There is nothing that entices pain more than being subjected to clutter. Just looking around your work or home can send your mind spinning just trying to get into the "zone" to reorganize things.

There is something about minimizing your space that sends threads of joy to your subconscious when everything of value to you has a place.  Today I share an article with you from Collen Madsen from the site Becoming a Minimalist.

​I have never considered myself a natural organizer. But in 2007, my family moved to Australia from the USA. Because we were moving into a smaller home, I found myself needing to declutter a large number of items. Fortunately, we were able to accomplish the task…but mostly, because I had no other choice.

Shortly after the move, a new stage of life surfaced. My husband was about to begin semi-retirement. And to prepare for our new life together, I set a personal goal to again reduce our possessions. Coincidentally, on January 3rd, a segment aired on morning television about people abandoning their New Year resolutions. Turns out, on average, most people only stick to their resolution for three days. Even though I had never been one to take on resolutions, I found great motivation in beating those narrow odds… in fact, the challenge was nearly irresistible to me

I decided at that moment to set a new resolution to minimize our possessions. I determined to remove one item each day for the next 365 days. I started with three items to make up for the missed days, and promptly began decluttering one thing a day for the rest of the year. I am happy to say I not only completed my resolution successfully but it was so simple and satisfying that I continued decluttering in my slow and steady pace (an average of five items per week) for an additional two years!

Over these last three years of decluttering, I have removed over a thousand things from our home. Also, through the process and through my writing, I have had opportunity to help many people realize their own decluttering goals as well. These conversations have sharpened my desire for simplicity and taught me important insight about clearing clutter. I have learned that understanding just a few key principles can help anyone clear their clutter.

The 10 Most Important Decluttering Principles I Have Learned to Help Anyone Clear The Clutter:

1. Stop the Flow of Stuff Coming In. Decluttering is a waste of time if you simply replace the old stuff with new. You’ll need to begin by slowing the flow of things entering your home. Determine today to buy less. Trust me, you won’t regret it. The freedom from desire to acquire is a beautiful thing.
2. Declutter at Least One Item a Day. Decluttering does not have to be a mad frenzy that disrupts your entire household. Over the years, my home has become quite minimalist by simply choosing one item a day to declutter. This gradual process began to change the way I think about stuff. Eventually, it became a way of life rather than just a crash diet of stuff.
3. Declutter the Easy Stuff First. There is no need to make things difficult by trying to declutter the hardest things first. Most likely, it will simply deter you from the task altogether. Instead, start with the easy stuff and then as you strengthen your will to reduce, the harder decisions will become easier.
4. Put a Disposal Plan in Place. Before you begin, investigate selling, recycling, donating and give away options for the items you choose to declutter. The more prepared you are for the task, the simpler it will be… and the more likely you will be to follow through. Ebay, Freecycle, and our local thrift store became my favorite disposal options. However there are endless others to explore.
5. Decide to Not Keep Things out of Guilt or Obligation. Your home should only contain the things you love or use. Don’t let incorrect thinking or other people dictate what you should keep or give away. Remember, if the items are yours, it is your choice to decide what to do with them.
6. Do Not Be Afraid to Let Go. The urge to hold on to items you think you might need someday can be eliminated simply by being realistic about what need really is. Many items in our homes may be useful, but they are not particularly necessary to our happiness, well-being, or the functionality of our homes. Seek to understand the difference.
7. Gifts Do Not Have to be Material. There are so many ways to honor loved ones without giving gifts that end up as clutter. Encourage people to follow this concept when buying gifts for you. Some alternative gifts are gifts of experience or adventure, a gift of time spent together, even cash gifts are appropriate in some instances. I have two clutter-free gift guides at my blog if you are looking for ideas.
8. Do Not Over-Equip Your Home. A home does not need enough linen, crockery, cutlery, or pantry supplies to serve as a hotel. Be realistic about your true needs. In the rare event an unusually large number of guests arrive on your doorstep, you can always borrow from friends, family or neighbors.
9. Do Not Declutter Things that are not Yours Without the Owner’s Permission. Everyone should have a choice about their own belongings, even small children. Honor them by allowing them to choose. You can encourage hoarding tendencies in others by ripping things away from them before they are ready to let go.
10. Do Not Waste Your Life on Clutter. Every item you own takes time out of your life: time to manage it, clean it, repair it, and maintain it; time to choose between objects of a similar category; time spent shopping for it… and that doesn’t even mention the time spent earning the money to pay for it in the first space. Decide to sacrifice less of your precious life on the pursuit and ownership of stuff.

These ten principles have kept me resolute for the past three years. I had no idea when I began this mission how much stuff I would relinquish over the next three years. What I originally thought was going to be an arduous task quickly became a way of life… so much so, we have just put a deposit on a beautiful, even smaller, apartment with fabulous views of our coastal city, a swimming pool, and gym all within walking distance of everything we want. Semi-retirement is becoming a beautiful thing. Decluttering made it possible.

And one last thing! Set a reminder on your phone to DECLUTTER ONE THING EACH DAY.  It will be the first thing you see each morning!

