Spiritual Balance – Page 18 – Andrea Arthur Owan

Black Friday OptOut(side)

It’s Black Friday.

‘Tis the season to stand in line for hours and go nuts at the malls.

Did I need to tell you that?

What do you plan to spend the day doing?

Shopping? Eating leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes and pie?

How about an alternative option. One that has health and wellness and saving money written all over it?

Skip Black Friday shopping and do some playing outside!

Yup. Get out in the great outdoors for some creation viewing and inhaling!

Breathe fresh air.

Break a sweat.

Sunbathe.

Go canoeing or kayaking. Hike. Run. Grab a bunch of friends and play soccer in the park. How about Frisbee with your dog? Riding a bike along a bike path. Going to the dog park. Enjoying a café con Leche al fresco with a friend.

Take a stand and rebel against the same old, against the world’s marketing giants.

Source of my rebellion—

The Camino. That’s what did it. And this is yet another example of how that journey changed me.

I haven’t done the Black Friday shopping bit for years, but I have perused the websites online, the ones that tease me to get in on the cyber action three days early, so I can be a savvy shopper. So I can feel good about the bargain I scored.

On The Camino I rejected news, marketing and teasers. I focused on my purpose and spiritual journey.

I spent most of my day outside in the caressing sunshine and sweet smelling (or sometimes dust-cloaked) air and realized how much I missed being outside. How good it made me feel physically, (there are extreme health benefits that come from being outside), emotionally and spiritually, untethered from my computer and household work.

Let’s go back to the spiritual benefits—

Isn’t that what we kicked off yesterday? Christmas? The most celebrated spiritual season of the year?

So why not focus on it? Why lose yourself in the shopping hype and drain your bank account? Why drive around endlessly looking for a parking spot at the mall?

Be a trendsetter. A rebel.

Choose to OptOutside!

Join REI as they celebrate their Day in. Day out. Celebrated on Black Friday when they’re closed for business, to encourage outdoor recreation.

Four years ago they had the gumption to change their status quo business model and decided to close their doors, and still pay their employees! On Black Friday.

Imagine. Some conscientious capitalism.

As they say on their dedicated website:

“It’s about the routines—the ones we need and the ones we need to rethink.”

So how about joining them in the rethinking.

For more on the benefits of going outside, head to their special website.

And spread the word!

#optoutside

NEXT WEEK:

What does depression look like? Could you recognize it in a co-worker or loved one?

In this season of making merry, we need to remember that for some it is the most profoundly depressing time of year. We can’t assume that our friends, fellow churchgoers, and co-workers are doing okay in this area just because they’re showing up and participating and getting the job done.

Next week I’m going to give you a great info graphic, courtesy of my friends and professional psychologists at BetterHelp.

It will give some great information on identifying functional depression and tips on the getting the help functional depressants need.

Until then,

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

First photo by Dieter de Vroomen on unsplash

Second photo by Sabina Ciesielska on unsplash

13 Tips for a Healthy, Happy (Regret-free) Thanksgiving

Have you ever gotten to the end of Thanksgiving Day or awakened the following day regretting the amount of food you ate, the desserts consumed, and the way you feel post-feast?

Why not turn over a new leaf by deciding now that things will be different this year—that you’ll make better, healthier choices, and be happier and proud of your new lifestyle choices.

That you’ll enjoy conscientious eating!

How to do it—

If you’re ready and excited to give it a try, use some or all of these tips to maximize your success by having a game plan. No game plan usually means failure!

FIRST and FOREMOST, be prayed up before you hit the table! That your eyeballs and tastebuds are not led into temptation!

