Hey!
Let me introduce myself a little bit:
My name is Anna and I’m a Medical Massage Therapist. In connection with my profession, I love everything that has to do with Health, Wellness and Fitness and I spend a big part of my time educating myself, teaching, or simply living by the principles I talk about.
I believe in a holistic approach to health. If you don’t know what that means, holistic health is simply the idea that the Mind, the Body and the Soul/Spirit are involved to be an all round healthy person.
Through personal experience I can say that if one of these aspects is suffering, nothing you can do about the other two will make you feel wholly well.
My mission is to help people reach an equilibrium where they feel well in every aspect of their life.
I’m also trained in Trauma-Informed Healing and help people to release their trauma (or PTSD) through various techniques, like Inner-Child Healing, Reparenting, Mindfulness &#x26; Meditative Techniques, Nervous System Regulation and Somatic Experiencing.
Issues I might be able to help you with include Heartbreak Recovery, Abandonment Wounds, setting healthy boundaries, adapting to a healthier lifestyle and finding love in yourself and the world.

<h2></h2>
<h3 class="font-serif" align="center">Contact me! :)</h3>

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A few more personal facts about me:
<ul class="list-disc">
 <li>I love anything nature. My favorite place to be is outside, whether that’s the forest I grew up with, the ocean, the mountains of my home country, the jungle, or simply a patch of grass in the nearest park. It’s where I feel most alive and myself and so I try to make as much time for that as possible. </li>
<li>Just like loving to be outside, my body constantly craves movement. I love trying out new sports and am always down for an adventure, but my favorites include running, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding and the gym. </li>
<li>You will almost always catch me with a book (or my Kindle for that matter). I love reading. My favorite topics include
Philosophy 
Self-Improvement (Finance, Productivity,...)
Spirituality
Health </li>
<li>One of my biggest passions is traveling. I have been fortunate enough to have been to almost 20 countries in my life already, and I’ve lived in 3 so far. Something about discovering new places and cultures, and meeting new people sparks a special joy in my heart, that is hard to compare to anything else. </li>
<li>Kind of connected to the travel point, I love learning languages. Apart from my mother tongue German, I speak English, French, a little Russian and some Spanish. </li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>

A Little Info About Me

Happy New Year! 

The new year is a time of resolutions, ambitious plans, and goal-setting. But unfortunately, more often than not, these resolutions are left behind come February. 

Why is that? 

That’s exactly what I want to talk about today. Why can’t we seem to make resolutions stick and what can help you actually achieve your goals 2022! 

## Why don’t New Year’s resolutions work? 
Now, of course, there are thousands of reasons why people repeat the same resolutions year after year without ever actually achieving them. 

But what if I told you there are 3 main reasons that might be hindering your success? 

That’s right, it essentially boils down to 3 things: 

Number 1: You try to do too much at once 

Number 2: You don’t think about how to achieve that goal 

Number 3: Your motivation to achieve your goal is external 

Let’s take a closer look at all of these. 

## Doing too much at once 
Yeah, I know, January first is the perfect day to do it all. 

You get up at 5am, meditate, read, work out, drink a gallon of water, make a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, don’t smoke, don’t drink, and maybe even throw in a yoga session before bed. 

It feels great and you feel confident, ready to repeat this amazing lifestyle every day from here on out. 

Until… the alarm clock rings the next day and the mere thought of having to do all these things overwhelms you. 

You press snooze, wake up at 10am, and think to yourself “ugh, this day is already wasted, might as well not do anything else.” 

Does that sound familiar by any chance? 

Of course, I’m exaggerating quite a bit, but believe it or not, most people take on WAY too much at once when it comes to their resolutions. 

That doesn’t even mean they necessarily have to do 20 different new habits at once, but they might tell themselves after not having set foot in a gym in 10 years that they will hit the weights every day from now on. 

The problem with this kind of behavior is that you immediately burn yourself out. 

Lasting change takes time and patience, and although I know, it can be tempting to use all that New Year’s motivation, maybe start small and tell yourself you will go to the gym 3 times a week. 

Or you’ll walk around the block once a day. 

Whatever it is, make it an easily achievable goal and build up from there. 

When introducing new, healthy habits into your life, never add more than one thing at a time. 

I’m serious, start by meditating for 5 minutes each morning until it feels natural before moving on to another thing. 

This way, you might not have the exceptional first week of January you envisioned (followed by reverting back to your old “comfortable” life), but you will arrive in December having actually changed your life for the better. 

## Not having a proper plan
Most of the people you ask will probably have some sort of New Year’s resolution. 

However, most of them will blank when you ask them how exactly they plan on achieving that goal. 

And that’s exactly where their problem lies. 

You see, it’s really easy to say “I want to eat healthier”, “I want to lose weight”, “I want to read more”, or “I want to be more active”, but neither of these things will actually come to fruition unless you have a solid plan of action. 

The problem is that these resolutions aren’t tangible, they are so vague that you will try a thing here and there to achieve it, but eventually, it slips into the background and you forget about it. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/planner.jpeg?alt=media&token=59ffaf38-d518-4387-9277-3d9aea1f947a' alt='panner'>
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What can you do about that? 

It’s actually quite simple, you need to give yourself tangible steps you can take to achieve that goal. 

Let’s take “I want to read more” as an example. 

Set yourself a realistic, yet challenging goal such as “I will read 5 pages every day.” 

Then follow it with the precise moment when you will be following through with that goal. 

“I will read 5 pages every day while drinking my coffee in the morning.” 

See? All of a sudden a wishy-washy resolution became a tangible goal that you can track and achieve every day! 

## You have the wrong source of motivation 
Don’t get me wrong, any source of motivation is great. 

However, a big reason people tend to fail at their New Year’s resolutions stems from their source of motivation. 

We are talking about extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. 

Extrinsic means the source for your motivation lies outside of yourself, intrinsic motivation comes from within. 

Now: extrinsic motivation is not necessarily a bad thing. It is okay to be motivated by external factors. 

But: long-term success depends on being motivated to reach your goals for the right reasons. 

What are the right reasons? 

Wanting to be better for yourself. 

Not because you’ll be more accepted by society. Not because you will be more attractive. Not because you will be more interesting to others. 

Because you want to feel better and be better. Because you know you deserve it. 

>When your motivation comes from within, no amount of external obstacles will bring you off track. 

You’re accountable to yourself and nobody else, so you decide whether you succeed or not. 

So how do you become intrinsically motivated? 

<ul class="list-disc">

<li>Focus on how your new habit will make you feel, not the way it will make you appear to others. 

<li>Find a way to make your habit enjoyable. Don’t run if you despise it. Try things like dancing or biking. Don’t force yourself to read Tolstoy, start with Harry Potter! 

<li>Focus on consistency, not results 

</ul>

These things will inevitably help you source your motivation from within and make you unstoppable! 

## Final thoughts 
The New Year is a great time to start new habits and change your life. If you want to look back on 2022 proud of actually achieving your resolutions for the first time, follow the 3 key essentials to reaching your goals. 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Don’t take too much on at once
<li>Break it down into tangible steps 
<li>Source your motivation from within 
</ul>

Trust me, I speak from experience when I say that these things really work. 

2022 can be your year, you just need to know how to go about it to set yourself up for success.

Why do New Year's resolutions never work?

I made a very interesting discovery a few weeks ago. I realized that whenever I was with other people, I would try to accommodate their needs and desires while paying little to no attention to my own. 

Have you experienced the same? Maybe you aren’t even aware of it. As I said, up until that point a few weeks back I didn’t even realize what I was doing. 

Valuing your own desires and asking for them is very important, so that’s what I want to talk about today. 

## I never asked for the coconut chips 
For multiple months now I’ve been living with my boyfriend, and I have to say right off the bat that I’m very lucky that we share an almost identical taste palette, which makes shopping a breeze. 

However, there are some things I love that he just isn’t that into, for example, the coconut chips I’m talking about in this article. 

Whenever I went shopping, I bought the foods we both like and the foods he likes that I’m not a big fan of. 

It never crossed my mind to ask for coconut chips. Even though I love them, my mind said “Oh, he doesn’t like them so I guess we don’t need them.” 

Until one day it hit me: why wasn’t my love for coconut chips reason enough to buy them? 

This opened up a rabbit hole that I couldn’t dismiss anymore. I realized the coconut chips weren’t an exception. 

<ul class="list-disc">

<li>In the car with friends, I’d put on the music they like, not really thinking about putting on my own because they might not like it.

<li>Going out to dinner with people I’d ask them about where they wanted to go and not really mention what I really wanted to eat that day. 

<li>When watching a movie I’d settle for whatever everyone else wanted. 

</ul>

You get the picture. 

I realized that everyone else’s desires were more valid to me than my own. 

Do you recognize your own patterns here? 

This ties in heavily with people-pleasing, but that’s a topic I want to dive into more deeply in a future post. 

What I want to focus on today is the fact that so often our own desires aren’t reason enough for us to do what we want. 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/friends.jpeg?alt=media&token=b1724a98-6876-498a-9060-6641274c6ad9' alt='two friends having coffee'>
</div>

## Your desires are just as valid as anyone else’s

This is an important realization to have. 

> Your desires, preferences, and needs are just as valid as everyone else’s. 

Don’t get me wrong here, compromise is an important part of life and oftentimes we will have to meet others halfway. 

That’s not what I’m trying to talk about here, though. 

I am talking to all the people who are not compromising but instead meeting everyone else’s desires instead of their own every single time.

Never treating themselves just for the sake of it, because their own enjoyment wasn’t a good enough reason to do something.

It sounds like such a silly thing, buying coconut chips because I like them - there shouldn’t be any second thoughts about that, right? 

And yet, for some reason, I saw no issue buying the lemonade I don’t like that my boyfriend loves while hesitating to add the chips to the list. 

## It’s about valuing yourself as a person 

The issue here is not with the coconut chips, they merely opened my eyes to the bigger problem at hand:

> I did not value myself enough to realize that all my desires are valid. 

For you, it might not be the coconut chips, but there is a good chance that there is an area in your life where you’re ignoring your own desires completely because a part of you feels you aren’t worth it. 

I invite you to think about this and explore where there might be a lack of self-value in your life. 

This habit of neglecting your own needs and desires stems from low self-esteem, self-denial, and a fear of abandonment and rejection. 

## What can you do to work on this? 

There will be more in-depth information on people-pleasing soon, but for now, try to do these few exercises in your day-to-day, and I promise, your perception of self will almost instantly shift a bit. 

Before I tell you what these exercises are, let me just mention that they may sound very simple, but they aren’t necessarily easy, especially when people-pleasing has been programmed into you for years, or even decades. 

Take it easy on yourself and if anything, just get curious at the beginning, not necessarily changing your entire behavior, and instead just noticing when you neglect your own desires. 

> Awareness is the first and most important step to healing, after all. 

Here are things you can try: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li> When someone asks you what to do/eat/etc don’t say “I don’t care, whatever you want” and instead think about what YOU really want 

<li> Buy something you like without any other reason than your desire for it (this can be food, clothes, a gadget, or anything else!) 

<li> Put on your favorite song in the car without worrying about the other people not being into it 

<li> Say no to things you aren’t feeling at the moment 
</ul>

Essentially, do whatever would have felt very “selfish” in the past. 

For people-pleasers, the scale of selfishness has very much shifted over years of neglecting their own desires. 

So much so, that a simple thing like buying coconut chips can feel selfish. Guess what? It’s not and you are worth fulfilling your desires, even if nobody else benefits from it other than you. 

The mere fact that you benefit from it should be reason enough to do it. 

These little acts can shift your mindset into believing that you are worthy and that all of your desires are valid and worth fulfilling. 

## Final thoughts 
Breaking out of patterns like people-pleasing can be a very long journey, but it is worth it. 

This post is only a short introduction to rediscovering your own worth, but it is a great start. 

You deserve the world and it is time you go and act like it, even if just from time to time. 

Our thoughts influence our actions and vice versa. If you start to act like your desires are important, you will start to internalize that truth. 

In the beginning, this can feel weird, but it’s also very exciting. You get to explore what it is you like. 

Sometimes, people that have neglected their own desires for years don’t even know themselves very well anymore. 

They aren’t sure what it is they like because they never entertained the idea of doing or buying things solely for their own enjoyment. 

Have fun with this process, you might discover aspects of yourself you’ve hidden away for a long time. 

Good luck, you got this! 

Sending Love

Ask For The Cocont Chips - or - The Power Of Valuing Your Own Desires

We all know those energy slumps that tend to pop up in the middle of the day. Sometimes it's right after lunch, sometimes in the later afternoon, and sometimes both, or even more! 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a lover of coffee and incorporate it into my daily routine on a daily basis. However, I do believe it is good not to rely on a single substance for our energy. Plus, too much coffee is also not the greatest, so it's a good idea to have a variety of sources you can get your energy from. 

Here are 5 caffeine-free energy boosters that will help you consistently ramp up your energy! 

## 1. Nutrition 

We talk about nutrition a lot, and for good reason, after all, it is quite literally the source of our physical energy! 

