What are our key feelings, and how can accepting them enhance our lives?
The vast spectrum of emotions can be a minefield. It can be hard to know how to express the things we’re feeling, in part because being ‘in touch’ with our own emotions doesn’t always come naturally – at least, perhaps in this day and age, when putting your feelings aside in favour of agreeableness is common practice.
The task of getting in-tune with our feelings can feel like a mammoth one, but the first step in doing so could lie in identifying our primary emotions, and going from there. The thinking varies slightly on precisely how many ‘core emotions’ we have, but one widely accepted theory from American psychologist Dr Paul Ekman presents six: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust.
On his website, Dr Ekman writes: “Emotions are a process, a particular kind of automatic appraisal influenced by our evolutionary and personal past, in which we sense that something important to our welfare is occurring, and a set of psychological changes and emotional behaviors [sic] begins to deal with the situation.”
When you put it like that, it sounds quite simple. Emotions are just things that happen to us, for the ultimate purpose of survival. Even so, many of us will be familiar with the experience of being ruled by them, as much as being out of touch with them. But does it have to be that way?
Getting to the heart of it
“In my 40s, I went through a rough patch in my life, experiencing depression and panic attacks for the first time,” says Fiona McAlister, an integrative trauma-informed psychotherapist. “Out of these experiences, I learned much that lifted me from those states, and introduced new practices into my regular routine that enable me now to maintain a well-balanced emotional and physical state. Crucially, this changed mindset, my more awakened understanding, and nourishing practices have supported me to find blissful peace of mind – a peace based securely on the knowledge that I am safe, no matter what happens in my life.”
As Fiona explains, at the heart of her philosophy was the understanding of humans’ primal need for safety – when we don’t feel safe, we cannot function fully and healthily. Just like Dr Ekman explains, our emotions are there to keep us alive, to alert us to things that aren’t safe, and it’s for that reason that getting to know our core emotions, learning our individual signs, and our triggers, can set us free. For Fiona, that’s achieved with four key steps…
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The six universal core emotions
Sadness
An upsetting emotional state that is linked to other feelings like grief or disappointment.
Enjoyment
Pleasant feelings that can lead to joy, fulfilment, and contentment.
Fear
An emotion designed to keep us safe, which triggers our fight-or-flight response.
Anger
When we feel frustrated or hostile.
Surprise
A positive or negative emotion after experiencing something we didn’t expect.
Disgust
Feelings of repulsion.
Sharing a full fay of eats from start to finish.
Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day, whether you were celebrating with your love, your Galentines, your kiddos, or your pet 🙂 For today’s post, I thought I’d share an old-school day of eats and adventures like the blog days of yore. Please keep in mind that What I Ate Wednesday posts are just to share some new ideas and I totally understand why they can be problematic or not a fit for certain friends out there. If it’s not your cup of tea, no worries at all, and I’ll see ya tomorrow with a new podcast episode!
In the meantime, sign up for Spring Shape Up here and start checking out the platform! We have over 200 friends signed up so far and I can’t wait to do this with all of you.
The girls woke up early and had their Valentine’s baskets waiting for them.
(Candy, beanie boos, a cute heart sweater, a book, some bath bombs and lip gloss. They were pumped!)
When the girls were much younger and I saw gift baskets for every.single.holiday, it made me feel stressed. I was just trying to keep them alive, clean, fed, and happy, so things like Halloween baskets or Valentine’s baskets seemed unfathomable to put together. Instead, I just tried to do other things to celebrate, like hearts on their door with things that I love about them. I still do this one today and the girls adore it – they keep the hearts up all year.
Now that they’re a bit older and can, you know, dress themselves, shower themselves, etc., it’s much easier to do fun little extra things when I feel like it.
I chugged some AG1 before heading out the door and ate a couple of eggs with sriracha and EBTB seasoning.
(Confession: I’ve only tried AG1 a couple of times in the past and didn’t like the taste. The brand asked me if I wanted some to test out, so I figured I’d give it a real try and possibly share with family and friends. Turns out: I love it. I even started craving the taste in the morning after drinking it consistently. I love all of the nutrients and I feel great after a couple of weeks of drinking it each morning on an empty stom
Fluffy mashed sweet potatoes top a saucy mixture of seasoned ground beef and vegetables to make this Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie.