After you’ve gotten the turkey all dressed and prepped and popped in the oven, grab your sweetie and four-legged family members and go for a walk. Getting outside in the fresh air can help you work up an appetite. It’ll also get the digestive tract going so it’s primed to digest the food better when you do sit down to eat.
If you’re using paper plates, buy smaller ones, rather than the big, oval smorgasbord-type models.
Don’t showcase all of the food on the dining room table so you only have to grab, spoon and plop the food on your plate. Having the food in front of you makes it too easy to mindlessly overeat. Place the food on a table in another room besides the dining room, so you have to get up to serve yourself.
On your first round at plating your food, select salads, veggies and fruit and sit down and eat those. Then return for the meat and potatoes. Or fill up most of your plate with the salads, veggies and fruit and save a tiny space for the meat, potatoes and gravy.
For the dessert, make a decision ahead of time to take small servings for the desserts, or take four to five bites (don’t overload your fork!) and then put your fork down and immediately toss the rest of the dessert so you’re not tempted.
Reduce the number of sweetened drink selections (like sodas, lemonades, etc.) and replace them with homemade, unsweetened lemon, lime, orange or cucumber water. Have orange slices for the kids (or the adults) who like a spurt of sweetness.
Have a spread of nuts, fruits and cheeses out for guests to nibble on before sitting down to the regular meal. A bowl of grapes is always a big hit in our house.
When eating, put your fork down between bites so you maximize your chewing and improve digestion.
Try to spend more time chatting, listening and socializing than eating. Don’t eat and chew simultaneously!
Immediately following the meal, refrigerate the uneaten food that might quickly spoil (to avoid reflexive nibbling), wrap up the other items to keep them fresh, and then go for another post-meal, digestive-enhancing stroll.
For you football or sports fans, avoid over-saturation and too much sitting by deciding you’ll only flop on the couch to watch two games, or five hours maximum during the day. If you’re busy cooking and watching, you might be able to squeeze in more, but don’t park yourself on the couch all day. It’s dangerous for your health!
If you want to try something really off-the-wall, dig out the chopsticks and try eating your meal with them! That’s a recommendation I received from a professional in healthful eating that I interviewed for an article a couple of years ago. Fun, and funny! (You will eat less while stimulating your brain and coordination.)
Instead of watching sports, dig out the board games and stimulate your brain and conversation.

You don’t need to brag about being a glutton to enjoy the day. Think of all of the components that go into it and see how you can apply even small tweaks to leave you feeling healthy and happy, and proud of your self-care!

Let’s hear it for no more guilt!

Time to share—

What does your family do to keep the healthy lifestyle going on the biggest meal ingestion day of the year?

Until next week,

A very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by Libby Penner on unsplash

How to Prepare Your Heart to Give Thanks

They came to me through the mail. A surprise present from a precious friend for my BIG birthday this year. I hadn’t put in a request for them. They hadn’t even been on my radar as a possible present.

But they were perfect! And I cried when I opened the box and saw them.

Beads. Beautiful beads handmade into a special loop.

Prayer beads.

I do admit to an initial concern, since I try to avoid anything that resembles rote, repetitive prayer. Unless it’s the “Lord’s prayer” Jesus taught the disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 9-13.

But then I read through the accompanying explanation pamphlet, which offered suggestions on how to use the beads to pray.

The beads actually start with the Cross, which reminds us of Christ’s act of salvation for us.

The next bead up from the cross has been called the Invitatory Bead, which can be used as a call to worship. Reciting the Lord’s Prayer is a suggested prayer to call you to worship God.

Then comes the Resurrection Bead that reminds us that Christ has conquered death. For believers, we rejoice in the Resurrection that gives us eternal life.

Then the 4 Cruciform Beads that form the shape of the cross. The number 4 is a reminder of the four Gospels.

The seven little beads between each cruciform beads are called “Week Beads” (the number 7 representing spiritual perfection) that can also remind us of the 7 days of Creation.

The total number of beads, 33, reminds us of the years Christ lived on earth.

Now back to the cruciform beads—

The first thing that struck me in the instructions was the order the cruciform beads take you through when praying.

And praying that way has had a profound effect on my prayer life.

It’s suggested that the first cruciform bead above the Resurrection Bead be used to acknowledge God. Who He is, how He loves, what He’s done for us.

The next cruciform bead, as you move counter-clockwise around the beads, is where you Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness.

The third cruciform bead is the bead of Thanksgiving.

The final cruciform bead is the Intercessory Bead or where you offer up your prayer requests.

If you want to return to the first cruciform bead, you can once again thank God for Who He is.

Did you notice the order?

I found it a bit unsettling to my heart and brain the first time I stumbled through praying with the beads.

But then the light bulb in my head went on: how focused and right it seemed to pray that way!

To spend the initial time identifying with the cross of my Savior—the beautiful and somber identity marker of love, forgiveness, sacrifice and hope. What started out as unnatural quickly became comfortable.

Then I moved to praying the Lord’s Prayer at the Invitation Bead.

And then on to the Resurrection Bead. And as I prayed this way, something rather miraculous happened.

I slowed down and focused on the Lord—who He is, what He means to me, and what He means to the body of Christ—the “our” and “us” so often repeated in the Lord’s Prayer. A reminder that although this praying is personal it’s also corporate. I am part of a great body of believers stretching back a couple of thousand years. I am not alone in my faith, or in my relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And then, instead of rushing on to my prayer requests and thank you’s, I had to focus on my faults. Those nasty transgressions that put a rift in my relationship with God, that stifle my spiritual health.