Now, to sustainably boost your energy levels, a balanced diet is key. What this may look like differs from person to person, but putting an emphasis on whole foods is always a good idea. Incorporate a variety of fruit and vegetables into your everyday meals. Protein is also important. Whether you get it from a piece of chicken, a cup of cottage cheese, or a can of chickpeas is your choice, but make sure to add protein to most of your meals! 

But apart from general nutrition, what can you specifically eat when that mid-day slump hits? 

There are a few foods that are proven to boost energy. These include: 

<ul class="list-disc">

<li>Bananas
<li>Oranges 
<li>Eggs 
<li>Dark Chocolate
<li>Avocados
<li>Apples
<li>Dark Berries
<li>Greek Yoghurt
<li>Nuts
</ul>

These are just a few examples of snacks or meals you could incorporate into your day whenever you start feeling sluggish. They tend to give your body the needed nutrients to concentrate or perform and will provide long-lasting energy as opposed to one big rush followed by a slump! 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/nutrition.jpeg?alt=media&token=0a6a5e3f-d765-4339-9527-d5631379ca8d' alt='meal with vegetables and quinoa'>
</div>

## 2. Water 

Tied to the topic of nutrition, water is a key element when it comes to boosting your energy. 

Being dehydrated will lead to fatigue and low energy. This is because hydration keeps our muscles energized and therefore stabilizes our energy levels. 

### How do I know I'm dehydrated? 

Apart from the fact that we usually know when we're not on our best game with drinking water.... ;) 

An easy way to be able to tell whether you're dehydrated is simply by checking your urine. If it's very dark, you're probably dehydrated. Aim for a pale color.

Another way to tell if you're dehydrated, is simply checking in with yourself and seeing if you're feeling thirsty! 

### How can I be more hydrated? 

The easy answer to this is obvious: drink more water. 

But some people aren't a big fan of water, or simply forget to drink throughout the day. Here are a few tips to help you stay hydrated: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Carry a water bottle with you EVERYWHERE. Have it right next to you at work so you can see it. 
<li>Try out different things (and find something YOU like) such as cold teas, lemon water, mint water, cucumber water,... The more interesting you can make your drinks, the more likely you are to actually drink more. 
<li>Eat foods with high water content! This will passively hydrate you! These foods include watermelon, strawberries, cucumber, cantaloupe, lettuce, peaches, oranges, and many more! 
</ul>

## 3. Social Media 

You have probably noticed it yourself already, but a 30-minute long Instagram session doesn't really help with feeling good, motivated, and energized for your day. 

Studies have found that Social Media is directly linked to fatigue. It does depend on the type of social media, however. Checking news on Facebook or Instagram causes an overload of information, which in turn heightens fatigue levels. 

Using platforms such as Snapchat or Whatsapp to catch up with Friends or Family can even heighten energy levels a bit. 

This shows, that social media is not all bad, it simply depends on how you use it. Mindless scrolling will drain your energy by the minute while using your break to catch up with a close friend on Whatsapp might do the opposite. 

The best thing to keep in mind is to use social media mindfully. How do you feel while using the different apps? Be brutally honest with yourself, what makes you feel like shit? 

When in doubt, focus on real-life connections and put down your phone as much as possible! 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/social%20media.jpeg?alt=media&token=987db90c-cc49-4a5e-a682-2ea1b07c8418' alt='phone with social media apps'>
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## 4. Stretch

Stretching can be both, relaxing and rejuvenating. Stretching increases the circulation of blood and oxygen to your muscles, making you feel more energized. 

This is also a great option for movement when you don't have the time or space to workout. When feeling tired at work, take a 5-10 minute break, get up and stretch. It will feel better than downing that fifth cup of coffee of the day, trust me! 

## 5. Move 

Just like stretching, movement increases blood circulation and brings you energy. If you've ever done a quick workout right after waking up, you know how fast that can wake you up. 

Whether you do it first thing in the morning, in the middle of your workday, or after work, exercise is a great way to boost energy. 

Not only will you notice the immediate benefits, but over time your fatigue will diminish and you will feel overall more energized and motivated. 

It is quite simple, according to Newton's first law of motion, an object in motion will want to continue to be in motion, while an object at rest will stay at rest. Of course, this is just a metaphor, but the more you move and the more energy you use up, the more you are going to crave movement. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/exercise.jpeg?alt=media&token=c72aedef-94ad-4d49-8be4-fdeae207a20d' alt='man lifting weights at the gym'>
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## Try to ditch a few cups of coffee

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can boost your energy without having to rely on caffeine to do the trick. 

As mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with having some coffee, but before you reach for your 3rd, 4th or 5th cup of the day, maybe think of these 5 things and see if there are areas in your life that might be causing this fatigue you feel. 

These can also be great habits to incorporate if you want to reduce your caffeine intake but aren't sure what to replace it with. Sometimes, coffee is simply a coping mechanism for us to take a break from work and think about something else for a bit, even if it's just 5 minutes. If that something changes to a stretch break or a healthy snack, you might find that your coffee cravings disappear! 

>As always, see what feels good for you and your body! 

Sending Love

5 Things To Boost Your Energy Throughout The Day

This week is all about the Anxious, or also called the Preoccupied Attachment Style. 

To get a general introduction, or a closer look into the other Attachment styles, check out <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/attachment-styles-introduction"><ins>my other posts</ins></a> 

## What is Anxious Attachment? 
When you are primarily anxiously attached, as you can probably guess, you are high on anxiety. People with this attachment style crave closeness and intimacy. Insecurity is a big topic in their relationships, they feel like others don’t want to get as close to them as they would like. 

Fear of abandonment is a common theme with this attachment style and in relationships there can be worries that the partner does not love them. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/anxiety.jpeg?alt=media&token=2e357edb-b9b6-4e5f-aaec-5487b2854933' alt='anxious man looking out of window'>
</div>

## Where does Anxious Attachment come from? 
As with all of the attachment styles, anxious attachment forms in early childhood. Inconsistent parenting behaviors are probably the biggest contributor to forming an anxious attachment style. 

When parents are slow or inconsistent in meeting their baby’s needs, like not picking them up when they cry, it could develop into an anxious attachment later on in life. 

The main reason that the inconsistent behavior is triggering for the child, is that they become confused and insecure, not knowing what behavior to expect. 

## What are the characteristics of Anxious Attachment? 
Common traits of people with predominantly anxious attachment are: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Needy, wanting constant reassurance, a desire to merge with their partner, which can in turn push them away</li>
<li>Insecure, fear of abandonment, worries about rejection </li>
<li>Puts relationship over everything else </li>
<li>Sensitive to changes in mood and action of partner, takes everything personally</li>
<li>Highly emotional, can be controlling </li>
<li>Not good at establishing personal boundaries </li>
<li>Unpredictable, likes to connect through conflict</li>
<li>Low self-worth and self-esteem </li>
<li>Overly dependent on a partner to meet their needs </li>
<li>Difficulty trusting others </li>
</ul>

## How can you prevent an anxious attachment style? 

To prevent anxious attachment in your child, you, as a parent, can help the most by consistently responding to your child’s needs in loving ways. 

This way, the child can predict what will happen when they are in distress. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/therapy.jpeg?alt=media&token=8b01de52-26b2-4927-b71c-6b52e98b5ae4' alt='black man at therapy'>
</div>

## How can you heal from an anxious attachment style? 
If you can see yourself in the description of anxious attachment, you might ask yourself what to do now. 

Like all attachment styles, anxious attachment stems from childhood. This is why Inner Child Healing can be a massive help in revovering from anxious attachment. Finding the roots of your anxiety and understanding your own behavior will be a tremendous part in healing. 

Further, it will be helpful to learn how to trust yourself. Being able to rely on yourself as opposed to depending entirely on other people is key. 

Seeking out a therapist or coach is always a good idea, when healing alone seems overwhelming. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to <a class="text-gray-700 font-bold hover:underline hover:text-blue-500 duration-200 transition-colors" href="mailto:ascheucher.healing@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">contact me</a>. 

With this coaching, you can learn how to regulate your own emotions in healthy ways. Self-soothing is a big part of anxious attachment, as it will teach you how to be okay, no matter what. This way you will not feel as dependent on other people. 

## Final thoughts 
No matter which attachment style you predominantly have at the moment, you are okay, and there is nothing wrong with you. 

Attachment styles are learned behaviors that kept us safe in the past, but when the need for them is over, they can be unlearned. 

Moving towards a more secure attachment style is ultimately the goal, and it is completely normal if you feel like you need some support with that. Seek out a therapist or <a class="text-gray-700 font-bold hover:underline hover:text-blue-500 duration-200 transition-colors" href="mailto:ascheucher.healing@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">email</a> me with the subject line “attachment styles”. 

Sending Love

The Attachment Style Series: Anxious Attachment

In this part of the Attachment Style Series, we’re taking a closer look at the avoidant attachment. This attachment style is also referred to as dismissive attachment. 

For a general introduction or a closer look at the other attachment styles, check out my other posts! 

## What is Avoidant Attachment? 
When you are primarily avoidantly attached, this means, surprise, surprise - you’re very avoidant. People with a predominantly avoidant attachment style tend to not be very anxious, and instead, feel very uncomfortable with closeness. They value their independence and freedom over everything. Oftentimes this attachment style comes with the inability to trust others, let alone depend on them. 

In relationships, this can mean that their partners would like them to be more vulnerable and intimate than what they are comfortable with. 

## Where does Avoidant Attachment come from? 
Avoidant Attachment often develops in early childhood. When children do not receive sensitive responses to their needs from their parents or caretakers, this can increase the likelihood of developing a predominantly avoidant attachment style. 

Children rely on their parents to have their needs met. When this desire for closeness is repeatedly rejected, it can cause the child to suppress their need for comfort when they are upset or distressed. 

They might also learn to self-soothe, and develop the idea that they can only rely on themselves in times of need. Because of that, they find it incredibly difficult to ask for help or support form others. 

This type of attachment style can cause serious difficulties when trying to form close relationships later in life. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/avoidant.jpeg?alt=media&token=2e47b048-d1ab-4809-9bc1-ee3d3562be52' alt='two people sitting on couch'>
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## What are the Characteristics of Avoidant Attachment? 
The characteristics of predominantly avoidantly attached people are: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Don’t like to talk about their emotions, avoid conflict until it builds up, and then they explode with pent-up feelings 
<li>Withdraw in difficult situations and try to cope alone 
<li>Feel like partners are clingy, when they simply want to get emotionally closer 
<li>Have feelings of high self-esteem while viewing others negatively
<li>Value their independence, can’t depend on a partner or let their partner fully depend on them
<li>Intimacy signals a loss of independence to them, so they prefer being alone
<li>Focus only on their own needs and comforts, neglecting those around them
<li>Very self-sufficient, stoic, controlled
<li>Emotionally distant, avoiding intimate relationships, and if in relationships, keep partner at arm’s length 
<li>Non-emotional, and reacts well in times of crisis 
<li>As parents, not attached and emotionally unavailable, children tend to also develop avoidant attachments 
</ul>

## How can you prevent an avoidant attachment style? 
To prevent your child from developing a primarily avoidant attachment style, it is important to be open and sensitive to their needs and feelings, while motivating them to express their emotions and wishes. 

The parent should also let the child know that they are safe and that they care for them, both, through their words and their actions. 

When a parent feels like they have difficulties fulfilling their children’s needs, and are at a loss with parenting, there are coaches or mental health professionals who specialize in helping with exactly that. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/therapy.jpeg?alt=media&token=8b01de52-26b2-4927-b71c-6b52e98b5ae4' alt='black man at therapy'>
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## How can I heal my avoidant attachment? 
If you feel like you have a predominantly avoidant attachment style and are wondering how to heal from it to become more securely attached, there are many things that can help you! 

First of all, congratulations on taking the most important step, which is awareness and a willingness to change. This is the biggest obstacle for many. 

Therapy, counseling, or coaching can all be great options for learning how to heal. 

If you want to try to work on it yourself, Inner Child Healing can do wonders. The important thing when healing from avoidant attachment is that you understand how your parents responded to your needs as a child and how this has shaped your current emotions or patterns. Inner Child Healing allows you to do exactly that. Not only will it bring awareness to memories that might have been suppressed, but it will also show you how to work through those things and grow from them. 

Explaining Inner Child Healing would go into a whole other post (and I might do one in the future), but if you are interested, send me an <a class="text-gray-700 font-bold hover:underline hover:text-blue-500 duration-200 transition-colors" href="mailto:ascheucher.healing@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Email</a> with the subject line “Inner Child Healing” and I will provide you with some helpful resources that allowed me to dive into this topic. 


## Nothing is “wrong” with you 
If you realized that you are avoidantly attached, that does not mean anything is wrong with you. It only shows you parts of yourself that need some healing. 

Becoming aware of our own patterns is a huge step towards being fully healthy, but that does not mean you should beat yourself up over identifying a pattern you don’t find ideal. 

What I found most profound, is the realization that all of our behavior mechanisms and patterns stem from that little kid inside of us that learned to protect him/herself when their surroundings wouldn’t let them be safe. 

