How to be Sick & Depressed

There are many opinions out there on how to be healthy. I haven't seen too many articles on how to be sick & depressed. So I'm taking it upon myself to fill that niche.

If you're into being sick, depressed (& looking haggard for that matter), here's the shortcut:

Food
Eat as much processed food as you can. McDonald's, Burger King and KFC can easily help you out with affordable, super fast options. At the supermarket, look for foods in packages. If the ingredient lists are long and daunting, and contain buzzwords like "mechanically separated", "monosodium glutamate", "high fructose corn syrup", etc, you are on the right track. If you really want to play the apathetic card, don't even read the ingredients.

Avoid fruits & vegetables, or anything that looks like it may have been living in the ground or forest at some point. If you MUST eat them, select heavily sprayed conventional, genetically modified produce. We're going for sick and depressed here. Go hard, or go home. And don't even bother rinsing your produce. That's what happy people do.

Drink
Drink tap water. Or preferably, don't drink any water at all. Stick to soda pop and caffeinated energy drinks, exclusively. Don't worry about that burst of energy that comes from the caffeine/sugar combo. It won't last long. "I hate life" will always be around the corner with these drinks making their way down the hatch.

Note: If you notice that eating or drinking a certain food or drink makes you feel tired or "icky", keep eating it. This is exactly what we're going for here! It's hard to feel happy when you feel like shit. :)

Body care & household products
Whether you're using a moisturizer for your face or detergent to wash your clothes, choose conventional, non-organic, non-biodegradable product varieties. If you wish to read ingredients look for names that are reminiscent of something out of an advanced chemistry class.

Bonus, the creation and use of these types of products wreak havoc on the environment, so you can feel bad about that too. Depressing!!

Lifestyle
Hate your job? Awesome. Do you have inspiring friends? Get rid of them. Do you spend time in nature? Stop it!! Do you give thanks for every little thing? Not recommended. Do you exercise? This might make you happier, so beware.  Your best friend for feeling your worst is the couch; make TV watching and video gaming a priority.

In short, that's how you can fast track your way to an uninspired, polluted life. It's also a great way to prematurely age yourself. So....if that's your thing, the blueprint is here. Enjoy!

Reminder that if you want to be Healthy, Happy and Radiant do not do any of the above. This is for sick & depressed people only.

when things work out

I marvel at how the worst thing ever can easily turn into a blessing. Take for example the other day when I flew home from a sweet lil' visit in Maine. My luggage didn't make it home with me. At first I was freaking out. 

What? How dare they? Do they have any idea how much they are inconveniencing me? And what the hell: where are my "good vibes" now?

Minutes later the paper work was filled out and my ride showed up at the airport. Turns out the ultra small car was packed with five people and could barely manage my friend Aniela's carry on (the trunk was small and already full. Personally when I pick someone up from the airport I leave room in my trunk - but hey, were all on our own trip and this oversight supports the miracle of my story). 

There's no way that big duffel filled with camping equipment would have fit in that car. Or if it could have somehow, it would have made for a very uncomfortable 4 hour drive.

It's like the angels knew. So a mild inconvenience of me not having a bag of stuff that I think I need for a few days offered us a headache free means to make our way home. Meanwhile, the airline is delivering my bag right to my door.

Thus, I give gratitude to all that's happening in the unseen. Somehow it's all perfect. Thank you! I never  knew I could be so excited about lost luggage.

my homage to water & good hair days

This week I've taken the challenge to avoid using flush toilets. In fact, I'm bathing in the lake instead of a shower and only using the (spring water) tap for brushing my teeth.

Why? It feels like the right thing to do. Some people take a vacation and go to all-inclusives for a week. I decided to give Mama E a break and be as nice to her as I possibly can.

It dawned on me sometime ago that shitting into water that's taken in pipes to a plant where it's "cleaned" and then put back into the eco system or recycled for another round of use is just ludicrous. The "grey water" situation is just as heinous, especially when we consider all the chemicals spilled down the sink. Drain-o anyone? Ugh.

Water is much more precious than they way we treat it. All water. Perhaps composting toilets aren't practical to have in every building....and perhaps that's the way we've cultivated our society - to flush things away instead of dealing with them and using our waste to make things grow.

Is there a metaphor in there somewhere?