It struck me how those confessions came before the thank you and prayer request beads. And how important it is that I don’t skip this “step” before moving on.

It’s humbling. And freeing. To get it all out in the open, laid out and taken care of. So I can move forward.

Forgiven.

When I did move forward, I felt free and unencumbered to really thank God for all of His marvelous blessings, big and small! After the somber aura surrounding my heart and soul during the confession stage, the aura disappeared to be replaced by unearthly, saturating joy at the thanksgiving bead!

And then my heart was truly ready to put in my requests. After the preceding prayers, the conduit between the Lord and me seemed to be open and flowing. Joyful. Rejoicing.

Supremely blessed and fulfilled.

Residual blessings—

When the praying is over, I’ve found I’m more in tune to the Spirit and His leading throughout the day.

Those beads came with me on the Camino, carried in my backpack’s hip pocket and into every church we visited. They helped keep me centered and focused, grateful and awed as we traversed country boasting centuries of Christian faithfulness.

Required form?

Do you have to pray this way?

No.

The only “set” way Jesus gave as an example for prayer is in the prayer He taught the disciples to pray. But the Lord’s Prayer gives a template that sets the form for praying with the beads.

He wanted us to acknowledge God, who He is and His position in the Universe, and His position with us, His children.
He wanted us to recognize that it is God’s will that should drive our lives and decisions.
He wanted us to recognize the source of our daily physical sustenance and spiritual infusion, and seek it daily.
He wanted us to ask forgiveness for our trespasses, in accordance to the way we forgive others’ theirs.
And then he tells us evil exists and we need protection from it.

Using the prayer bead format to prepare your heart for Thanksgiving—

I think most, if not all of us, want to demonstrate grateful hearts on Thanksgiving Day, the ONE day a year set aside for it. Most of us are at least a little tuned into the meaning of the day rather than just on the feast and the shopping. (I do hope I’m right one that point!)

So how can we best prepare our hearts to give thanks? I’m talking about deeply felt thanks that moves your spirit to joy, and not just coming up with a quick list of things you’re grateful for.

Praying them, as the gratitude research indicates, is so life changing.

Don’t have prayer beads? No problem!

Even without your own prayer beads, you can do this. To get yourself focused and have something to follow, you may want to write down the order and take it into your “prayer room” with you.

Breathe deeply to normalize your breathing and settle your mind. When you’re engaged in purposeful, directed prayer, I find you’re far less likely to find your mind wandering. Always a bonus! And you’re also more open to the Spirit’s lead as He guides your thoughts in directions and to events and people you might not have had on your planned “prayer list.”

So well before the family and friends gather on Thursday, and you’re in crush-mode in the kitchen, I invite you to retreat to a quiet place—inside or out—with your prayer beads or prayer outline and be quieted, humbled, inspired and fulfilled!

In tune with your God.

More thankful in all ways and with all things and ready for your heart and soul to overflow with that thankfulness.

Let me know about your experience.

I will be praying that you have a joyful week, overflowing with gratefulness and Thanksgiving!

NEXT MONDAY we’ll head back to our regular gratitude posts.

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Conscientious Eating Basics: Adding the Good and Weeding Out the Bad

Which of the following most describes your eating or meal experience?

A) I throw together 2 pieces of bland bread, lunchmeat, a slice of cheese, a limp strip of lettuce and a spread of mayo and mustard for lunch. Every -day.

B) I often eat while working at my desk and/or computer.

C) I eat while watching television or reading the mail, magazine or a book, or chatting on the phone or reading text messages.

D) I often stop at fast a food “restaurant” or pick up a pizza for dinner because it’s late, I don’t have anything at home to fix, or I’m too tired to prepare a meal.

E) Most of my meals are microwaved or come from frozen packages.

Relate to any of those? How about one or more of them?

Today we’re getting an introduction to several posts dedicated to conscientious eating. But before we get into specifics, let’s look at some dismal facts:

