[The following is an excerpt from Colin's experience with psychobiotics. A truly wonderful read!]
You know the feeling when there just doesn’t seem like you have any more to give?
Despite all your best efforts to get a project going or paddle your life into a new stream, you just seem to break after four or six weeks.
No matter all the driving energy I carried into a new project, I would lose momentum. It was as if my paddle would break and I’d be trying to move my boat with just my hands.
I was trying to meditate my way to better mental health but it just wasn’t working because my body, the vessel, was a straw boat - staying together for a while but breaking at the first sign of rocks.
So, I tried several radical changes to my diet to set a strong foundation.
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Self-care for self-healing 💛
We
are whole beings.
What I mean by this is that we are never just our thoughts, or just our bodily vessels, or just a spirit floating through time. We are everything at once, and all of these parts work together to create a living being with senses, bodily functions, relationships,
emotions, goals, skills, spirituality... everything!
Understanding and respecting our mind-body-spirit connections is crucial to maintaining our health and happiness! ☺️
After being inspired by Colin's article on psychobiotics (above), I asked others on the Stardust team their favorite ways to connect mind, body, and spirit. Here's what they said:
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When something is bothering me, I first of all make myself aware that I’m deciding to let it bother me, Then, I close my eyes and take some mindful breaths and imagine 200 years from now.
This helps me reframe the thing that I let upset me and reminds me of impermanence and the transitory nature of phenomena (my own blend of lessons from Ram Dass and Thich Nhat Hanh).
Jean
Board Chair and Managing Director
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My favorite way to connect mind/body/spirit is to spend time outside - skiing, biking, or even just walking or driving! It helps me clear my head and have time to
myself.
Kristina
Director of Funding and Partnerships
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I like to run or to eat a good meal with my friends. These are times during which I have time to think about any eventual problems or discuss about it with friends. I have
realized that it helps me to express my feelings out loud when I have an issue, but running can also work because it is a time during which I am alone and can surpass myself. It helps to boost my confidence, connecting my body to my mind and spirit.
Clara
Funding & Outreach Intern
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The best way for me to heal is through talking to my support system. The more I verbalize my feelings and dig deep into myself, the better I feel. I would talk to three different friends,
because each one of them bring out a new angle in the issue I am facing or the feelings that needs to be resolved. Sometimes I like posting pretty pictures of myself, it helps boosts my self-esteem!
Saffanah
Writer
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I see the way negative emotions manifest themselves physically in my body, and I believe what you do to your body will also impact your mental state. I enjoy healing my body and mind through
mindful cooking. I love taking the time to make an abundant, nutrient-rich, vegan recipe. Cutting veggies, adding spices, trying to get to a delicous, balanced flavor... I feel peaceful making it and so fulfilled eating it.
Camille
Senior Director of Operations and Communication
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Stardust Startups has awarded two microgrants to entrepreneurs making positive impact in the "mental health" sphere—but truly their projects do help to make that mind-body-spirit
connection!
- The MirIAM: funded Spring 2016. Detox and rehabilitation from addiction combines physical health (resetting chemical imbalances in the brain, eating right and exercising), mental health (self-confidence, finding satisfaction and happiness without drugs), and spiritual health (understanding the bigger picture, facing death)!
- Mindkit: funded Spring 2020. Mindkit's focus is to combine different activities (sports and fitness, stress management workshops, meditation, and more) to improve overall wellness.
Lastly, I highly recommend you take the time to listen to this Spiritual Alchemy podcast episode Jean and I recorded back in November of 2019. We included a special segment: various interviews with family and friends on how they practice self-care. The responses are wonderful! 💛
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What's going on @ Stardust...
➫ Did you enjoy this newsletter? Support
us by helping us finance 2 more microgrants in our current Impact Portfolio. Operational funds also are a huge help, and will ensure the continuation of this newsletter! Click here to give. ❤️
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➫ We are thrilled to be welcoming Clara as a new Funding
& Outreach intern. She is a 2nd year student at McGill University, studying business with a concentration in sustainability. So happy to have you on the team! 👋
➫ The team behind Ma Petite Maison Verte has
built and inaugurated their very first tiny house in Epinay-sur-Orge, a small city located 17 km south of Paris. 🎉
Their tiny homes are made from recycled materials by workers with disabilities, making them both sustainable and socially responsible! Learn more here.
➫ We have a few more fun updates from previous microgrant recipients, check them out!
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Until next month!
Camille Babington
Senior Director of Operations, Communication
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