[bc_video video_id="6254795286001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Slow living is not doing everything as slow as possible or getting rid of everything you own. It surely doesn’t have to look a certain way and it is not anti-technology! The slow living movement advocates a culture shift for slowing down life’s pace.

How did slow living start?

There’s a consensus that slow living was spearheaded by the slow food movement, which is really an anti-fast-food moment sparked by McDonald's trying to open a store in Rome. There was a huge protest, and it sparked the movement.

Tip #1: Prioritize (Lose the FOMO)

It’s about doing what’s most important to you. You may have done a little less, but you’ve done the things that are most important to you. Everyone’s list will look different, so take some time and consider what is of value to you. You’re going to miss things, that’s okay! You won’t miss the important things by not showing up to every event.

Tip #2: Be Present

You think you’re getting more done because you’re multitasking, but you’re rushing through these tasks. Feed the baby, then make dinner and then vacuum. Be present for all of it. Though you can do anything while breastfeeding, it adds a level of intensity and pressure that we really don’t need. And I know we’re hearing this word “Present” everywhere now. Being present doesn't mean multitasking three tasks at once. It means doing each task separately to be fully invested in the things that you're doing! You can’t be listening to the kids argue, while checking your phone and getting a spin class in. No more!

Tip #3: Make A Meal

Take the time to cook and sit down for meals. Don't set yourself up to make 3 square meals completely from scratch, seven days a week. Instead have one meal a day with the whole family. One meal allows for a point in the day where the workday stops and everyone shifts into meal preparation and dinner. It can become a great marker for being “off” from work and shifting into family mode. Tip #4: Conscious ConsumptionAnother way to add the slow living mentally to your life is to consider your consumption. Slow down your purchasing, stop to think –do I really need this? Is there a local business I can support?

Tip #5: Connect With Nature

Prioritize getting out every day and moving, we know it’s important to get outside, and get moving. In Japan, they practice something called “Shinrin Yoku”, shinrin means forest, and yoku means bath. You’re bathing in the forest atmosphere, with all 5 of your senses. Put your phone away, follow the sounds and smells. These five tips are the key to slow living! It starts as intentional changes, and these changes become a ritual rather than routine. And over time, you feel better and relaxed. You can live slowly anywhere, it’s about making those intentional changes in your routine which then become rituals that keep you going.

[bc_video video_id="6192894034001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] The last 6 months have been emotionally taxing due to COVID; the crash of the economy; the Black Lives Matter movement; an unsafe September; children returning back to school, and I am sure some of us have been overwhelmed with the self-reflection we have had to face. During the pandemic we have all been:

1. Letting things fall where they may - exposing cracks in our routines and our lives
2. Working on setting better emotional boundaries
3. Having braver conversations at both home and work - whether it’s around anti-Black racism, or 'do I even like my husband?' Or 'who I am today?' Or becoming?

The change in the weather can be a great time to analyze all that you have gained this year - including the pounds - be it on your body, mind, house, or your schedule. Here is how you can hit that reset button this fall: STEP 1: Discover the gifts of discomfort - what have you gained this year? (other than stress pounds?) My biggest gain was understanding grace - that was my most used “moisturizer.”

• Define where you are currently (Current State) - reconciling your identity stories - your hindsight and foresight story - your pre-COVID Story, your current story and the story of how you would like to end 2020 knowing what you know now.

• What are you malnourished in? This is a great place to start. Yes. there is a lot going on that you’re navigating - but what are you hungry for the most? What are you craving that you can give to yourself in small or medium sized doses?

• Try to find time to reflect on the pivots you’ve made - the successes, challenges, including what you need to focus on for the rest of the year.
• Take time to meet the you are today.

STEP 2: Acknowledge and celebrate those gains

• What worked well and what didn’t. I use the simple C-S-S Strategy - what will I continue/start/stop?
• Grab a few friends virtually and do an ‘I MADE IT THIS FAR” celebration of life. You might have lost loved ones or might be reeling from survivors’ guilt. I am taking this one line from my superhero, King T’Challa - ‘TAKE YOUR TIME, BUT DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME. LIVE URGENTLY.’

Step 3: Focus on mindset - prepare for the transition to 2021 by preparing for a better tomorrow All we can do is do better today - better than we did yesterday. That’s it - this thinking contributes towards our growth mindset, increasing our emotional resilience and ability to deal with the fast and furious changes of life.

