Over the past 4 months, I have been in the process of writing a book. At first, I was pushing and forcing myself to write, which started to feel like pressure…pretty soon, the book writing moved from passion to pressure!
Have you ever done that? Felt like you really wanted to do something and then set all kinds of unrealistic goals for yourself…until you felt overwhelmed or pressured? Well, there I was, at the brink of blaming myself for not being fast enough or productive enough, until I stopped just shy of going there. I realized that I needed a recipe for balance. Now for me, in addition to meditation and other grounding practices, I like to bring the feeling of balance into my body with nourishing food. Since the gut communicates with the brain 24/7, it helps to have this extra boost to my energy healing practices! I’ve found that if I keep my body calm and balanced through food, I don’t have to work as hard on balancing my mind. How cool is that?
the book writing moved from passion to pressure!
When it comes to goal setting at work, I find that I sometimes have to remind myself that I can create my own goals that FEEL GOOD in terms of the pace I set — so that I can stay balanced in my life. Like all of us, I want to work on things I’m passionate about, but at the same time, I want to be sure that I don’t cross the line from passion to pressure.
Sometimes, that means shifting my focus from doing to ALLOWING.
I began allowing the book to show up for me. Which actually, works much better when I am doing something creative anyway. When you’ve done creative work, you’ve probably noticed that it takes getting still. When you are still, it’s easier to connect to your inner self, to the universe or to an unseen source energy. And when it’s really effortless, it’s as if the information is being delivered to you (or channeled), rather than feeling like work. For me, forcing writing never works. I have to let it come to me by being still. This is where the challenge comes in for me. Because I have to trust that all the words will come in time for my submission deadline. Interestingly, when I focus on trusting the process, everything always works out.
If you’ve been feeling pressure in your life, I invite you to step back and look at the situation from another angle. See if you are creating goals or expectations that are causing overwork or overwhelm. Recognize that you deserve balance in your life. You deserve a balanced amount of work, rest and play. This balance is how we heal. See if you can shift from focusing on the deadline to trusting that it will all get done.
I want to share a recipe that was “delivered to me” recently, while I was getting still and allowing. This recipe is particularly nice because it resets your body and mind and boosts your serotonin — the happiness hormone that also helps: reduce cravings, improve sleep, aids decision-making and promotes a calm feeling.
Delightfully Sweet Zucchini Squash Soup
This soup is naturally sweet in a subtle, delightful way. It is a great mood booster if you are feeling stuck or down in the dumps. Serve it to family and friends and they are sure to ask for more!
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 TBL ghee (use coconut oil if you’re vegan)
- 1 Cup onions, diced
- 4 Cups butternut squash, cubed
- 1 large zucchini, sliced (about 1.5 – 2 cups)
- 1.5 tsp. Cardamom
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground fennel spice
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 TBL fresh ginger, diced
Directions:
- Saute onions and all spices (except fresh ginger) in ghee until the onions are translucent.
- Put cubed squash, diced ginger and sliced zucchini into a crock pot and cover with water (or into a soup pot and cover with water). You will use approximately 6 cups of water and can use less if you’d like a thicker soup. I tend to like thick, hearty soups, although this soup is actually really wonderful as a thinner soup. Experiment and see which you like best!
- Add onions and spices to the mixture and simmer until the squash is soft.
- Blend the soup until it is pureed.
- Add more ghee and sea salt to taste. I like to let each person add the amount of ghee and sea salt to their bowl according to taste. This allows the Vata doshas to add more ghee and make a very rich soup, while Pittas and Kaphas can add less.
Notes:
This recipe is very healing for nervousness, stress or anxiety. The warmth of the soup, added ghee and the cayenne pepper make it very warming. The cardamom, fennel and cumin spices help with digestion. The sweet taste is very satisfying. Fennel, cumin and coriander are spices that help balance and reset the body and mind.
When you make this soup, feel the energy of infinite love and gratitude. You are putting this energy into the water and when you do this, the whole structure of the water changes to support your health and well being.
Before you eat the soup, breathe in it’s aroma to help put your body into parasympathetic nervous system mode (rest and digest). As you sip it, again, be in tune with the energy of infinite love and gratitude. Feel the warm liquid healing every cell of your body as you drink it down. Your thoughts and intentions are powerful…we learned his from Louise Hay.
And now, you can learn even more about nourishing your body from Louise Hay — Make sure to check out our new book, Loving Yourself to Great Health: Thoughts & Food: The Ultimate Diet, which is full of recipes like this one, along with affirmations, tips to create great health at any age! Hay House Publishing is currently offering incredible bonuses for purchasing the book.
In the meantime, I invite you to look at anything creating pressure in your life and get creative on ways to move from forcing to allowing. It’s a recipe for success when it comes to accomplishing what you want AND staying in balance.
The big secret…it all gets done anyway
…it’s just a heck of a lot more fun to go at your own pace and enjoy the ride!
Latest posts by Heather Dane (see all)
- Listening to Your Gut and Heart - April 24, 2019
- Breaking Through Resistance: Following Creative Energy - April 16, 2019
- Love Intuition: Follow the Energy to True Love - April 10, 2019