Once you develop this compassion for yourself, it will be so much easier to approach your healing journey in a gentle, loving way. Plus, it will make it a lot easier to have empathy and compassion with others once you see the scared child behind their actions and behaviors. 

Sending Love!

The Attachment Style Series: Avoidant Attachment

The past year and a half have been undoubtedly hard for a majority of people worldwide. Apart from existential threats on all corners, mental health has deteriorated for many, due to a lack of perspective. Constant uncertainty, which up until last year was relatively easy to ignore, is now something we are forced to face on a daily basis. 

As I touched upon in my <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/Overthinking"><ins> post about how to cope with overthinking,</ins></a> humans love the idea of being in control of life. The truth is, we actually have no control over anything, and life is a mountain of uncertainty, and realizing this is one of the scariest revelations one can make. Coming to terms with it, on the other hand, is the only thing that will ultimately set you free. 

On a more positive note, there are things you can do to help you cope with this ever-present uncertainty, especially in this whirlwind of restrictions, vaccines, lockdowns, and fear we find ourselves in nowadays. 

The past year and a half have been really hard for me, personally, as well. At the beginning of 2020 every ounce of certainty I had clung to in my life seemed to dissipate, with life plans canceling or being completely turned upside down. In an attempt to hold onto my sanity, I developed 5 habits, that have since helped me through some of the hardest months in my life so far. 

I am not sure where I would mentally (or physically) be today, had I not found these pillars to cling to, which is exactly why I want to share them, to potentially alleviate some discomfort of this uncertainty for someone else. 

>Remember, as scary as life may seem, you will ultimately be okay. Uncertainty is not always fun, but at the same time, it holds infinite possibilities and opportunities! 

## 1. Meditation 
Yeah, I know, you’ve heard me talk about this in a lot of my posts already… I even dedicated <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/meditate-daily"><ins> an entire post to meditation!</ins></a> But hear me out, there is a reason I put so much emphasis on this habit! 

Meditation is not only great for coping with anxiety, it also helps you gain a greater understanding of yourself and your thoughts. This will in turn really help you with coping with uncertainty. 

I’ve noticed that my daily meditation practice is what helped me get more grounded every single day, no matter how anxious I was feeling. In those few minutes I allowed myself to not worry, and more often than not, that feeling of letting go of control carried over into the hours afterwards. 

A great mantra that I like to use during meditation is “I choose to let go.” Maybe you’ll think I’m crazy, but in times of greatest internal turmoil, this is exactly what I needed to tell myself over and over again during my practice, to actually let go of expectations and thoughts of helplessness. 

Sometimes, when the mind is particularly anxious, it is good to have a sentence (or mantra, or affirmation) to focus on, in order to calm down your busy thoughts. If you like this tactic, there are thousands of mantras out there you can use. For me personally, “I choose to let go” simply helped the most when my mind was running in circles around certain images/ thought patterns. 

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## 2. Journaling 
By that, I don’t necessarily mean “Dear Diary….” (although, if that’s your thing, that’s great, too!) 

For me, journaling is a way to dump out all my thoughts on paper. You can journal any way you want, there is really no right or wrong way to go about it. 

Maybe you like Bullet journaling, maybe you want to jot down what happens every day, maybe you want to focus on your feelings at that moment, or maybe it’s a mix of all of the above and changes every day. Your journal is yours alone, you can really express yourself any way you like. 

### But how does journaling help in times of uncertainty? 

First of all, writing out everything that is on your mind will really help you let go of it, and then see it in a more objective light. Thoughts can feel so daunting in our brains, but when we read what we wrote, it helps to approach the issue from a less emotional standpoint. 

Sometimes writing about a subject can bring revelations, as well. With certain “scary” topics, they will surface in our mind and we quickly push them back down because they make us feel anxious/ sad/ uncertain/… By journaling, you give yourself permission to let these things surface and you give them space to be thought about. You’d be surprised how much can actually be resolved simply by taking the time to think about it and write it out. 

Lastly, it is a great habit longterm. Sometimes I look back at old journal entries where life was completely uncertain and I felt lost. Reading this, and seeing where life led after that makes me feel more confident when facing new uncertainties, that these, too, will pass and turn into something beautiful eventually. 

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## 3. Gratitude 
No matter how uncertain and scary times may seem, there is always something to be grateful for. By that I don’t mean neglect your feelings and fill yourself with “toxic positivity”, but simply getting in the habit of collecting a few things that fill your heart with joy, will help you shift your mental state. 

Have you ever noticed, that when you are looking into buying a new car for example, and you like a certain model, that model seems to appear at almost every corner? This is because our mind gets millions of inputs each second, we just consciously notice those that our awareness is focused on. 

This is why focusing on gratitude for a few minutes a day can help you shift your awareness to more positive things and help you not feel so hopeless during harder times! It will also fill you up with joy when you need a little emotional pick-me-up. 

This can be done with a gratitude journal, or simply by taking a few minutes to think about what you are grateful for. I like to end my meditations with a little bit of gratitude, for example. 

If you’re at a point where you feel like there is nothing to be grateful for, start small! “I’m grateful for the sunshine coming in through the window.” or “I am grateful for the couch I’m sitting on.” or “I’m grateful I get to take a beautiful shower today.” or “I’m grateful for the coffee I have here.” or “I’m grateful for the little kid laughing on the street outside.” 

The more you practice gratitude, the more you will realize, that it is not the big events, the vacations, and the purchases that make your life beautiful, it’s the tiny moments in between, the art in the mundane. Find it! 

## 4. Find safety in yourself 
So often we rely on outer things - people, outcomes, events - to make us feel good. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, nothing in this world is certain. The only thing that will always be there is yourself. And that’s exactly why it is so important to find safety within yourself, to learn how to self-soothe, and to be okay with being by yourself. 

I think the pandemic took a heavy toll on people mentally, not only due to the obvious factors of uncertainty but also because the pandemic forced people to be by themselves in isolation, without constant distraction. This can be scary, especially in a world where we are constantly being distracted. 

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with seeking comfort in a partner, a friend, the idea of an upcoming event. The only difference is, would you be okay without it? Finding this safety within yourself, knowing that no matter what, you got you, and you will be okay, is the most liberating feeling ever. 

There will be times when people won’t be available and learning to still be okay, soothing yourself, and being content is a big thing you can do to not be so scared of uncertainty. 

### How do you do that? 

Learn to spend time by yourself doing things you love! Read a book, find a hobby you enjoy (maybe try cooking a new recipe or baking yourself a cake), treat yourself the way you would treat a partner or friend, and see how nice you can make life for yourself. 

Also, find out what helps you in times of distress when nobody is there to comfort you. Does journaling help you? Screaming? Crying? Working out? Creating art? Whatever it is, explore it and learn how to soothe yourself. 

Knowing that you have people to comfort you, but that even if they are unavailable, you will be okay soothing yourself will help a lot in times of uncertainty. 

## 5. Open up to others and share experiences 
You’d be surprised how similar some of our experiences are. Especially in times like these, with a worldwide pandemic, a lot of people are going through very similar feelings and struggles. 

Opening up to people you trust and sharing your experience can feel really liberating. Although not ideal, it will help to know that you are not alone in this mass of uncertainty. Everyone is struggling to some extent, and sharing these struggles can really lift a burden off your shoulders. 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/friends.jpeg?alt=media&token=b1724a98-6876-498a-9060-6641274c6ad9' alt='two women having a beer together laughing'>
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## Life will always be uncertain 
If anything, this pandemic has taught us what we used to suppress with all our might - life is uncertain and our entire reality can change in a matter of days. 

Is that scary? Yes, very. 

Has it ever been any other way or will it ever be any other way? No. 

So all we can really do (unless we want to freak out for the rest of our lives and live in constant anxiety) is to embrace this uncertainty and learn to coexist with it. Finding anchors of safety in your day-to-day life and especially in yourself. 

>Building up habits that make you feel safer and keeping in mind that uncertainty is simply the existence of infinite possibilities - how exciting!

5 Habits To Cope With Uncertainty

After <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/attachment-styles-introduction"><ins> last week's introduction</ins></a>, we are starting our journey to dive into the different attachment styles by taking a closer look at Secure Attachment. 

## What is Secure Attachment? 
Secure Attachment is the type of Attachment we all strive for. You can take the Attachment Style Quiz every few months and see the percentages change. Ideally, the more you heal over time, the bigger the percentage of “Secure Attachment” will get. 

Having a predominantly Secure Attachment Style means that you are not avoidant and not very anxious. You are okay and comfortable with intimacy and aren’t too worried about being rejected. 

I want to mention here that nobody is ever 100% secure. Being anxious, getting worried about what other people think, not wanting to be rejected - these are all very human things and you can’t get rid of them completely (sorry). The goal is not to never feel insecure again, the goal is to learn to accept the natural feelings as they arise (and learn how to healthily cope with them) and at the same time noticing the irrational reactions that might stem from a core belief / traumatic experience and healing to the point where these triggers stabilize. 

## What are the characteristics of Secure Attachment? 

The characteristics of Secure Attachment are the following: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>You can depend on a partner, while also allowing them to depend on you. 
<li>You’re available for your partner in times of need. 
<li>You are comfortable in a loving and emotionally close relationship
<li>You are forgiving, trusting, tolerant (of differences), and empathic 
<li>You accept your partner’s need for alone time without getting the feeling of rejection or feeling threatened. 
<li>You can be close and independent 
<li>You can communicate your needs and emotions openly 
<li>You do not avoid conflict 
<li>You are in tune to your partner’s needs and respond to them lovingly 
<li>You practice forgiveness and try to gain insight from past relationships and times you got hurt 
<li>You manage your emotions well 
<li>As a parent, you are caring, warm and sensitive. You respond to your child’s needs and your children are also securely attached. 
</ul>

## What if Secure Attachment is my predominant Attachment Style?

If that is the case, that’s awesome! Having a predominantly secure attachment style is the key to a balanced and healthy life! 

### Ways to get more secure: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Become more mindful and conscious about your thoughts, triggers, and emotional reactions. Check out <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/valid-feelings"><ins> this post</ins></a> to learn how to cope with that! 

<li>Reflect on the worst things that have happened to you in the past, and see what they taught you and how they changed you for the better 

<li>When feeling insecure, try to pinpoint what is causing it. Think of your attachment style and if that might have something to do with it. Awareness is the first step to change. 

<li>Work on Self-Love. It sounds cheesy, but self-love really is the basis of everything. And by that, I don’t mean just bubble baths and face-masks, but truly take the time to work on yourself. The more you are comfortable with yourself, your emotions, and your shadows, the more you can embrace them and feel less insecure! 
</ul>

## Work with what you have 

Even if you are predominantly secure in your attachment, there will be days where life feels overwhelming, and that's okay. 

If you don't resonate with secure attachment at all, that's okay, too! By becoming more aware of your reactions and emotions, you will start to heal. 

The more you heal, the healthier your relationships will be in the future! 

Look out for the next posts on how to heal and grow from the other types of attachment styles! 

Sending love

The Attachment Style Series: Secure Attachment Style

In the next few weeks, I will dive deep into the world of Attachment Styles, with a series that will focus on one specific Attachment Style in each post. (Plus how to heal certain dynamics) 

Before doing that, however, I figured it would be a good idea to give an introduction to what attachment styles are, why knowing yours can be super important, and how you can use that knowledge to not only improve ALL your relationships but also your overall quality of life. 

## What are Attachment Styles? 
First and foremost, what is an attachment style and why is it important? 

>How you relate and attach to other humans has a strong connection to how you used to attach to others as a kid. 

### Which attachment style you have has an impact on your life in: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>How you deal with and perceive emotional intimacy and closeness
<li>Your ability to communicate your needs and emotions
<li>Your ability to listen to and understand the needs and emotions of your partner
<li>Expectations about other people, especially partners and relationships 
<li>How you respond to conflict 
</ul>

So you see, attachment styles have quite a big impact on our everyday lives, and frankly, our happiness! 
## Which Attachment Styles are there? 

There are 4 main attachment styles: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li> <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/attachment-styles-secure"><ins>Secure</ins></a> 
<li><a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/attachment-styles-avoidant"><ins>Avoidant</ins></a> 
<li><a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/attachment-styles-anxious"><ins>Anxious</ins></a> 
<li>Fearful 
</ul>

The first one, Secure Attachment, is what we strive for. After having healed childhood trauma, limiting core beliefs and insecurities, this is where we would ultimately end up. 

## How is my attachment style determined? 

It is important to note, that you have varying percentages of all 4 attachment styles. There is usually one that is predominant, but think of it as a pie chart. 

To determine which attachment style you (predominantly) have, there are generally three dimensions that are being closely looked at. 

The first one is closeness, in other words, how comfortable you are being emotionally close to or intimate with other people. 

The second dimension is anxiety. This evaluates how much you worry about people (and especially partners) abandoning or rejecting you. 

The third one is dependence, or to what extent you are comfortable depending on others and having others depend on you. 

