Taking a Step Back in Time with Music

I’ve discussed my love for music and it’s power of keeping me in flow. It’s rooted deep in my bones. Going

The beaches of Cabo were beautiful... I've got a different mountain view these days.

without music is like going without food or water; it can be done for a certain amount of time until I feel myself needing it, craving it, even fantasizing about it.

I got my first iPod-like device when I was seventeen. This is when I started organizing my songs by the month. Each month I create a new playlist to keep track of what songs I’ve recently added (since the “Recently Added” file just isn’t organized enough for me). Ever since I’ve started to create these lists, I’ve found myself going back and listening to the old ones.

Since I was seventeen I’ve had a few different music devices, so some of my lists have been lost over the years. When I’m going through a musical dry streak (i.e. I don’t have any new songs I’m obsessively listening to), I go back about eleven months to an old playlist. I’m not sure why, but the old tracks I feel like listening to are always from ten to eleven months prior.

I can close my eyes and remember exactly how I felt at that point in time. I remember where I was, who I was with, what I was going through. I remember how each song made me feel, and observe that feeling from a new, outside perspective. It’s interesting. It takes me somewhere comfortable, somewhere I’ve already been to and I start to get nostalgic. This week I was listening to my playlist from last April. It reminds me of my trip to Cabo. It reminds me of the walk I took from my parents house to the subway station, where I would go to meet my boyfriend for our gym dates. It reminds me of my cousin. For just a moment, it reminds me how easy it would be to go back to all of that. And if I’m being honest, it’s hard to not want that.

Everything’s better in hindsight right?

Just like music keeps me present and in flow, music also keeps me grounded and reminds me of what I’m creating for myself. I won’t grow or expand by wishing it was last April.  But I can certainly still enjoy Machu Picchu while strolling along the sea wall, being grateful for how far I’ve come.

Pause. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Pause. Repeat.

Thank you.

Other favesies from last April:

Reminded – Tyga ft Adele

My First Song – Jay-Z

Rolling In The Deep – John Legend

She Said – Plan B

Forever – Wolfgang Gartner ft Will.i.am

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

I do miss Toronto, especially as summer rolls around. Photo credit: Farida Wahidi

En route back to Vancouver, I had a moment of sadness as I looked out the window at the YYZ tarmac. I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for the moment of homesickness I felt. While I was back in my hometown, I didn’t get to see all of my favourite places, or eat at all of my favourite spots.  I didn’t get to spend time with all of my friends, and I would’ve loved an extra hour with my mom.  I didn’t have too much time to reminisce as I made new memories with my Vancouver family in downtown Toronto. So as I sat in my pod, it hit me that there is a part of me that really does miss living in that city.

While I was home, I had a situation where I was given the chance to be authentic and honest about my feelings, and step out of my comfort zone. I got to honour how I felt and instead of making up excuses, voice what I was experiencing emotionally. It was uncomfortable for a moment. Fear and apprehension held me as I shared my real feelings, but also empowered me. This situation also allowed me to honour the other person’s feelings. It helped to remind the Universe (and myself) what type of people and situations I want in my life and which ones I am ready to move on from. I’m going confidently in the direction of my dreams, with the faith that letting go of my past will propel me further, faster.

At dinner one night at Fresh, my girlfriend turned to me and said I was glowing with happiness.  I confidently told her I couldn’t foresee myself moving back anytime soon. I love the mountains and ocean. I love my roommates, my apartment, and my life in Vancouver. But homesickness is a funny thing: it doesn’t care about any of those factors. It reminds you of what is familiar and what is comfortable. It reminds you that you could easily fall back into that life without many adjustments. So, what’s keeping me on the coast?

I realized, as a few stray tears fell down my face on the plane, that I wasn’t going to grow if I went back into my comfort zone.  The six months I’ve spent in Vancouver has taught me more about myself than I’d realized. It’s taught me how to be authentic, what type of people I want in my life, and given me a better idea of who I want to become. It’s introduced me to a group of people that I feel closer to than any group I’ve met. I actually feel like I belong in that family. I’m an important part of a community that operates out of and in love.

