Posts by Victoria Albina
Ep #21: You’re a Human Being Not a Human Doing
Self-care and self-love are some of today’s biggest buzzwords. These concepts, while useful at their core, have become associated with an external state: laying on a beach, unbothered by work or the rush of everyday life, soaking up nature (and maybe a fancy drink). It looks pretty nice, but this idyllic (and expensive!) depiction can…
Read MoreEp #20: Expectations and the “How-To” Guide to Other Humans
When people don’t act just the way we want them to, it can leave us feeling frustrated or neglected and can send us down a path of negative thinking and emotions. Why? Because, consciously or not, we’ve created “how-to” guides for how those close to us should behave and we tie a lot of emotions…
Read MoreEp #19: Coping Mechanisms and Obsessive Thoughts
When we’re young, our brains come up with certain mechanisms to help us live according to our surroundings – or to keep our younger selves safe. However, as we grow up, these coping mechanisms can become less helpful and actually damaging to our everyday lives, making us anxious or afraid of the things happening around…
Read MoreEp #18: Negative Self-Talk
We all say things like “I’m the kind of person who ____” and we fill in the blank with negative attributes like “doesn’t work out” or “could never eat less sugar.” We have this idea of ourselves in our heads and think that those traits are set in stone. In reality, they are not fixed…
Read MoreEp #17: Stress Response Cycle
We live in high-stress times and we feel it coming from all sides––work, friends, family, politics… it can often feel like its building up in our bodies until we want to burst. A not-so-fun fact: Stress contributes to millions of deaths a year, even though it is largely preventable. On today’s show, we’re talking about…
Read MoreYou Don’t Have To (You Get To) Change Your Story
Have you been rolling around in “have-to” stories? Are you feeling burdened by all the things you “have to” do today? You’re not alone. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the stories of the things you “have to” do—from brushing your teeth or following a specific nutrition plan, to meditating or showing up…
Read MoreEp #16: You Don’t Have To (You Get To)
We all get bogged down by the feeling that we HAVE to do things and it demotivates us to get them done. Whether it is cutting out coffee or cleaning the house, feeling the external pressure to do something makes it difficult to feel like you want to do it. However, we always have the…
Read MoreYou Can Decide to Choose Suffering- Or Not!
How can we reduce our suffering? Life is 50% joy and 50% suffering, so how can we accept that fact and stop rolling around in painful stories that happened in the past? The Buddhist concept of the second arrow brings helpful wisdom that we can all benefit from. Learning this concept can help you notice…
Read MoreEp #15: Choosing Suffering
There are constantly different challenges thrown at us that can send us spinning in our own thoughts and feelings. Deaths of loved ones, relationship problems, workplace struggles––all of these things can make us doubt and blame ourselves, falling into the trap of negative thoughts that make us suffer more than we have to. Lately, I’ve…
Read MoreHow to Support Your Body After Antibiotics
No one can deny the beneficial effects of antibiotics. Their ability to eradicate harmful infections and save lives has made them indispensable. That said, their convenience and ease-of-use has led to problematic over-prescribing. Meanwhile, our understanding of the harmful effects of antibiotics on our microbiomes is improving. If you find yourself in need of a…
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