Grab your mug and sit with me for a minute, because I want to talk about a word that gets thrown around way too carelessly: metabolism.

You’ve heard it a thousand times. “Boost your metabolism.” “Rev it up.” “Fix your slow metabolism and the weight will fall off.” It sounds so logical, doesn’t it?

Fast metabolism, good. Slow metabolism, bad. Except... that’s not really how any of this works, and I think a lot of us have spent years chasing the wrong thing because of it.

So today, over coffee, I want to gently take this myth apart and show you what actually matters instead.

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Metabolism Isn’t the Whole Story

Here’s the thing: metabolism is really just the umbrella term for everything your body does to turn food into energy. It’s your resting calorie burn, the energy spent digesting your lunch, the energy you use walking the dog. All of it counts.

But focusing only on the speed of that process is like judging a car purely by how fast the engine revs, without ever checking whether it’s actually running smoothly or leaking oil everywhere. A car that revs high but overheats constantly isn’t a “good” car. It’s a car about to break down.

That’s the distinction I want you to sit with: metabolism is not the same thing as metabolic health. Metabolic health is about how well your body manages energy: how smoothly it handles blood sugar, how stable your insulin stays, how much inflammation you’re carrying, how resilient your whole system is under stress.

And honestly? That’s the version of “metabolism” that actually determines how you feel and how your weight behaves long-term.

Here’s the part that surprised me most: you really can’t meaningfully speed up your metabolism in any way that matters for fat loss.

A little caffeine, an intense workout, sure, they nudge the number slightly. But the differences are so small they barely register. What you can dramatically change is how well your metabolic system functions.

And that changes everything.

Let’s Bust a Few Myths, Shall We?

I want to walk through some of the most common metabolism myths, because I think untangling them is genuinely freeing.

“People carrying more weight have slow metabolisms.” Actually, larger bodies typically burn more calories at rest, not fewer, because more tissue requires more energy to maintain. The real culprit usually isn’t calorie burn at all. It’s things like insulin resistance and inflammation quietly gumming up the works.

“Metabolism crashes as you age.” It really doesn’t drop nearly as much as we’re told. We’re talking a decline of roughly 0.7% per decade after twenty. Most of what people blame on aging is actually lost muscle and reduced movement. Keep your muscle, and you largely keep your metabolic rate.

“You need a fast metabolism to lose weight.” Severe calorie cutting can actually lower your resting metabolic rate, which is part of why yo-yo dieting so often backfires. What you actually want is metabolic flexibility: your body’s ability to smoothly switch between burning glucose and burning fat.

“Intermittent fasting boosts metabolism.” Not exactly. Fasting doesn’t speed anything up. It restores function. By lowering insulin and giving your body real breaks from digestion, it trains your system to burn fat more efficiently.

“You have to fast 16+ hours to see anything.” Nope. Even twelve to fourteen-hour windows have been shown to improve metabolic markers. Consistency beats extremity, every time.

So Why Does Fasting Actually Help?

Not because it’s speeding anything up. It helps because it fixes what’s broken.

Fasting doesn’t speed up your metabolism. It repairs how your metabolism actually functions, and that’s a very different, much more powerful thing.

When done well, fasting improves insulin sensitivity, meaning your cells respond to insulin properly instead of resisting it, which keeps blood sugar stable and stops the cycle of energy crashes and fat storage. Even a simple twelve-hour overnight fast has been shown to lower fasting glucose and insulin.

It also retrains fat oxidation. Most of us lean so heavily on carbs as fuel that our bodies genuinely forget how to access stored fat. Giving your body regular stretches without food teaches it to tap into that fat again, which is a huge part of breaking the endless hunger-and-crash cycle.

And it lowers inflammation, which quietly drives so much of what we call metabolic syndrome, by reducing oxidative stress and calming down those constant insulin spikes.

Here’s a common misunderstanding worth clearing up, too: fasting isn’t just “eating less.” Calorie control plays a role, sure, but the deeper effect is hormonal. Fasting doesn’t just create a deficit. It restores balance in how your body uses the fuel it already has.

What This Actually Looks Like

If eighteen-hour fasts sound intimidating, don’t start there. Start with twelve. Finish dinner around 8pm, eat breakfast around 8am, and you’ve already created enough space for insulin to drop and fat to start mobilizing.

A few things I’d genuinely encourage:

• Start with a simple twelve-hour window, then stretch it as it feels natural.

• Eat real food during your window, think protein, fiber, healthy fats, the stuff that actually keeps blood sugar steady.

• Move after meals. Even a short walk helps regulate blood sugar and reinforces the whole rhythm.

If you’d rather see it than picture it, I built a little tool for exactly this: Build Your Fasting Rhythm. Plug in your usual last-meal time and when you’d like to break your fast, and it maps your fasting and eating windows across a full 24 hours so you can see the rhythm before you commit to it. No guesswork, just a clear picture of your day. Try it below, click on the image 👇

Building Something That Lasts

Once metabolic health clicks for you, something shifts. You stop chasing the scale and start building resilience instead, the ability to travel, indulge, and go through stressful seasons without your whole system falling apart.

