how to stop and smell roses.

* hi. how do people stop and smell roses? i mean, i’ve tried to, but it’s not enjoyable. keeping my mind in the moment without analyzing the past or thinking about the next moment or future moments is really difficult. and the fact that it’s so difficult is frustrating. i feel like this inability to stop and smell roses is contributing to my overall stress level. my stress level (if you haven’t guessed) is high.

how come some people can free their mind from what’s next or what has happened and some people, like me, find it so hard? it’s like life’s a race and i’m trying to sprint to my death. morbid, right? but exactly how i feel when there are roses to be smelled but my brain is nagging about what’s next, “you have to do laundry. you should go for a run. you’re thirsty. you need to pee…” etc.

the people who know how to stop best are buddhists. they recognize life is all about suffering so the best way out (of the race to get reincarnated as something better or worse depending on how you’ve lived your life a.k.a. karma) is to completely check out of it. live as a monk. meditate and practice yoga during time not spent sleeping or eating donated food. buddha knew how to smell roses.

so, i’m not going to become a monk. i think i would be really ugly bald, not that i would care if i was actually a monk. but i feel that if i keep on this trajectory of anxiety about nextness or pastness i’ll never enjoy the rightnowness. and that would be a shame. maybe it’s just the way i’m thinking about it. maybe it’s not about stopping. apparently this concept makes me uneasy. i feel like a stalled car at a green light with people honking behind me. maybe it’s about letting the happy parts of the race be as happy and long as possible. maybe there’s comfort knowing suffering is just a part of life and once we accept that suffering will come back to us, time spent not suffering is ok.

k *

 

the lost generation and peter pan.

millenials. generation y. echo boomers. peter pan generation. many terms have been coined to define those currently ages 18 to 29 who don’t live in china. the rapid rate of change in china since 1970 has caused generations to be classed by decade. anyway, i wasn’t born in china, so my peers and i fall into this peter pan generation, or whatever you want to call it. the rapid and pervasive rise of communication technologies happened in our lifespan, making us easy early adopters and shaping the way in which we function in all aspects of society.  our parents were the baby boomers, and i’d like to take this opportunity to apologize on behalf of millenials everywhere to our parent generation. right now. i’m apologizing. in general. let me explain.

we’re the most educated generation. 40% of us are enrolled in post-secondary education. 50% of those currently in school would like to earn a graduate or professional degree afterward.

we’re the least married. 1 in 5 of us are, which is half, yes half, the rate of our parents’ generation at our same age. of interest (and perhaps correlated), we are also the least religious generation, with 25% of us being without organized faith of some kind.

we entered the job market during the recession. 37% of us don’t have a job. and the job market is in decline 0.9% between 2006 and 2010.

inflation. from 1915 until 2010, the average inflation rate in canada was 3.26%. ya, that doesn’t mean anything to me either. to put things into perspective, a $100.00 basket of consumer purchases in 1915 would now cost almost $2,000.00. in 1950, a new home cost $8,450.00, a new car cost $1,510.00, a loaf of bread was 12 cents, and an average annual salary was $3,210.00. today, 60% of millenials say they don’t make enough money.

so, whether us unmarried, godless, highly-educated kids still live at home or have moved out, 36% still rely on financial support from our families. blah.

i’m a university graduate and working full-time. i do not live at home and pay rent in an urban centre. i – here it goes – rely on financial support from my family. and it’s frustrating. we are a generation of man-babies. of peter pans and lost boys who can’t grow up. ugh. statistics aside, there are a batch of twenty-somethings that have never existed before. a group caught in between independence and dependence. forget teen angst. what about the ten years after? for those living at home, money is saved, but parents are caught supporting another adult. and surely rooming with the ‘rents puts a bit of a damper on the social life. for those who have moved out, rent is expensive. it’s impossible to save when rent eats up half of your paycheck. and for those of us still in school, well, school’s expensive too. and our parents, unlike any parents had to before them, are footing the bill to varying extents.

it’s a bit of an identity crisis. on one hand, there are adult responsibilities millenials face daily. like, we’re supposed to be grown-ups. there is no such place as neverland, right? on the other hand, my bank account still looks like a student’s and i’m unmarried, so no dual-income action happening. not to mention the godlessness. gah.

this vid expresses the feelings of polarity well – click here to watch.

k *

blood types and chicken avoidance.