For example, is our shortsightedness with water impeding some sort of epic high-rise architecture/engineering that allows us to poop and feed our plants and heat or power our buildings? Who knows? I'm no architect or engineer.

I have however witnessed countless examples of human ingenuity and I KNOW there are way better ways to do things that would improve the quality of our lives, in general AND specifically with water.

This is the obvious statement of the year.

An entire industry could be created with true waste management. And I'd bet that if we had to deal with our poo instead of flushing it away we'd be more mindful of what and how much we consume.

For me, I've come to a place where I'd prefer to poop in a composting toilet, and pee in the woods. That  makes sense. Obviously not always practical. But I know it's my preference.

And I'd rather clean myself in a beautiful lake or a invigorating stream. It's a preference, and again not always practical.

Let me tell you though. I can guarantee myself the best hair day ever when I let nature's structured water get ahold of it. And that makes me very happy.

Pictured above: Gorgeous spirally lake tendrils.

fitness for enlightenment

Today I woke up and was instantly propelled into a work out. I wasn't working out though....I was filming segments for David Wolfe. It was great, because even though I didn't get the thigh tone-age that comes with actually doing a workout, I was the quiet observer of very intense moments.

Hearing Genesis Sunfire, David's personal trainer, say things like "you're probably going to get angry. You're likely to experience sharp emotions as you blow past your thresholds. Be okay with this. This is normal. It's part of the training." I was wondering what the heck was going to happen.

What followed were the completion of very simple exercises; within minutes David did a total of five different exercises, to exhaustion.

Five minutes of:
-Push ups
-Sit-up twists
-Squats

15-20 minutes of:
Walking with a piggybacker on board
Walking with someone on your back FireMan style.

(Alternatively, speed walking as fast as you can possibly go for 15 minutes is an option for those who aren't working out with someone else, or if your upper body strength isn't developed enough for carrying someone. Let's be reasonable here! ).

Cues that I heard during this whole process included:

-When you start to slow down, speed up
-As it gets harder, consciously relax
-Practice being uncomfortable daily

This is how we develop our willpower. This is how we train ourselves to we can be in service to the planet and those who inhabit it.

This seemingly innocuous workout was plum full of useful lessons and mind-body-spirit training. This is not about fitness at all. It's about enlightenment.

Later I went for a run and applied these principals to my workout: When I felt like like stopping I went faster...when the huffing and puffing was getting close to unbearable I did my best to consciously relax. I definitely felt uncomfortable. I've definitely been "more fit" in my life, and the snakes I heard under the long grasses i was running on made my heart race even more.

I really received a good snap shot of my physical strength, fitness level & will power today, and feel tuned into how I can improve these aspect of myself....which very likely will help me evolve as a person.

What if I can transcend my 'stopping points'? What if the point where I stop is miles from where it is now? What if I get there way faster? What happens then? I don't know....and suddenly I'm getting really excited!

I want to be someone who can help others in every way I can: whether it's listening to someone process their emotions, or assisting a host throw a great party or pulling someone from the rubble. All important superhero skills.

So here I am at the edge of something great, equipped with life changing principals. I'll keep you posted on how this training goes....

Pictured above: Genesis demo-ing an advanced version of twists.

the newest food group

For those of us that are committed to thriving, the Superherb food group is one that gets a lot of attention.

Yes, Superherbs are a food category in and of itself.

Superherbs are potent, powerful mineral dense, tonic, adaptogenic substances that don't have any caloric value yet provide the body-mind-spirit with nutrition that far surpasses ordinary food, even if it's high quality.

The truth is that salads and vegetables and all the finest organic foods are GREAT, but they're not immunological.

And it's our immune system that keeps us in a state of living the dream. If we're illin' at all, our immune system simply isn't being supported fully. When is the last time you saw a chronically sick person doing what you want to do?

Superherbs build momentum in the body. Our immune system, our core energy, our daily energy, our Spirit is all amplified by the daily and consistent use of superherbs.

Sorry, but peas n carrots simply can't hold a stick to Reishi & Chaga.

You can test it out for yourself. Commit to taking a superherb everyday for the next 1-3 years and see where you're at. My top recommendations: Chaga Mushroom, Reishi Mushroom, Schizandra Berry, He Shou Wu, Astragulus.

With the exception of Schizandra (which is very tart), the superherbs listed above are all quite neutral tasting, can be found in easy-to-take tincture form and are a breeze to add to whatever you're already drinking (like coffee or tea). I just love Schizandra so much that I had to include it. And yes, I am considering marrying it.