A few markers worth watching instead of the scale: waist circumference, resting heart rate, sleep quality, energy levels. Strength training two to three times a week helps preserve muscle and insulin sensitivity, especially as you get older.

Sleep matters more than we admit, poor sleep wrecks glucose tolerance and cranks up cravings. And managing stress, through walking, journaling, whatever grounds you, keeps cortisol from quietly sabotaging your progress.

And please, let go of perfection. Missing a fast here and there for a birthday or a vacation isn’t a failure. What matters is coming back to your rhythm without guilt.

Annual & Founding Members also receive:

🎁 A complimentary copy of my Reset with Intermittent Fasting journal, a guided 12-week workbook designed to help you build sustainable fasting habits, stay consistent, and create lasting lifestyle change.

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What I think about this

Your metabolism was never your enemy. It’s not broken. It might just be overloaded, confused, or inflamed by the pace of modern life.

Fasting doesn’t magically speed anything up. It gives your body room to breathe, to switch fuels, to function the way it was designed to.

It’s not a quick fix. It’s a quiet, steady rhythm, and honestly, that’s exactly why it works.

More soon. Same time, same coffee. ☕

Ciska 💕

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What if the idea that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day” was never based on human biology, but on clever advertising?

For generations, breakfast has held a virtually sacred status. We are told it fires up the metabolism, fuels the brain, and sets the tone for the entire day. Parents urge children to eat before school, wellness advice treats it as non-negotiable, and cereal companies spend billions ensuring we never second-guess it.

But when you strip away the bright box packaging, the TV commercials, and the ingrained habits of modern routine, human history and modern metabolic science tell a very different story.

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The Manufactured Myth: How Breakfast Became “Essential”

If you look back through human history, our ancestors did not wake up, walk over to a cupboard, and pour a bowl of processed grains into a bowl of milk.

For the vast majority of human existence, food was not available on demand. Mornings were spent gathering, hunting, or working, not sitting down to a heavy meal three minutes after opening your eyes. The idea of three distinct, evenly spaced meals a day is a relatively recent social construct, brought about by the rigid schedule of the Industrial Revolution rather than any biological requirement.

So where did the famous phrase “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” actually come from?

It didn’t originate from medical researchers or evolutionary biologists. It was coined in 1917 in a magazine article written by Lenna Cooper, a dietitian working closely with John Harvey Kellogg, the co-creator of Kellogg’s corn flakes.

Around the same time, the cereal industry was trying to convince a rapidly urbanizing American workforce to abandon traditional, labor-intensive morning meals (or simple coffee) in favor of convenient, packaged grains.

A few decades later, the father of public relations himself, Edward Bernays, pulled off an even bigger marketing maneuver. Hired by the Beech-Nut Packing Company to sell more bacon, Bernays persuaded thousands of doctors to sign off on a statement agreeing that a “heavy breakfast” was healthier than a light one.

Newspapers across the country printed the doctors’ opinions, bacon sales skyrocketed, and the modern American breakfast plate of processed meat, eggs, toast, and orange juice was permanently cemented into the culture.

We weren’t eating breakfast because our bodies demanded it. We were eating it because marketers successfully convinced us that skipping it was dangerous.

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What Actually Happens When You Skip Breakfast?

When you wake up in the morning, your body is already in a natural fasting state. You haven’t eaten for eight, ten, or twelve hours. Your blood sugar is stable, and your insulin levels are naturally low.

In this low-insulin state, your body is in an ideal position to do something it rarely gets to do during a full day of frequent eating: access its own stored energy.

When you extend that overnight fast by skipping breakfast or simply delaying your first meal, a few very practical metabolic shifts occur:

1. Your Body Switches Fuel Sources: Without a fresh supply of morning carbohydrates to burn, your body turns to stored glycogen and fat for fuel. This supports fat metabolism and improves insulin sensitivity over time.

2. Mental Clarity Improves: Many people fear that skipping breakfast will leave them sluggish or distracted. In reality, once your body gets used to extending its overnight fast, many people experience a sharp, clear morning focus. Constant digestion takes energy; giving your digestive system a break leaves that energy available for your brain.

3. Your Insulin Gets a Reset: Every time you eat, especially high-carb breakfast foods, insulin spikes to manage the incoming sugar. By staying in a fasted state longer, insulin levels remain low and steady, helping your cells become more sensitive to insulin when you do eventually eat.

4. Your Digestive System Rests: Continuous eating keeps your gut constantly at work. Pushing your first meal back gives your digestive tract hours of quiet time to clear out leftover material and rest.

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The Modern Breakfast Trap: Carbohydrates and Sugar Crashes

If traditional breakfasts were made of whole, nutrient-dense foods, the morning meal might not be so problematic. But the modern commercial breakfast is effectively a dessert disguised as health food.

