Emotional Healing and Essential Oils

Emotions, both good and bad, are an essential part of life. When we experience more bad emotions than good, it is a sign that something is "off", not just in the mind but in the body as well. Essential oils have been sought out for their pure, medicinal properties for centuries. Since they are derived from nature. They are the perfect option for anyone looking to address their health in a holistic way.

Research shows our bodies digest emotions just like we digest our food. Emotions left unattended show up later as ailments in the body and wreak havoc on our nervous system.

Essential oils are a great way to help us naturally heal unresolved emotions, however, they cannot do the work for us. I recommend using essential oils during a meditation, before prayer or simply by setting an intention and taking a few moments to slow down your breath.

My mission is to empower women through miscarriage, pregnancy, and motherhood so they can show up standing tall, happy and present, ready to pass on what they've received to other women who are new to the journey.

Below is a list of essential oils to assist in emotional health and wellbeing when dealing with loss or grief. If you have questions on how to get started, please comment below or email me at daisy@sanamentehealth.com

• Anxious/Anxiety: Comforting Blend
• Body Shame: Grapefruit, Patchouli, Jasmine
• Centered: Vetiver, Roman Chamomile
• Comforted: Comforting Blend, Uplifting Blend, Joyful Blend
• Courage: Helichrysum, Ginger, Encouraging Blend, Clove
• Depressed: Joyful Blend, Peppermint, Melissa, Encouraging Blend
• Emotional Pain: Helichrysum, Geranium
• Emptiness: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Arborvitae
• Faith: Anti-Aging Blend, Sandalwood, Arborvitae, Uplifting Blend
• Forgiveness: Thyme, Renewing, Blend, Calming Blend, Geranium
• Grief: Respiratory Blend, Geranium, Lime, Comforting Blend
• Heartbroken: Geranium, Rose
• Loss; Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Comforting Blend
• Sadness: Calming Blend, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Peppermint, Uplifting Blend, Comforting Blend

Reference Book: Emotions & Essential Oils: A Modern Resource for Healing

Make LOVE Your Language

In light of our 3 year anniversary this week (and the very obvi theme this month :) I’d like to focus on relationships with your plus one.

I've mentioned before that at IIN, we focus on Primary Foods which are Relationships, Career, Spirituality and Physical Activity. Secondary Foods are anything else that goes on our plate. So, let’s say you love your job, eat your greens, hit the gym and pray or meditate – whatever gets you closer to a higher being, but come home or have to deal with a tumultuous relationship full of resentment and anger. You don’t see eye-to-eye and there is constant tension around you. Your body, as healthy as you may think it is, is producing a high dose of the stress hormone, cortisol. According to Psychology Today, cortisol is not to be taken lightly. "Scientists have known for years that elevated cortisol levels: interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease... Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels also increase risk for depression, mental illness, and lower life expectancy..." 

As a health coach, my job is to help you see through the fog so you can balance the Relationship part of your Primary Foods and work towards being your happiest self. 

I’m a huge fan of personal development; literature and in-person development are a constant in our home. A great book to read on this topic is 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. We all know communication is key, but love-language communication is, I believe, absolutely instrumental.

If you find yourself out of balance in this area, I not only encourage you and your other half to read 5 Love Languages, but also to take the quiz (here) and make time to discuss your findings. 

All relationships take work, but lifetime relationships take an extra special "umph" to make work. Before you get started, know that in the eyes of God, we are all innocent beings and - that the ego has no place here. As always, if you need help in getting started - contact me for a free consultation.  

In health & love, 

Daisy

Romans 5: 3-5 

"And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; 

 and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. 

Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Honor Generations Before You With More Than a Diploma

Last week, my husband came home from a financial conference, eager to share his new found knowledge. As I listened to all of this great information pour out of him, one powerful quote stuck with me and I can’t shake it off. He said “...Why is it that a single mother can raise 3, 4 or 6 kids, but 6 kids can’t provide for their mother." Shit. How’s that for a rude awakening?

