The Circle of Wellness Newsletter, 6/22

The Circle of Wellness with Diana Monthly Reflections Summer is finally here. The Sun is up early and sets late so the overall mood seems lighter and more optimistic. There’s well-established research that “winter blues” are definitely legit and, as the weather gets warmer, the “blues” warm up too.We tend to feel more energetic and vibrant during summer months, yet there may be some danger of stepping into an illusory world of “work hard/party hard” mentally or a string of summer romances that may not seem so magical, but rather quite abusive once the veil of illusion is off. Beware of your own magical thinking! Balance in everything: work, partying, rest, relationships, and self care are still very important during the summer.Spend these summer months exploring your interests and hobbies and expanding your social circle with positive people you want to have in your life. Be discerning who you let in into your energy field and what energetic feedback you get after you socialize with certain people. Listen to your gut feeling, and if someone doesn’t seem truthful or sincere, ask yourself what do you gain by associating with this person.Questions to ponder: What am I cultivating in my life right now? Where does my attention go, and is this what I want to concentrate on at this time? What part of my life needs expansion and what needs to contract or leave for good? News and Announcements I’m currently accepting new clients for psychotherapy and Personal Development remote sessions. All current clients receive a 20% discount for Personal Development or MARI services, and newsletter subscribers receive a 10% discount as new clients. Emotions are visitors that knock on your door and demand to be let in. Some visitors are a welcome addition, some other ones are a burden you have to contend with for some time. You’re the host of your dwelling so you get to say how long each visitor stays. Sometimes it’s better to let certain guests to leave on their own, other times you need to work on getting them out the door. Uncomfortable moments may arise but know that you’re able to withstand them, and no situation lasts forever. Research and Information Summertime is when we’re generally more mindful of how we look and what we consume. Better eating and physical activity are easier to accomplish as fruits and vegetables are abundant, and the Sun is inviting you to spend more time outside and move your body. This article highlights the ways to eat “smarter” for weight loss and overall wellbeing. Find your eating inspiration here. Suggested Readings This month’s suggested readingcan be used by both teenagers and adults. Bringing mindfulness into your daily routines is a necessary component in cultivating a balanced approach to life and in getting to know yourself on a deeper level. The world is often a scary and unpredictable place. Learning how to deal with inevitable changes and navigate challenges is a necessity nowadays. Grab these handy tools here and start living a more mindful life. Useful Links and Resources Probiotics and prebiotics are extremely important not only to gut health but to the overall immune system’s strength. 80% of the human immune system resides in the gut, so it becomes necessary to pay the utmost attention to gut health when we want to strengthen the immune system. There are hundreds of good probiotics lines available today, but it’s advised to combine them with good prebiotics (little fiber organisms that help all the beneficial flora to multiple and act as food for the probiotics). This line offers a complete formula of both probiotics and prebiotics that are high in viability but at a very affordable price. Get this gut beneficial helper here and start observing an improvement in your immune response. Recipe of the Month As we discussed earlier, summer is the time when we want to eat better and nourish our bodies with good nutrients, something that we should do year-round anyway. This month’s recipe is a delicious carob waffle that you won’t feel guilty to indulge in. The recipe uses alternative flours and challenges you to expand your kitchen skills and try something different. Cassava and tigernut (which is not a nut variety at all) are resistant starches that are very beneficial to the gut lining and provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Carob is also an anti-inflammatory cousin of cocoa powder that’s a bit sweeter so it requires less sugar in recipes. I encourage you to try making these waffles and enjoy them with your favorite toppings. Anti-Inflammatory Carob Waffles with Creamed Honey INGREDIENTS 1 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 Tbsp ACV 2 Tbsp avocad 1/2 cup carob power 1/4 cup sweet potato flour 1/4 cup arrowroot starch 1/2 cup tigernut flour 1/2 cup cassava flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt INSTRUCTIONS You may have to use a bit more or less cassava flour, depending on the brand. Combine wet and dry ingredients separately and then together. Make waffles according to your machine instructions. Top with lemon or cinnamon creamed honey. Homework Corner Find one activity or hobby that you really want to dive into deeper this summer or perhaps never had a chance to explore at all. Devise a plan for how you’ll approach working on that hobby and divide all the necessary steps into small increments that you can work on every day or every week. Check off your plan steps as you complete them and write down what you’ve learned so far and what your thoughts and feelings are about that particular hobby or activity you’re pursuing. Decide if it is something you’d want to implement in your life or continue practicing, or if you feel it’s not something you particularly enjoy doing. You never know how you’ll feel till you try! Diana and Afina want to remind you that all is well no matter how life may feel in this particular moment!