Consider the standard options waiting on grocery shelves: sugary cereals, flavored instant oats, fruit juices, pastries, muffins, sweetened yogurts, and white toast with jam. These foods are packed with refined carbohydrates and added sugars, with very little protein or healthy fat to slow down digestion.

When you start your day with a high-carb meal, here is the chain reaction that usually follows:

• The Spike: Your blood sugar shoots up rapidly.

• The Surge: Your pancreas pumps out a large dose of insulin to handle the sugar rush.

• The Crash: Blood sugar plummets an hour or two later, leaving you irritable, brain-fogged, and suddenly ravenous for another fix of carbohydrates mid-morning.

This creates the classic “snack cycle.” You eat breakfast to get energy, but the type of food you ate guarantees you will run out of energy before lunchtime. You spend the rest of the day riding a roller coaster of blood sugar spikes and crashes, constantly reaching for biscuits, snacks, or a second coffee just to stay operational.

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Should You Skip Breakfast, or Just Change It?

Does this mean everyone must completely abandon breakfast? Not necessarily.

Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all, and what works for a person sitting at a desk all morning might look different for someone doing physical labor at dawn. The point is not to declare breakfast evil, but to remove the artificial pressure that tells you must eat immediately after waking up whether you are hungry or not.

If you want to adjust your morning routine, you essentially have two sensible paths:

Option 1: Extend Your Fast (Skip Breakfast)

If you aren’t naturally hungry in the morning, simply don’t eat. Enjoy plain water, black coffee, or herbal tea, and let your body stay in its natural fasting state until lunch. This is often the easiest, most seamless way to build a 16:8 intermittent fasting routine into a busy lifestyle.

Option 2: Shift to Protein and Healthy Fats

If you genuinely prefer eating in the morning, drop the sugary cereals, juices, and processed toast. Instead, break your fast with foods that stabilize your blood sugar and keep you satisfied for hours:

• Eggs with spinach or avocado

• Unsweetened Greek yogurt or cottage cheese topped with a few nuts

• A simple plate of quality protein and non-starchy vegetables

When you prioritize protein and healthy fats, you avoid the morning insulin spike, keep your energy steady, and protect yourself from the mid-morning hunger panic.

Annual & Founding Members also receive:

🎁 A complimentary copy of my Reset with Intermittent Fasting journal, a guided 12-week workbook designed to help you build sustainable fasting habits, stay consistent, and create lasting lifestyle change.

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Deciding for Yourself

For over a century, we’ve been taught to trust the front of the cereal box over the signals our own bodies send us. We were told that skipping breakfast slows down metabolism, a claim that modern metabolic research has repeatedly disproven.

Breakfast isn’t biologically mandatory. It was a marketing victory.

Once you realize that your health, focus, and energy don’t depend on a morning bowl of processed grain, the pressure drops away. You get to listen to your body, look at your actual daily life, and choose the rhythm that genuinely supports you, whether that means eating a solid meal at 8:00 AM, or simply pouring a cup of black coffee and letting your body enjoy the quiet until noon.

This Week’s Small Experiment: Notice Your True Morning Hunger

If you want to bring this off the screen and test it out in your own life this week, try a very simple, zero-pressure observation:

Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, don’t automatically reach for food out of habit. Don’t rush to make toast or grab a pastry just because the clock says it’s breakfast time.

Instead, drink a large glass of water or a cup of plain black coffee or tea, and simply pause. Ask yourself honestly: Am I actually physically hungry right now, or am I just following a routine?

If you aren’t hungry, see how it feels to push your first meal back by an hour or two. Pay attention to your mental clarity and energy levels. You might just find that your morning works remarkably well without a bowl of cereal standing in the middle of it.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

⏳ Want More Intermittent Fasting Support?

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Paid subscribers receive:

✅ Fasting planners, trackers, and printable worksheets

✅ Practical intermittent fasting guides and resources

✅ Access to the growing Resource Library

✅ Subscriber-only posts with tips, strategies, and real-life lessons

Annual & Founding Members also receive:

🎁 A complimentary copy of my Reset with Intermittent Fasting journal, a guided 12-week workbook designed to help you build sustainable fasting habits, stay consistent, and create lasting lifestyle change

My husband introduced me to essential oils around 18(ish)years ago. I just stopped working as a consultant and needed something new to do and as always he came up with this new business of natural products with essential oils.

At the time I had a love for things that smell divine (don’t we all) and I was very interested in the business of creating products with oils. That business grew into something big and beautiful and kept us both busy for many years.

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I absolutely loved the creation process of creating new products, testing new fragrances and experimenting with oils. My office smelled unbelievable and it was such a joy working there.

Now I use oils mainly for mixing roll-on products and using them in my diffuser or oil burner. And I love to use my oils when doing meditation, just a small drop on my wrist, temples and 3rd eye and it makes my meditation so much more relaxing and connected.

