aspartame-free guide to being happier in 2023!

In a long quest for health, I researched the age-old question "how to live a long and happy life". My main takeaway from the research? Our modern lifestyle is not at all conducive to health! Go figure!

For about three years of my life, I was chronically ill. Doctors could not help me. When I became very sick, I viewed my health as something I had lost. Health was a concept taken from me; I once had it, and then I did not. After 2 years of living like that, I had an epiphany. One doesn't either "have health" or "not have health." Silly false dichotomy!

So, instead of wishing to be abstractly "healthy" again, I looked at health as a jar. Drops of water, however slow they may be, will eventually fill it. So, instead of looking for the fountain of youth, the pharmaceutical or diagnosis that would magically fix me, I worked to get 1% better at a time. 1% is doable. 1% can be easily achieved.

Below, I will list the changes you can make to help ~fill your jar~. Realize, before you read this list, that I understand the difficultly of change. When seeing things itemized, it may feel overwhelming. I know it isn't easy. For a year straight, I threw up 5 to 8 times per day. Losing that many electrolytes and nutrients, I couldn't do the high-intensity exercise I once enjoyed. I would've simply passed out. I was very sick.

But the beautiful thing about an empty jar? Every little drop is noticeable. You don't need to go from a sedentary lifestyle to running a marathon. When you haven't exercised in years, taking a 15-minute walk every day will be enough to make a difference. There's that 1%! Drip into the bucket.

I can almost guarantee that you will be happier if you:

• Get off of hormonal birth control !!
• Cut out seed oils completely ( any ingredient label that says soybean, corn, canola, cottonseed, rapeseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, and rice bran oil)
• Cut out foods from your regular diet if they have ingredients that you cannot pronounce. (Side note: I was vegetarian for almost eight years; nearly all packaged vegan food is processed. I will post this later, but please consider eating good-quality meat. It seemed impossible, but this has been the biggest game-changer regarding my health. I attribute much of my healing to cutting out vegan meat substitutes with 50 ingredients to eating plain chicken with 1 ingredient)
• Take probiotic supplements/ eat a diet high in probiotics (I might do a post on the book "Brain-Gut Connection")
• Stop drinking soda.
• Buy a water filter that filters fluoride and hormones. (I use Clearly Filtered)
• Take magnesium supplements.
• Stop using Bath and Body Works or any scented body products.
• Weight lift. Cardio is good too, but weightlifting is unmatched. Doesn't have to be heavy weights
• Get sunlight when you wake to help your circadian rhythm.
• Have a dedicated morning routine with a gratitude practice.
• Completely cut out social media and learn to reset your attention span.
• Learn a skill that you enjoy but constantly challenges you.
• Stop multitasking. Learn to focus on One Thing At A Time.
• Stop watching pornography.
• Stop texting/being distracted in class.
• Keep a journal and read.
• Read the Bible, and be open to God. (If you're Catholic, pray the Rosary every day!)

Believe that you have control over your life and your happiness.

Happy New Year!!!<3

2023 is our year, ladies. Let's do it.

-Maria