Seven foods are reported to make up 90% of food allergies — peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, shellfish, tree nuts and cow’s dairy. The three suspects of dairy are the milk proteins, casein and whey and the milk sugar, lactose. While many would convict lactose, lactose intolerance is not a food allergy. A person with a dairy allergy is reacting to the milk proteins, casein and/or whey. However, more often than not, casein is the criminal.

What is not widely known is that many chronic illness issues can be directly traced back to food sensitivities not food allergies. Food sensitivities are delayed reactions, mediated by the T cells of the immune system, which trigger IgG antibodies. These antibodies do not cause the release of histamine, however, they do release other chemicals which results in inflammation.  Symptoms of food sensitivities appear hours or days later after ingesting the suspect food. Food sensitivities make up the majority of all food related reactions and affect about 30% of the U.S. population. Food sensitivities result in wide-ranging symptoms affecting multiple systems in the body; respiratory, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, dermal, reproductive, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems.

Milk products can contribute to pain in a few ways. First, milk contains lactose, a sugar that is very difficult for the human body to digest. For people with lactose intolerance, consumption of dairy products can bring about gastrointestinal pain or discomfort. Milk products can also contribute to all over inflammatory pain because milk contains high levels of the protein casein. Because so many people have difficulty processing casein, it can lead to a painful inflammatory response in the human body.

Casein has also been linked to negative effects in children with autism, ADD, and ADHD. Autistic children (and anyone else who experiences low stomach acid, poor digestion and inflamed intestines) react in a very negative way to this diary protein. Casein enters the open, permeable and inflamed gut wall and your body attacks this protein, seeing it as an enemy. You will experience a negative allergic reaction and most likely will notice a drug-like effect on your central nervous system and experience brain fog, excess mucous and lethargy.

I've shared several blogs previously concerning the importance of gluten. Many happy readers boost reduced pain levels since following the a gluten free diet.  You may want to look out a casein free diet also to reduce pain levels more.  I've included a handy chart below.

A very interesting piece that looks into a true story hidden by the Catholic church.  

In 2001, the Jewish editor Marty Baron is hired by The Boston Globe and he asks the Spotlight team to investigate the priest John Geoghan that was accused of abusing children and the lawyer Mitchell Garabedian that has told that Cardinal Law knew what his priest did. Walter 'Robby' Robinson, Mike Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer and Matt Carroll are fully supported by Baron and their leader Ben Bradlee, Jr. to set in motion the investigation of the priest and they contact the initially reluctant Garabedian; the lawyer Eric Macleish that has defended many victims; the leader of the victims' rights organization Phil Saviano; and several victims that accept to meet them. After one year investigation, they confirm the names of twenty pedophile priests in Boston and they publish the story showing that Cardinal Law had prior knowledge of the priests' abuse of children. - IMbD

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt so stressed that you feel like jumping out of your skin to help save your sanity? Do you lie down to rest, recharge, and restore only to have your head completing mind flips in process? You will be  pleased to discover that there is a strategy you can use to reduce stress and improve your health at the same time! This strategy is easy and convenient, and it is called 5 Breaths to Sanity.

5 Breaths to Sanity is a breathing exercise that involves manipulating the breath in ways that bring about certain feelings on an emotional level.
It is designed for:

• Developing the mind and the body
• Helping you enter a state of meditation
• Relaxing your mind

No matter what emotion you are trying to achieve with this breathing exercise, the beauty is that it does not cost you a thing and it can be done anywhere at anytime.

There are no hard and fast rules stipulating when to do this breathing exercise. It really depends when you need it most to bring your frazzled nerves in order. 
You can use this  breathing exercise at any moment to:

• Achieve a state of calm
• Reduce stress in tense situations
• Wind down at the end of the day or before bed

When you are having a tough day at work or dealing with conflict, you can use these calming breaths to help reduce stress. Sit back, close your eyes, and take these deep breaths.

Whatever the duration, 5 Breaths to Sanity can bring you many health benefits, including:

• Reducing your blood pressure
• Calming your nerves
• Tightening your core muscles
• Aid in better digestion
• Aid in the elimination of waste and toxins
• Bring you higher levels of energy
• Increase your awareness of the functions within your body
• Reduce stress

Your own results will depend upon the type and frequency of this breathing exercise. The only individuals who should take extreme caution are those with respiratory issues. Always check with your physician before attempting these exercises.

5 Breaths to Sanity

1. Get into a comfortable position either lying on your back or sitting. If you are sitting down, make sure that you keep your back as straight as you can and let your shoulders relax and drop.

2. Close your eyes. Begin breathing through your nose only.

3. Breathe as you normally would for a few cycles. Check yourself. Is your belly riding and falling with every breath in and breath out? If you can answer “yes,” that is what you seek. If this is not the case, you will need to practice some with your hands on you chest and belly respectively until you can get the desired result. It takes practice.
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4. Once you have the rhythm, continue as long as you need focusing on the air moving through your nose.

5. Then start the process.  Breathe in on the slow count of five, hold for the slow count of five, release slowly on the count of five.  