Along this journey of moving out and away from home, I’m learning as I go. None of us really know what we’re doing all of the time. I can do all of the card readings and meditations I want: all new experiences are going to feel scary. I think the key is to step into that fear of not knowing the end result. If you keep repeating the same actions, you will keep getting the same results. And that’s not what I want for my future. I want the results to keep getting better.

Actually, the Universe Wants You to Be Friendly

When I was a frequent gym-goer, I noticed that 90 percent of the time, I chose a locker RIGHT next to someone who would walk in 30 seconds later. I swear, if not before my workout, then it would be right after my shower that someone will have just settled into the locker next to mine.

Just a few of my Vancouver "tribe" family members. Surrounding myself with loving people has reminded me that I'm not on this journey alone, and I was never meant to be.

It just occurred to me a couple months ago why this might be.

We aren’t supposed to be segregated, iPod-listening, hustling and bustling commuters. We are meant to live in communities and create relationships with each other. Our very nature is to have others we can depend on and be depended on. Seriously, the Universe wants us to play nice and form bonds with one another.

Before the days of babysitters, plumbers, and restaurants, us humans had these things called communities and tribes. We depended on each other to help take care of our children, tend to our sick, and rebuild our houses when catastrophe struck. Our insurance was our neighbors. Now, we build gates higher than we can see and hire professionals to mend whatever is broken. We have this complex that we don’t need to ask for help and can fully depend on ourselves for everything. Well, this isn’t true. While I can cook a great meal without any assistance, I certainly have other areas of my life I need help in. Depending others and allowing them to help you gives you the opportunity to acknowledge their actions. You could say that asking for help is one way of providing service.

So today’s lesson is to be friendlier. Your coworkers aren’t much different from you, so crack a grin in their direction. Maybe say hello to your neighbor next time you’re in the elevator. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and ask for help. You are worthy of being helped, and deserve a loving supportive community around you.

Living, and Eating, In the Moment

I was happy to discover that the Maple Leaf Lounge has some healthy options

Traveling does a funny thing to me: I tend to “allow” myself to eat foods I don’t normally consume (keep in mind, I am an avid flexitarian, and I set flexible guidelines for my dietary choices based on how my body feels). During my trip to Toronto, I woke up one morning to some freshly, made-with-love whole wheat bread. Normally I forgo wheat, since it doesn’t get along with my body all that well.  But hey, it was still warm from the oven, what was I gonna say? No, I don’t want your beautiful bread topped with local Ontario honey, almond butter and banana? Sorry, I’d rather stare at it longingly wishing that “I ate wheat”?

I could also make the argument that the dialogue would be more like “Sorry, I don’t want to cripple my guts by eating gluten”.  I get that.

Instead I decided to live in the moment.  In that moment, my eyes widened and my stomach growled and my legs lurched me forward towards the kitchen where I carefully sliced two pieces of bread for Kelsey and I.

And you know what? I felt great.  The mindset you have while eating impacts your body that much. It’s not something I eat all the time, and the circumstance – made with love, fresh, and my body literally pulling me towards it – called for it. I didn’t think “Damn I’m going to have the worst stomach cramps after this,” I thought “Oh my gosh, this is freaking delicious” and savored every crumb.

So what’s the difference between eating and living in the moment, and letting your food “exceptions” get out of control? Well the first way to tell the difference is by checking in.  You already know which foods you usually avoid and why.  If you find yourself craving them or being drawn to them, stop and ask yourself why that is. Is it because you don’t have any other choice, or is it because you had a crappy day and it’s your comfort food? Change your mindset: If you’re travelling and really don’t have any other food choice, reframe your thinking. Try, “Wow, I’m so grateful to have this food! My body loves and can handle eating this right now because it’s nourishing me.” If you simply crave the food, not because you’re hungry (and are probably quite emotional at the same time), try thinking “I am safe to be in control of my emotions.  I fill myself only with the clean food that my body enjoys and absorbs. I eat only foods that make my mind, body and spirit feel good.” Breathe. Pause. Repeat.

