The 50 day challenge

Last Friday, my children and I picked Daddy D up at the train station. We see him walking at a distance and see that he is carrying something.

- Is it a flower? says V.

- No, I don't think so, I reply.

- You didn't ask him to buy a flower, Mum, so it's probably something else, says O.

It was something else he came carrying. It was not a flower.

It's almost the weekend again. I'm going offline. All weekend. It will be so nice! The computer will not be used and the phone will be on flight mode. I wonder if I can do that?

Thought of the day:

Do you ever go offline?

This article is part of The 50 day challenge, where I challenge myself to write an article a day for 50 days! The articles can be about anything, short or long, but I can't miss a single day!

What a neat word, energy creatures! We live in a world full of energy and we ourselves are also part of that world.

Earlier today, during a work project, I really felt how this energy clearly can change and how quickly it can happen. For a few days we have been sitting 10 people in a large office and there has been a very positive energy, despite a boring project. We've been working on it and somehow made the boring feel okay. Now, as the project draws to a close, we are suddenly told that we will not be reimbursed for the last day. Because we have worked so well, the tasks will end earlier than expected. When this news reached us in the office, it was as if the air had completely gone out of the room. You could almost feel the energy. Everyone started to work more slowly, the positive spirit just disappeared and no one felt motivated to do a good job anymore. The damage was already done when the employer found out how we, who were working, were taking it all. Despite attempts by the employer to repair the damage, it made no difference to the energy in the room.

I wasn't surprised this morning when I woke up and realised I had caught a bad cold! It's almost comical! I have had and have a huge stress load from various sources and the sum of these has broken down my immune system and after a few bad nights sleep, the cold breaks out. When I don't give my body the opportunity to rest and recover it immediately punishes me, bam! And I am grateful! Grateful because I am so sensitive and because I know how my body works.

It has been raining and the sky has been grey for many, many days now. It affects me and it affects others. Fortunately, I can find one pleasure in the autumn weather and that is to light candles, lots of candles, to make it as cosy as it can get when there is autumn debris outside. And just before bedtime, it's almost a must to curl up on the couch wearing a fluffy sweater with a warm cup of tea on my lap.

Some days are completely impossible. To do lists are long and numerous, the phone rings, important emails pop up that need a quick response, the mobile phone beeps countless times, daydreams take over, meetings interrupt the writing when it's flowing best etc etc.

The ability to focus and be present is the key to good productivity, at work and in everyday life. To focus is to narrow your attention to something specific, to keep your eyes on a specific goal. It is the key to concentration, efficiency and clarity. The problem is that attention is a limited resource and distractions are all around us. There are many different things competing for our attention all the time, and that poses a bigger problem today than ever before. The brain is not built to "have too many balls in the air" all the time.

You can use your gut in many different ways, but one thing is for sure, you should never defy it. That's one of my basic principles.

A simple example from earlier today was when I came back after leaving the kids at school and preschool. As I entered the kitchen, my gut told me to check the bags from the US one more time, because that's where the missing Manuka honey lie. I don't know why my intuition was giving me these signals at the time, but I did what my intuition told me to do. And sure enough, at the bottom of one of the bags in another bag lies the honey! Just like that. As I had thought and searched before without getting anywhere. And how appropriate that it turned up just today, as the girls and I are struggling with a sore throat.

The snow disappeared the day after it came, and it was once again grey and dreary outside. Instead of fussing about the weather, I thought I'd write a few lines about the stress of everyday life.

There is so much stress in the background of our lives today, I like to compare it to programmes that you don't use, but that makes the computer get warm and buzzy. You can turn these programmes off so your computer doesn't run out of battery quicker than necessary. The same goes for you and me. Get rid of the noise and focus on what's important. How do you do that, people usually ask me. There are different ways, of course, but I recommend that everyone meditate regularly, take walks in nature or just lie on the sofa for a while without anyone/anything disturbing them. It clears your mind and makes it easier to recharge properly! It's all about finding a way that works for you. After all, we're all different!

