#2017series

ON BLOG today: 2017 planning series 11 + 12 | Unlearn & Commit #bulletjournal #commit #achieve

We are wrapping up 2017! Are you almost finished with completing your yearly goals? Have you reached the number ONE goal yet?

I have! The reason for not posting the ‘Unlearn’ episode last month is because I was tackling my biggest goal yet, and I am happy to say that I have done it!! I opened my very own shop BTS Joy on paperon Etsy and I am utterly in love with it! This year was difficult for…

NEW SERIES is here!! Episode #9 & #10 | Reflect & Be productive #betweenthesteps #selfdevelopment

  How fast is this year going?!

Welcome to our 2017 planning series, episode number 9 and 10 combined (apologies for not posting episode #9 last month due to house moving!). Today, we are going to look at the importance of reflecting on your accomplishments and how you can be more productive to achieve what you wish to by the end of this wonderful year!

      If you have been following…

NEW ON BLOG: 2017 planning series | Celebrate your achievements! #bulletjournal #betweenthesteps

  How often do you give yourself credit for completing your goal or task? Why should you wait for that ‘special’ moment to celebrate and ‘the right time’ to feel happy and appreciated?

In this episode of 2017 planning series, we are going to focus on celebrating our achievements!

    WHY should you celebrate?

to develop a success mindset– reflecting on your goals & achievements will make you…

Let's have a look at the reality here... #bulletjournal #selfdevelopment

  Can you believe the first half of the year is almost behind us??! It is time to do some serious reviewing of our goals and what we have accomplished so far. Personally, I love reviewing quarterly in my Leuchtturm1917 because you can achieve pretty much anything within 3 months if you set your mind into it and give it your 100% attention.

At the end of each quarter of the year, I ask myself…

Bullet journal 2017 series 05 | How to hold yourself accountable #bulletjournal #betweenthesteps

  You have set yourself some goals, tried to build up habits, learned how to control your circles and have done a drama detox using the previous videos and blog posts of our 2017 planning series.

In this episode, I want to share with you 6 tips that I came up with on how to hold yourself accountable.

Leuchtturm1917 emerald colour, dotted grid

WHY – have a reason I keep repeating this in every…

The Drama Detox has been inspired by Don’t let anything dull your sparkle book written by Doreen Virtue and you can read a full review here.

Stress makes us look old and fat!

Unfortunately, that is true. I have listed three hormones closely involved with drama addiction as well as ‘feel-good’ body & brain chemicals dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

Stress hormones:

Adrenaline – produced by the adrenals, which are two glands sitting atop the kidneys. Response to fear, makes the heart beat faster, can lead to heart disease/failure.

Cortisol – also produced by the adrenals. In stressful situations – increases blood sugar, suppresses the immune system, stores food as fat around the stomach (famine). Increases appetite, decreases collagen production – wrinkles. Contributes to overeating, needs to be balanced.

Histamine – produced by the mast cells and white blood cells, in response to allergens. Triggers allergic reactions – swelling, bloating, hives, rash, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, itching, seasickness even. Affects the lungs – shortness of breath, panic attack, insomnia, anxiety. Needs to be balanced.

  Everybody experienced some kind of trauma in their life, it is the way it is. It’s called PTSD which in translation means Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This should not be called a ‘disorder’ as it is our body&mind’s natural reaction to trauma or an unpleasant experience. Therefore, it should really be called PTSR → Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction. There is nothing wrong with you personally and should there be any trauma that has been affecting your life for a long time, it needs to be addressed and dealt with. It is advisable to seek a professional help if you do not know where to start healing yourself.

Low histamine food list (that you can see in the picture above) has been pulled out of Don’t let anything dull your sparkle book. I used this list to help with meal preparation for the weekend. You can find many low-histamine recipes on the internet but again, if you are not sure what you are doing or suffer from any kind of disease, seek medical advice before adjusting your diet – especially if this seems to be a drastic change to your current diet!

Natural cleaning are basically products you can make at home using (organic) essential oils – simply mix these oils with water and spray over surfaces to disinfect – your home will smell like spa which is a lovely bonus.

My drama detox weekend plan

There is no need to buy things to be able to relax for a couple of days! On my ‘Get ready’ list, there was only one thing that I would eventually buy anyway, and was the essential oil diffuser (you can use a traditional oil burner). Organic Chamomile tea is a very good idea as it helps with anxiety and sleep. You can also download some meditation/relaxation music to help you relax.

During this drama detox, there are going to be things you want to avoid e.g. swear words, unhealthy food, overspending, saying ‘yes’ when you really want to say ‘no’, procrastinating, overfilling your schedule, negative people etc. These are all stress and drama triggers. I am not suggesting to just lie on a sofa all weekend and avoid everything and everybody, but make sure your family knows what you are doing so they can support you and maybe enjoy this little experiment with you :) I found it very helpful for the rest of my family too.

Whenever you feel like stress is buidling up, remind yourself by saying:

Right this moment, I choose to abstain from…

There is no need for money this weekend, you can do most of these activities for free!

– reach out to nature, listen to relaxing music, cuddle with your pet, laugh with partner/parents, yoga, meditation, have a good night’s sleep, gardening, essential oil therapy, ask for a hug, drink plenty of water, declutter, be creative, read, go birding, take a bubble bath, cook a healthy meal, stretch your spine etc.

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Yin & Yang…

…continued.

  Balancing Yin & Yang is important for your overall health and wellbeing. How you can balance different areas of your life has been very well described on Blitz Conditioning blog and you can also watch the video on Between the steps YouTube channel where I am reading these aloud.

Review of this drama detox weekend:

I was eating very well, watched the way I talk more closely, got everything I wanted done, and I feel amazing and rested even though I was working both afternoons. I will do this more often. We spent time with our doggies, went out, been cuddling etc. It was a great weekend :) I feel healthy again and balanced. My mind is calm and clear.

  Please, feel free to print out the pictures for your personal use to help you get ready and save time. I highly recommend you trying this if for only one proper day of a deep relaxation, it will work miracles! Good luck and let me know how it went ;)

Would you like to watch the video? Come this way 🙂 → Youtube | 2017 series 04 – Drama detox