## Why is knowing my attachment style important? 
>We cannot heal what we are not aware of. 

So many people struggle in their everyday lives, especially when it comes to relationships. Triggers come up that seem completely irrational in hindsight and we don’t understand why we react the way we do. Or maybe we aren’t even aware that sometimes we are the ones with “toxic”, irrational reactions. 

Knowing your attachment style will not only open your eyes to your habits and thought patterns, but might also help to make a lot of things make sense again. 

Once you know which attachment style you have, you can take active steps to move to a Secure attachment style. 

This will not only improve the way you relate to others and make your relationships better, but it will also allow you to feel better, healthier and more secure in your day-to-day life. It’s a win-win situation. 

## How can I find out my attachment style? 
Reading through the following series of posts on this blog, you might already get a hunch of what style you might have. Some things will just…. sound familiar. 

To get a more accurate understanding of which attachment style you have, there are multiple really great Tests online that you can take for free. 

Some examples are: 

<a href="https://www.attachmentproject.com/attachment-style-quiz/"><ins>The Attachment Project</ins></a>

<a href="https://dianepooleheller.com/attachment-test/"><ins>Dr. Diane Poole Heller</ins></a>

<a href="https://www.scienceofpeople.com/attachment-styles/"><ins>Science of People</ins></a>

Take one or more of these tests to find out what attachment style you predominantly have at the moment! 

## You are fine wherever you are
No matter the result of this test, you are okay, no matter where you are right now. Now that you know which attachment style you have, you can actively work on feeling more and more secure.

Watch out for the following posts in this series, which will go in-depth with all of the attachment styles. They will also teach you where these attachment styles come from in the first place, how to best cope with them, and ultimately how to heal from them to get to a secure attachment style. 

Let me know what you think and which attachment style you have!

The Attachment Style Series: Introduction to Attachment Styles

Meditation has not been limited to Buddhist monks anymore for a while now. Each year the practice seems to gain more and more traction among people, and especially the younger generations are seeking the benefits of this mindfulness practice. 

I have been meditating for multiple years now, but I have phases where I meditate daily, and then there are weeks or months where this practice slides into the background of my priorities. 

About a month ago, I started meditating daily again, making it a non-negotiable priority in my day. Every time I do this, I realize how much peace this practice brings me, so that’s why today I wanna talk about why you should meditate daily (and how to do it). 


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## 5 scientific benefits of meditating daily 
I will first get into some of the scientific benefits of meditation before I talk a little bit more about my own experience with it. 

### Meditation reduces Stress

This is probably the most widely known effect of meditation. When you are mentally or physically stressed, it will cause increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body. Over time, this can lead to the release of inflammatory chemicals, therefore disrupting your sleep, leading to increased levels of depression and anxiety, increased blood pressure, fatigue, etc. 

Studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can reduce the inflammation response caused by stress, and will also improve symptoms of conditions related to stress like PTSD, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia. 

### Meditation helps with anxiety 

As meditation reduces stress levels, it also equals less anxiety.<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24107199/"><ins> A study</ins></a> of almost 1300 adults concluded that meditation helps to decrease anxiety. This effect was seen most in the adults with the highest levels of anxiety. 

<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3772979/"><ins> Another study</ins></a> found that meditation helped to reduce symptoms of anxiety in people with generalized anxiety disorder. 

These are just two of many examples of studies conducted, there is plenty of research to support meditation alleviating anxiety. 


### Meditation improves self-awareness 
Through meditation, you can develop a stronger understanding of yourself, which will help you grow as a person. It can help recognize unhelpful or harmful thoughts and will offer a deeper understanding of your own psyche. 

<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6397548/"><ins> A study</ins></a> conducted among 153 adults showed, that using a mindfulness meditation app for 2 weeks helped with reducing feelings of loneliness and increasing social contact. 


### Meditation increases your attention span 

Meditation is like anything in life - the more you practice, the better you get at it. 

With meditation, you can increase the endurance of your attention. 

<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088366/"><ins> Studies</ins></a> have shown that people who practice meditation have improved attention and accuracy when completing a task. 

Also, mediation can even reverse thought patterns like worrying, mind-wandering, or poor attention! 

### Meditation can fight age-related memory loss 

Through meditation, you can also help keep your mind young. 
There is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26445019/"><ins> evidence</ins></a> that meditation can help to at least partially improve memory in patients with dementia! 

Also, regular meditation can improve performance on neuropsychological tests, increase memory and overall mental quickness in older people! 

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<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/meditation-2-image.jpeg?alt=media&token=08b0aa7a-592b-4e58-89b8-d7476c79c9b9' alt='woman meditating next to pool sunset'>
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## Benefits in my own experience with Meditation 

Now I want to talk a little bit about my own experience with meditation. 

When I say meditation has changed my life, I’m not exaggerating. Meditating daily has kept me sane in some of the most difficult times of my life so far. It’s what has helped me find a source of peace within myself, no matter how chaotic or unsafe the world around me seemed at the time. 

### Personal Growth 
Let’s start with personal growth. I believe that meditation has been a big catalyst for my own growth over the last few years. 

When I meditate, I get more clarity on the workings of my own psyche. I have identified thought and behavior patterns that were chipping away at my quality of life in meditation. 

Checking in with myself on a daily basis like this also helped me reflect on my actions in a neutral and non-judgmental way so that I can walk away from my practice and try to do better. 

### Forces me to stop avoiding problems 
We, as a society, are terrified of silence. We have become accustomed to always being distracted, always flooding our brains with information. 
And it is nice, to some extent, to have distraction at our fingertips at all times, but this also enables us to ignore all our feelings and problems and dissociate. 

I have noticed that through meditation, I am forced to face the uncomfortable feelings I usually try to avoid. But in the end, this is super useful, it helps me to work through these feelings and learn from them as opposed to pushing them down (and having them resurface in a subconscious way). 

### Safe Space 
The world can be scary. So much is uncertain, and it is impossible to control everything. With meditation, I have learned to let go of this constant desire for control, and surrender to the fact that nothing in this world is certain. 

By making peace with my thoughts and cultivating this safe space within, I have come to the realization that the only thing I do have control over in this life is my thoughts. 

Knowing that there is this safe space within that can be accessed at all times has brought me immense comfort in times of crisis. Meditation acts like an anchor for me, a way to make myself feel more grounded instantly. 

### A different view on life 

Meditation has also allowed me to gain a different perspective on life. It helps me view my own life and problems in a different light, but it also helps me empathize with the people around me and gain a greater understanding of them and their reasons to act a certain way. 

In general, I believe that daily meditation has made me a kinder, more empathetic person, with the ability to take a step back from my own life and consider a different point of view. 


### Gratitude
Last but not least, meditating daily has boosted my gratitude. It gives me time every day to reflect on how fortunate I am in so many ways. It helps me feel grateful for the most mundane of things, and it really helps me to put my problems into perspective. 

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## How can you start meditating daily? 

Now, after learning all the beautiful things meditation can do for you, maybe you want to try it out for yourself. 

I don’t believe that you need to sit in silence for hours a day to reap the benefits of meditation. 

What is important, is to make it a non-negotiable priority in your day. No matter what is going on, show up for yourself, even if it is just for 2 minutes. But do it every single day. 

A few tips: 

### Start small 

Start with 1, 2, or 3 minutes of meditation if 10 minutes feels like too much. Meditating 1 minute every day will still get you in the habit, and even a minute of silence is better than nothing! 

### Try out different techniques 

Mix it up! 

> There is no wrong or right way to meditate. 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Maybe you like to listen to 432Hz music when you meditate, but it for sure is not for everyone! Some people prefer more modern music to listen to. Maybe try nature sounds, or see how you feel without any music or noise at all! 

<li>Try out different spots, see where you feel most comfortable. If you can’t settle down when sitting, try lying down for your meditation! 

<li>Close your eyes or keep them open, softly focusing on a spot in front of you, whatever you feel most called to that day. 

<li>Try breathwork when meditating, sometimes that can help you focus! 

<li>Use guided meditations for when your mind wants to wander or you desire some input! 
</ul>

### Listen to your body 
Don’t be hard on yourself if your mind can’t settle down. On days when I feel very anxious, meditating is a lot harder than usual. These days I will allow myself to keep the meditation short, maybe only 3 minutes. I might use a guided meditation to give my brain something to focus on, and I won’t be hard on myself for shifting and fidgeting during the meditation. 

Your body goes through different phases, and that’s okay! The only way to form a sustainable practice is if you honor your body’s needs as it changes. 

## Just start! 

No matter where you are in your journey, just start and see how it goes! Meditation can be a beautiful tool to not only grow as a person but to also feel better in your day-to-day life. 

Daily meditation is definitely one of my favorite practices to do for self-improvement. The beautiful thing about it is how versatile it is, you can adjust it any way you like on any given day. 

If you try it out yourself, or already have a practice, I would love to hear about it! Send me an email with your results, or if you have any questions / need advice! 

Sending love

How to start meditating daily

Overthinking, anxiety and worry seem to be very predominant issues in our society. It comes as no surprise, life is crazy and insecure, our lives seem to be turned upside down ever since the pandemic started, and being connected to the news, social media, and work practically 24/7 isn’t helping, either. 

But overthinking is not something novel. Humans have been dealing with anxiety and worry ever since we existed, with the difference that in the last few decades this natural anxiety has morphed and grown into what is now a problem rather than a healthy survival mechanism.The question that keeps coming up is "How can I cope with overthinking?"

## Why are we so anxious?

Back in the days of our primal ancestors, our worries were valid. Having to run from a wild animal, or being careful when hunting and attacking as to not get hurt is what led us to survive until today. 

The worries of our ancestors were very different in their nature than our worries today, though. Anxiety used to be short-lived, usually combined with a survival threat that the anxiety helped to eliminate. There was something we could actually DO about our worries, and what we were anxious about took place right then and there, in the present moment. 

Nowadays things are very different. Most people rarely have to fight for actual survival in life-or-death situations. We don’t worry about what is happening right now. We are worried about our career over the next years, exams weeks from now, our parents getting older, retirement, climate change, political changes in the world, etc, etc.

The big difference with most of our problems nowadays is that there is little to nothing we can actively DO about them at this moment. Sure, we can plan ahead, but that will only get us so far. 

Our brains are wired to be anxious so that we take action and survive - but if we don’t take action because nothing can be done, we are stuck in a loop of overthinking and anxiety. 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/anxiety.jpeg?alt=media&token=99c1ee76-e7b9-492c-ad16-4b920f4698c7' alt='brain with paint'>
</div>

## How can you cope with anxiety? 

There are ways out of this loop of overthinking. Next time you feel your heart and mind racing, try out these things: 

### Pause and look around 
Whether you are overthinking, anxious, overwhelmed, or triggered, this is the number one best thing to do in any of these situations. Pause, take a deep breath and evaluate the situation. 

Where are you? What is happening around you? How are you feeling? Where are you feeling it? 

Self-awareness is needed in order to improve and change your mindset. Also, once you are aware of what you are feeling and how that feeling shows itself, it will be easier to work with! 

### Breathe 
As simple as it may sound, taking deep, conscious breaths can regulate your nervous system and calm you down. 

Try either breathwork or simply prolong your inhales and exhales while focusing on breathing into your diaphragm and belly instead of just your chest. 

### Meditate
Meditation is a great tool, and I would recommend it to anyone I know. HOWEVER, when you are having really bad anxiety or are feeling super overwhelmed, sitting still might make you feel even worse. 

The great thing about meditation is that when you do it on a daily basis and make it a regular practice, you will learn how to cope when severe anxiety comes your way. 

If you’ve never meditated and are feeling very anxious, try it out. 

Sometimes it can calm you down even when you’re super anxious, especially when you’re an experienced Meditator, but if you feel like you can’t stand it, don’t give up on meditation altogether! Try different coping mechanisms and start a daily meditation practice once you feel a bit calmer. 

<div class='w-1/2 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-1/2' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/meditation-image.png?alt=media&token=4c328a99-e8f6-4988-96fa-441b0517a70f' alt='person meditating'>
</div>

### Look at the bigger picture 
One big symptom of finding yourself in an overthinking loop is feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed. To help cope with that, a great technique is taking a step back, looking at the bigger picture, and realizing you’re okay. 

Think about the issues you are having now and how important they will be 5 or 10 years from now. Chances are, if there is not much you can do about it right now, you will look back in a few years and realize that eventually, things worked themselves out. 

### Take action 
If you remember from the introduction of this post, what our brain is wired to do with anxiety is stimulating action. 

I have found that whenever I take action in some way or another or come up with a game plan, it almost instantly soothes my anxiety. 

For example, you might wake up on a Monday morning completely overwhelmed by the fact that you have to work and all the many things that will need to get done this week as well as the personal problems that oftentimes occupy your mental space. 

A great help to alleviate this anxiety is to come up with a plan of action. When the above scenario happens to me, what I love to do is get a piece of paper or my planner and write a To-Do List of EVERYTHING I need to get done that week. 

Not only will this bring all the many thoughts into perspective a bit, but it will also allow me to let them go from my mind, as they are now safely stored on paper. 