This is the third week in a row that I am home with sick children. Nothing serious, but still so much that it doesn't work to be in school or kindergarten. Combining VAB (short for taking care of sick children in Sweden) with starting up the business here in Sweden is not optimal. It's not easy to tick off meetings and phone calls when the youngest has a fever of 40 degrees. The idea is to be able to stay at home in Sweden when the children are sick, but unfortunately I haven't gotten into that system yet, and will be completely without income these days. And now there are a lot of VAB days coming up, we seem to be catching every autumn virus that exists in our vicinity.

It's time to boost my energy for autumn! During my Detox Light, I not only focus on diet, but I also make sure that movement, meditation and sleep are priorities. Every day for 3 weeks, the following is on the schedule:

Movement: 30 min

Meditation: 15 min

Sleep: 8 h

I do not specify the type of movement or meditation or when during the day this is done. I try to listen to the body and adapt to the mood of the day. A detox should not be too difficult, because then it is easy to give up.

In my calendar today "Meeting with Johanna" was booked. Unfortunately, I did exactly what you absolutely should not do. I ignored that meeting and did something that I felt was more urgent. I tried to catch up and tick off things on my long to do list instead. Now I'm sitting here at night wondering how I could have been so stupid. That to do list will always be there, just with slightly different content from day to day. I would never ignore and disregard a meeting with someone else if it is booked in my calendar, so why did I not prioritise the meeting with myself today?

Saturday morning I woke up in the middle of a dream. I was on a peninsula surrounded by warm coral blue water. There I was snorkelling and the most beautiful fish I had ever seen were swimming around me. It was so peaceful, beautiful and warm. A real paradise.

But I was only there in my dream, slowly waking up to another reality.

If the days go by too fast and you feel like you can't keep up, hit the pause button for a while! You need to stop by every now and then to check in and see how you're doing and how you're feeling! It's just at that moment when you feel you don't have time to do this that you really need to do it. The pause button is the best button ever invented. Sit down for a while, turn off the outside world, call it meditation if you like, and breathe. Give your body and mind time to just be for a while. Feel how your body feels. Are you tense somewhere? Does it hurt all over? Or does it feel very good? Are you happy? Do you feel sad? All feelings are okay, accept what is.

I am often struck by how a situation or event can be perceived in such different ways depending on who you ask. Most of the time we only assume how we think in a situation when something happens to us, we rarely think about how the other party thinks and feels in the same situation.

Exactly 4 years ago I wrote about this very thing - that everyone should put themselves in the shoes of the other person and try to see what he/she/they see: Yoga Sutras - Thoughtful words about knowing yourself.

Now I've been out and about at two different events and picked up a lot of inspiration! However, I find it incredibly interesting that they choose to have such a clear division of content at HarmoniExpo and All for Health (Allt för Hälsan in Swedish). HarmoniExpo was held in Solnahallen at the end of October, while All for Health was run together with Sthlm Food.

Now I'm really starting to feel like I'm getting my business off the ground. I have many exciting meetings and conferences to look forward to this autumn! I just wonder if the Swedish market is ready for all my ideas, that remains to be seen:-)

Thought of the day:

What are you looking forward to this autumn?

I don't like fully booked days, when there is no time for a quiet moment. Today has been such a day. It works sometimes, but not in the long run. Unfortunately, this is exactly how a lot of people choose to live, because it is somehow the norm. That's the way it should be.

I disagree. We all have different choices. There are choices. There are things I must have and there are things I want. There are things I have to do and there are things I want to do. Ultimately, the choice is mine.

I've just started going through old papers in my office and found a note that I remember so well when I was writing. I won't share when this was, but I thought I'd share what I wrote:

"If you have an opinion about something that you firmly believe in, then that opinion soon becomes your truth.

Today Facebook reminded me of a post I made exactly 5 years ago and it couldn't have been a better day for this post. Just as valuable today, as it was 5 years ago!

I just had a conversation with an elderly lady who visited the health centre for various complaints. She tells me about this pill here and that pill there and how she wants them to help her so badly. How she wants so much to feel better soon.