But essential oils can feel a little intimidating when you first become interested in them. Between the endless rows of tiny bottles, the complex names, and the conflicting advice on what each oil actually achieves, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Before you know it, you are trying to untangle carrier oils, diffusers, dilution ratios, and top vs. base notes. You find yourself reading about skin sensitivity, emotional benefits, chakra associations, and wondering if your house now smells genuinely peaceful or like you accidentally opened a very determined spa.

I love essential oils, but I also think they are best approached slowly. There is no need for a massive collection right out of the gate, nor do you have to chase down every single bottle with a beautiful name or splurge on the most expensive option in the shop.

A small, intentional selection of useful oils is more than enough, especially when you choose scents you will actually weave into your daily life.

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For me, essential oils are not about replacing common sense or turning every feeling into a project. I use them mostly for mood, relaxation, clarity, meditation, and small everyday rituals.

I also use them in practical homemade products, like insect repellent cream, because we live on a small island with many mosquitos. That is the less romantic side of nature. She gives us flowers, sunsets, sea air, and then sends mosquitos to keep everyone humble.

The oils in this post are not a medical toolkit. They are not here to promise healing, cure anything, or become a dramatic solution to human life. I use essential oils because scent has a powerful way of changing the atmosphere around us and the feeling within us.

Scent has a beautiful way of changing the atmosphere around us and the feeling within us. A chosen aroma can gently soften a room, signaling to the body that it is time to slow down and making meditation feel instantly more grounded.

Sometimes, it even acts as a memory machine, bringing back a past moment so clearly that, for a second, you are standing in another kitchen, beside another person, in another time.

That is where essential oils feel meaningful to me.

Why Scent Matters So Much

The sense of smell is deeply connected to memory.

You can smell a flower and suddenly think of your mother or grandmother. You can walk past a bakery and miss someone’s cooking. You can open a cupboard, smell a certain spice, and be transported back to a childhood kitchen before you have even had time to think about it.

That is what makes scent so personal. It does not always ask permission before it opens a memory.

When we talk about aromatherapy, this is the part that interests me most. Not exaggerated claims. Not the idea that one bottle can fix a life. I am interested in the way scent shapes mood, memory, behavior, and atmosphere. A smell can make a room feel fresh, calm, warm, sacred, clean, heavy, bright, or comforting.

Most of us move through the day with very little attention to our senses. We rush from task to task, screen to screen, thought to thought. Then one scent interrupts the noise. It brings the body into the moment before the mind has finished making its list.

This is why I like using oils in meditation, journaling, and simple home rituals. Scent creates a doorway into presence. It gives the body a signal. It says, “This is the moment we are in now.”

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The five oils in this beginner collection

For someone just beginning with essential oils, I would start with five simple, useful oils: lavender, frankincense, ylang-ylang, sweet orange, and peppermint.

1. Lavender

Lavender is probably the best known essential oil, and for good reason.

It is gentle, familiar, and easy to use. Traditionally, lavender is associated with calm, relaxation, sleep routines, emotional balance, and a peaceful atmosphere. It is often one of the first oils people buy, and I think it deserves that place.

I like lavender in evening blends, meditation blends, bath blends, and simple rollerball oils. It works beautifully with frankincense when you want something deeper, or with sweet orange when you want a calmer blend that still feels bright.

Lavender is a beautiful first oil because it is simple without being boring. It quietly changes the mood of a room.

2. Frankincense

Frankincense feels deeper and more reflective than lavender.

It has a warm, resinous scent that many people connect with meditation, prayer, sacred spaces, and grounding practices. To me, frankincense smells ancient in the best way. It feels steady, quiet, and intentional.

I love frankincense for meditation. A few drops in a diffuser can make a room feel calmer almost immediately. In a rollerball blend, it pairs well with lavender, sweet orange, sandalwood, cedarwood, or myrrh.

For beginners, frankincense is a lovely oil because it introduces the more spiritual side of aromatherapy without feeling too strange or overpowering.

3. Ylang-Ylang

Ylang-ylang is rich, floral, and slightly dramatic.

It has a sweet tropical scent, and a little goes a long way. Some people love it immediately. Others need time with it. I would use it lightly, especially in blends, because it can become too strong very quickly.

Traditionally, ylang-ylang is associated with relaxation, emotional softness, sensuality, joy, and heart-centered energy. I like it when I want a blend to feel warm, comforting, and less practical.

It blends beautifully with sweet orange or lavender. The citrus lifts it, and the lavender softens it.

4. Sweet Orange

Sweet orange is bright, friendly, and easy to love.

It smells fresh, cheerful, clean, and familiar. If lavender is the oil I would choose for winding down, sweet orange is one I would choose for lifting the mood of a room.

I like sweet orange in the morning, in workspaces, in kitchens, and in blends that need a little brightness. It pairs well with lavender, frankincense, ylang-ylang, cinnamon, clove, and peppermint.

