ashen counterparts. That translates to 46 minutes of extra sleep. Who couldn’t use extra sleep?

4. MOVEMENT: Deep breaths and stretching have been absolutely invaluable to me when working from home. When you get overwhelmed by all the things piling up, get away from your desk, grab your pink yoga mat and do some of your favorite stretches poses (downward dog and cat/cow are my favorites). If something doesn’t go your way and you feel a lack of control, you could just use the 4-7-8 anxiety fighting breathing technique (my go-to) to help you get back on track. Being at home while working requires that much more physical support than being outside and in the world. Movement, gets your blood moving. Breathing, gets the oxygen flowing smoother through the body. This combination only amplifies your creativity and focus. It’s an incredible combination to apply when working at home and best of all, its FREE!

5. ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE: This one shouldn’t be a shock and it really is just common sense. I’d like to also add that being organized is a BIG time saver. Like, when you know where everything is, you won’t waste ANY amount of time on something so silly as looking for stamps, am I right? Paper is a huge home wrecker, especially on the desk. Be sure to sort the mail, throw away paper and keep the top of your desk clean and organized. Especially the drawers, get a drawer organizer for all of your supplies. Clean out your pen cup, keep all your pencils sharpened, throw away outdated calendars, keep extra ink for your printers, always clear the trash bin. All of these simple tasks will transform the mind space that you bring to your work. You want your mind to be clear and free when you go to your desk and when things are organized and clean your mind will mimic its environment. Be aware that how your environment feels energy , is the energy that your work will give to others. So for me, when I make jewelry, write a blog post, record a podcast, the energy transfers through those mediums. If i want what I put out into the world to be life changing and impactful, it needs to come from a clear, high vibe work environment (especially from home) Want to learn more about creating a High Vibe Home, don’t miss my workshop.

I hope these tips really resonated with you. If you liked this post, you will love this one and this one too. And for more inspiration, join the Blissful Living Lounge.

For more tips like these, don’t miss the latest podcast.

4 reasons I decided to go Vegan + a few helpful tips

HI friends.

I recently made one of the most significant life changes and I just knew I needed to tell you about it. For a while now I’ve been playing around with my diet, really trying to be mindful about what I put in it, remember my trusty detox method? For the last 17 months (since I had Roman), I have gone through bouts of post partum depression and anxiety. I’ve never experienced these things to this extent before so naturally, it has been absolutely draining, I’m over it . My doctor suggested I see a therapist, which I have been and has helped in so many ways, I love her. However, I am at the point in life where I know that when things feel off for this long, I really need to pay attention to what I am feeding my body.

I’m a pretty healthy person, I’ve never really been a bad eater. But I was looking at photos of myself from 2007 and was instantly transported to my younger self. I was living in Los Angeles with a girlfriend of mine and we began taking an ayurvedic yoga class that taught us all about wellness and the body and how what you feed it directly correlates to your mind and emotions. We were so fired up. Around that time, I was led to read a book called Skinny Bitch and completely dropped all meat and dairy that weekend ( yet I kept eating fish aka a pescatarian diet. ) When I stopped eating meat and dairy, I remember feeling like I was way more in tune with my body, my emotions and my energy. I just felt more in control and aware…..and energetic. I was also in the best shape of my life. Hair, skin, nails, energy, glow, everything, it was all at its best. A few years later, when I moved to NYC, I began eating meat and dairy again because its New York and it would be rude to not eat all the best things at the most amazing restaurants in the world, right?

Fast forward to today, I just really have been feeling like I need to feed my body better. My family and I watched the Netflix doc GameChangers which is such an inspiring film, I loved it. The film had so much new information that it hit me like a ton of bricks, I need to go back to eating vegan! If I think back to my days of eating a more plant based diet, life was so exciting, I was flourishing. I always thought it was just living in LA but when I made the correlation in my mind to how I was eating at the time, it just clicked for me. Ever since that day, I have not eaten one animal based thing. Zero. And it feels absolutely amazing.

So, WHAT IS A VEGAN you ask?

Let me give it to you straight, a vegan does not eat any animal meat (this includes fish), dairy, eggs or any food product with ingredients derived from animals (like gelatin). Vegans also don’t use any products (facial and body care, shampoos, lotions, etc.) that have been tested on animals or contain animal products and they do not wear materials derived from animals.

For me it’s a process, I’ve got the foods down and what I put in my body but I’m still researching all the other many ways to incorporate veganism into my life, like beauty, fashion, etc.

