Hey everyone! Welcome to October🍁! I’ve missed doing the journal-type aspect of Substack, so come on into “kaja’s korner”- a very informal catch up and recap! Also, for those of you who don’t personally know me, my name Kaja is Estonian for “echo” and pronounced “kai-ya”!
First off, wow! The fall weather sure came early to both Paris and Vancouver this year! While I’ve been loving the cozy nights dozing off to the sound of rain on my window, I find the grey weather makes me extra extra extra unmotivated and feeling such low vibed energy lol. I am a true summer baby, so there’s some things I’ve been doing to try to combat this! If you feel the same, maybe some of these experiments will help you too:
VITAMINS - I’ve never had so many vitamins on a daily basis lol! Let me know if you’d like my full list😂! I got an iron infusion in the spring and it was life changing, but I’m still taking vitamin D drops to help with the lack of sun. In my nutrition class in university, they told us the government guidelines on the vitamin D bottle are actually way less than what we really need- so while I’m not a doctor and don’t want to give any harmful advice, I personally uptake the dosage in the dark months!
EXERCISE - I’m on my own fitness journey right now due to reading SO many neuroscience / neuroplasticity articles and books about how exercise is one of the top three things you can do for rewiring your brain and keeping it “young”! Exercising regularly has also improved my mood and encouraged me to eat better and not drink alcohol. Processed food and alcohol lower your immune system and energy, so…I’m trying, I’m trying! I’ve personally been using the Batman Effect on the hard days, imagining I’m an actor training for a Marvel superhero role😂!
EDUCATING MYSELF - …on my menstrual cycle! I do this every so often as new research keeps coming out on this historically ignored subject in the medical community. WOW my luteal phase (the two weeks before your period, right after ovulation) is bananas! Among many other things, I'm learning that menstruating women need to eat more, sleep more, and exercise more during this phase! I’m also trying to be gentle with myself with all my hormone-induced mood swings…it’s not easy! The really cute (free) Finch app has actually been helping with this- not an ad haha!
MEDITATING AND VISUALIZING - …every day. Meditating keeps me grounded and in tune with my body and nature, while visualizing keeps me hopeful on the dark days, excel on the good days, and is a great tool in general for rewiring your brain. I really notice when I’ve gone a day without this practice.
DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER - I think sometimes I’m in denial about the fact that it might rain, and then I find myself drenched and cold and hating it even more! If I had just been prepared and worn waterproof shoes, brought a few layers or an umbrella just in case, etc. I might not mind as much!
There’s a little personal recap! Have you been trying any of these too? Are you curious about learning more about any of them?
Next up, in case you’d like to familiarize yourself with any of my past posts that you might have missed, please visit my website www.thelittlethingslife.com ! Right under my latest article will be all of my 🇫🇷fridays are for france!🇫🇷 posts, and below that are all my posts pertaining to 🌿the neuroscience of wellness🌿! If you click on “Archive” in the navigation bar, you’ll have access to EVERYTHING, including random and informal posts from the past!
Here were my September “Fridays are for France!” and “The Neuroscience of Wellness” posts! As mentioned in my last France post, I’m splitting them up for easier “digestion”😘!
“this announcement has got me totally buggin’...🫣” : why I turned on paid posts and why travelling is so important to me.
“eat like a parisian🇫🇷, “it’s good for your brain”!” : the history of french breakfast, paris dining-out tips, and the neuroscience behind why exploring french eating habits is good for your brain!
“french flea markets 🇫🇷 mean faster brains!” : the history of french flea markets, tips for finding the best ones in france, and why they can make your brain work faster!
“What You Didn’t Know About Paris’ Métropolitain🇫🇷” : a brief history of the most romantic public transportation!
Please continue to share any of the articles if you know someone going to/living in Paris who might be interested!
And next up for this friday? My tips and tools on how to navigate the Paris Métro!
Very important thank you: this September I made the scary leap to turn on paid posts for anyone who’d like to support me and environmental organizations! Words can’t describe how touched I am to all you sweet souls who have contributed so far🥹! ❤️❤️❤️ It is SO encouraging! As much as the world can be such a messed up place (especially right now), receiving your support, feedback and getting reposts/comments/new subscribers etc. reminds me how many generous and kind people are still among us. It’s definitely inspired me to “pay it forward”. Thank you again to all of you for reading, and see you this friday for our next France post🥰!
