Top Five Secrets to a Happy, Healthy and Holistic Life

Tales from the Treehouse

Stephanie Culen here! Tales from the Tree House continues. I am excited to share with you today something that I hope will inspire you. 

As many of you know, I recently moved to Northern California which I absolutely love. It's stunningly beautiful here and being surrounded by nature has been a true gift. I'm gratefully overwhelmed with the lessons of these trees that I live amongst. But that really is a whole other story.

Since I've been here, I've met amazing people and seen gorgeous places and I share my story of how I landed in Guerneville from Avenue A in Manhattan with anyone who asks.  It's a great story, but that too is another Tale!  Anyway...there seems to be one question that keeps arising from other people. And that question is "Stephanie, so what's your secret to life?" They're asking me my secret to staying youthful, staying happy, staying connected and I'm here to share them with you. 

What some of you may NOT know is that I had a dream when I was 20 years old to turn 25 years old in New York City. At that time I had just returned from studying abroad in Oxford and I had a vision for myself. That dream came true and I turned 25 in New York City at 265 Lafayette St in what is now called Nolita. Back then it was pretty much Gotti GangsterVille. But really that's a whole other Tale, as well. A couple of years ago, I had a dream I wanted to turn 48 years old on a vineyard. This past November that dream came true.

With this Tale is not about manifesting dreams. At least not exactly directly. Because what most people here focus on when I tell them my story is that they can't believe I'm 48 years old. I find it kind of funny that that's the place they go but They want to know. And so here it goes.

The short answer good old-fashioned self care. So what does good old-fashioned self care look like? Well, let's explore. Ready? I'm only going to give you 5 secrets.  There are more. There,s always more! But five is enough to get you started. Ok, Here we go!

Here are my top 5 secrets: 

First, and these are not in any particular order. Number one : sleep. Solid sleep is essential for your well being. If you are not getting enough sound, uninterrupted sleep, let's figure out how to make that happen for you. 

Second, drink lots of water : good clean water. At least a gallon a day. That's 8 glasses of 8 ounces, by the way!

Third, eat plenty of oils. Oh my goodness : fats are your friend! Fish oils, avocados, coconut oil, nuts, butters, FATS!!!!! Please make sure you get enough oils in your system. They are super important to the body's overall functioning like oil in your car!

OK we have two more secrets to go! Number four: process your emotions. Do whatever it takes (journaling, therapy, movement, talking, crying, meditating, whatever works) to figure out your anger, your sadness, your fears, your frustrations, your hangups, your jealousies, your issues : your AFFLICTIONS! Figure them out!!!!! Own them. They are a part of you and then Release them! And THEN :::: Part 2 of Secret Number 4 : forgive yourself every day! It's a big one.

OK number five. Wow OK number five. There's some other big ones on the list, but let's say number five is laughter : smile and laugh often ... knock knock....who's there? come up with a joke make it funny. Life is absolutely humorous and our darkest moments when looked at from various perspectives can sometimes be quite comical. It takes some time to see the comedy within the tragedy, but give it a try every now and again. Laugh at yourself and laugh WITH others. 

So these seem doable, yes? Were they what you expected?

OK. I'm gonna give you a bonus secret.  I could say sex is pretty important and IT IS a secret and IT IS important but we get can often get hung up on the sex thing. Make sex a priority, for sure, but sex can look like a lot of different things and I pull embracing SENSUALITY under the sex secret, but that's a whole different Tale too! 

I could say meditation. That's super important. I could say spending time with Nature. Oh yay. That's a big One! I could say move your body everyday. That's really important. I could say Be Kind and Polite. Manners and grace go such a long way. Or Gratitude practices. Goodness Yes to Gratitude. I could say Faith in a process bigger than you can see or feel or taste. Yeahhhhhh. Ok. Ok. I think I got it. 

Here's the bonus secret : Ready?

Study your Language and Love yourself. Language is thought made into sounds of Action. Study your speech and you will learn your mind and then love yourself and speak to yourself (and others) as you would your loving child and remember that you are smart, important, super special and powerful, as is everyone around you. 

So that's it! My five secrets (wink wink) to living a happy, healthy, holistic and adventurous life. 

I do hope that Tales from the Treehouse inspire you. You can let me know on Facebook or Instagram. Also, please share with others too. Spread the Love!

And, if you want to work with me One-on-One you can email me directly at[email protected]. I offer private yoga instruction, Reiki transmissions and inspirational relationship coaching both in person and on-line. My time with you is always live, however, and not recorded or downloadable. I believe in PRESENCE!
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Okey dokes. Signing off! Love love! Wishing you an AMAZING day!