For a variety of reasons, our current medical system is based on people being sick and dying.
2/3 of Americans go to work with flu-like symptoms. (We really do live at work.)
The #1 reason for bankruptcy in the U.S. is medical bills that can’t afford to be paid.
Sitting and lack of activity is killing us, literally. Seven hours of TOTAL sitting time a day doubles your risk of death.
1/3 of Americans die before 65.
Most people don’t get enough sleep.
70% of your immune system is in your digestive tract.
Many experts believe all disease begins in the gut.
Even though we may be surrounded by people, we live and work in a very solitary way.
Since the beginning of time, plants and food have been our true medicine. We need to return to that foundation.
69% of Americans are overweight or obese.
SUGAR is now considered by many professionals to be poison.
While we are living longer thane ever, we are sicker than ever.
We grow our foods in the chemicals they use to make chemical weapons.
High fructose corn syrup is like crack to your body and brain.
We tend to treat separate symptoms rather than the whole person.
When you’re under stress, you crave sugar, fat, and salt, and there is no satiation (satisfaction met) point for these.
It is emotion that causes people to reach for the wrong kind of food.
90% of serotonin—a chemical and neurotransmitter that regulates mod, social behavior, digestion, appetite, sleep, memory, sexual function and desire—is manufactured in the digestive tract, not the brain as we once thought.
Wellness is really a diet and mental health lifestyle connection.
We really are living in a “food desert” that comes with a 5x the average death rate—death that comes from curable diseases.
Cultures that eat grains have a higher rate of dementia.

Important Takeaway—

Food does affect the body and mind, but most of us blindly eat whatever is put in front of us or opt for the quick and easy (boring) meal approach.

Conscientious eating—

As we explore conscientious eating, which goes beyond just being mindful of how you eat, we’ll focus on:

being more aware
being more mindful
taking back your health

As Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said,

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

As we move rapidly into this busy holiday season, where we’re ramping up everything in our lives to an often frenzied, overspent schedule, I invite you to keep something very important in mind—

It can be self-destructive to not tend to yourself.

Please take a moment to let that statement sink in. Meditate on it.

To many of you, that truth runs contrary to what you think your religious faith teaches you. It might even sound as though it borders on sinful, contrary to God’s word.

But how does Jesus, the reason for this marvelous season and for our very lives, say we should approach our lives?

With a light burden. Not a weary or heavy-laden feeling.

I can hear many of saying right now: “What does that have to with conscientious eating, Andrea? Or eating in general?

Plenty.

The fact, as I already noted, is:

Emotion causes people to reach for the wrong kind of food.

Life is emotional. The holidays even more so.

Just as our physical choices, activity choices, lifestyle choices and career choices affect us profoundly, so do our food-style choices affect us. What it comes down to is:

Adding the good stuff and weeding out the bad. (In that order.)

As we go into Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year, we’ll be learning about food—God’s magnificent gift to us. A gift he created for our

enjoyment and pleasure
sustenance
mental and physical health and healing
social fulfillment

And as we go forth, keep those highlighted statements in mind:

**It can be self-destructive to not tend to yourself.**

Emotion causes people to reach for the wrong kind of food.

**You need to add the good stuff to your life and weed out the bad.**

It won’t happen immediately or all at once. Our goal will be to recognize what causes us to fail in this area and start the weeding process.

And we’ll accomplish it together!

Join me this Friday when I’ll talk about the art and health of social eating. It’s something I knew and really learned how to do while walking the Camino de Santiago. Actually, when I ate on the Camino. That post will give you a bonus to our conscientious eating discussions!

Until then,

Decide that you don’t want to be one of the dismal statistics.
Pray about what God might be saying to you in this area.
Find a good friend, or several, to be accountability buddies with you. Friends that want to embark on this life-changing journey with you, to support and encourage you. To be supported and encouraged.

Thank God for the bounty He has provided, and prepare to enjoy it in new ways. With family and friends.

PS I’m humbly requesting prayer for recovery from having a bone spur cut off my big toe. While the surgery wasn’t long or extensive, the recovery is painful, and I’m unable to get around as easily as they said I would. In fact, I’m not getting around much at all. That’s one of the reasons this post was scheduled so late. Thank you!!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by rawpixel on unsplash

How Do Religion and Prayer Affect Gratitude?

You may have wondered if religious people are more grateful than their unbelieving or agnostic peers. Maybe you’ve asked yourself if praying makes you a more grateful person, or if parenting styles encourages the development of grateful children.

Today on Meditation Mondays, we’ll look at those factors: what role does religion or faith or parenting play in gratitude.

What’s Religion Got to Do With It?

As it turns out, a lot.

In a 2003 study, people who were noted as being more grateful had a higher sense of engaging in religion for it’s own sake and a lower sense of engaging in religion for the sake of others. Like someone would if they engaged in religion simply for the sake of improving their social status. In other words: dishonest motive.