My point: Build an immunological armada overtime using the worlds most potent superherbs. The only reason to do this is because you love living life and would rather be healthy and happy than sick and depressed.

If you're into the latter, keep doing what you're doing and you'll keep getting what you're getting. If you're into the former start googling and figure it out.

And if you're feeling stuck then email me: krystynamcmillan@gmail.com

I add superherbs to everything, and enjoy endlessly amazing delicious food and drink. My recommendation is that you start with your adding them to your morning coffee or tea.

It's an artform that we can cultivate within ourselves through our desire to shine.

Pictured above: last summer me & this reishi hung out everyday for weeks. Later we harvested it, dried it, and broke it into pieces and then simmered it in water to make a tea. We used this tea as the liquid base for our smoothies. Chilled reishi tea can easily be added to the most basic berry smoothie. You wouldn't even know the difference. I swear it's that easy.

help yourself

What is one of my big wishes for the people of this planet? It's that we become a group of thoughtful, resourceful beings who can take care of themselves. My definition of needy is when people are relying on the time and effort of others for basic things. Like something that can be Googled. 

Needy is not sexy. At all. FYI.

"How much do Goji Berries cost?" This is an example of the type of email that may come to me on a daily basis. Why didn't this person simply type this question to Google? I am not here to do this on their behalf. I am a REALLY, REALLY busy person, who is using Google on a daily basis to answer my own questions. If, on the other hand, a person felt compelled to share a really insightful article about Goji Berries, now there is a basis of a worthwhile interaction.

In the time it took them to write me, they could have easily used a difference function on their computer to search the same information. If after that they are still confused, then an email would be appropriate. 

When it comes to receiving email correspondence that involves people asking me questions that can easily be googled first.....why didn't they just google it?

As I tweeted the other day: "Got a question? Need an answer? Ask God, or Ask Google. Both are helpful, time efficient, cost effective means to learn more".

After that, ask me. Ask me when you want my opinion. Ask me when God or Google doesn't yield an answer for you. Contact me when you have AMAZING information to share, and want my help spreading the word. 

This is not to say that I don't like taking care of others. I do. I love doing this from a level where I take over where they simply aren't able. Too busy to make food for yourself? I can help you with that. Feeling overwhelmed? I am here to listen. Google can't really help with these things....unless it's to find a good restaurant or shrink. 

Oh Google, there you are again, effortlessly helping.

Now, I recognize that I'm a friendly, lovable person, and that perhaps some people simply want to interact with me, and I can appreciate that. What I'm putting out there to the Universe is that people really learn to become self sufficient. 

In this day and age, in these ultra busy, fast times.....we must strive to help ourselves as often as possible, and not burdening others with minutia. 

This simple act can change our interactions. Suddenly we are interacting with each other only to enhance our knowledge, not just to ask questions that are already answered.

Quite possibly: The seeds to evolution.

Image courtesy of: Abstract Thoughts

light nights

I've been experiencing dark nights since I came to this planet. While in Iceland last week I had the pleasure of experiencing light nights...endless days strung together by a sun that hardly sets. The sky is perpetually light. It's trippy, really...and offers a sense of timelessness. Especially when the sky is overcast it's hard to tell whether its morning, noon or night.

Me and my homies easily stayed up until 3am...I feel like had I not been so exhausted from the month of constant travel prior to Iceland, I would have hardly slept at all while i was here. Alas, Iceland was to be a recoup for me. Sleeping in the light was great. It felt a lot like afternoon napping, complete with hearing outside sounds and zany, lucid dreams.

Last night I watched the sun set into darkness from the JFK airport on my way home from Iceland. And I felt a little sad saying goodbye to my weeklong day. It was as if I hadn't known anything else. Later, after I landed in SFO, I felt a little bummed out. I didn't even notice that I had crossed the Golden Gate Bridge! Perhaps this is part of the adjustment that comes with experiencing regular darkness once again.

I'd love to go back to Iceland again at this time of year with minimal plans, and just park myself in the great outdoors near a hot spring and lose track of time and myself. Just be. Seems like a sweet little human experiment. What kind of musings could come from that experience?

Let there be light this night.

Above: My homie Avocado shows the time on his phone: 12:28 am.