* hi. as part of my fresh start to 2012, i’m going to get back into health and wellness and more holistically than ever before. that’s the plan, anyway. i’ve always had the exercising part covered. i like it. i’m far too restless if i don’t regularly. it’s the diet part that’s difficult for me. my stomach and i aren’t friends – it’s perpetually angry and as a result, i’m consistently miserable. this has led to very interesting eating patterns. and exceptionally boring meal choices unless, of course, i’m prepared to pay dearly. that’s why it’s quite frustrating when people try to give me eating tips. “just eat chicken and broccoli,” they say, “and eggs for breakfast. and a bunch of nuts as a snack.” amazing. if i want to be curled up in a ball under my desk for the day, i’ll do just that.

the idea of eating for your blood type isn’t new but i never bothered trying it because i don’t know my blood type. i called the family doctor i’ve had since birth but she didn’t know it either. odd, i know, but apparently you have to specifically test for it. and i hate needles. in the interest of trying something new sans getting blood taken, i thought that maybe i could work backwards. perhaps i could identify the blood type that sounded most like what i already knew my body, with my stomach as the queen bee, hated.

i think i’m a. pretty sure, actually. and i’m going to follow the advice and see what happens – i’ll let you know how it goes. if you’re like me and don’t know your blood type, check out the descriptions below and see if you can figure it out. oh, and please note i’m not qualified or intending to give medical or diet advice, so do so at your own risk!

type o – the oldest blood type. you’re a predator. you like meat and meat likes you. because your stomach has so much acid to digest all the meat you’ve been hunting, you’re more susceptible to stomach ulcers. you’re also more likely to produce insufficient amounts of iodine, which regulates the thyroid. if your thyroid isn’t working properly, side effects include weight gain, fluid retention and fatigue. the “fight or flight” response is extreme for you. when stressed, you release adrenaline that can cause bouts of excessive anger, temper tantrums, hyperactivity. stress can manifest itself in behaviours like gambling, sensation seeking, risk taking, substance abuse and impulsivity.

how can you help your self-destructive self?

eat – lean, organic meats, vegetables, and fruits.

avoid – wheat, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol.

do – brisk regular exercise that taxes the cardiovascular and muscular skeletal system.

type a – emerged due to a dwindling supply of game to eat and forced the cultivation of grains, livestock, and stable communities, resulting in humans being able to fully utilize nutrients from carbohydrate sources. you’re (or should be starting to be now) a vegetarian. you have low levels of intestinal alkaline phosphatase that makes it difficult to digest and metabolize animal protein and fat. you have high levels of intestinal disaccharide digestive enzyme levels that make the digestion of carbohydrates more efficient. you have a very sensitive immune system and naturally high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause disrupted sleep patterns, daytime brain fog, increased blood viscosity (ew), and promotes muscle loss and fat gain.

how can you help your stressed-out self?

eat – grains and vegetables in as natural a state as possible and eat smaller meals at regular intervals.

avoid – meat, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, cured meat, and strong smells or perfumes.

do – yoga, meditation, tai chi, weight lifting, and aerobic activities, but do not over-train as this will actually raise cortisol levels.

type b – emerged due to severe change in climate as humans moved from hot, humid areas to cold ones. you have genetic potential for great malleability and the ability to thrive in changeable conditions. although you’re generally physically fit and mentally balanced, you produce higher than normal cortisol levels when stressed. despite this, you recover from stress quickly. certain foods affect the efficiency of your metabolic process, resulting in fatigue, fluid retention, and hypoglycemia, which is a severe drop in blood sugar after eating a meal. oh, and avoid chicken. yup. chicken contains a lectin (sugar-binding protein), which attacks your bloodstream and can lead to strokes and immune disorders. so the next time some muscle-bound guy tells you to eat a bunch of chicken breasts, tell him you’re type b.

how can you help your chicken-avoiding self?

eat – goat, lamb, mutton, rabbit, venison, green vegetables, eggs, and low fat dairy.

avoid – chicken, corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds.

do – activities that are not too aerobically intense, have an element of mental challenge, and involve other people, such as tennis, martial arts, cycling, hiking and golf.

type ab – the newest blood type. and rare – it’s found in less than 5% of the world’s population. it emerged due to the mixing and mingling of type a’s and b’s. although you can eat meat, you have low levels of stomach acid so the meat you eat tends to get stored as fat. you should steer clear of chicken too. inhibited insulin production results in hypoglycemia, a lowering of blood sugar after meals and leads to less efficient metabolism of foods. under stress, you produce adrenaline and have intense emotions, but you’re able to recover from stress quickly. exercise is critical to maintain both your physical and mental balance.

how can you help your mixed-up self?

eat – tofu, seafood, dairy and green vegetables.

avoid – chicken, corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts, cured meat, sesame seeds, and eating starches and proteins in the same meal.

do – a combination of both calming activities and more intense physical exercise like running, biking, yoga, and tai chi.

anyone out there that already eats for their blood type? did it work for you or not? i’d love to know.

k *