Every now and then I like to scan the internet for healthy and delicious veggie recipes.
During recipe hunting, I come across so many creative, beautiful food blogs. It’s made me want to start my own. But since I’m not at all creative in a culinary way I’ve decided to combine the worlds of creative recipes and playful self-discovery.
If you are feeling frazzled, burnt out, or off balance then drop everything, put on your favorite apron and let’s start metaphorically baking.
I hereby present the deliciously tasty: new outlook cake!
Change.
The first and foremost ingredient to this cake is change. This is the only thing we can count on to always be there. It’s just one of those ingredients we can’t do anything about so we will learn to love it by making it the foundation of our magnificent cake.
7 cups of self-love.
If you aren’t already friends with your inner narrator, now is the time to call a truce. Start listening to the tape that is playing in your mind every moment of every day. Start carefully paying attention to what is being said and calling out any harshness and aggressive behaviour. Ask yourself, “are these the kinds of things I would say to someone I care about? Is this the sort of advice I would give?” If it isn’t, change the dialogue so it becomes gentle and supportive. This is the time to become you’re own nurturer and cheerleader.
6 cups of determination.
Sometimes life throws a curveball directly into our face leaving us paralyzed in complete and utter disbelief. Depending on the size and force of this curveball, it can throw us slightly off balance or throw us into a whole new universe. You may wonder how dare these curveballs?! But remember, you are on a curveball flying through space. Just hold on tight, literally and figuratively, to a heavy dose of unwavering determination that can propel us through these horrendously difficult times.
5 cups of curiosity.
No matter what the experience we find ourselves in, if we look at it through the lens of curiosity we don’t need to become a victim to our volatile emotional states. Rather, we can be a passenger in a comfy vessel, watching it from afar. Suspense and uncertainty can actually be quite thrilling, imagine how unsettling it would be if someone told you how your life would play out? The unknown is what makes life interesting, embrace that.
4 cups of trust.
In moments of stress and worry, we need to remember to take a deep breath and trust that things will work out. As the Dalai Lama once said, “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” Trust that things have a way of working out. Most times you can’t even fathom how because it doesn’t even seem like an option from your perspective.
3 1/2 cups of your favourite kind of people.
Supportive, understanding people make life 2.87 trillion times better. Connection, intimacy and feeling/reciprocating love are critical parts of the human experience. If the people we surround ourselves with are not offering any of that, then they need to go, or at least receive less exposure. Find people who share similar interests and values; find your “tribe” so to speak. Be around those who magnify the good in you, who make you laugh and take life a little less seriously.
2 cups of atmosphere.
What is your ideal environment where you can truly relax? Is it in the mountains? Near a riverbed? Laying by the beach? At home with your dog watching Netflix? Go wherever it is that makes you feel good.
17 gallons of patience.
The more of this ingredient the better; it gets absorbed easily into all other parts of the cake so just throw it in like there’s no tomorrow.
A sprinkle of gratitude.
All you need is a sprinkle because it doesn’t take much for gratitude to work its magic. It’s a powerful ingredient. Take a moment to be grateful for where you are and how far you’ve come. When life gets hard say, “thank you for the challenge; thank you for the opportunity to grow, to learn, and to evolve. Thank you for the gift of life; as crazy, terrifying and beautiful this whole thing is. I am meant to be here, I am enough. I am doing my best.”
Once you mix all these ingredients up, leave to the side to marinate. Everything needs to well absorbed for the full effect to take place. When you start poking and prodding it to see if it’s ready, you need to put more patience in it.
So, how do you know when it’s ready you ask? Well, I actually have no clue. I’m still trying to work it out. I’m still struggling to get the patience, trust and self-love ingredients just right.
At the end of the day, it’s a process, or err, a “recipe” that we all do alone, together. It’s one that we must tinker with to figure out what works best for us. It’s like any recipe, you can use this as a springboard for your own creatively delicious cake.
Just remember: it’s a cake you’re making, not the cure for cancer. Don’t be afraid to throw in some colourful sprinkles and a splash of playful fun when you find yourself taking it all a little too seriously.
The best part about this cake is that every day you wake up is a chance to start all over.
Art Therapy with Kimberly 