I’m going to let my husband chime in here and tell you the rest, it's pretty good stuff so pay attention:

As second generation Latinos, we are greatly indebted to our parents; sadly, many of us think that debt can be repaid with a diploma and career. This couldn’t be further from the truth and here’s why:

Can you imagine leaving everything you know, to move to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, many times – completely alone, with a sack full of clothes, risking your life for just a glimpse of what you imagine could be a better life for your family? Many wouldn’t dare entertain the thought. Our parents came here with a vision of freedom and prosperity, and were ready to literally break their back so that their children and children’s children wouldn’t have to. When you think about the perseverance, resolve and selfless-love they have - it becomes clear - a simple diploma couldn't possibly do any justice, but it’s a start.

Changing your family tree and creating a legacy continues with you and me. The journey of freedom and a better life didn’t end with our parent’s arrival and sacrifice; we have to continue to build that empire they envisioned decades ago. This is no small task. In order to provide for previous and future generations, we need to be purposeful in gaining financial, spiritual and psychological freedom, in order to pass along fruitful resources. How can you justify living paycheck to paycheck? Are you investing in your future? How are you gifting financial freedom to those you love? Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter don’t have the answer. That old and tired song "the rich keep getting richer" is just an excuse; surely you can learn what they know about money if you really wanted to, right? It's one thing to ride the "you don't know what you don't know" wave.  It's another to be lazy.

Follow the ambition of the trailblazers before you. Think of this as a never ending relay where the baton is passed on from generation to generation; we have to start taking massive risk like the generations before us. I truly feel that, if you don’t take a big chance on life, you're not only doing our Latino heroes a disservice- but more importantly you're putting your own family at a disadvantage to achieving true freedom.

We also have to keep in mind that if we don’t pass down this champion mentality, this cycle of conformity will continue. How do we expect our own children to look out for us or others if we're not doing the same? Do you think this is something they're going to learn with their heads buried in their electronics? I'm sorry to disappoint but it's not likely to happen. We learn behaviors from those we admire. (And those we influence are always watching).

Start thinking and acting with the big picture in mind, take large risk in your professional and personal life to become financially independent but more importantly, be intentional about changing the path your family is on- just like your parents did before you. For my wife and I, this currently means guiding our parents into retirement; their golden years! For most 1st generation immigrants in this country – it’s safe to say they don’t know the first thing about receiving their dues. Who’s going to teach them? That is up to you, my friend. Set them up for success. They’ve done it for you, now it’s your turn.

Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is potential power; what you do with it is up to you.

-Osbaldo Alonzo
Twitter: @ozz_ito

---

Ummm, how amazing is he?! And how luck am I?! Honoring generations before us can be as small and simple as: helping them use technology, guiding and connecting them with relatives on social media, using Google to search for a recipe, something they saw on Univision or whatever they want.

To share more profound knowledge, learn and teach them about investment opportunities, how to maximize their 401K, stocks, bonds... The beautiful thing is that - all of this information is good for you and your children, too!

Love your parents beyond words. It would be a pity to regret when its too late.

If you'd like to know more about investments, 401K, life insurance, etc. contact me and I can put you in touch with this savvy man right here.

-Daisy De La Cruz de Alonzo
Twitter: @hey_dais

Mis dos amores

You Only Have 11 Months, Not 12

What if I told you, you're short changing yourself from living a full calendar year? That's right, instead of 12 months, you really only have 11. For most of us, this is a scary truth. #LaCrudaRealidad

I've been doing quite a bit of personal development lately, and in reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, I found myself in utter shock at uncovering several time wasters I didn't even know I had. The biggest time suck? Spending too much time on social media. 

Now, before I go further let me clarify that I am a social media specialist in my current position. The mind-numbing activity I refer to falls completely outside of my day-to-day work. 

Let's say, for the sake of this post, your time spent on social media - (posting, commenting, sharing or silently stalking)- goes something like this: 

30 min in the morning 

30 min in the afternoon

30 min in the evening 

30 min before going to bed

This is equivalent to 2 hours out of your 24. No biggie, right? Now look take a look at this: 

In just one week, those 2 little hours have turned into 14, and in one year, those 14 spiral into seven hundred and twenty eight hours - the equivalent of 30 days!!  Let that sink in for a second. 

That means, if you find yourself with a similar schedule - you are literally living 11 months out of 12. I think its safe to say 2 hours a day on social media is quite conservative for the masses. Now think of the other time wasters in your life; sitcoms, extra naps, netflix binging, worrying, regretting, deciding and not DOING... 