For beginners, sweet orange is a wonderful choice because it is easy to use and easy to blend. It does not feel mysterious. It smells like something the body already understands.

One note: some citrus oils can increase sun sensitivity when applied to the skin, depending on the oil and how it was produced. If you use sweet orange in a skin blend, dilute it properly and be mindful of sun exposure.

5. Peppermint

Peppermint is clear, cool, and energizing.

It has a strong scent, so one drop can change a whole blend. Traditionally, peppermint is associated with freshness, focus, alertness, and mental clarity.

I like peppermint for work blends or moments when my mind feels tired. It has a crisp quality that cuts through heaviness. It is not cozy like lavender or deep like frankincense. It is sharp, fresh, and very awake.

Peppermint should be used carefully, especially around young children, pets, and anyone with breathing sensitivities. It also needs proper dilution if used on the skin.

Used with a light hand, peppermint is a very useful oil to have in a small beginner collection.

A Safety Note Before You Put Oils on Your Skin

Pure essential oils are highly concentrated. They should usually be diluted with a carrier oil before you apply them to your skin. Almond oil is a lovely option, but olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and jojoba oil can also work.

Once you dilute your blend, test a small patch on your wrist first. Wait and see how your skin responds. Some oils can irritate the skin, and some citrus oils can increase sun sensitivity.

Also remember that essential oils are not automatically safe just because they are natural. Natural things can still be powerful. Use small amounts, keep oils away from your eyes, do not ingest them and be careful when diffusing around pets, babies, or anyone with breathing sensitivities.

I will write more about essential oil safety and basic use in a future post, because it deserves its own space.

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Simple Ways to Use Your Oils

The easiest way to use essential oils is to smell them. You can open the bottle and inhale gently, use a diffuser, or create a small diluted rollerball blend for your wrist.

You can also use oils in the bath, but they need to be mixed properly first. Dropping essential oils straight into bath water is not the best idea because oil and water do not mix. The drops can sit on the surface and irritate your skin. Mix them into a carrier oil or an unscented bath product before adding them to the water.

For everyday use, I love rollerball blends. They are easy to keep in a bag, on a desk, or next to a journal. A small blend can become part of a morning ritual, a meditation practice, or a quiet pause in the middle of the day.

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A Small Note on Oils and Chakras

I also use essential oils with the chakra system. This is something I believe in and enjoy working with, but I know it can feel like a lot when you are new.

For now, it is enough to know that different oils are often associated with different energy centers in the body. Grounding oils like vetiver, patchouli, cedarwood, pine, and ginger are often connected with the root chakra. Softer oils like lavender, rosewood, palmarosa, and grapefruit are often connected with the heart. Frankincense, lavender, neroli, myrrh, and bergamot are often used for the crown chakra.

You do not need to memorize all of this before you begin. Let it become familiar slowly.

I will create a post on the Chakra system so stay tuned to not miss that one.

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Start With Oils You Will Actually Use

If I could give one piece of advice to someone starting with essential oils, it would be this: choose what you will actually use.

Do not buy things because they sound impressive, that will only get you a collection of oils that sits untouched because you are afraid of using it wrong. Start with a few simple oils. Choose scents you genuinely enjoy. Put them where your life already happens.

Use lavender in the evening. Diffuse sweet orange in the kitchen. Add frankincense to meditation. Use peppermint when you want clarity. Try ylang-ylang when you want something softer and warmer.

This does not have to be complicated to be meaningful.

Essential oils are part of how I create small rituals in ordinary life. They help me pause. They help me notice the mood I am carrying. They remind me that scent is not only something pleasant. It is connected to memory, atmosphere, and the way we return to ourselves.

And that is a simple, beautiful place to begin.

Which of these five oils are already part of your collection, and which one are you curious to explore first?

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things 🌸

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Essential Oils Beginner Guide

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If you are one of the millions who start their day with a cup of coffee (or 3), you already know the routine. That first sip feels less like a beverage and more like gently turning the lights on inside your brain.

But lately, there’s been a lot of talk about what that morning cup of black coffee is actually doing behind the scenes, specifically when it’s paired with intermittent fasting.

Beyond just keeping us awake through morning emails, it turns out black coffee might actually support two of the body’s major internal processes: autophagy and ketosis. One is essentially an internal cleaning crew, and the other is a shift toward burning fat for fuel.

A quick heads-up: If you are someone who doesn’t touch coffee because caffeine makes your heart race or you simply hate the taste of burnt bean water, this specific post isn’t going to try to convert you. This one is strictly for the coffee drinkers. If you want to see how your morning tea or water fits into the autophagy picture, feel free to skip the bean talk and scroll straight down to the FAQs at the bottom.

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Let’s Talk Autophagy: The Internal Janitor

Autophagy is a bit of a dramatic word, it literally translates from Greek to “self-eating”, but the process itself is incredibly elegant. Think of it as your body’s built-in recycling system. When your cells realize food isn’t constantly arriving, they stop focusing on processing outside energy and turn inward.

