Mindfulness and Keto....

     Although the past six years were anxiety producing on many levels, today we are celebrating American Independence with our Canadian friends, and even though I am very disappointed about how our country is leaning, I continue to feel very optimistic.  I often remind myself that our country was founded upon a belief in fundamental natural rights, and I am praying that good people will prevent others from perverting our democratic ideals.  Bad actors in our government are stymied when good people like Margaret Chase Smith, Howard Baker, John Dean, and more recently, Liz Chaney and Cassidy Hutchinson stand up for democracy.  So, although the past few years produced lots of anxiety, I hope a new generation of Americans emerge demanding justice and equality, and I trust them to pull things together.  My youngest granddaughter exemplifies the students that I taught in Houston.  She doesn't feel compelled to blast her views all over the universe. Rather she holds them to herself while carefully listening to others and is willing to change her mind.  She remains an independent thinker who is also filled with love and compassion, accepting individuals at face value without ever considering ethnicity or religion. She is neither conservative or liberal, but she's definitely ethical. I fully trust her and other young people like her to take control of our country, and the sooner the better as we've made a mess!  I'm also feeling a little anxious because my weight is in line with most of the Real Housewives of Atlanta who also have a big butts! However, I still intend to lose more inches, and I am working on it. As I have said before, my weight loss is incremental, and it is easy to become discouraged. So, lately, I'm using a few mindfulness techniques to counter my anxious feelings.  Mindfulness helps me stay in the moment rather than allowing myself to focus on negative thoughts or "future think,."  Jake, my youngest, talked to me a little about mindfulness, explaining that his husband, Harald, told him to use it when he starts feeling overwhelmed, especially during stressful times in graduate school. He explained that mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present. It helps with managing thoughts and feelings. I'm also beginning a mindful approach to keto, which means being fully present and aware of what and how much I am eating. I'm really enjoying most of the keto recipes I've discovered, and I appreciate how far I've come, so although the weight loss is slow, I'm sure I will achieve my weight goals.  I am also realizing that anxiety triggers cravings.  The things I begin feeling anxious about usually surround my children, so if they're okay, I'm usually okay. Lately, however, the stock market has taken a hit, and so has our personal finances, and at our age, finances are critical. Because we are retired, our monthly income is fixed, so we depend on our stocks to carry us all the way through to the end, which we hope is a long way off. So practicing mindfulness is essential right now, given the state of the world, Putin's craziness, and other things impacting our country's government and economy.  However, anxiety triggers eating, so every time I start to feel a little bit anxious, I'm going to practice mindfulness exercises. Anxiety and stress triggers can be overwhelming, so combatting stress and anxiety is s essential. It's easy to give yourself over to stress. However, when stress triggers cravings, mindfulness training takes over if we practice it. If we train ourselves to be attentive to our thoughts, we have the power to shift our attention to actions helping us toward our goal. The Mayo Clinic comprehensively explains mindfulness to promote mind, body, and soul stability, and the linked article provides a mindful guide to weight loss. So join me in my new venture into mindfulness and see if it helps you remain engaged in a healthy life journey toward your weight loss goals.