I love traveling. I love the excitement of the plane taking off, and exploring new cities.  The places I will travel to might not always be able to accommodate my food choices. The friends I have don’t all subscribe to the same dietary guidelines as me. Living in the moment keeps me grounded, and eating in the moment keeps my body and mind happy. Don’t take life so seriously, you’ll miss out on Kodak moments and freshly baked bread.

Sometimes it helps to have someone hear you out on your food cravings, and help you sort out why you’re drawn to certain foods. Sometimes, that someone is me abigail@abigailchristens.com.

University of Life: Your Professors and Your Classmates

Let’s say there was a formal school for this.  Let’s say you had your first day of school today.  Who were your teachers, and who were your classmates?

Your teachers are the people in your life that allow you to look at your most negative and most positive aspects of yourself.  They shine the light on your skeletons as well as your best qualities. That man blabbing on his cell phone about the seemingly minute problems in his life in front of you at the bank, that was your morning class.  Learn compassion and patience for others.  He may have mirrored a quality in yourself that you don’t like to acknowledge.  Maybe you focus on the negative too much, and your homework is to look at the amazing, positive aspects of your life more often.

The single mother you held the door open for on your into your apartment building was your afternoon class.  The genuine thank you and smile she flashed you mirrored the loving, kind qualities you embody but may sometimes dismiss.  Your homework tonight is to remember that you are an incredible being of light and love, and each little action you do to display this counts, and is noticed.

Your classmates are the people you brush past in the subway, or your brother that tries to start a conversation with you, as you hastily brush past him en route to the fridge. Have love and gratitude that they are in your life.  We are all the same type of humans trying to experience universal love for each other.

Remember these lessons as you go to bed tonight.  Class dismissed.

Weeding Out Negativity: It’s YOUR Choice

As I continue down my life path, I become more and more clear of my values and boundaries. In the past, I haven’t always been concrete in what is and what isn’t okay by me.  And since manifesting such incredible experiences and people, I’ve realized that negativity isn’t cool in my books.

It's your choice who you surround yourself with! Do the people in your life emulate what you're trying to manifest?

If you’ve tuned into the latest episode of The Awesomeness Advantage, Kels and I discussed how our lives aren’t always rainbows and lollipops; having that balance of super high-vibes and not so super high-vibes is all a part of life. It’s about acknowledging those moments, and knowing that you don’t have to stay in a state of feeling negative. YOU choose how you feel and experience situations.

When it comes to relationships of any sort, I choose to surround myself with positive, encouraging, conscious individuals.  I choose to associate with people that value and care about the planet, themselves, and me.  At the end of the day, those are all really one in the same. When it comes to romantic relationships, these values are even more important to me. Since my life has become plant-based and earth-friendly, I choose to be with people that share these values. The fiery Aries and worldly Aquarian in me is quite stubborn about this. Once I clued into where my values are, it made choosing to associate with certain people (and disassociate with others) a natural choice.

When it comes to work, I know which environments I thrive in and which ones I squirm out of. I realized these things by tuning into how my body and mind felt in and after each situation.

I’ve noticed my blog is taking a turn in the direction of its content as well.  I’ve chosen to focus more on living life to its fullest in the most awesome of capacities. While nutrition and healthy living is still a passion of mine that I fully embody, it’s not where my focus has been these days.  At this point, I’m not still considering going to school for natural chef certification.

I think I may choose to enroll for U of L (University of Life, in case you’re not familiar with that term).  Thoughts?  I’m applying for my masters, I think I’ll learn some amazing lessons.

The Ins and Outs of Reading Nutrition Labels

If only it were this easy!

