This past week, I committed to being way more serious about regular (that’s the key word) meditation, yoga and exercise (running for the moment). I did meditation and yoga twice a day most days and ran every other day. It’s a small sample size, but I can feel the positive effects already. And I am getting much better at meditation too, something I never thought I would be able to say. I used to fidget, do shopping or chore lists in my head, worry and always found it impossible to quieten my inner chatter or ‘monkey brain’ as it is sometimes referred to.
Now, while I still occasionally have persistent thoughts that keep on coming, I am much better at nudging them away and returning to focusing on my breath. And for the first time ever, I find the entire experience really, really relaxing and almost addictive. I am truly amazed and very motivated to keep going. Next week, I begin therapy and I am filled with hope that talking to someone experienced in cases like mine, combined with meditation and exercise will eventually give me a new life, one I did not think was possible. Life without chronic depression, nagging anxiety and crippling self-doubt is something I am working towards. While all this was going on in the background, I did not stop cooking and working on recipes as I am determined to keep the blog going as much as I can, plus it’s good to have some stability to hold on to in this time of chaos. One of these recipes still requires a bit of work as I have just suffered an unexpected setback, but that’s okay. I know I am very close. This recipe is a twist on something I grew up on – cabbage rolls. I say it’s a twist as I flavoured them with ginger, Chinese five spice and soy sauce, which is certainly not the way we eat them in my native Poland. I think I like this combination better and I hope you will too. While they may look daunting to make, they are not – promise. I have included very thorough instructions below to make sure yours are a hit with you and your nearest and dearest too.
3 tbsp soy sauce / tamari (GF) 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp sugar or maple syrup 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1-2 tsp finely grated ginger 1 clove garlic, finely grated