I think during the conversation that it is good that she has sought treatment, but I also wonder what she has done to feel better, so I simply ask:

Last night I wrote that I don't like full days and today I can only conclude that one consequence of full days is poor sleep. At least for me. And then hocus pocus I'm in a vicious cycle. I need time for recovery, otherwise I don't switch off at night and have trouble falling asleep and sleep restlessly. The next morning I wake up feeling like I never fell asleep and that's no fun. Especially when a busy schedule awaits again. Tonight will have to be an early night. Hopefully it will help to break the vicious cycle. And next week I'll have to try to plan better! Sleeping 8 hours every night has not been something I've managed during my autumn detox and it feels like a big failure. Because that part of the detox is at least as important as the food I eat!

The moon affects us more than we might think. Even in ancient farming society, the light from the full moon was used for various outdoor activities such as harvesting, hunting and fishing.

Traditionally, the full moon has been thought to have supernatural properties, including the ability to summon sinister creatures and turn people into werewolves. Just the thought of it could induce insomnia, but several research reports suggest that sleep problems at full moon are not just a hoax.

Now I'm almost there! So far it's going as expected, some days I could write a novel and others I feel quite uninspired to write. That's precisely the challenge, to keep at it even when something else might be more appealing. To get into a routine, to get a few lines down despite inner resistance. Usually I get into periods where I write a lot (unpublished, so far) and then months can go by without me writing a word. So I thought it would be a little harder than it is with this challenge. Today, however, has been a day when I'd rather do something else than write:-)

I'm updating last year's autumn detox and it occurs to me that I need to do some proper research on good Swedish products and supplements, as much of what I used last year is unavailable here in Sweden. I've spent a lot of time finding the best in California that has high quality for a reasonable price and now I have to do the same again here. Something I have already learned, however, is that in general (unfortunately) what is most expensive is usually also the best. In that case, I have to decide which products and supplements I really need!

Today it will be a late post. It has been a busy and rewarding day. Bringing the kids home relatively late from preschool and after school. Immediately get started on dinner. At the same time, the eldest daughter thinks she should surprise her siblings with dessert, as it's our name day today, both hers and mine. I give my approval and she takes out blueberries from the freezer. I demonstrate in an educational way how to transfer the frozen blueberries to the pie dish in an easy way, then I turn around to continue with dinner. It only takes 2 seconds before I hear a thud and the entire counter and kitchen floor are drenched in blueberries. Oops, is all she gets out. Mom, it didn't turn out the way you showed... There are blueberries everywhere! We're all hungry and tired. Not a good time to cause chaos.

I was just listening to a Ted Talk about how we humans develop and what is important in the early years of life. Several British studies show similar results, namely that it is important not to start life in poverty, because then you are more likely not to do well later in life. Furthermore, and even more importantly, all the studies show that parents play an extremely important role in the early years of a child's life. Whether you are poor or rich.

Today is one of those days that has just flown by, without me feeling like I've gotten much done. Do you recognise yourself?

It's almost time to pick up the kids and then continue the day with cooking, driving kids to soccer and gym practise, laundry, dishes and picking up. In other words, just another day at the office.

How I miss Amazon Prime and Google Express! In California, I shopped online for almost everything except fresh produce and depending on where I ordered from, it usually took between 1-2 days to get what I ordered to my door and it worked 24/7! Amazon really pushes prices down, so it's also cheaper to shop online than it is in stores. Google Express has the same prices as in store. I didn't pay a shipping fee, but the services I used had an annual fee (which I easily earned when I used them). When something ran out at home, I simply reordered it. I didn't have to run around looking in different stores and I just bought what we needed. That way we saved both time and money.

Sometimes talking to someone you like and enjoy spending time with can give you so much energy. Today I had two such meetings in a row. Wow, I was so energised:-) I was so happy in my whole body, and the sun has been shining all day. Lovely!

Thought of the day:

Have you thought about how important friends can be on many levels?

I absolutely love reading bedtime stories, chatting and then singing my children to sleep. I prefer to do this with one child at a time. The downside is that it's a long time in a dark room and I have a hard time staying awake, but the benefits still win out! On the evenings when both my husband and I are home, we usually take one child each. It's so cosy to read, talk through the day and then get them to fall asleep in peace and quiet. It's so peaceful! So much else becomes unimportant at that time. Usually that's also when I really get to hear what happened during the day and if there's something in particular they need to vent about, it's right then, just before they go off to sleep that it comes out. Not when I ask on the way home from school or at the dinner table, but during bedtime itself. Sometimes there's so much talking that we have to decide on "one last question or comment" for this particular evening.

