Hi, I’m Sandra. Welcome to The Happyist. Here we transform through holistic, eudaimonic happiness. Best part? It’s easy and kind of fun.
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I recently had a “procedure”. A colonoscopy, to be blunt. People get really hung up about that so here are some facts:
First, you have to do it. Period. You do. Because caught early, colon cancer is highly curable.
Second, drink the liquid, don’t take the pills. I did an informal study on this, comprised of friends and the driver who took me to the hospital for mine, and everyone who took the pills had cramping and felt awful and mostly did the pills to avoid the taste of the liquid. Please. That jug comes with a flavor packet and it tastes like bland, lemon Gatorade. Chill it, drink it with a straw and it’s no biggie. You’ll be pretty busy for those three hours, but it’s really not that tragic.
Third, read the pre-procedure instructions thoroughly. Otherwise, if you keep eating fruit and veg like normal, you will not get a fully clean read on your first ‘oscopy and will have to come back for a second in five years instead of ten like I had to. Now, I don’t have to come back for another ten.
Anyway, that’s not what this post is about. Or maybe it is. Because I used this “prep” as a reset. My insides were cleaned out and, after having weeks of a really wicked gastritis flare (nothing like being woken up at 1:30 on a Monday morning with an abdomen full of lava), I wanted to get super serious again about what I was putting into my body. Because, when I was eating just fruit, veg, poultry and seafood, I was at my happiest. Feeling my best. Had all the energy in the world! I was never hungry…and if I was, I ate something! Never felt deprived. But I cooked a fucking lot! That was pretty much my Sunday, in the kitchen, after F1, getting everything ready for the week. One hard day makes the other six so easy.
This all led me to thinking about how everything we want starts from inside of us. If I want more energy — or, better put, less fatigue — I know that means I need to eat very well and exercise consistently.
If we want to be happier, we have to engage with our inner-selves — connect, nurture and heal. And that really and truly begins with an utter ton of Thank Yous and appreciation for every-effing-thing. Super simple.
If we want love, we need to open up to that. I say that we have to love ourselves in order to fully love another and, more importantly, to be fully loved. I know some argue against that. But here’s the deal: When you love yourself, you have standards that must be met and boundaries that must be respected. You won’t allow anyone to treat you poorly when you love yourself. You will see the red flags and you will be empowered enough to walk away cleanly, clearly and completely. Basically, you won’t waste time or effort on bullshit, which clears the way for someone who won’t behave in a bullshitty way.
If we want wealth, we have to feel safe and good about having that bounty. Otherwise, it will come and go, or we won’t fully enjoy it. Like all those miserable billionaires just being dicks or trying to fly one into space. So, get comfortable with your money. You can revisit “The Finer Point of Finances” in the link below.
I know there are a lot of feelings around food, and who should or shouldn’t say what about it. Yet, when it comes to health, what we put into our bodies matters.