They begin breaking down old, damaged, or sluggish cellular parts, recycling them into fresh, efficient components.

This cleanup crew doesn’t really get to work while you’re busy digesting a heavy meal. Fasting is the most straightforward way to give the body the quiet space it needs to switch this system on. Once you’ve gone without food for a chunk of time, the focus shifts from digestion to deep maintenance.

The polyphenols and compounds in the coffee trigger a mild, healthy metabolic stress that signals the cells to pay attention and tidy up.

There is just one catch: it has to be plain black coffee. No milk, no sugar, no splash of oat milk. The moment calories enter the picture, your digestion wakes up, and the cleaning crew takes a break. If you really can’t handle caffeine, the good news is that decaf still carries those same helpful antioxidants, so you can still get the cellular benefits without the jitters.

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What Is Ketosis, Exactly?

Ketosis is what happens when your body flips its metabolic switch. Normally, we run on glucose from carbohydrates. But when you go long enough without food, usually around 12 to 16 hours, or follow a very low-carb approach, those glucose reserves run low. Your body, being highly adaptable, taps into stored fat and converts it into molecules called ketones to use as alternative fuel.

It’s an old survival mechanism, but the modern perk is that running on ketones often brings a distinct sense of mental clarity, steady energy, and a welcome drop in constant food cravings.

Where autophagy is all about repair, ketosis is about efficient energy use. The best part is that they can happen at the same time, and coffee happens to be a great companion for both.

Fat-Burning in a Cup

Caffeine naturally coaxes the central nervous system to wake up, slightly nudging your metabolic rate and making it a bit easier for the body to access fat stores. By supporting that fat metabolism, coffee can help smooth the transition into ketosis.

At the same time, the antioxidants in coffee, like chlorogenic acid, support mitochondrial health, the little power plants inside your cells, helping you stay focused and alert while fasting.

A small thing to watch out for: in some of us, caffeine can cause a brief spike in cortisol, the stress hormone, which might temporarily nudge blood sugar up. It’s usually nothing to worry about, but if you’re highly sensitive to caffeine, it’s worth just noticing how your body feels during a fasted brew. For most people, though, a cup of coffee simply makes the fasting window much easier to navigate by naturally curbing appetite.

Annual & Founding Members also receive:

🎁 A complimentary copy of my Reset with Intermittent Fasting journal, a guided 12-week workbook designed to help you build sustainable fasting habits, stay consistent, and create lasting lifestyle change.

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Can You Have One Without the Other?

Yes. Autophagy and ketosis aren’t joined at the hip; they can operate independently.

You can trigger autophagy through a solid fast and a cup of black coffee even if your body is still burning through the carbohydrates you ate for dinner the night before. You could be in deep ketosis from a strict low-carb diet but completely pause your cellular autophagy because you are eating frequent meals throughout the day, keeping your digestive system constantly working.

The sweet spot is allowing them to overlap by keeping your eating windows consistent, keeping an eye on heavy carbs, and letting black coffee support the quiet hours.

Brewed vs. Instant, and Choosing Your Roast

Does it matter how you make it? Generally, yes. Brewed coffee, whether it’s a French press, a pour-over, or a classic drip, tends to retain more of the natural oils and antioxidants that support these metabolic processes.

Instant coffee is perfectly fine for convenience, but the manufacturing process can strip away some of those beneficial compounds. If you prefer instant, just take a quick look at the back label to ensure it’s 100% pure coffee without any hidden fillers or stabilizers that might quietly nudge you out of a fast.

When it comes to the roast, the beans tell a different story:

• Light Roasts: These actually contain the highest levels of chlorogenic acid, the main antioxidant tied to metabolic health and autophagy. They lean a bit more acidic and bright in flavor.

• Medium Roasts: A great middle ground. You get a solid amount of antioxidants but with a smoother, traditional coffee flavor.

• Dark Roasts: The roasting process reduces some of the chlorogenic acid, but creates other antioxidants called melanoidins. These are great for gut health, though less involved in the fasting side of things.

If your primary goal is to support that internal cleanup, a high-quality light or medium roast is usually your best bet.

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The Final Sip

Coffee is a ritual as much as it is a metabolic tool. It comforts us, it centers our mornings, and as the old joke goes, sometimes we drink it entirely for the protection of the people around us. 🤣

But when used intentionally, that warm mug is doing some excellent behind-the-scenes work. By keeping it black, choosing a good roast, and letting it pair naturally with your fasting rhythm, you’re giving your body a quiet, practical hand with its daily cleaning and energy management.

Take it one cup at a time, don’t overthink the science, and just let the routine work for you.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Common Questions & Corner Cases

Q: Does black coffee break autophagy? A: No, plain black coffee without calories does not spike insulin or glucose, meaning it is highly unlikely to interrupt your body’s cleanup process. However, adding milk, sugar, or flavored syrups will immediately pause it.