Is wasting a whole month out of your life worth it? Ask yourself the next time you reach for your phone or complain to someone "there aren't enough hours in a day". #guilty

Since becoming aware of this, I've made it a strong point to spend as little time on social media as possible. It's crazy how I catch myself (without even thinking) reaching for my phone to check email, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest...  the first time I became aware, I did this like clock-work, every 15 min in one hour!! I was sick to my stomach to realized this. 

It's been one whole week since I nipped this awful habit in the bud, and am happy to report, I have successfully created a new, healthier habit; I now only spend 15 minutes in the morning (after my morning routine, not as soon as I wake up), 15 minutes mid-day, and 15 minutes in the evening (not while in bed). It's more than enough time to "catch up" on things and people that are important to me, without neglecting things that really deserve my undivided attention.

45 min a day still comes out to 11 days out of the year that I'm wasting. And yea, you could argue that knowing what family and friends are up to isn't too bad of a habit -- but often we find ourselves in a tailspin of gossip, news, "10 tips for_________" whatever you want, vines, clips, etc, etc, etc, Or worse, deliberately ignoring those we love. How many times have you gone to a park/restaurant/bar/cafe and found most everyone with their nose in their smartphones? Are you one of these people? Next time you go somewhere, try forgetting your phone. 

I challenge you to check your mind numbing activities and redirect that energy to things that really matter, like your goals, family or self development.

And on that note, I'm out ((throws peace sign)) 

xxo Dais

Chicago's Insider Guide for Out of Towners

(updated April 14, 2013)

If you know me, you know I LOVE this great city. There is no other like it. I love showing her off to visiting family and friends every chance I get. No matter the season or day of the week, there is always something brewing. Like a true Chicagoan, if you're touring with me, chances are we are NOT going to Millennium Park or the Sears Tower. I'm going to take you to the hole-in-the-walls where locals go for good food and somewhere else to party other than Excalibur (which is a joke, btw.) Most of these suggestions are for adventure seeking adults, not so much grandma. The locations are scattered all over the city so feel free to Yelp before you go.

Without further ado, here my Special OT Guide. You're welcome.

\\ Eat //

Breakfast and Brunch:

• For a hearty Mexican breakfast: you will find the best chilaquiles at Fogata Village -order ones with the green sauce! For chilaquiles in red sauce go to Taqueria Amigo Chino (warning) all dishes are HUGE so plan to share
• If you want a tasty American breakfast, go to Yolk or White Palace Grill. The latter is a diner open 24 hours, the first one is a bit trendier. I also recommend Sweet Maple Cafe - it's themed somewhere between the two aforementioned
• For brunch, I recommend going to a place with bottomless mimosas, like LOKal or Crocodile
• For a swanky brunch, it doesn't get better than Nellcôte, and/or Nightwood - They are known for their amazing homemade donuts. 
• For simple folk that want a delicious handmade-tortilla-steak-taco, go to the historic Maxwell St. Market and find Rubi's. Yes, the wait is worth it. (Please note: Maxwell St. Market is open on Sunday's ONLY from 7am - 3pm) 

Lunch:

• Portillo's, Portillo's, Portillo's! The only "chain restaurant" exception. In order to do this right - order the beef and sausage combo, dipped, with sweet and hot peppers- and a side of cheese fries. Also, try a chocolate cake shake - it will change your life. 
• Best tacos in the city are at Atotonilco; the restaurant can be found in Little Village and Pilsen.
• For a great Puerto Rican lunch go to Borinquen, it's a whole in the wall with authentic PR food
• For a great Cuban lunch go to  90 Miles Cuban Cafe (BYOB)- take advantage of their patio if the weather is nice!
• When in doubt, I like to go to Mariano's Fresh Market. Don't let this grocery store fool you. They have fresh food daily; if you buy meat, steak, fish - whatever - you can take it to go, or have one of their cooks make it in front of you. You can even open a bottle of wine/beer and drink while you shop/dine. With such a variety of options, you really can't go wrong. I recommend their Margherita pizza's, polish sausage, steaks and outstanding cheddar burgers.  Go to the one on Halsted, they have parking in the back. 