Last Friday was the birthday of our eldest daughter. For a couple of years now, we've been giving our kids experiences instead of gadgets. In this materialistic society, it seems like a wise choice. Of course there will be some physical gifts too, but the ones that are usually most appreciated are what we call "Mother's Day", "Father's Day" and "Family Day". We as parents decide when and what to do on the different days (the kids can have their wishes, of course!). Sometimes the days fall quite close to the birthday, other times we have to wait for our special days. For example, a mom's day might involve luxury coffee at a café, a trip to the cinema or a pedicure/manicure, while a dad's day usually has a sports theme such as skating, watching a live sport etc. The special thing about these days is that you get to be all alone without siblings and do something with a very present parent who isn't busy checking the phone or answering emails.

Lately, the little one has been making a lot of nice comments from a 4 year old's perspective! Thought I'd share a few of them, the others I'll keep to myself:-)

My husband travels a lot for work, so there are a lot of video calls. The last few times, the little girl has been kissing the phone hard every time, because Dad is actually on the phone! She sees him and wants to kiss him!

It's been a long time since I wrote about what we put in our mouths. Today I can only conclude once again that it good lies in the simple as I pointed out earlier. If you only have good ingredients, the food tastes fantastic. Had a piece of cod for lunch, seasoned only with a little salt and white pepper. The fish melted in my mouth and the whole thing made me feel so happy and satisfied.

Everything turned out as I wished and I have now managed to book a long weekend at the wonderful Camp Salamander in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California. The place is extremely popular and is booked up more than a year in advance. I was just notified that I have access to the place thanks to a cancellation. Thanks for that!

Today I feel stressed. I am woken up far too early by the children. My night's sleep was shorter than I needed it to be. The whole morning has been negatively affected. I'm not nearly as energetic and not thinking as clearly. Everything is a bit slower.

What stresses us is very individual. I am extremely sensitive to poor sleep, others hardly react to losing a few hours of sleep here and there.

I just have to write a few words about my little girl's wonderful teacher. She is such a classic preschool teacher, with many years of experience , who really knows children! And she loves her job! I understood that already during the introduction. I feel confident leaving in the morning, because I know E will have a great day at preschool and a lot of that is down to her. Of course, she doesn't work alone, they are a team. But she's the one who does that little bit extra that you might not see, but that you feel. And I like that. I like leaving my children with people who love their job. Just wondering how I would feel if I left my kids with someone who only went to work because they had to. Extra kudos tonight to Mait for letting me bring home a happy and playful girl every afternoon!

I am a trained Postpartum Doula. In California I was never asked what I offer when I work as a Postpartum Doula, now I get asked that question pretty much daily. And I understand why! Sweden has a very different social system built around pregnancy and childbirth compared to some other countries. BUT that doesn't mean Swedish women don't have the same basic needs as women in the US for example. After all, we are all women!

I knew that our move to Sweden would be tough on many levels, but I hadn't predicted this cruel homesickness. I don't even dare to think about Sunnvale because it hurts so much not to be there anymore. Obviously it's much harder to move away from something you love and give up that life, for something you know very little about or don't have such positive memories of. In our case, we are moving to something new-old. Having the energy to start over here is a challenge. And in that situation, homesickness comes knocking. But I don't dare open the door, not yet.

We moved from California at the beginning of the summer, got the keys to our new home in July and the container of stuff from the US arrived in August. When we moved to California we didn't really know for how long it would be and we didn't have a container in that direction included in our deal, so we chose to store a lot of stuff then (6.5 years ago) and also get rid of some larger furniture etc that wouldn't fit in the storage we were renting.

And then it finally came, the snow! You should have seen the children's enthusiasm this morning! And for our kids, it was certainly long-awaited. In California, it's always blue skies, sunny and warm. The kids have seen snow and skied, but not in everyday life. And it showed when we got dressed this morning. We're not used to it!