• Challenge your mindset and shift your perspective and energy moment by moment
• Our thoughts frame our world. Write sticky notes with affirmations, habits, thoughts and what I call "sample behaviors."
• Expand your world and be of service to others by sharing these affirmations.
• Forgive yourself daily for what you said to yourself when you were trying to be superhuman.

While we don’t know what 2021 will look like - the steps above will help you move through with confidence. If you have the mental capacity to visualize 2021k, do so. Do a vision dream party around what you would like the next year to look like. This is a great time to press the reset button for both your personal life and your career.   THE (PRE) YEAR-END REVIEW

1. Take stock of everything I have accomplished so far.
2. Lists can be good - they help manage the feeling of being overwhelmed; or for some, can contribute to it. I often remind clients to work with what works. Look at your master to-do list and see what unfinished business you have to sort - what do I need to reduce, recycle or refuse?
3. Make a list of experiences you would like to have before January
4. Plan your days with intention and clarity focused on delivering your goals/experiences.

 

No matter what your age or your ethnicity, hairstylist Bill Rowley shows us the best products and techniques for detangling your hair. 1. Pre-brush hair with a bristle brush. Start at the ends and work up. 2. Use both a gentle shampoo and massaging motion when washing your hair. Shampooing twice is better than one big scrub. 3. Use conditioner. Shampoo and conditioner are paired up for a reason — They work better that way. 4. For thick or very fine hair, spray conditioner or detangler is a must. It closes the hair cuticle and makes the hair shiny and weightless. 5. Comb or brush out hair after gently towel-drying it. Blot hair — Don't rub it with a towel. Use a wide-tooth comb or gentle, open-bristle brush. 6. Sometimes on really fine, tangled hair, if you gently blow-dry it on low with the blower pointed down, the tangles will loosen up. 7. Try an ionic brush to get rid of static. [embed]bcid:4518286835001[/embed]

Do your cookies turn out too hard, too soft, or too chewy? Getting the perfect cookie isn't easy, so Claire Tansey helps us understand what you may be doing wrong. As you've probably already heard many times before, measuring your ingredients the right way is important! To prevent your cookie from having too much flour or not enough flour, measure your ingredients accurately. To measure your flour correctly, spoon your flour into your dry measuring cup, overfill it and take a butter knife and smooth the excess off. Do not tap, squish or shake the measuring cup in the process. If your oven is too hot your cookies will be crusty on the bottom, which means they aren't cooking properly. Crunchy cookies mean that you have cooked them for too long. A cookie made with all white sugar will be very pale -- try using brown sugar instead. It's moist and will add colour into your cookies. Be sure to pack the brown sugar into your measuring cup before you measure! When you go to bake your cookies, line your baking pan with parchment paper. It's compostable, re-useable and heat-resistant. You can see where the cookies go to ensure they are even, and you won't have to wash the pan! If you follow these easy steps, you'll avoid common cookie baking mistakes and you'll be satisfied with your results. The perfect cookie will have a sun-kissed colour, it'll be crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and melt in your mouth...now, tell us your mouth isn't watering! For more of Claire's tips for making the perfect cookie, watch the video below: [embed]bcid:4128997642001[/embed]

You asked, we answered! From preventing rock hard brown sugar to curing flat chocolate chip cookies, Chef Devan Rajkumar answers some of our viewers' most common cooking questions. Q: How do you prevent brown sugar from getting rock hard? A: The reason why brown sugar gets hard is because it loses its moisture. To avoid this, put a slice of apple or bread in with your brown sugar and store it in a container that is relatively full so that no extra air is getting in. Q: How do you separate the egg white and the yolk? A: To separate the egg white and the yolk, break the egg in half and just pass the yolk back and forth in the shells. Q: How do you make good scrambled eggs? A: Start by vigorously whipping fresh cracked eggs to get air and bubbles into them -- you want to make sure that it is completely broken down. A very important tip is to keep the heat on low to medium heat. Don't add milk, cream or sour cream to your eggs. Use a spatula to get fat curds in it, you want to go low and slow. Once you finish cooking your eggs, they will still keep cooking, so take them off the heat prior to them being fully cooked. Season your eggs at the end. Q: My chocolate chip cookies are always flat, no matter what recipe I try. What am I doing wrong? A: Chocolate chip cookies end up flat when you don't chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough will prevent the butter from melting before the starch gets a chance to set. If you don't chill it, use shortening instead or throw in an extra egg or substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour. For more of Devan's answers to your cooking questions, watch the video below: [embed]bcid:4100786671001[/embed]