Hey guys! I hope you all had a fun Halloween! My hubs and I went low-key again this year and spent the night eating a yummy homemade dinner (all organic and healthy) and gorging on candy (not organic or healthy) while watching the season premiere's of "Grimm" and "Ash VS Evil Dead"! They were both really good, BTW! :-)
While I was stuffing my face with candy that I shouldn't be eating (Reese's PB cups and Snickers you are my kryptonite, damn you!), I started thinking about what I eat, and how certain things have changed not only in my life, but my thoughts on life too. And that got me thinking about "balance".
When I first started my journey back into a more clean and natural lifestyle, I had a full time job that paid decently and I could afford to be as strict as I wanted with what I bought in terms of food, personal care, clothing, etc...(I still pretty much am when it comes to my skincare products, make up, cleaning products and pet foods - though if a skincare or make-up product isn't 100% pure or clean as I like, but it is what I can afford and I don't have a reaction to it, I'm not going to freak or get down on myself).
Two years ago, however, a lot of things changed. My back pretty much "gave out" on me and I was forced to take a leave of absence from work. Right as I found out I needed to have major surgery, my employer let me go. So I was out of a job. Though the surgery was a success, the recovery process was slow and painful and some other issues developed. In addition, foods that I loved and ate with abandon (at this time I was mostly a raw vegan) made me nauseous and I began craving certain foods I generally stayed away from. I cut myself some slack because, after all, my body was healing and if I was craving chicken or eggs or even steak, I was going to eat it.
Because of all of the stress I was under - major surgery, losing my job, personal issues - I developed some other health problems, all of which still prevent me from working outside of the home. I'm working hard to restore my health, but in the meantime, I am fortunate enough to bring in a little income by working for my father-in-law, managing a few social media sites and my affiliates. But because the majority of income comes from my husband, we have had to really budget ourselves and unfortunately, sometimes that means buying something that might not be organic. We do try and still get as much organic and non-gmo as we can, but we also don't want to live a life that is so strict and rigid that we can't enjoy it.
So that brings me to the "balance" part. While I do strive to live as clean, healthy, and non-toxic a lifestyle as I can, I also have to be realistic and not beat myself up if I slip up, or give in to my intense craving for pizza or french fries..or even gmo filled Reeses or Snickers!
I live in a small town that doesn't have organic restaurants (the cleanest thing we have is a Chipotle's), or a Whole Foods or farmer's markets that sell all organic produce. I wish we did! But if we want to go out to eat, we know our options are limited so we don't stress over it. We just eat better the next day. We honestly probably eat 70-80% organic, non-gmo and 20-30% not so clean. And I'm ok with that. I've learned to be less strict with my diet and listen to my body more. If I'm craving chicken, I eat it. I do make sure any meat we buy IS organic..since we still don't eat a lot of it. But I don't feel guilty anymore for eating it. I don't think in terms of vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten free, etc..I don't apply labels to my diet anymore. And if I want some treat that isn't all that good for me, well, I'm going to eat that too - just not too much of it! The thing is, I'm human, I'm not perfect. I believe in progress, not perfection. I try and do the best I can with the budget and resources I have, while not restricting myself to the point where I am miserable.
And honestly, I'm much happier and less stressed for having this attitude now! :-)
How do you live a balanced life? Do you allow yourself to cheat a little? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Peace and love,
Sabrina xoxo
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