It’s recently been brought to my attention that people still pay attention to calories.  I chuckled a little bit when I realized this.  It’s been so far off of my radar, I kind of forgot about it. Every so often I get this urge to write a post about nutrition.  I mean, I’m a CNP and all that but my focus has been elsewhere these days. Nonetheless, this is a question that is often overlooked.  What’s the deal with food labels?

Okay, well let’s start with the obvious. What is a calorie? It is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water through 1 degree Celsius.

Did anyone else just have a WTF run through their head? Even as a nutritionist, reading this definition just boggles my mind. We’re so focused on the word “calorie” when it comes to weight loss and weight gain.  What bears more importance on food labels are the macronutrients: fat, carbs and protein. If it was all about calories, you could eat a specific amount of ice cream or cookies, and still lose weight (sadly, there are people that have made money off of this idea).

Does your cereal have 14+ grams of sugar in it? You’re basically eating candy for breakfast. Does your total protein intake average of 30+ grams of protein? Your body is going to have a tough time digesting that.  Sorry, how many grams of hydrogenated fat are in your food court lunch? Jeeze louise, that’s a little worrisome. Some labels try to justify these ridiculous numbers with the micronutrients, “Contains 50% of the daily recommended vitamin B6…”.  That’s great, but what form are these vitamins and minerals in? Foods that have been “fortified” don’t count (sorry, Wonderbread) since your body can’t recognize and absorb them.

Also check out the serving size. If the serving size is ridiculous compared to the other numbers (for example, if there are 34 grams of sugar in each cookie you have at Starbucks, that is WAY too much for just one cookie!).

Above and beyond the numbers of your meal, what are the ingredients? This is what you should be looking at. Food labels are listed with the most amount of ingredients to the least.  If the first ingredient is sugar… well, that means that there is more sugar than anything else in your food. And even if the last ingredient is FD&C Blue Nos. 1, it still means there is food dye that has been linked to ADHD and other “diseases” in your meal. A food with high fat content from coconut or avocado is WAY healthier and an encouraged choice, whereas if it is from a vegetable oil source, you should steer clear.

If you can understand the ingredients, you’re off to a great start.  If you still need some help, hit me up, abigail@abigailchristens.com

Flight AC8: Some May Call It Luck…

My first time in a pod... There was copious dancing and giggling for certain

A year ago, I didn’t picture myself on a first class flight to Toronto from my new home in Vancouver, with my incredible room mate/wife/awesomeness partner Kelsey. My life has been chock-full of jet setting and giggles these days, and I have never been more grateful to be exactly where I am.  Did you know they have adjustable tabletops in first class? So convenient.

I’ve been in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Executive Lounge twice in the last two weeks (it may not sound like a big deal, but I’ve never flown this way before!).  And you know how I got to experience these things? By manifesting them, and by expressing gratitude to be exactly where I am.  Some people like to call this luck; I like to call this being awesome. Don’t get this blog post confused with bragging.  This is post is straight up gratitude.

What is gratitude? It is the act and state of thankfulness.  It is thinking in a way of abundance versus lack.  It’s focusing on “Oh my gosh, look at all these amazing people, opportunities and things in my life.  Thanks Universe!” It’s appreciating what is right in front of you, not looking off into the distance hoping to see something else.

Now, that isn’t to say that goal-setting isn’t important.  Goal setting and setting intentions are integral parts of my life.  But how can you expect to receive when you don’t notice what you’ve already been given? Imagine if every gift you gave somebody was received with the question “What else?” You probably wouldn’t want to give them a gift, ever.

What do you have in your life that you may have looked over?  Maybe it’s the fact that you live at home and don’t pay rent while you save to move out.  Or even though you don’t have much of a savings, you still have food on your plate at every meal.  Even better, maybe you’re in a supportive, loving relationship with someone that shares your values and wants you to succeed.