I have just left my children at school and am cycling at a leisurely pace back towards town. I'm enjoying myself and cycling so slowly that I barely have any steering speed. The morning offers blue skies and the Lake Mälaren is completely clear. I breathe in fresh, cold air and boost with new energy for a new day. A very special day. I have so many new ideas in my head, I feel like I just want to go home to the office to sit down and sort out what feels most right to tackle first. But there's no rush, I'll get to what I'm supposed to get to today. Although the list I'll write down will probably be enough work for 10 years to come.

Writing seems to have become an evening habit. I thought it wouldn't be like this...

Today I thought I'd spin on cosy moments and how important they are. With three kids in the family, it's hard to find time to spend with just one child at a time, but we try to make it happen as often as possible. Tonight, our son opted out of an activity because he just wanted to sit on the dock and dangle with his legs. I thought it sounded great and we went down to the dock. Realized we hadn't been there together since the quickly passing swimming season.

I love working with holistic health, because many health-related problems are actually preventable. The complexity of the holistic approach is challenging, as you have to get all the pieces of the puzzle and also put them in the right place to form a complete puzzle. At the same time, it is so amazingly cool that you can do so much about your lifestyle and life situation yourself. You make the decisions, you decide, you put the puzzle together and experience the results!

I have just enjoyed a very good meal in the sunshine. It was raw roast potatoes and leeks with reindeer, green peas and lingonberry jam. Seasoned with salt and pepper. All fried in butter of course. No fuss and very few ingredients. Ready in no time.

If you are pregnant and live in Strängnäs or next door, then you are welcome to prenatal yoga starting Sunday 12/11! I offer this course in cooperation with Yogahuset in Strängnäs. Focus will be on breathing, light stretching, adapted positions and relaxation exercises.

I'm spinning on good ways to deal with the autumn rush. When the eldest daughter came home after school, we spontaneously went to the Grassagården café. And it was so cosy and the coffee tasted great! We chatted about the week that had been and just enjoyed ourselves for a while.

In California, Halloween is an extremely big and appreciated holiday. I would say that Halloween is even bigger than Christmas itself! Halloween includes school parades, fall festivals, pumpkin patches and many decorated gardens. Almost all children dress up and, unlike here in Sweden, there are no ghosts, monsters and scary creatures, but rather princesses, cartoon characters, homemade cute combinations and the occasional Pikachu. You don't get more dangerous than the picture below!:-)

It's time for bedtime stories for my youngest daughter. She chooses "Mamma Mu builds a hut". I read "Mamma Mu stood in the pasture. Nice with autumn, she thought. Nice with all the colours on the leaves." Yes, I think, it's beautiful outside right now, especially on a day like this when the sun is shining and the air is warm. Forgetting about the autumn clouds that were here last weekend, I do like Mamma Mu, focusing on the beautiful colours.

We took a long holiday! The children's school has been closed today due to a teacher-only day, so I took the opportunity to do mommy-school instead:-) We went to Gripsholm Castle to see kings, queens, princes and princesses. I also made sure we had a guided tour in English. Since it's low season, there weren't many people there. None of us had visited the castle before. There were many pictures on the walls and many rooms we got to see. We were so lucky that we got a private tour. The guide was very good and kept the interest of all the children. About half way through the tour the guide asked if we had any questions or concerns. Ellen quickly replies, "I love My Little Pony!" It took a while for the guide to catch on to the comment, I think she was thinking of a question or comment about her presentation.

Wow, I've finished! The project is finished! The 50 day challenge was clearly a challenge. Now I am grateful that the project is finished and I feel proud that I did it! I feel like I've finished a marathon. Now, I've never run a marathon, but hypothetically, it's exactly the same feeling.

The content of the different articles varies from day to day, as expected. It's clear that I'm a mother of young children, trying to make everyday life work, while at the same time trying to start my own business and restart my life in Sweden after having recently moved from California. The articles are about new ideas, work/family balance, everyday stress and much more.

Have you ever written or talked about yourself in the third person? It feels rather suspicious! Especially when you write about yourself for a sales purpose. Now that I'm building my business from the ground up, this was exactly the kind of task I was given earlier today:

"Johanna is a certified yoga and prenatal yoga teacher, holistic lifestyle coach and doula. She is passionate about all things related to preventative health, has a special focus on helping pregnant women, and sees yoga and nature as the best sources for re-energizing and maintaining a balance in everyday life."