Q: Is decaf coffee different for autophagy? A: Not really. Animal studies indicate that both regular and decaffeinated coffee trigger autophagy, which tells us that the benefits are coming from the beans’ antioxidants and polyphenols rather than the caffeine alone.

Q: How much coffee is safe during a fast? A: Sticking to one to three cups of plain black coffee during your fasting window is a safe sweet spot for maintaining your metabolic state without overdoing the caffeine.

Q: What if I don’t drink coffee? Am I missing out on autophagy? A: Not at all. Fasting itself is the actual heavy lifter when it comes to autophagy; black coffee is just a useful assistant. If you don’t drink coffee, stick to plain water or plain high-quality teas. While green tea has its own unique antioxidants that support cellular health, you don’t need to force down coffee if it’s not your thing. The main rule remains: keep your fasting window completely clean.

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Intermittent fasting is usually sold to us as a body hack or a strict dietary protocol. But beneath the metabolic math lies a much quieter, more grounded opportunity: a chance to clear out the noise.

What starts as a simple adjustment to your daily timing can easily ripple into something deeper. It gives your digestive system a break, yes, but it also gives your mind room to breathe and brings a little quiet awareness back into your day.

Fasting doesn’t need to be about punishment, sheer willpower, or rigid restriction. Approached with intention, it becomes a daily rhythm that supports mental clarity, builds gentle self-discipline, and helps you form a far more honest relationship with hunger, habits, and choice.

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Fasting Beyond the Clock

Let’s state the obvious first: fasting changes your schedule. You stop the constant grazing, give your stomach time to empty, and let your metabolism do its job. You might drop a few pounds, notice steadier energy, or see your blood sugar settle down.

Those physical wins matter. But if that’s all you pay attention to, you’re missing the most interesting part of the experiment.

Over time, fasting quiets more than just physical hunger; it turns down the volume on mental and emotional noise. When you strip away the constant consumption, you create a pocket of empty space.

And in a world that insists on filling every second with something to eat, scroll through, or react to, that space becomes rare, fertile ground for reflection.

Simplicity as a Small Daily Sanctuary

Modern life is loud and cluttered. Alarms, notifications, rush-hour traffic, back-to-back demands—the sheer speed of an average Tuesday can pull anyone off-center.

Fasting offers simplicity in a delightfully unexpected way.

You plan less. You shop less. You spend less time standing in front of an open fridge waiting for inspiration to strike. That leaves you with quiet pockets of time that would otherwise be chewed up by prep and cleanup.

It turns out that a stripped-down routine doesn’t just lighten your schedule; it calms your nervous system. It becomes a quiet, daily rebellion against the chaos.

You might find yourself starting the morning with a slow walk instead of forcing down breakfast out of habit, or sitting quietly through a lunch break instead of inhaling a meal over a keyboard. These small moments stack up. Slowly, fasting stops being a “diet strategy” and starts looking like a better framework for living.

“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” — Eckhart Tolle

The stillness created by a fasting window isn’t an empty void you have to rush to fill. It’s simply a doorway back to yourself.

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Discipline Without the Drama

In a culture built on instant gratification, choosing to wait is almost radical. But mindful fasting has nothing to do with self-flagellation or martyr energy. It’s simply about choice.

Every time you notice a hunger pang, acknowledge it, and decide to wait rather than react out of boredom, you build a specific kind of mental muscle.

Not the rigid, brittle discipline that leads straight to a weekend binge, but a grounded confidence that says, “I can be slightly uncomfortable for a moment. It won’t kill me, and I don’t need to panic.”

That quiet composure rarely stays trapped inside your fasting window. It bleeds into how you handle work stress, manage your reactions, and navigate awkward conversations.

If you are new to this, inner balance starts with a gentle approach—not a trial by fire. You don’t need to prove anything by jumping straight into a punishing 20-hour fast. A sensible 12 or 14-hour overnight fast is more than enough to help you notice your habits and interrupt mindless snacking.

Quick Rhythm Guide

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Learning to Listen to Your Own Body Again

Critics often assume that fasting disconnects you from your physical self. Done mindfully, it does the exact opposite: it turns the volume up on what your body is actually trying to tell you.

Most of us eat on autopilot, by the clock, by stress levels, or purely out of social habit. Fasting disrupts that automatic loop. It gives you space to experience actual physical hunger, observe how different foods impact your mood, and reconnect with your body’s natural signals.

There is real freedom in that. You stop panicking at the first sign of an empty stomach. You stop using food to numb a dull afternoon. You begin to clearly spot the difference between genuine physical need and a temporary emotional craving.

Fasting teaches you to trust your body again, not by fighting against it, but by getting out of its way.

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Can Fasting Support Spiritual Awareness?

The quiet hours of a fast offer more than saved time; they offer stillness. And stillness usually brings insight.

