Detox = Punishment
This Sunday's journeys: Detox = Punishment | Stasis Breathwork | Fran Lebowitz Is Never Leaving New York | Whodunnit?
High Five, It’s Sunday!
Grab a drink, turn on the speaker, and settle in, we’re going on a stroll.
🔊 Zone In: Midland’s As The City Rests, a mixtape [February 2021]
01 - Detox = Punishment
"I need to push our appointment to next week, is that ok?"
[freak out]
[ok, breath, You can do it.]
I did my first elimination diet at 22. I got a rash all over my face and neck whenever I shaved, and the google gods suggested a naturopathic miracle.
I decided to give it a shot, and a few days later I started an elimination diet, prescribed by a licensed naturopath.
It was a nightmare. For 2 weeks I couldn't focus on anything else except food, and when she asked to postpone our follow-up appointment the day before the end of the 2 weeks period, I practically begged her over the phone to tell me what foods I can start adding back. She found it amusing, but finally said I can eat tomatoes again. Party.
This was my introduction to more mindful eating: not in the buddhist way of paying attention to textures and flavors, but with regards to having more knowledge and being more mindful about what I'm choosing to eat.
Since then, every few years I would give it another shot, thinking my eating habits need a little bit of a reset. Every time it felt like punishment, and by the end of the week I was usually feeling exhausted and irritable.
Things changed when a few years ago I was going through an emotional rollercoaster, and for some reason my brain went into extreme self-care mode (instead of the glorified self-destruction). I decided I'll do this diet, but also add to it other practices: meditation, journaling, yoga/stretching/exercising, etc. Nothing too complicated, but the combination worked like magic.
I resurfaced on the other side of that week feeling energized, motivated and stronger. The diet part felt a lot less challenging this time, and having that comprehensive structure helped showing up for each of the different practices regularly, every day. By the end of that week, everything felt like a familiar routine, and every time I've done it since I noticed that I'm holding on to all these practices a lot longer than just through that specific week.
I now try adding something new whenever I do my reset weeks. Last time (in last September) I went through my ‘watch next’ movie list and picked all these esoteric ones that every other day I skip, thinking I'm not in the right mood. I really enjoyed them, so this time I'm thinking of adding inspirational/motivating podcasts episodes. I have a few favorites, but which ones would you recommend?
I'm starting my reset week next Sunday, and have a small group of friends join. If you'd like to be part of the group and go through this together, click here to learn more and join us (don't worry, you don't need to figure out anything on your own, I'm sharing all my resources with the group).
I mentioned last week how things are already feeling chaotic here, and with the upcoming trip back north I won't settle down until mid-June. I need all the grounding and energy I can muster. If you're feeling like you could use a pre-summer reset, join us!
Until next week,
- Disco
02 - Stasis Breathwork
Pretty much every modality today is being explored and offered anywhere along the scale of esoteric<->scientific. Breathwork has been slowly growing in popularity, and this project takes the scientific angle to it. They offer free education and training for stress management, covid recovery, and general meditation.
03 - Fran Lebowitz Is Never Leaving New York
Michael Schulman on The New Yorker
This interview from April 2020 came out a few weeks into lockdown in NY, and months before her Netflix collaboration with Martin Scorsese “Pretend It’s a City”. A year later - with Trump gone and the lockdowns hopefully behind us here in the U.S. - it’s interesting to read back and see one (eccentric) thinker’s early take on the new reality. I kept that tab open all this time, and I’m glad I did.
04 - Whodunnit?
Someone murdered Lord Smyth. How many details did you catch?
🌳 That's all for today.