REASONS I AM COMMITTED TO GOING VEGAN:

1. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. How many times have you started a diet, only to get bored, frustrated or overwhelmed by it all? Over the years of my life, I have gone on and off so many diets, I remember once I did Atkins and for about three weeks I completely stuck to it, lost weight but then went right back to my carb loving ways. It’s such a yo-yo, unbalanced diet mindset and lifestyle. I never wanted to go on a diet again. The point of making the switch to plant based eating is more of a mindful lifestyle decision to me. To completely rid my body of animal based foods, to fuel my body with whole, from the ground foods. For me, eating animal products is just not in alignment with my love for animals, all animals. I wouldn’t eat a dog or a lizard or even a roach. It just isn’t me and after watching several documentaries that reminded me of the suffering of animals for our benefit, it reconnected me with my motherly, compassionate energy. I’ve never been much of the activist type, so part of me feels very empowered by my lifestyle choice.

2. I’ve reconnected with my kitchen. As a new mom and girlfriend, I spend pretty much all time time in the kitchen these days. Cooking for two boys feels like a full time job. So, introducing myself back to a vegan diet, has required me to shop intentionally and get creative. It has reconnected me with my love of cooking. It also feels different when you make food for the people that you love that not only will taste good but actually make them healthier and nourished. I’ve noticed that my relationship with my kitchen has totally improved, my Christmas list is literally almost all kitchen things and I could not be more excited.

3. It improves your emotional Intelligence. Becoming a vegan was a pretty much an instant decision for me. However, it’s not easy to transform your entire mindset overnight. Gradually, paying more attention to what I am eating and putting in or on my body has caused me to be more mindful in the little things. You have to adopt a slower, more mindful pace to almost everything you do. To switch the voice in your head to a slower pace (i.e. taking time to read labels, think about what restaurants you go to, etc) it helps you to be calm, cautious and less reactive to other things and life experiences. So not only does it nourish your body in the best way, it also nurtures your mind and trains it to be more patient, which we could all use a little more of, am I right?

4. It’s environmentally friendly. It is a known fact that eating meat is incredibly harmful to the environment and the planet. Huge amounts of land are used to raise animals, trees and rainforests are destroyed to make room for more grazing land. The efforts to expand these lands kills lots of plant and animal species living in these habitats. Studies show, a massive amount of crops and water are needed to feed the animals and help them to grow so that they can be slaughtered for food. These crops that feed animals could be better used as food for us humans to help combat world hunger.

   Veganism is not only about our body, our minds, our souls and all animals but it is also ultimately about kindness and expressing compassion and respect for the environment.

A FEW EXTRA TIPS:

— Elevate your energetic vibe. Spending time in the kitchen, pouring myself over meals has been truly an upgrade in my wellbeing. Living with an intention of eating rich and nourishing foods has elevated my energy in the best way, a total Bliss Vibes Only move. Something about it, puts an extra pep in your step.

— The vegan community is cool. Once you peel back the curtain to the world of vegans, you will find a whole new group of friends. So many amazing restaurants, resources, and people you can bond with and learn new things. I especially am loving all the vegan mommies I meet, we all have an extra special desire to feed our little ones and create a more beautiful, compassionate world.

— Invest in your kitchen tools. You have to have a blender, it’s just a must. A good set of knives for cutting veggies. I am obsessed with this pan for cooking everything.

— Break your addictions with Ch-ease. I’m pretty solid in my choices to eat plant based. However, one of the hardest parts for me is the cheese. My god, I miss cheese. It wasn’t until I began researching how cheese affects the body that I began exploring new ways of making my own cheeses. Did you know that cheese and most dairy products have addictive compounds that act that opiates to your brain? Like, it’s just another thing that humans tend to become highly addictive to like chips, coke and cigarettes. I am not cool with anything having that much control over me that I can’t stop doing it. It doesn’t feel right to me. As much as I love cheese, vegan cheese is also so good. Whole Foods makes such a good vegan pizza with vegan cheese, just take it home and pop it in the oven and you can enjoy pizza like anybody else. I am currently obsessed with the Trader Joe’s vegan Mozzerella and I pretty much put it on everything,

— Most wines are vegan. Which I love because I enjoy wine with dinner. Wines made in France and Italy tend to not be vegan so just ask to be sure when you’re ordering.

— There are so many wonderful resources out there. Two cookbooks I am currently loving are Liz B’s Vegan on a Budget & Plant Powered Families. I also love watching Cheap Lazy Vegan recipes, she makes the BEST foods. I love trying them out myself.

I hope this post inspires you to make mindful and wise choices with your diet, even if you don’t want to go full on vegan. For me, be sure to follow my insta stories, I am always sharing my favorite vegan finds and hacks. Love, Ashlina