Monthly favorites + reflection | April awakened a lot of old inner demons
The first monthly favorites and reflection!
In this post I will share what I was up to, reflect on my inner world, all my favorites that month from favorite food to shampoo and music(just everything that pops up in my mind) and overall I will share what the month was ‘about’.
The idea to start writing these posts is because of the heaviness of April. I wanted to reflect more for my own growth, but take you guys a long because there might be something you could benefit from. We can all learn and grow together like this.
April favorites
* Weleda plant toothpaste *
https://www.hollandandbarrett.nl/shop/product/weleda-planten-tandpasta-60071196
I finally found a really clean toothpaste and it was on sale!
Luckily, holland and barrett has sale all the time so it won’t be long until you can get it cheaper again.
This toothpaste is not foamy and it doesn’t leave that typical toothpaste taste. I can drink tea straight after and it won’t taste disgusting haha.
This toothpaste consists of essential oils mainly, how did I not know about this toothpaste earlier?
* Tahini sauce *
People who’ve been following me for a longer time on instagram and watch my story’s might know I LOVE my tahini sauce.
It disappeared from my life a little while, but it is back! It’s white tahini, ketchup, sriracha, lemon juice, water and optional nutritional yeast. I love to cut up some potatoes, throw them in the air-fryer and use this sauce as dip. So jum!
* Padangusthasana (yoga pose) *
In April it started to get busy again at work so that meant more hours and more walking(I work as a waitress).
My calves started to cramp BIG time and walking was so painful. Padangusthasana is a great pose to stretch the calves and it’s a pose I do every singe practice, love it! In this pose you fall forward with a straight back, grab your big toe and pull yourself to the ground while trying to straighten your legs.
*Lemon and lime *
For some reason I was craving these citrus fruits and after a tiny bit of research I found out it could mean I’m low in stomach acid.
Which might be one of the reasons why my digestion has been so horrible lately!
I added lemon or lime to my nicecream/smoothies and, first thing in the morning, I started drinking warm water with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar again.
Who wants my ‘key lime pie’ nicecream recipe?
*Acoustic covers *
Music wise I loved to put on a playlist with relaxed acoustic covers, so easy and good background music.
Of course I also listened to the national (a lot) and had some throwbacks to music I used to listen to like the band Boys like girls. No shaaame.
*The power of now (book) *
I already read this book over a year ago, but I felt like I had to return to it..
Read on because I will tell you guys why.
Reflecting
April..
you were definitely something.
I don’t know why, but April was a heavy month on me.
How was it on you?
My month kinda looked like this(sorry for any kind of negativity, but it was my reality):
-trying to motivate myself to get out of bed and rock it, but failed most days
-wanting to do yoga, but didn’t really do it
-working a lot while thinking about traveling
-watched LOTS of photography tutorial video’s while stressing about an upcoming wedding shoot (which is now done and dusted, yes!)
-all kinds of pains in my body and a crappy digestion
-random happy moments where i danced it out
-cry and feel better afterwards
Mentally I felt totally out of balance and almost collapsed a couple of times, literally and not-so literally.
My mental state was so out of whack that I felt like collapsing back into a depression.. and my calves were so cramped from work that I literally almost collapsed a few times.
A depression is like a safe little bubble where no one outside of that bubble can get to you and it’s tempting to fall back into that ”safe place”, BUT
I know that life is actually freaking AMAZING guys! I’ve experienced it myself and I know it’s hard to remember when you’ve fallen back into old patterns or live in an environment you don’t belong.
Please know, everything is temporary and you are in control of YOUR life experience!
When you can’t change the outer experience, change the inner one. Change your mindset and how you perceive it.
Find the learning lesson in every experience and soon you’ll notice big changes in your mental well being, I’m sure of that.
Since learning and realizing all of that, I could never fall back into that state of mind ever again.
Thinking about the amazing time I had in India and how happy and high on life I felt motivates me to continue on my journey.
The journey to my true self. To love. To freedom and happiness.
But that month it was like all these learned lessons and all my spiritual growth disappeared.
I reached out to a book I read when I came to this journey, which is The power of now. I thank this book once again for awakening me after reading just a few pages. One of my favorite quotes:
”Realize deeply that the present moment is all you’ll ever have”
In April I’ve set foot in the gym again, after a very long time.
My intention that month was to start working out again, but so far I went once. Work was crazy busy and I didn’t want to deplete myself so I don’t feel like I didn’t succeed. The opposite is true, I succeeded big time! In the past I kept on going and going until my body burned out and couldn’t go anymore. It’s important to know our limits and take rest whenever our body needs it.
Some (fun) things I did in April
-Went to a potluck at my friend Isabelle her place with 2 other girls. We shared, listened, connected, ate very jummy food and we took lots of pictures! I spend 2 nights there and in the morning we practiced yoga together which I LOVED!
I truly miss practicing with others, especially the morning vinyasa classes at the yoga school.
-I had my first wedding shoot which was a BIG stress factor for me. When shooting a wedding you don’t know what the conditions will be that day, but no matter what you have to ROCK IT. There’s no second chance.
It was fun and exciting to do, but very overwhelming and it made me realize it’s not my kind of photography(or maybe when the wedding is totally my style).
-Went outside shooting yoga pictures with a friend on a sunny day. We took some nice pictures even though the lighting wasn’t in our favor and it ended up in talking on the beach while doing random yoga poses in the sand.
Let me know if this is something you would like me to do every month!
I sure had fun writing this and looking back on the past month
Lots of love, let’s connect