Can you Make Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potatoes?
Yes, you can! Traditionally, a shepherd’s pie is topped with mashed potatoes. However, in this recipe, savory sweet potatoes create a welcome depth of flavor in this dish.
While we’re talking about traditional shepherds pie, let’s go ahead and note that classic shepherds pies are made with ground lamb vs the more popular beef today. For my everyday cooking though, ground beef is simply more accessible.
The beef here is seasoned with Italian seasonings and a splash of balsamic vinegar. In addition to that, a bit of green chile is in the mix as well. While you can certainly skip the chile, it works nicely to enhance the flavors without bringing much heat at all.
Most people call this type of dish a shepherd’s pie regardless of the meat inside it. Technically, when made with beef, this is a Rancher Pie or a Cottage Pie. (Though many believe that a cottage pie should be made with layered slices of potatoes vs the mashed potatoes that are more common.)
In other words, you’ll never please everyone. So, call it whatever you like, but rest assured it will be devoured just about as soon as it hits the table.
Mouthwatering is not the word I typically use to describe a shepherd pie or a cottage pie. This is man food, right? Truth be told I have never been a big fan of dishes featuring ground beef as a main component.
I have come to love the simple flavor and the way I can add a few easy ingredients to create a delicious and filling meal for my hungry crew. Filling them up in a budget-friendly way is not an easy feat! Ground beef has become my best friend in the process.
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Having a baby is truly life-changing, but it can also shift our relationship with our physical selves. From our wardrobe to our own identity, we look at our bodies in a whole new way after becoming a mum. Here, we explore how to find a better relationship with your body in the postpartum period
While everyone’s pregnancy journey is unique, for many mums-to-be it’s often a time when we feel empowered in our own skin. As we watch our bumps grow, we might marvel at just how capable the human body is (minus the morning sickness and heartburn, of course). One survey by Herbal Essences for its Pregnant Women Can campaign actually found that 65% of expectant mums feel more confident in their bodies than before they fell pregnant but, sadly, this isn’t always the way once the baby has safely arrived.
Part of this is down to societal pressure, with many mums reporting that they’re focused on ‘losing the baby weight’ soon after their child arrives. “An entourage of unrealistic post-baby pictures on social media can exacerbate feelings of dissatisfaction,” says psychotherapist Yvette Vuaran, with a survey by MoneySavingHeroes.co.uk finding that 80% of mums felt pressured to lose weight after having a baby, which, naturally, can negatively impact relationships with their bodies.
This pressure to return to their pre-baby self can leave mums struggling. Research published in the Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology revealed that mums with poor body image actually scored lower in terms of overall wellbeing, self-esteem, and even how competent they felt as a parent. So, the repercussions of this disconnect from our bodies and how they’ve adapted can be vast.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way, and, with the right support and guidance, mums can still feel confident in their own skin.
Why our bodies change after having a baby
First of all, let’s acknowledge that growing and birthing a human for nine months is a pretty huge achievement. Not only does a pregnant person’s body provide nutrients for their baby, but it physically adapts. As the baby grows and takes up more room, organs such as the liver and stomach are literally pushed upwards and displaced. Is it any wonder that this process leaves our bodies looking (and feeling) a little different?
The hormone changes that happen after childbirth also causes bodies to go through all sorts of changes – and some aren’t the most glamorous. For example, your oestrogen falls quickly, and this makes your hair shed much more obviously than usual. While those who breastfeed might notice this makes your skin feel super dry and flaky (this is because your body uses lots of water while you do it).
But it’s not just hormones that change your body; you may be dealing with physical changes too, such as stretch marks, tearing, or changes to your pelvic floor, impacting daily life. So, it’s no wonder that these differences take some time to adjust to, and while it might seem like you’re alone with these things, but the truth is you’re really not. In fact, up to 90% of first time mums will tear to some degree in vaginal Read more