Then I will look at this list and write down what I can realistically get done that day. Usually, at this point, I will notice that what seemed so overwhelming at first, can actually be split up into very achievable daily tasks.

This will give your brain the reward of “taking action” (even when the action is just planning your future action out a bit) 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/to-do-list-image.jpeg?alt=media&token=dce04a8a-a901-4e4d-8c2a-5bd9c1d3a466' alt='to do list in notebook'>
</div>

### Exercise 
When being stuck in our head, what we need more than anything is to get back into our bodies. A great way to do that is with exercise. Whether you just wanna go on a walk around the block or get rid of all frustrations during sprints or heavy weightlifting, the mere act of moving your body will make thoughts of worry a lot easier to cope with. 

It allows you to move all the stagnant energy in your body and you will be able to think more clearly. Plus, you will get a rush of endorphins, which always helps when dealing with anxiety. 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/exercise.jpeg?alt=media&token=c72aedef-94ad-4d49-8be4-fdeae207a20d' alt='person lifting weights at the gym'>
</div>

### Trust 
This is most probably my favorite because once you start practicing it, you will notice that theoretically there is nothing you need to be worried about. 

The key to achieving that is TRUST. Not trust in anybody else or any particular outcome. Trust in YOURSELF. 

Life is uncertain. Life is ever-changing. And there is no amount of planning or control that would ever change that. And we, wanting to be in control of everything in life, hate that more than anything. 

That’s why we resist change and uncertainty so much. 

The key to deal with all of life’s uncertainties is to learn how to let go and trust yourself. 

>A great book on this topic is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Insecurity-Message-Age-Anxiety/dp/0307741206"><ins>"Wisdom of Insecurity"</ins></a> by Alan Watts, I can highly recommend it, especially in trying times like these with a pandemic turning our life upside down and the world in utter chaos. 

Back to the trust. In order to feel the safety and security that we crave so much from other people and circumstances, we need to learn that the only person who can truly make us feel safe and secure is ourselves! 

Look at where you are right now. Your past self went through so many hours of anxiety and worry, and you’re okay. You have coped with every single situation in your life so far, as unpredictable as they might have been. 

When you take a few moments to realize that no matter what happens, you will figure it out when the time comes, it gets a lot easier to focus on what you can do right now to work toward your dreams. 

## Conclusion 

Life can get overwhelming at times. It is not our fault we get anxious. Our brains are wired to protect us, and the way that worked back in our ancestor’s times was to be worried when we needed to be, as a call to action. 

Nowadays most worries don’t have a particular thing we can do about them, so it is hard to get out of the loop of overthinking. 

When you practice certain techniques like breathwork, meditation, working out, journaling, etc, life can feel a lot easier to cope with. 

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think!

How to cope with Overthinking

I have recently read the book <a href="https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits"><ins>“Atomic Habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones” by James Clear.</ins></a> With over 2 million copies sold and as a #1 New York Times Bestseller, I knew I needed to hop on board and read this book. 

After I started reading, I was actually quite impressed by how easily understandable the author breaks down the main points. 

As someone who is always looking for ways to improve myself, this book brought a lot of value in a very easily digestible way. 

Here are the main takeaways I got from “Atomic Habits” so that you can either take the main points of it and move on or get inspired to read it yourself! 

## The main idea of James Clear 
James’ main blueprint can be summarised by the following:

To build a good habit, you need to: 
<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Make it obvious
<li>Make it attractive
<li>Make it easy 
<li>Make it satisfying
</ul>

To break a bad habit, you need to: 
<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Make it invisible
<li>Make it unattractive
<li>Make it difficult
<li>Make it unsatisfying
</ul>

## How to build a Good Habit 

The first takeaway I got from this book is the sentence “many people think they lack motivation, when what they really lack is clarity”. So often we try to start a new habit by vaguely describing it. “I want to eat healthier.” “I want to work out more”. “I want to start meditating.” 

These types of resolutions barely ever work, as there is nothing tangible about them. Our brain needs clarity in order to stick to something. For example: “I will eat vegetables with every meal.” or “I will go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after work.” or “I will meditate for 5 minutes before pouring my coffee each morning.” 

This way we have tangible goals that are easier to stick to because they are more specific. 

### Make it obvious

Visual cues are the greatest catalyst of our behavior. In order to start a new habit, make the visual cues of it obvious in your environment! For example, to eat more fruit, display your apples and oranges in a bowl on the kitchen counter instead of in a drawer in the fridge! 

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is easier to build a new habit in a new environment. Of course, most of us won’t move just to build a new habit, but you can start by reassigning purpose to different areas in your home. 

An important thing to remember is to try and assign a single use to one place. Not only will this be a visual cue for habits, but it will also help your mental health. For example, don’t work in the bedroom. If possible, don’t even watch TV in the bedroom, just use it to sleep! 

### Make it attractive

To stick to a good habit, another one of James’ tips is to make it attractive. A great way to do that is by using temptation building. This means you link your Need with your Want. For example, you will only watch Netflix (Want) while being on the stationary bike (Need). 

This will make it a lot more tempting to follow through with your habits. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that our culture determines which habits are attractive to us. Generally, we tend to imitate the habits of the close (friends, family), the many (society), and the powerful (celebrities, etc). 

To make your habit more attractive, try and join a culture where your desired behavior is the norm. An easy example would be to join a sports class or a gym. This way, you will surround yourself with people who live your goals each and every day. 

Another way to make a habit attractive is to create a motivation ritual. This means you will do something you enjoy right before a difficult habit. For example, have your coffee in the morning right before you meditate. This will give you the necessary push to follow through with your habit! 

### Make it easy 

The easier a habit, the more likely you are to stick with it. A sentence in James’ book is “the most effective form of learning is practice, not planning”. What this means is essentially, take action! 

Yes, it is important to be clear about what you will do and when you will do it, but some people get stuck in the planning stage. They spend weeks curating the perfect diet plan but never get around to actually cooking with more vegetables, for example, because they are stuck trying to create a perfect plan. 

>Another important idea in Atomic Habits is that the amount of time is not as important as the number of times you repeat something to achieve automaticity (which is essentially what a habit is). 

For that reason, James created the 2-minute rule: Only do your habit for 2 minutes a day at first to shape your identity. Meditate for only 2 minutes. Walk for 2 minutes. Read for 2 minutes. These things are obviously not what your end goal with a habit is, but by starting with 2 minutes a day, you get your brain used to this new identity. All of a sudden you are a person who meditates, who walks, or who reads every day, even if it is just for 2 minutes. Once this identity is established, you can increase the time you spend on the habit. 

Here you can see what effect a tiny change for the better in your life can have over time: 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/1%25better.jpeg?alt=media&token=82c07071-54f5-4990-8e19-a9fcca71bd6c' alt='1 % better atomic habits'>
</div>

### Make it satisfying

Last but not least, to form a new habit, you should make it satisfying until it is automated. You can do this by using small positive reinforcements (for example, every time you went to the gym you get to watch your favorite show on Netflix that evening). 

Habit tracking is another effective way to make an activity satisfying, the visual cue of crossing something off is insanely motivating for us. 

Habit Trackers are also a great way to track evidence of progress, but remember to focus on so-called “non-scale victories” when measuring your progress. This means, for example, if you are trying to lose weight, don’t focus on the number of the scale, as that number can plateau, and so will your motivation. Instead focus on how much stronger you’re getting, how much more energy you have during the day, and how you feel better in your clothes. This concept of “non-scale victories” can be applied to anything, by the way, not just weight loss. 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/The-Plateau-of-Latent-Potential.png?alt=media&token=b8c892a0-8023-4e8a-a9ed-85b4a461765a' alt='the plateau of latent potential atomic habits'>
</div>

## How to break a bad habit

In order to break a bad habit, you simply inverse the rules we just talked about for building a good habit. 

### Make it invisible 

Out of sight, out of mind. This very much applies to bad habits. The less temptation you have around you, the easier it will be to avoid something. 

>A super interesting point in the book was that people tend to have the exact same amount of self-control, whether they are successful or not. The only difference is that people with “high self-control” spend less time in tempting situations. 

It is easier to avoid something than to resist it! 

Self-control is a short-term solution. Anybody will lose motivation eventually, so making something invisible increases your chances of breaking the habit. 

### Make it unattractive 

To break a bad habit, try to make it as unattractive to you as possible. Associate your bad habits with negative feelings and your good habits with positive feelings. 

For example, if you have a habit of biting your nails and the urge hits you, think about how much you want to break that habit because it makes you feel self-conscious when you are out and about and comparing your nails to your friends’ nails. 

### Make it difficult 

Change your life by creating an environment with little friction for good habits and more friction for bad ones. 

Don’t keep unhealthy snacks around the house, but instead fresh fruit and veggies, for example. This way, when you feel like snacking, it would be a lot more difficult to go to the store and buy snacks than to eat what is already available to you! 

### Make it unsatisfying 

Lastly, make bad habits unsatisfying. A good way to do that might be having an accountability partner who will check in with you on how things are going. 

Another idea mentioned in the book was habit contracts. Setting up a contract with either yourself or someone else, where each time you do a bad habit, something unwanted will be the consequence (like paying $5). 

## Conclusion 
This was definitely an amazing book to read. The key takeaways touch on all the valuable info that can be found in “Atomic Habits”, but for me, just reading the book also offered a great source of motivation to work on building good habits. 

If you are looking for a book that will teach you very in-depth about habits, “Atomic Habits” is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend. 

And if you don’t feel like reading the book, simply following these key steps should already help you massively in changing the way you approach habit building (and breaking). 

I hope this post gave you some interesting food for thought! Let me know what you think!

Atomic Habits - Takeaways

The average lifespan is increasing every year as medicine progresses, but we all would love to live a bit longer, still. 

These 5 things may sound obvious, and you probably heard about the advantages of all of them, but when I tell you that doing these things can prolong your lifespan by MORE THAN 14 YEARS on average, maybe you will take them more seriously than before. 

 ## 1. Smoking 

We’ve all heard how terrible smoking is for our health, but did you know how many years you can actually add to your life by quitting? 

A study by the New England Journal of Medicine has found that even if you are 64, quitting smoking can add up to 4 years to your life!! That is a lot of extra time to enjoy your retirement if you ask me. 

People who quit at age 34 can live a decade longer than if they keep smoking. 10 whole years! To me, those are some crazy numbers. 

The study found that smokers were only half as likely to reach the age of 80 as non-smokers. This is mostly due to the fact that a big percentage of smokers die of smoke-related illnesses concerning the lungs and the heart. 

And if you haven’t started smoking in the first place, keep it up and keep these numbers in mind, should you ever feel tempted. 
<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/smoking.jpeg?alt=media&token=a55f833e-3e86-4528-a74f-60f4e98ccedc' alt='person smoking cigarette'>
</div>

 ## 2. Nutrition 

Nutrition is important for our health. But how important is it really when it comes to our lifespan? 

Of course, a perfect diet will not guarantee great health and longevity, but your chances will be substantially higher. 

Studies have shown that people in their 70s and 80s can lower their risk of heart disease, simply by changing their diets, so it is never too late. 

17.7 million people die of heart disease every year. A significant part of these deaths could have been prevented by proper nutrition throughout their life. 

### Which diet should you follow? 

There are countless opinions out there on which diet is best for you long-term. Which diet is best for you will depend on your lifestyle and body, but numerous studies have proven that <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/Sugar"><ins>decreasing added sugar</ins></a> and focusing on plant-based food will lead you on a healthier path. 

A lot of scientists also believe in the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, which consists of mainly plant-based foods (olive oil, whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices), a moderate amount of fish, poultry and dairy, and low consumption of red meat, sugar, and pastries. 

A long-term study has shown that sticking to this diet has decreased overall mortality by 9%, death from cardiovascular disease by 9%, and mortality from cancer by 6%. 

### General Guidelines to follow for a healthy diet: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Focus on whole, unprocessed foods - prepare as much as you can yourself 
<li>Limit processed, ready-to-eat food 
<li>Try to decrease added sugar in foods you eat
<li>Eat balanced meals, get some variety of protein and vegetables
<li>Drink more water 
</ul>


### Fasting 

Intermittent fasting is another factor that might prove useful when trying to prolong your lifespan. 

Valter Longo, one of the world’s leading longevity scientists published <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27810402/"><ins>a review</ins></a> in which he said, that Intermittent Fasting improved several aspects of age-related diseases in humans. 
Studies included in his review showed that IF can protect against type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31881139/"><ins>Another review</ins></a> was published by The New England Journal of Medicine, that showed similar results, linking IF to a lower risk of many health conditions and age-related diseases like diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and neurological disorders. 

If you want to read more about IF and the many benefits it has, check out <a href="https://fullyholistic.com/posts/intermittent-fasting"><ins>this article</ins></a>.

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/nutrition.jpeg?alt=media&token=0a6a5e3f-d765-4339-9527-d5631379ca8d' alt='healthy food on plate, vegetables'>
</div>

 ## 3. Move 

Most of us are aware that we should be moving more. Or if we already are, we know how good it is for us. 