Pizza:

• Deep dish pizza must be eaten at Pequod's. Never heard of it? That's because its not commercialized! Stay away from Gino's East, Giordanos or Lou Malnati's if you want the real Chicago experience!
• 
  
• Pizza Metro II is one of top choices for thin crust pizza (live a little and add hot giardinare peppers), 
• I also like Simone's bar; ask for their BBQ Chicken pizza but in Buffalo Sauce instead. They're quinoa avocado pizza is also pretty good! 
• For the great brick oven pizza try Coalfire or Davanti Enoteca

Dinner:

• As a sushi buff, here are several of my faves- all are BYOB :) Coast Sushi, Butterfly Sushi, South Kawa and Tanoshii; of all the aforementioned - go with Tanoshii and let chef Mike work his magic! 
• You must have Spanish tapas at Cafe Iberico
• For great Italian food, go to  Fiorentino's, Davanti Enoteca or Piccolo Sogno; the latter is the swankiest of the three
• Ay Ay Picante has delicious Peruvian food (BYOB)
• La Palapa for yummy Mexican seafood (BYOB)
• 
  

After midnight:

• Take you're guests to Wiener Circle, but only when they've had plenty to drink and are craving greasy late night food. Any other time won't make sense. ((spoiler alert if you click the link!)) 
• Taqueria Amigo Chino mentioned above is also open at wee hours of the morning on Sat & Sun
• Greektown Gyros (open 24 hours) - also good for lunch or for curing a hangover
• You can't go wrong with a huge slice of pizza from Bacci's. Most are open til 2am or 3am; whatever you do, eat it after midnight. It wont taste the same if you eat it sober.
• Looking for a traditional Chicago Hot Dog? You'll find it at Maxwell's!

\\ Drink //

Drinks & Nightlife by day of week:

• Monday: Porn & Chicken Monday's at Evil Olive. Just to say you've done it.
• Tuesday: Barra ñ for lively Bossanova (party starts at about midnight)
• Wednesday: Enjoy a nice cocktail at Violet Hour. Yes, the wait is worth it.
• Thursday: Go to Big Star and eat their yummy food! It's a great place to start the night 
• The weekend: Go to different neighborhoods that have several options within walking distance. The Bucktown/Wicker Park area has an array of bars and lounges that fit most every taste (North/Milwaukee/Damen), so does Wrigleyville (on Clark) and West Town (on Randolph). The Green Mill has great live jazz, so does Kingston Mines. If you wish to do it big downtown, try Paris Club, Roof at The Wit and/or Aviary (West Loop)
• Fun places "in between" the aforementioned would be Moe's Cantina, Public House and/or Untitled. All three have a different ambiance.  

Bars/Places worth mentioning:

• For a real "cantina" experience, go to Caminos de Michocan in Pilsen (karaoke every-other Friday)
• Favorite neighborhood dive bars include: Durkin's Tavern and Halligan's
• Simone's is our neighborhood bar in Pilsen. They have good music (and oddly great desserts), but it can get ridiculously crowded at times. Worth checking out though.

\\ Play//

• Paint at Arts N Spirits! Anyone can do it (BYOB) - book and plan ahead
• Go beer and bacon tasting at Paddy Long's - book and plan ahead
• Second Friday Open Stuido's in Pilsen- the experience is better when the weather is nice, perfect for the art lover.
• If you're here in the summer time, catch a baseball game on both North side & South side (The Cell has thee best brats in the city!!) Same goes for a basketball game at United Center and football game at Soldier field. 
• Take a tour of the Goose Island Brewery 
• Another summertime fave: Ravinia! Check the schedule and book in advance
• If you're here during a big holiday, try to catch one of these Bar Crawls. They're a lot of fun in big groups and not many cities offer this experience. 
• Take advantage of our awesome street festivals! 
• Catch the midnight show at the Neo Futurist theater: Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind

Chicago has 77 unique neighborhoods for you to explore; take the red line from Hyde Park all the way to Andersonville. Downtown is beautiful and you should take half a day to walk around or take an architectural boat tour. But if your plan is to stay within the "common" areas, you'll miss more of Chicago's culture than you think. Give her a chance ;)

Photo by Rasidel Slika | www.flickr.com/people/delobbo/

-Dais