Apr 26, 2016

The secret to my "around-the-clock" energy


I’m hyper. Well most of the time. 

 

A couple of years back I went and talked to a doctor about having ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder); not that I had any attention deficit but I was hyper to an extent it scared me!

 

A couple of weeks back someone told me I am definitely on something. It was a joke but it made me look back at my life style.

 

I wake up at 5.45 am on daily basis for work and took the habit of waking up at 8 am over the weekends. And I’m rarely home before midnight. My parents are concerned that I don’t rest. The guy I am seeing scolds me every night to get rest and sleep. And I never pull back, never rest and rarely take a break!

 

I always have something to do! Errands to run, shopping to catch-up on, friends to visit, social commitments to attend, exercising classes to join, etc. And when I want to rest, I often do it at a friend’s house, while watching a DVD and talking life out!  Busy lifestyle? Hell yes! I even learned to hold a calendar lately in order to manage my time correctly and have time to do everything I wanted to do!

 

I am even “accused” of never getting tired. Those who work for shorter hours think I am definitely hiding something. So I decided to reflect back on the reason behind my energy and write this post.  Maybe it will put be away from the accusation case and give others some tips to be more energetic:

 

1-      Don’t stress: as hard as this might be the first and uttermost secret for being energetic is living stress free. And trust me, nothing is worth it. Life will go on regardless of sickness, life problems, work issues, heart breaks and even death! (sorry to be so blunt).

 

2-      Meditate… daily (for few minutes): Whether it means you need to pray, read, practice yoga or look in the emptiness without any brain activity, having a meditation break, focusing on your inner peace will bring plenty of energy to your life!


3-      Have your "break" time on a weekly basis: Do it while reading, watching a movie, exercising, sleeping or treating yourself at the Spa; this will help you become more tolerant with people and enjoy life in a better way.


4-      Hold an agenda: getting your world all organized automatically relives stress and helps you enjoy your day more, as busy as it might be! Schedule your appointments and meetings, set your deadlines (and meet them!) and above all, mark your sleeping hours and do not plan anything during that time!


5-      Laugh! Find that one person who can relax you and draw a smile on your face and have a daily conversation with her.


6-      Live healthy: exercise, eat healthy, snack on nuts, have a piece of dark chocolate in the afternoon, don’t skip your caffeine intake (your body needs a dose of those!), and drink a looooot of water!


7-      Listen to music.


8-      Reduce alcohol: Oh yeah! Learn to enjoy life without being kicked out! You’ll enjoy it more and have a full boost the next morning.


9-      Socialize: you can simply never have too many acquaintances! While your circle of friends would always be close and limited, there is nothing wrong in having a gym buddy, a hiking group, a halophilic friend for beach days, a crazy buddy for parties, a brainy for book clubs!


10-  Donate: learn to donate food, clothes, money, time, affection, anything you can! Hug that stranger crying on the coffee table at the mall. Draw a smile and the world will draw a smile back on your face… and the more smiles you get, the more energetic you will be.


11-  Nap: As much as you hated nap times as a child, those 10 minutes breaks can be a blast!

 

12-  Fall in love as often and as much as you can: Engage in a relationship, love your friends, spend time with your family. That positive energy you get from feeling cared for and loved fills your body with energy and boosts your metabolism big time!


13-  Be happy! The happier you are, the more energy you get.

 

And then, once every week or 10 days, disconnect and sleep for a good 10 to 12 hours straight to power up!

Apr 6, 2016

The post about Girl Power


Few years back, I laughed when someone called me and the girls a “gang” and mocked our “girl power” relationship.  I myself sometimes suffocated by the extra sharing I had with my girlfriends.

Over the years, many things happened. Many girls fell out of my life, many other fell in.

I made new friends, lost others, became close to some, drew distance with some others.  And today I have those I call “besties” (best friends), others I call close, and my circle of fun hangout girls.  At 30, I chose who will be my Maid of Honor if I get married again, I chose who will be the godmother of my children, and I looked back at my childhood friends and promised a few I will always keep them as sisters (because those are the few with whom my relationship goes beyond friendships and girls circles).

But “that” Girl Power?

That’s my 1am call to my friend crying over the jeans that won’t fit.  My 7am call to tell her my crush is giving me a hard time.  Our 2pm exchange of lunch pictures. And above all that, the long minutes on the phone, each working over something, both silent, but hey! we are both hooked on that line and refused to hang-up! That’s our group hug after one gets married. 

That’s our group apology for the men and the husbands who accepted that hug, and our high appreciation for the men who will mark our lives and accept everything we are made of.  That’s to sharing each and every moment, as intimate as it might be.  That’s discussing every fear, as big and scary as it might be. 

That’s for the very long talks we have about our guys…
Side note (for the men to read very well!!!) :Stop believing us when we say we don’t talk about you, we do. We just don’t talk about our fights with you because we don’t want our girls to hate you after it.  Every girl can forgive the guy she likes / has a crush on / loves / marries… but her girlfriends will never.  So we just skip that part! And when you miss our couples outings, we always say you are stuck with something at work or with the family!

That's to wiping our tears away together. That’s for the tears of sadness, sorrow, worries and above all the tears of joy.  That’s for sharing the good and the bad.  

That’s for the road trips at 11pm to change the mood.  That’s for the sleepover.  That’s for the money talk, the make-up tips, the clothing advice, the emotional support, the good laughs, the tricks share.

That’s for the fights (yes we do fight. A lot!) and the arguments.  That’s for acting silly together in private and sillier in public.  That’s for the fun and the unlimited support. 

That’s for friendship. That’s for sisterhood. That’s for us, girls!

So voilĂ …

That’s what all the Girl Power is about.