Regular physical activity can reduce chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some types of cancer. 

On top of that, it will help you live independently for a longer period of time. You will stay more mobile, flexible, and active as you age. 

### How much should you move?

A popular recommendation is at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week or 20 minutes of vigorous activity at least three times a week. 

How you choose to go about moving is your choice. Maybe a walk in a nearby park will be fun for you, or you discover a new love for riding your bicycle. 

Here is a list of moderate activities: 
<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Walking at a fast pace
<li>Raking leaves
<li>Mowing your grass
<li>Riding your bike leisurely 
<li>Swimming for fun
<li>Playing golf 

</ul>

Basically anything you can do while being able to carry on a conversation with little activity (so you’re not terribly out of breath) 

Examples of vigorous activity could be: 
<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Running
<li>Swimming laps
<li>Playing tennis
<li>Dancing
</ul>

So, in contrast, anything that will get your heart rate up, make it hard to talk and cause you to sweat! 

Try to keep a balance between
<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Aerobic activities (cardio) - these will burn calories, and strengthen your heart and lungs. 
<li>Resistance Training or Strength training (like body-weight exercises or lifting weights) - these will strengthen the muscles in your legs, arms, chest, and stomach. 
<li>Balance and Stretching - this will reduce your risk of injury with the other two activities and will help maintain flexibility, range of motion, and posture! 

</ul>

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/exercise.jpeg?alt=media&token=c72aedef-94ad-4d49-8be4-fdeae207a20d' alt='person lifting weights at the gym'>
</div>

 ## 4. Stress 

You might know that stress is not good for our overall health, but did you know it can have a significant impact on your lifespan? 

A study published in the journal "BMJ Open", in which researchers from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare calculated the effects of multiple risk factors, including lifestyle-related ones, on the life expectancy of men and women, found that heavy stress shortens the life expectancy of 30-year-old men by 2.8 years! 

### How can you reduce stress? 

I will write a more detailed post about ways to effectively reduce stress, but here are a few ways to relax more in your daily life: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Deep Breathing exercises : this will allow you to regulate your nervous system through your breath! 
<li>Meditation : Not only will you gain a few mindful minutes throughout your day, but you will also get a clearer insight on your thoughts and problems, and might find solutions you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. 
<li>Counseling : Sometimes talking to a professional can help to recognize and release stress, as well as finding healthy coping mechanisms. 
<li>Movement : Exercise has been proven to reduce stress. On top of that it will lower your risk of physical illness, so it’s a win-win! 
<li>Journaling : Making a habit of writing about your thoughts and feelings can be a great outlet to reduce stress. 
</ul>

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/stress.jpeg?alt=media&token=5e6f1581-80fa-4b5b-ac8e-f182eb41c219' alt='young man with macbook pro stressed'>
</div>

 ## 5. Sleep 

A lot of us are guilty of getting insufficient amounts of sleep. Maybe these facts will help you switch off Netflix a bit earlier in the future.

Sleep is often viewed as a luxury and limiting the hours we sleep can sometimes feel worth it. But people often overlook the long-term health risks of insufficient sleep. 

Medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease , as well as immune function, and colds are linked to the amount of sleep you get. 

The science on this topic is still in its beginnings, but experts have found that enough high-quality sleep might be just as important to your health as nutrition and exercise . 

### How to sleep more and better

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Make sleeping a priority 
<li>Have a nighttime routine that prepares your mind and body for sleeping at a certain time
<li>Reduce blue light exposure in the evening (and wear blue light glasses throughout the day when exposed to technology) 
<li>Don’t drink caffeine late in the day 
<li>Try to have a consistent sleep and wake time 
<li>Reduce daytime naps 
<li>Take melatonin supplements 
<li>Relax and clear your mind in the evening 
<li>Exercise regularly (but not right before bed) 
</ul>

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/sleep.jpeg?alt=media&token=d02a3148-197f-49dd-8113-f3267e9cc2c1' alt='young woman sleeping in bed'>
</div>

## Conclusion 

All of the above-mentioned things are relatively self-explanatory, but the effects they can have on our lifespan are significant! 

Many of these things can lead to a huge health improvement by only implementing very subtle changes to your lifestyle! 

As with everything, don’t try to tackle all of it at once, start with one tiny change or two and work your way from there. 

Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

The 5 things to prolong your lifespan by more than 14 years

Do you have a sweet tooth? You’re not alone, most of us will overindulge in sugar every once in a while. But what are the effects of sugar on our brain and body really? 

Americans consume up to 3 times the recommended amount of sugar each and every day. For women, the recommended maximum is about 5-6tsp, and for men it is 9tsp. 

You might know the feeling, you eat a bite of something sweet and all of a sudden you can’t stop. 

This has a very real, scientific background and you can actually get addicted to sugar the way you get addicted to drugs.

In early humans, this craving for sugar led them to calorie-dense food, which was necessary for survival. Nowadays we are not on the verge of starvation, and this primitive drive contributes to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. 

## The effects of sugar on the brain

When you eat sugar, your brain gets a giant rush of a feel-good chemical called dopamine. This makes you crave candy a lot more than, say, fruit for example because whole foods tend to have more gradual and sustainable energy and don’t cause the brain to release as much dopamine. 

Just as with any other drug, the brain will need increasingly more levels of sugar to reach the same “high” of dopamine. 

But what does this excess sugar intake do to our brains? 

Excess sugar will impair both our cognitive skills and our self-control. 

<div class='w-1/2 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-1/2' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/brain-image.jpeg?alt=media&token=8b725879-35b0-4c6a-b72c-234c236fc1a1' alt='brain scan'>
</div>

## How sugar affects memory

Excess sugar is harmful throughout the body. Every instance of elevated levels of glucose in the bloodstream can have harmful effects on the brain. 

This can result in slow cognitive function, (cognitive function is our general mental capability involving reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, complex idea comprehension, and learning from experience) and memory and attention deficits. 

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432816301437?via%3Dihub"><ins>Studies</ins></a>
suggest that a high intake of sugar may lead to inflammation in the brain, which leads to difficulties with memory. 

## How sugar affects your mood 

In healthy, young people the ability to process emotions is affected negatively by elevated blood sugar levels. 

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05649-7"><ins>A Study</ins></a> found that higher levels of blood glucose were linked to a greater incidence of depression. 

>In this study, they found that those with the highest consumption of sugar were 23% more likely to suffer from a mental illness than those with lower levels of sugar consumption. 

## How sugar affects your Mental Capacity

Frequent exposure to high levels of blood sugar in diabetics diminishes mental capacity and is associated with a greater degree of brain shrinkage, according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-016-0775-x "><ins>this study</ins></a>.

>But even in those without diabetes, high consumption of sugar has been linked to lower test scores on cognitive function. These effects may be due to a combination of, hypertension, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and elevated cholesterol.

## The effects of Sugar on the Body

<div class='w-1/2 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-1/2' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/sugar-image.jpeg?alt=media&token=141eb1d9-f0e9-4c67-9f8d-9e377f2b8ada' alt='spoon with sugar and strawberries'>
</div>

Consuming an excessive amount of sugar can have a negative impact on our entire body. 

Let’s look at the effect of Sugar in more detail: 

## Your teeth 

You might have not believed it as a child, but sugar and candy can really rot your teeth. The bacteria that cause cavities love sugar as much as we do, and will adore the residue of sugar in your mouth after you eat something sweet. 

## Your joints 

Sugar causes inflammation throughout your body. If you already suffer from joint pain, this might be a good reason to cut back on the sweet goodness, as it can worsen the pain. High levels of sugar consumption can also increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. 

## Your skin 

You might have noticed a correlation between eating too much sugar and breaking out. This is due to the inflammatory properties sugar has. 

But it can also make your skin age faster! Excess sugar can attach to proteins in your blood and create molecules called “AGE’s” (Advanced Glycation End products). They do exactly what you would think they do from their name - make your skin age. How? By damaging the parts that keep your skin firm and youthful. 

## Your liver 
Too much added sugar can damage the liver. When it is broken down in the liver it gets transformed into fat. 

This excess of fat can cause Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Over time, these diseases might develop into cirrhosis and need a liver transplant. 

## Your heart 

The excess sugar in your blood can affect the arteries in your entire body. What happens is that little cells eat the excess sugar in your blood, overeat, die and calcify on your artery walls. The walls will get thicker and it will be harder for your heart to pump the same amount of blood through them.

This can lead to heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes. 

On top of that, reducing sugar can also help lower your blood pressure, which is another factor in heart disease. 

>People who eat a lot of added sugar run twice the risk of dying from heart disease as those with a lower sugar intake. 

## Your pancreas 

It is widely known that a high intake of added sugars is linked to Diabetes. But why? 

If you eat too much sugar, your insulin receptors will gradually decrease due to the abundance of glucose in your blood. This means that more sugar will stay in the blood instead of being absorbed. 

The result is Diabetes Type 2. Having a strict diet can improve your receptor density again and combat this type of Diabetes. 


## Do you have a sugar addiction? 

<div class='w-3/4 flex justify-start items-start'>
<img class='w-3/4' src='https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/annascheucher-25389.appspot.com/o/sugar-addiction.jpeg?alt=media&token=7ad4558a-c5e4-4766-bfee-426c1fc1e247' alt='brain scan'>
</div>

Now, eating sugar is not bad. In fact, we NEED it to survive and many healthy foods are rich in natural sugars. 

The problem is both the lack of moderation and the amount of added, unhealthy sugars that we consume throughout our days. 

But there is a difference between loving sweets and having an actual sugar addiction. Here are 8 signs you might suffer from the latter: 

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>You need more and more sugar to satisfy your cravings
<li>You eat sugary foods or foods high in carbohydrates even when you’re not hungry
<li>You ALWAYS crave sweets
<li>You try to quit and have unusual symptoms (headaches, feeling tired, muscle pain, nausea, bloating, etc) 
<li>You use sugar to soothe yourself and your emotions
<li>You know the potential consequences and eat sugar anyway
<li>You go out of your way to have sugar (late-night trips to the store etc) 
<li>You feel guilty about eating sugar 
</ul>

Now, if many of these seem to sound familiar to you, don’t despair! 

## How to break a sugar addiction 

Don’t try to eliminate all sugary foods at once. Going cold turkey might backfire and cause you to crave sugar even more. 

>Eat a healthy diet full of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, healthy oils and fats, and protein. The more you implement these foods, the more they will even out your blood sugar levels and keep you satisfied for longer. 

Here are a few other tips that might help you kick this habit: 

Keep the sugar away: don’t tempt yourself by having loads of candy and chocolate in the pantry. Replace these foods with fruit instead. 

Know the difference between a craving and hunger: ask yourself a simple question when you get a craving for sugar: if all I had to eat was an apple right now, would I eat it? If the answer is no, you are most probably not hungry, and simply craving a sugar rush. 

Get more sleep: being sleep-deprived can make us crave sugar even more 

Watch out for added sugars: you’d be surprised how many savory foods actually have tons of sugar in them. Sugar can be found in 74% of packaged foods! 

Drink more water: water will not only help curb your cravings a little, oftentimes people confuse thirst with hunger! So next time you crave something sweet, have a glass of water first and see if you still want it afterward! 


## Conclusion 

Sugar is everywhere. And although the sweet substance is not all bad and evil (in fact we desperately need it for survival), we do need to be careful with the amount of added sugar we consume. 

It can be highly addictive, and excess consumption of sugar can have tremendously horrible effects on our health, both physically and mentally. 

If you suspect you have a sugar addiction, try the tips mentioned to not depend on the white sweetener as much. 

When in doubt, always consult with your doctor about possible remedies!

Sugar - the Socially Accepted Heroin

Intermittent fasting has become more and more popular over the last couple of years. It is a trend used by people to lose weight, improve their health or simplify their lifestyles. Maybe you’ve heard of it, or maybe even tried it. Whether that’s the case, or you are completely new to this topic, this post will give you a practical overview on what Intermittent Fasting is, the benefits of Intermittent Fasting, how to properly fast, as well as a personal account of my own experience with it.

## The history of Fasting

Fasting is not a modern-day practice. In fact, it has been around for thousands of years. In the Stone Age, people had periods of time with very little caloric intake. This wasn’t so much out of choice rather than necessity. Hunters and Gatherers would go days looking for food, only to then have a big meal to have enough nutrition for the next unpredictable time span of not eating.

## What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting basically means you separate your days into eating/feeding windows, as well as fasting windows. So you essentially only eat during a specific time.

Intermittent Fasting does not specify what you eat, but only when you eat.

There are different types of Intermittent fasting, so I will explain them in a bit more detail:

## Types of Intermittent Fasting

### Time restricted fasting

This is arguably the most common type of Intermittent Fasting. The great thing about all of the time restricted types of fasting, is that they are 100% adjustable to any lifestyle. Once you choose the type of intervall you will go with, you have complete freedom to choose what hours of eating fit your current lifestyle the best.

#### 16:8

16 refers to the number of hours you will spend fasting, 8 is the number of hours you will spend eating. This is a great start to fasting for beginners.