I am grateful to be able to visit my hometown, all expenses paid.  I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to increase the abundance in my life with high-vibing people that care about me and my success.  I am grateful for the excellent service I am being given while I type up inspired blog posts for the world to read. As I express gratitude for the life I am living, I allow more incredible experiences into my life.  Well… okay. Thanks Universe!

How to Fall in Love with Your Life

As I started to type up this post, my song-of-the-moment came on and I broke out into silent lip-syncing dance with Kelsey.  People sitting around us at the coffee shop looked at us through the side of their eyes while we rocked out trying not to notice or react. I can confidently say that I am in love with my life.

It’s pretty easy to fall in love with your life.  Here are the steps:

1. Do what you want.  Not in a rebel-without-a-cause kind of way, but in a you-have-control-of-your-life way.  Seriously, you have complete control over your life (with some Universal divine guidance, of course).  If you don’t like going to the bar, don’t go with your friends every week.  Go to a yoga class or a coffee shop – you’ll probably find people that are more in line with your values and interests.  Some people and things may fall away when you start doing what you want, but that’s okay. It’s all part of the process of falling in love with your life. Also, do what makes you feel good! Respect your physical vessel and only eat/drink things that make you feel delicious (does you crave foods that DON’T make you feel good? Check out this post , or this one). Do you feel amazing with a hangover? Probably not. Maybe you should party less. Just saying.
2. Hang out with people that make you smile and laugh.  Nothing raises your vibes like laughing
   

   What happens when you do what you love, stay present, and surround yourself with people you love? Random dance parties in the coffee shop with creatures like these! True story.

   yourself into a giggle oracle session . You are who you surround yourself with, so associate with people who are also in love with their lives.

3. Express gratitude on a regular basis. Appreciate moments, people, places, and things. Get a journal and write down at least 3 things that you’re grateful for in your life every night.  This is especially helpful when you’re not feeling in flow; you can look back and reflect on all the ways you can get back into your groove. Also telling people how grateful you are for them is a really powerful way to form meaningful connections.
4. Express yourself. This means something different for everyone. You can choose to express yourself through art, music, dance, or writing. You can also start to express how you really feel.  Standing your ground helps you to form healthy boundaries. Boundaries keep you true to yourself and tell the Universe what is and what isn’t okay by you. This attracts more people, situations and opportunities that are okay! Yay!
5. Acknowledge yourself.  You’ve come far on your journey to get to where you are, and it’s high time you recognized that. Take a second and stop the “on to the next one” goal mindset and look around. Did you move cities? Did you get into school for your dream career? Are you in your dream career? Did you work your butt off to be able to afford the computer you’re reading this on? These are all goals you have achieved – congratulations! For me, moving to Vancouver was a huge personal achievement, but almost as soon as I got here all I could think about was what was next. Instead I should’ve thought “Hey, good job Abby, you just moved across the country by yourself to a city where you don’t really know too many people.  Nice work.”
6. Be present. This is not a piece of advice to look over, it’s probably the most important point! Be present to where you are and enjoy that moment.  Instead of thinking about what you want to make for dinner, or thinking about the next time you’re going to see the person you’re already with, just enjoy what’s going on around you. You cannot control the future or change the past; the only thing you have a choice in is this present moment.

Here’s one way to do it: close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you without analyzing them.  Yep, even if you’re in a coffee shop.  Listen to the sound of the espresso machine, the clicking of keyboards, and the different tones of voice.  Take a sip of your Americano and savour the flavour. Open your eyes and smile at the person next to you.  We’re all humans roaming the earth wanting to experience life and love, most of us don’t bite when strangers smile at us (hopefully).

Obviously, not every moment is full of giggles and dance sessions.  If it were, we wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the loveliness we’re normally surrounded by. Ask yourself: if everything in your life stayed the same as it is right now, would you be happy?

This is your life.  Start living it, and start loving it. Much love, angels!

Truly, Madly, Deeply… and Feathers

 

Psst… Wondering how to let go of your intentions? Click here.