Other studies show positive correlations between gratitude and attirbutes typically associated with religion, such as:

frequently participating in religious practices
considering religion to be an important factor in life
having a personal relationship with God
experiencing spiritual transcendence—a perceived experience of the sacred that affects your feelings, goals, self-perception and ability to surpass, conquer or outshine your difficulties
being committed to your religion—a sense of and expressing your commitment

When studying young people ages 17 – 24, researchers found that this age group tends to feel gratitude when they—

have their prayers answered
experience a miracle
have religious friends

But there were behaviors not correlated with gratitude—

the religion a person was affiliated with
private devotion practice
actively participating in organized religion
having a belief in a spiritual world
how important religion is to your life
considering yourself to be spiritual

I found this list interesting. These results show that gratitude is not triggered or related to what religion you practice; whether or not you maintain a practice of doing devotions or having a time of devotions; being active in organized religion; just generally believing in the spiritual world; ranking religion as very important to your life; or considering yourself spiritual.

I find the last finding fascinating.

So often I have heard someone say, “I’m not religious, but I’m spiritual.” My internal eyeballs roll. Exactly what does that mean? I’m not sure they can answer that. But now I have some scientific ammunition for how flimsy that belief can be.

Evidently just being spiritual doesn’t make you grateful.

But what does affect your gratitude is praying and having your prayers answered!

And while both Christians and atheists put a high price tag on gratitude and the benefits that come with and from being grateful, it was the Christians that reported “significantly higher” levels of gratitude in terms of emotions that feel or emote gratitude than their unbelieving peers.

Religion, gratitude, and mental health—

Some interesting findings popped up in this category.

Older adults that tended be less grateful experienced depression with prolonged financial difficulties.

But church-attending older adults who believed that God intervened in their lives to help them overcome difficulties displayed greater gratitude over time.

And religious involvement has been linked to having a grateful disposition, regardless of negative or positive feelings or display of emotions.

Using your religion to deal with stress had a significant association with gratitude, and that has a high correlation to utilizing prayer to figure out what God is trying to tell you or teach you.

The takeaway is:

religion may help people maintain gratitude even in the face of emotional distress.
religion also offers social support, which triggers gratitude.
praying can stimulate gratitude, for achieving help or understanding (for you or others).
gratitude can help you view negative life events as lessons from the Almighty!

Effects of Praying on Gratitude—

Research has shown that if you are instructed to pray for your partner for a 4-week period of time, you will likely report having higher levels of gratitude for that person than someone who just thinks good or positive thoughts about their partner.

Ever have anyone say to you “I’ll be thinking good thoughts for you!”

When someone says that to me, it always leaves me feeling a little flat and uninspired. I always assumed that was because the person saying it was usually an atheist or agnostic. But maybe it’s because deep down inside my heart, I know “good thoughts” won’t cut it. Something deeper needs to be involved.

But don’t fall into the trap of simply egging someone on with adding religious-speak, either, like using the words “spirit,” “divine,” and “God.” Using those words fall just as flat. They don’t increase feelings of gratitude.

And do you think that having intrinsic religiousness and a trait of gratitude increases your gratitude for a favor? Evidently that power combo didn’t effect the expression of gratitude in response to a favor.

Men versus Men—

In the German men versus American men study I mentioned in last week’s post, the researchers also discovered that 1/3 of the American men in the study preferred to hide their gratitude.

None of the German men expressed that desire or need.

Gratitude and people around the world—

Far more than Americans, United Kingdom citizens tended to link gratitude with a host of negative emotions, like:

guilt
indebtedness
embarrassment
awkwardness

And kids?

American children were the most likely to express “concrete gratitude” (the desire to repay a gift or favor), when they were compared to children from Russia, Brazil, and China.

Which kids were the least likely to express it? Russian kids.

However, 11 to 14-year-old Russian kids expressed “connective gratitude” (taking into account the desires of the benefactor when repaying a gift or favor) than the other children.

What about parenting?

Drum roll? Brrrrrrrrrr. The answer is…?

Nothing. Not anything concrete, anyway.

What a researcher named Andrea Hussong did find and publish in 2017 was while 85% of parents encouraged their children to say “thank you,” only 39% of them to experience gratitude in ways other than saying those two words.

The question that still remains in the area of parent-taught gratitude, though, is how parenting choices influence how children think of and experience gratitude.

Researchers say it’s an area ripe for more research, and more study needs to be done on it.

NEXT WEEK we’ll take a break from looking at the research to explore more of gratitude in prayer. You won’t want to miss this post! It’ll provide you with great preparation for Thanksgiving, and a good Christmas present idea—for you or that special friend.

Until then, be thinking about how you pray and for whom you pray.

Who could you pray and increase your gratitude for?
How might you increase your children’s gratitude expressions through parenting?
As Thanksgiving approaches, who can you think of that would get a real boost from a show of gratitude?
How could you boost your own gratitude trait?

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by rawpixel on unsplash