For example, if you tend to have busy mornings and usually have a late dinner at night, starting your fasting window at 9pm after dinner and not eating until 1pm the next day might be the best fit for you.

If your last meal is usually around 5pm, you might just start your fast there and eat again at 9am the next day!

You can adjust this schedule any way you like, as long as you stick to the basic rule of 16 hours fasting / 8 hours eating.

#### 14:10

If 16 hours of fasting seem too long for you at first, start smaller! 14, or even 12 hour windows can still bring some benefits of IF! But remember, the longer your fasting window, the more benefits you tend to reap from fasting!

### 5:2 - The Twice-a-Week-Fast

Another popular method of Intermittent Fasting is 5:2. This refers to eating normal 5 days of the week and keeping your calories to 500/day the other two days.

This method is technically not “fasting” as your body does not get the break in digestion that brings so many benefits with actual fasting, but it may be a good option if you are trying to lose weight.

### Alternate-Day-Fast

This method is similar to the 5:2, just that you eat 500 calories every other day instead of twice a week.

A study showed that people who followed this diet for 6 months, and then went off the diet for 6 months had significantly higher levels of LDL levels (which is the bad cholesterol), suggesting that the diet improved their health initially.

### Eat-Stop-Eat or the 24 hour Fast

This method includes fasting for 24 hours. It can be done as often as you like, but once or twice a week seems to be a good number for most people.

For example, if you had dinner at 7pm today, you will fast until 7pm tomorrow.

Some people repeat this fast daily. Although this offers remarkable health benefits, be careful when restricting your food intake to one meal a day that you still get enough nutrients and calories. People who practice this a lot have no problem eating a nutritious 2500 calorie meal in one sitting, but that might not be the best option for you. Try it out and see how you feel!

### Multiple Day Fasts

Technically this is another type of fasting, but Multiple Day Fasts usually do not take part in people’s life on a very regular level, it’s more of a 1, 2 or 3 times a year kind of thing.

I will not go much deeper into this type of Fast, as that will be a whole other post with much more focus on Water Fasts.

## What are the benefits of Intermittent Fasting?

So now that you got to know the different types of fasting you might ask yourself: Why would I restrict my eating time on a daily basis? What’s in it for me?

The science on Intermittent Fasting is still evolving, but studies have already linked IF to numerous health benefits.

<a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1905136"><ins>This study</ins></a> linked fasting for 18 hours and eating for 6 hours to a metabolic switch from glucose based to ketone based energy, which increases people’s stress resistance and longevity and decreased the incidence of diseases like cancer or obesity.

<a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed"><ins>Another study</ins></a> found that fasting will decrease the risk of chronic disease in humans.

Here is a list of other benefits of IF:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Insulin Levels: levels of insulin in blood drop significantly, making fat burning easier

<li>Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Levels: the levels of HGH may increase dramatically, resulting in a facilitation of fat burning and muscle gain.

<li>Cellular Repair: The body starts to induce important repair processes, like removing waste from cells. This process is also known as <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/autophagy#benefits"><ins>autophagy</ins></a>.

<li>Metabolic Rate: Intermittent Fasting enhances your metabolic rate to make weight loss easier.

<li>Reduced inflammation: <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/inflammation"><ins>Studies</ins></a> show that IF can help reduce inflammation in the body. 
</ul>
Apart from these (and numerous other) scientific benefits, Intermittent Fasters have also reported:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Improved Clarity
<li>More energy
<li>Less hunger
<li>No more “hangry-ness”
<li>Improved focus 
<li>Better athletic performance
<li>Heightened mood
</ul>

in connection with their fasting.

 

So this gives us a list of not only physical but also mental health benefits that may improve your life significantly!

## How do you fast properly?

Now that you know the types as well as the benefits of Intermittent Fasting, you might want to give it a go yourself.

Although it is one of the most simple methods to implement into your day-to-day, there are a few things you should keep in mind for your fasts.

In order to reap all the benefits from fasting, we want to prevent an insulin spike during our fasting windows. This essentially means that we should not consume any calories, solid or liquid, otherwise the body will not get into the desired state of ketosis!

I’ll give you a list here of everything you can safely consume during your fasting window to ensure that you avoid the things that break a fast!

What you can drink:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Water (and as much of it as possible! Water not only helps you curb your hunger feelings a bit, it is also very beneficial for your metabolism and overall health! When I fast until noon, I try to drink at least 1-2L (32-64Oz) of water before I break my fast.)

<li>Black Coffee (no creamer, milk or sugar of any kind! Even though it is technically okay for the fast, you should also stray away from artificial sweeteners, as well!)

<li>Tea (same here, no creamer, milk, sugar or honey to ensure that you don’t get an insulin spike)

<li>Apple Cider Vinegar (some people drink diluted ACV in water to reap potential health benefits and curb hunger)

<li>Lemon juice (squeezing lemon or lime into your water will not break your fast and may actually bring a lot of added health benefits!)

<li>Non-caloric drinks (again, try to stay away from artificial sweeteners as much as possible. Even though Coke Zero for example won’t technically break your fast, it is better to stick to water, tea and coffee during that time)

![photo of coffee](/assets/blog/posts/coffee-photo.png)

## Breaking the fast

To break your fast, you can choose to eat whatever you want. Some people have no problem breaking their fast with big meals, other people report it is better for their digestion to ease into eating by having a light meal or some fruit first. Experiment with what feels best for your body!

Important: Make sure to get enough food and calories in your eating window to benefit from IF!

## Personal Takeaways

I have been using the Intermittent Fasting method for close to 3 years now. Personally, it helped me tremendously in understanding my body, its cravings and my emotions tied to food and hunger.

I do not fast every single day, or at least not for the same amount of time, but that is the beautiful thing about IF, you can use it however it fits your life!

As for hunger, the first 2 or 3 days of doing Intermittent Fasting I felt very hungry around the times that I would usually eat in the morning. But after that, my body adjusted and I will now get hungry around the time I usually break my fast.

I have gotten to a point of understanding with my body where if I do get incredibly hungry hours before my eating window starts, it will almost always mean I didn’t get enough food the day before and in turn I will up my food intake for that day accordingly.

### Eating

A normal day for me starts with a lot of water (with lemon or chlorophyll) and a cup of black coffee. On most days, my first meal will be around 12pm-2pm. This varies mostly on my schedule and my hunger level. On some days I might not even eat until 4 or 5pm, if I’m out and about.

I love the fact that this has helped me so much in terms of not being dependent on food throughout the day. It is so liberating to know that I will be okay and my energy will be constant and reliable even if I don’t get a chance to eat until later.

Sometimes I will have a snack in the afternoon, but most of the time my relatively big lunch ties me over to dinner, which I have around 6 or 7pm.

On a normal day I might have another snack at around 8pm and that’s usually it for the day.

Sometimes I am more strict with my fasting windows and I like using the App <a href="https://www.zerofasting.com/"><ins>Zero</ins></a> to track my fasts, but most of the time nowadays my body is so adjusted to this schedule that I fast automatically.

### Working out

For me, working out fasted has been a game changer. I can’t understand anymore how I used to go on a long run right after eating a bowl of oatmeal, for example.

I have seen a huge increase in my performance since starting to work out on an empty stomach. Not only that, but I also feel so much better. No more nausea mid-workout, no more sluggish feeling or tiredness.

When I don’t workout in my fasting window, I try to do it in the evening before dinner, at least 3-4 hours after my last meal.

This works well for me, and I can even go on long 5-6 hour hikes on an empty stomach without fluctuations in my energy!

![photo of woman running](/assets/blog/posts/runner-photo.png)

## Conclusion

Intermittent Fasting can be a great tool in understanding your body and hunger, as well as optimizing your health.
Whether you want to improve your health, prevent chronic disease, get the most out of your energy or lose weight, Intermittent Fasting might be a great thing to try out for you!

Make sure to check with your doctor if you have health conditions that might make IF a health risk for you!

### Experiment!!

One of the biggest tips I can give you, is to try different things and experiment with your body! Maybe working out on an empty stomach doesn’t work for you, maybe you feel a lot better eating first thing in the morning and having your fasting window start in the late afternoon, maybe 16:8 is good for you, or maybe your body feels better on a 5:2.

There is no one-fits-all answer to this, as everybody is different and every body is different. Due to the abundance of IF methods, I am sure there is something in there that might benefit you, just try it out and have fun!

Let me know if you have tried IF and what your experience with it was, or if you have any questions by clicking the “contact” button at the top of the page!

The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Back Pain is something a lot of people struggle with, especially now that our lifestyles are becoming more and more sedentary. Covid and the sudden switch to home offices, mostly without ergonomic office chairs at our disposal, did not help this issue. But you will be pleased to know that you do not need a $500+ chair in order to do something good for your back.

Whether you’re here because you are currently suffering from pain (if that is the case, I am sincerely sorry and I will write a post on how to deal with acute pain soon), or whether you randomly stumbled upon this post and are looking for ways of prevention, I will give you a few handy tips on how to prevent back pain based on how our primal ancestors went about their days.

## What have our ancestors got to do with our back pain?

That’s a valid question. Although our modern lifestyles barely resemble the day-to-day of our ancestors back in the Stone Age, our physicality stayed more or less the same. In short, our bodies were not built for the chairs, sofas and couches we tend to spend most of our time in nowadays.

This results in less-than-ideal postures while sitting, putting pressure on all the wrong body parts for way too long at a time. Have you ever sat on the floor and found yourself shifting positions every few minutes because you got too uncomfortable?

What seems like a nuisance is in fact a perfect example of our body noticing the effects of a certain posture and changing it before we spend enough time in it to do any serious damage.

The fact that chairs and couches seem to get more and more comfortable as the years go by might seem great at first, but essentially all that cushioning drowns out your body’s need to shift and move constantly. You could never sit on the floor comfortably in a single position for hours, the way you do in a chair.

In order to adjust our lifestyle to what is ideal for our physique, we have to take a closer look at which postures and movements were the basis of how our bodies are built to begin with.

## What are Archetypal Postures?

Archetypal Postures are the primal human postures that are essentially embedded in our biology, like our joints and muscles.

Inherent primal human movements are for example:

<ul class="list-disc">
 <li>Walking
 <li>Kneeling
 <li>Squatting 
 <li>Sitting on the ground
</ul>

In order to ideally prevent back pain (as well as take advantage of numerous other benefits), you should try to implement these primal movements as much as possible in your day-to-day.

Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail:

## The benefits of Walking

It comes as no surprise to anyone that walking is good for us. It is the activity our bodies are literally designed to do.

But other than that, walking brings a lot of benefits to the table:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Movement: Moving our body is always good, especially in our primarily sedentary lifestyles. Our primal ancestors moved almost all day long, and our basic biology craves the same from us

<li>Improved Circulation: When we walk, our circulation benefits highly. It helps to ward off heart disease, lowers your blood pressure and strengthens your heart.

<li>Stronger bones: walking can help stop the loss of bone mass for those with osteoporosis. It also helps with general bone density, according to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8304358/"><ins>this study</ins></a>

<li>Longer Life: Not only will your life be potentially more pain-free, it might also be prolonged by regular walking! According to <a href="https://www.cancer.org/research/population-science/cancer-prevention-and-survivorship-research-team/acs-cancer-prevention-studies/cancer-prevention-study-2.html"><ins>the American Cancer Society</ins></a>, regular walking may reduce the risk of different types of cancer and in turn potentially prolong your lifespan.

<li>Improved Mood: walking brings us the mood-boosting endorphins connected with any type of exercise. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015672/"><ins>A study</ins></a> has proven that an increased number of steps every day not only boosted the participant’s mood, it also reduced their anxiety, depression, fatigue, anger and confusion!
</ul>

These are just a few of the many benefits of walking, to name them all would be a post in and of itself.

In short, walking is great for you and incorporating even short walks into your daily life will help you to be more active and prevent back pain through movement and increased blood flow to your muscles (which will in turn help to resolve knots and tightnesses)

## The benefits of kneeling

What is the history of kneeling? Kneeling is ingrained in your body’s nervous system. It’s what we did as little babies, before we learned to squat, stand and walk.

In order to prevent back pain, kneeling at your desk instead of sitting or standing might be the option to go with!

Apart from being a natural position for you body, it bears these other advantages as well:

<ul class="list-disc">

<li>Naturally demands your core (the more you narrow your legs, the more it will demand your core to stabilize - get an added ab workout in your work day!)

<li>Activates and improves muscles you are not used to use in everyday life

<li>Half kneeling (one leg down and one leg forward) will automatically put your spine and pelvis in a neutral form

<li>It will force you to be more upright and therefore improve your posture

<li>Forces you to move and shift more (as mentioned in the introduction of this post)

<li>Any benefit you would get from standing

<li>It’s FREE - no need for equipment, a professional, a new desk - it works with what you already have at your disposal! 
</ul>

## The benefits of squatting

Another one - and one of my favorite postures - is squatting. And no, I’m not (just) talking about the famous exercise you do at the gym to get thiccer (lol)

The full squat refers to the position where your knees are flexed and your thighs touch your calves while the heels remain flat on the floor.