6. Repeat five times.

I have had days when my nerves were so completely frazzled that sleep was a distant friend.  After 5 Breaths to Sanity (sometimes repeated) I drifted off so completely and soundly that I had no recollection of tossing in the morning!

I've had several inquires asking me to post information on digestive times when consuming basic food combining principals.  Many of you have stated that you've been doing a bit of food combining already and have noticed improve energy and health with following this pattern. 

Your digestive process can be as individual as your personality, and a number of factors depend on how food passes from your mouth to your esophagus, stomach, intestines and outside your body. If you are concerned you may not be digesting food as efficiently, understanding the typical time frame for your digestive process can help. Always speak to your physician if you are concerned you may not be digesting foods properly.

Depending on your individual digestive factors, the entire digestive process from eating food to excreting it via your stool can take between 24 and 72 hours, according to MayoClinic.com. Passing food from your stomach to your small intestine takes about six to eight hours. From there, the stool passes to your bowels, which includes the colon.

The following chart takes a look at the individual process of digesting certain foods.

Normal Digestive Times

Water - when stomach is empty, leaves immediately and goes into intestines.
Juices - Fruit vegetables, vegetable broth - 15 to 20 minutes. 
Semi-liquid - (blended salad, vegetables or fruits) - 20 to 30 min. 

Fruits 

Watermelon - 20 min.digestion time. 
Other melons - Canteloupe, Cranshaw, Honeydew etc. - 30 min. 
Oranges, grapefruit, grapes - 30 min. 
Apples, pears, peaches, cherries etc. - digest in 40 min. 

Vegetables 

Raw tossed salad vegetables - tomato, lettuces, cucumber, celery, red or green pepper, other succulent vegetables - 30 to 40 min. digestion. 

Steamed or cooked vegetables 

Leafy vegetables - escarole, spinach, kale, collards etc. - 40 min.
Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, yellow squash, corn on cob - 45 min. digestion time 
Root vegetables - carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips etc. - 50 min. 

Semi-Concentrated Carbohydrates - Starches 

Jerusalem artichokes, acorn & butternut squashes, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, chestnuts - 60 min. 

Concentrated Carbohydrates - Grains 

Brown rice, millet, buckwheat, cornmeal, oats (first 3 vegetables best) - 90 min. 
Legumes & Beans - Lentils, limas, chick peas, peas, pigeon peas, kidney beans, etc. - 90 min.  
Soy beans -120 min. 

Seeds & Nuts 

Seeds - Sunflower, pumpkin, pepita, sesame - 2 hours. 
Nuts - Almonds, filberts, peanuts (raw), cashews, brazil, walnuts, pecans etc. - 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Dairy 

Skim milk, cottage or low fat pot cheese or ricotta - approx. 90 min. 
whole milk cottage cheese - 120 min. 
whole milk hard cheese - 4 to 5 hours 

Animal proteins 

Egg yolk - 30 min. 
Whole egg - 45 min. 
Fish - cod, scrod, flounder, sole seafood - 30 min. 
Fish - salmon, salmon trout, herring, (more fatty fish) - 45 min. to 60 min.
Chicken - 11/2 to 2 hours (without skin) 
Turkey - 2 to 2 1/4 hours  (without skin) 
Beef, lamb - 3 to 4 hours
Pork - 41/2 to 5 hours 

Now you have the tools to keep on combining and fend off hunger pains!  When using food combining techniques it is good to eat approximately six small meals a day.  This will keep  your energy up and fend off irritability.  

Here's a great one if your in the mood for a bit of drama this evening.  This one will keep you at the edge of your seat.

A photojournalist (Zoe Bell) embeds herself with a group of missionaries in 1985 Colombia, but when she witnesses the group's leader (Nacho Vigalondo) commit a horrific murder, she is forced to go on the run with the evidence of his crime. Directed by Josh C. Waller. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Did you know that digesting food requires more energy than any other function in the human body? It’s no wonder we’re exhausted after a big lunch! It stands to reason, then, that the best way to free up some extra energy is to make our digestion as quick and efficient as possible.

Food combining is a favorite trick to streamline the digestive process. Though food combining principles can get very complicated, depending on which expert you ask, just keep them simple. Simply pick just one dense food at each meal, whatever you’re craving most at that moment, and then fill the rest of your plate with raw and cooked non-starchy vegetables. Easy! By simplifying your meals, the digestive system doesn’t have to tackle too much in one sitting, helping you to avoid that bloated, sluggish feeling that can put a damper on the rest of your day.

Studies have shown that humans have a tendency to overeat when we are offered a wide variety of foods during a meal. So, by simplifying our meals, we will naturally eat less, without counting calories or worrying about portion sizes.

Dinner can be particularly difficult to select proper Food Combining principals.  After all, this is the last meal of the day with family and friends.  Unfortunately, this meal is often laden with a combination of proteins, starches, vegetables, and fruits.  This is not the type of meal we want to retire our stomach to before bedtime. But with a little foresight into our own individual food cravings at that particular meal, we can plan accordingly, picking items that best fill our needs and will help induce a good healing slumber we desperately need each evening.