You can watch young children naturally refer back to this position when they pick something up from the floor or simply as an alternative to sitting.

If you try this out and you can’t seem to keep your balance or place your heels on the ground, don’t worry! This might just mean the muscles necessary for this position are not flexible enough anymore!

Try turning your toes outward, raising your heels or holding on to something until you improve your mobility!

When performed correctly, the full squat offers a lot of health benefits.

In terms of back pain, this Full Squat puts us in a perfectly neutral position with no pressure at all on the spine. All the force gets absorbed by your muscles in your legs. This will encourage better posture, stronger muscles and less wear and tear on the spine.

On top of that, your pelvis will be tipped back, therefore elongating your spine and giving it a much needed stretch after all the compression of sitting in a chair.

Other benefits of squatting include:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Ankle Mobility: as you practice your full squat, your heels will eventually sit flat on the floor, giving you a great range of ankle flexibility. This in turn can help with bad posture - so another win against back pain!

<li>Glute strengthening: We have all probably heard of how squats help us build our Glutaeus Maximus muscle (aka your butt). Coming in and out of a full squat is one of the best ways to train that muscle, and it will in turn help stabilize your entire body.

<li>All of these benefits will result in an improvement of both your static and dynamic posture. This will do big things in preventing back pain in the future, so maybe consider squatting down more often while you work. 
</ul>

Working at a coffee table has proven very useful for me when implementing most of these strategies!

## The benefits of sitting on the ground

I already touched on some benefits of sitting on the ground at the beginning of this post (frequent change of position,...), and technically both kneeling and squatting also fall into this category. However, sitting on the ground brings a list of additional benefits that might not be so obvious at first and after reading through them you might have a better idea of why you should sit on the ground more often!

<ul class="list-disc">

<li>Stability: Just like with kneeling or squatting, your core is engaged a lot more when sitting on the ground as opposed to a chair.

<li>Hip tension: one of the biggest problems of sitting in a chair is how tight our hip flexor muscles become. Sitting on the ground allows you to easily stretch them throughout the day and by switching positions frequently.

<li>Flexibility: sitting on the ground will automatically improve your range of motion. Most positions will require a passive stretch of some of your lower body muscles, in turn giving you a lot more flexibility in the long run!

<li>Mobility: This ties in with the point about flexibility, the more flexible you become, the greater your mobility will be!

<li>Muscle Activity: just like kneeling and squatting, sitting on the ground will also count towards active rest. You need a lot more muscle activity to sit in these positions as opposed to a chair for example.
</ul>

## Conclusion

Whether you want to prevent back pain or simply life a more balanced, active life, implementing Primal Movements and Archetypal Postures into your everyday life will bring you lots of benefits.

Of course you don’t have to go and throw out your chair and implement every single of these points immediately, but maybe try to keep them in the back of your head to use in short intervals throughout your day.

A few tips to start using Primal Movements today:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Get up from your desk at least every hour to walk, even if it is just a few steps. Set an alarm if you need to.

<li>Try to see how you can (realistically) get as much walking into your everyday life as possible. I’m thinking stairs instead of elevator, walking to the store around the corner instead of taking the car, walking around the house for 15 minutes while being on social media/ reading in your downtime.

<li>Define a timespan that works for you and then set a timer to use Archetypal Postures. For example: Every hour, set a 10 minute timer to squat at your desk instead of sitting. Increase time/frequency as you get more used to it. 
</ul>

I hope these tips will prove to be helpful in your day to day life. Let me know if you’ve tried any of them and what you think by clicking the “contact” button!

How to prevent Back Pain - and the Benefits of Archetypal Postures

A trend of drinking green water has been rummaging all over social media the past few weeks. Chlorophyll water - what is it and what is the hype all about?

Tiktok and Instagram users from all over the world have been swearing by Chlorophyll water for clearer skin, better body odor and as an aid in losing weight. I did some research to see if jumping on that trend would be worth it, and to find out what that green water even is.

## What is Chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll - you might remember that word from a biology lesson back in middle school. Chlorophyll is the substance that gives plants their green color. It is also one of the main components in photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into energy). So far so good. But why would Chlorophyll help us humans?

## The benefits of Chlorophyll

According to a variety of studies, Chlorophyll may be beneficial for skin conditions, body odors, wound healing, as well as fighting certain kinds of cancer! Here is a list of benefits, proven by studies:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Anti-Aging (as a topical treatment - find the study <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4966572/"><ins>here</ins></a>) 
<li>Acne treatment (as a topical treatment - <a href="https://jddonline.com/articles/dermatology/S1545961615P0589X"><ins>see the study</ins></a>)
<li>Blood deficiency disorders (for example anemia- <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-pilot-study-on-wheat-grass-juice-for-its-and-on-Chauhan/73f2bb7c0b1129b5da66ca284eb2294d956fa9d2?p2df"><ins>the study</ins></a> conducted was not done with Chlorophyll in itself, but with wheatgrass juice, which is very high in chlorophyll) 
<li>Deodorant properties (this one I found on numerous sources - Chlorophyll is said to be a strong inner deodorant, meaning it will reduce your smell of sweat, as well as bad breath over time! One of the studies can be found <a href="https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1980.tb00124.x"><ins>here</ins></a>)
<li>Wound healing (according to some <a href="https://www.americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/0002-9610(47)90287-0/fulltext"><ins>studies</ins></a> done in the 1940s and 1950s, Chlorophyll may aid in wound healing, as well as fighting off infections) 
<li>Cancer (numerous studies found that it may help with preventing or slowing cancer growth - find the study <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01635581.2015.990573?scroll=top&needAccess=true&"><ins>here</ins></a>)
</ul>

Now, these are all proven benefits of Chlorophyll. While scrolling through social media, I read a number of different claims, that may be true, have not been proven by science to this day, however. These benefits include:

<ul class="list-disc">
<li>Weight loss
<li>Hunger suppressant (similar to coffee) 
<li>More energy 
<li>More focus 
<li>Regular bowel movements 
<li>Better digestion
</ul>

Now, how much of this is placebo and how much is actually a direct consequence of Chlorophyll, I don’t know, but after trying it out myself for about two weeks now, I can say that my skin definitely cleared up and I seem to have more energy.

This can be a direct effect of drinking more water, though, so I can’t say for 100% whether this green pigment is doing all the work.

## The downsides of Chlorophyll

Before you run out and get your own bottle of liquid Chlorophyll, there are some downsides to it that should be duly noted.

According to a number of dermatologists, Chlorophyll could, in fact, be quite dangerous.

In a Youtube video, dermatologist Dr Dray talks about the possible risks of Chlorophyll. There is a possibility that Chlorophyll may cause photosensitivity in certain people. What that means, is essentially a sensitivity to light which in turn is a skin condition that causes redness and blistering. When we believe what this doctor says, simply stopping the consumption of chlorophyll may not solve the problem and it could take months to get back to a normal, healthy skin.

You can watch the video here:

 <iframe width="100%" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a87sHnm9i8E" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

But this condition is mostly due to an over-consumption of the green pigment. Chlorophyll in and of itself is not evil. In fact, we consume it almost every day, when we eat green plants and vegetables.

## My experience with Chlorophyll

After carefully reviewing all the information, I decided to give it a try myself.


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<img class='w-1/3' src='/images/chlorophyll.jpeg' alt='Water in a Mason Jar with Chlorophyll shining against the light.'>



Water in a Mason Jar with Chlorophyll.

</div>

For my personal consumption, I choose to drink one glass of it a day, usually first thing in the morning. That way I ensure not to overdo it and it gives me the habit of drinking a big glass of water right off the bat, which is always a plus :)

Chlorophyll seems to differ slightly in taste, depending on which brand you get. Most people report either a very earthy taste, or a very minty one.

The one I got definitely has a minty note to it. After getting used to the taste, I now love it in the mornings, because it feels like it’s cleaning every bit of not-so-fresh breath out of my system after a night’s sleep.

The first time I tried it, a slight wave of nausea hit me. I read online that this can be very normal, especially when the body is not used to this supplement yet. The nausea passed after about an hour, and ever since then I’ve had no complications.

As I mentioned above, after about two weeks of drinking one glass of Chlorophyll a day, my skin seems to have cleared up. It is hard for me to fully give credit to the green pigment, though, as the clear skin might very well be a direct effect of drinking 32oz (1L) of water first thing in the morning and continuing to drink more water throughout the day.

As for body odor, it might be too early to talk about the benefits of that. What I can say, is that I have not experienced a day of having any sort of strong odor, but that may just be my personal hygiene :)

A big benefit advertised on social media seems to be better digestion. After catching a stomach bug in Ecuador the first week after trying Chlorophyll, it’s a bit hard to comment on that. Ever since recovering from the virus, however, my digestion has been very regular. I will have to use it a bit longer to be able to have a proper opinion on the matter.

## Conclusion

So, is Chlorophyll the big life savior, the new superfood, the perfect addition to anybody’s life?

Probably not, but there may be some benefits in it for you.

As with a lot of hypes and trends, products tend to get glorified. Chlorophyll may bring some benefits to your life, but it probably won’t be the life-changing, amazing, mind-blowing product it is said to be.

As it is found in all green vegetables and plants, upping the intake of those will probably give you very similar benefits to drinking liquid Chlorophyll.

If you choose to try it out yourself, consider consulting a doctor for proper dosage for your body, or simply keep in mind the possible risks, and therefore keep the dosage relatively low at first.

I hope this post gave you some insight on this new hype, and I’d love to hear about your experiences with Chlorophyll!

The Benefits of drinking Chlorophyll


Do you ever react to an emotion in a way that seems way out of proportion, and you regret it afterwards? You are not alone with this, but it can take a toll on friendships, relationships, or simply your relationship to yourself.

Understanding how to react to your feelings in a healthy way is key to a healthy relationship, with yourself and others, for a more balanced and happy life.

We all feel. Different things make us feel different emotions. What makes me sad, might not have the same effect on you, and vice versa! We all react in different ways, depending on our character, our childhood, our past in general, you get the picture. The important thing to note is, if something makes you feel angry/sad/jealous or whatever else, you are not wrong for feeling that way.

Your feelings are never wrong, there is a reason you feel that way and you can’t and shouldn’t try to change that.
However, (and this is the point most people like to sweep under the carpet, me included) your reactions to these feelings are 100% under your control.

I know, taking responsibility for our actions - UGH.

But this is where our power lies.

Don’t try not to feel by suppressing your emotions. This never works (trust me). Instead, practice checking in with yourself.

A common situation might be the following: your partner does something that triggers you to feel very jealous. Instead of reacting in whatever way you usually would (shut down, blame them, be passive-aggressive,...), pause and try to feel the emotion in your body.

We are programmed to think of certain emotions as “good” and others as “bad”. Or as “safe” and “not safe” to experience. But the big misconception is, there are no “good” or “bad” emotions. It is all just energy passing through your body and by being so scared of feeling certain emotions, we suppress the flow of that energy, and unconsciously react to situations in ways we learned/ were programmed years ago.

Jealousy is not bad, it is part of the human experience. Anger is not bad, neither is sadness, happiness, pity, frustration, love,... You get what I mean.

Try to get curious about your emotions. How does it feel? Where in your body is it mainly present? Maybe that might look like this:

_“Wow. I feel really jealous right now. I feel the jealousy as a tightness building up in my chest.”_

By bringing awareness to your emotion, you are no longer on autopilot. Now there is a better chance for you to reprogram yourself to no longer react in the same patterns, and instead _respond_ from a conscious point of view.

_“What part of me feels threatened right now? What am I afraid of? How do I want to go about this?”_

It takes time and practice, but with each time you will learn more about yourself. Now you will be in a position to choose- do you want to remove yourself from the situation? Voice your feelings? Take action? Whatever it might be, you are liberating yourself from your own unconscious programming and can start living your life more consciously.


Your feelings are always valid - Your reactions to them might not be

Hey!
Let me introduce myself a little bit:
My name is Anna and I’m a Medical Massage Therapist. In connection with my profession, I love everything that has to do with Health, Wellness, and Fitness and I spend a big part of my time educating myself, teaching, or simply living by the principles I talk about.
I believe in a holistic approach to health. If you don’t know what that means, holistic health is simply the idea that the Mind, the Body, and the Soul/Spirit are involved to be an all-around healthy person.
Through personal experience, I can say that if one of these aspects is suffering, nothing you can do about the other two will make you feel wholly well.
My mission is to help people reach an equilibrium where they feel well in every aspect of their life.
I’m also a Trauma-Informed Healer and help people to release their trauma (or PTSD) through various techniques, like Inner-Child Healing, Reparenting, Mindfulness &#x26; Meditative Techniques, Nervous System Regulation, and Somatic Experiencing.
Issues I might be able to help you with include Heartbreak Recovery, Abandonment Wounds, setting Healthy Boundaries, adapting to a Healthier Lifestyle, and Finding Love in yourself and the world.

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Contact me! :)

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Why do New Year's resolutions never work?

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