Spiritual traditions have used fasting for thousands of years as a tool for clarity and connection. And no need for any specific religious beliefs to feel this shift. Over time, you might notice your focus naturally moving away from constant physical stimulation and toward a more present, grounded state of mind.

You might begin your eating window with a brief pause of genuine appreciation, or use your morning tea to journal, or treat an unexpected hunger wave as a gentle reminder to check in with how you’re feeling emotionally.

These aren’t rigid rules; they’re small, reverent habits. They remind you that you are far more than your daily cravings, your habits, or your food log.

Body, Mind, and Inner Balance

Real health is never just about physical metrics. It’s an alignment between how you feel, how you think, and how you show up in your life.

• Body: You ease digestion, support metabolic health, and balance blood sugar. More importantly, you learn to nourish yourself with intention rather than habit.

• Mind: You become less reactive and more observant. You stop using meals as an escape hatch and learn to stay present.

• Soul: You create quiet space in your day to align your actions with what actually matters to you.

This is where fasting shifts from a health protocol into a comfortable, daily way of living.

How to Keep It Practical (No Perfection Required)

Bringing intention into your fasting routine doesn’t require high-minded rituals, expensive apps, or complicated rules. It just takes a little awareness.

• Start with a quiet pause: Before opening your eating window, take one slow breath and acknowledge the transition.

• Use hunger as an inquiry: When an urge to eat hits outside your window, ask yourself: “Am I actually hungry, or am I just bored, stressed, or procrastinating?”

• End your fast with real food: Thank your body by breaking your fast with actual, nourishing food rather than hyper-processed junk.

• Drop the screens: Eat at least one meal a day without a phone, TV, or laptop in front of your face.

The goal was never to execute a perfect fast. It’s simply to be present in your life while you do it.

(And as a side note: if a simple cup of black coffee or plain tea helps you glide through those morning hours comfortably, use it. Black coffee keeps calories near zero while helping curb quiet morning cravings, making the whole routine far more sustainable.)

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How Do You Use Fasting for Inner Balance?

You use intermittent fasting for inner balance by viewing the fasting window as a deliberate pause rather than a sentence to serve.

During those food-free hours, you practice observing physical sensations without anxiety, recognizing emotional cravings for what they are, and making food choices from a place of clear intention.

It turns fasting into a grounding daily structure rather than another frantic weight-loss attempt.

Signs Your Routine Is Working for You

As fasting settles into your life, you’ll start to notice subtle shifts that have nothing to do with a bathroom scale:

• Hunger no longer feels like an emergency.

• You look forward to your meals and actually taste your food.

• You start craving quiet, uncomplicated moments over constant noise and stimulation.

• Decisions feel clearer, less driven by impulse or emotional fatigue.

• You feel more rooted, calm, and present in your daily routine.

_{A quick, sensible reminder: Intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone. If you are pregnant, nursing, underweight, managing diabetes, on blood sugar medications, or have a history of disordered eating, skip the fasting protocols and work directly with a trusted healthcare professional. Your physical safety and mental peace always come first.}

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things 🌸

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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I wear my crystal jewelry, not just what I wear. Most days, you’ll find a stack of bracelets on my left wrist, a single band on my right, and a piece or two resting right at my collarbone.

The longer I’ve worked with crystals, the more I’ve realized that placement matters just as much as the stone itself. Wearing a crystal bracelet, ring, or necklace on your left versus your right side isn’t just about style, it subtly changes how you experience and direct the stone’s energy throughout the day.

I originally started making my own crystal jewelry simply because I was drawn to the stones and loved the quiet layer of calm they brought to a busy day. Over time, I realized that choosing what to wear doesn’t need to be a complicated ceremony.

My mood shifts from day to day, and my choice of stones shifts with it. More often than not, I’m attracted to the physical energy or color of a stone long before I look up its traditional meaning. We tend to gravitate toward what we need, so if you are ever unsure, trusting your gut is always a good place to start.

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The Underlying Idea: Receiving vs. Giving

When you look into crystal traditions, there is a consistent core idea that comes up again and again: one side receives energy, and the other side projects it.

• Your Receiving Side (The Inner World): Traditionally connected to your non-dominant side, your internal energy, and your subconscious mind. This is where energy flows inward, helping you integrate support, calm, and healing.

• Your Giving/Action Side (The External World): Traditionally connected to your dominant side, outward action, and conscious focus. This is where energy flows outward, helping you project confidence, boundaries, and intention into your environment.

(A quick note for left-handers: If you are predominantly left-handed, your non-dominant “receiving” side is usually your right hand, and your dominant “giving” hand is your left. The easiest way to think about it is that your non-dominant hand receives, while the hand you write with puts action into the world.)

I don’t treat this like a strict, unbreakable law, wellness rules can get heavy very quickly if we aren’t careful. Instead, I use it as a gentle guide. It brings a little extra intention to my morning routine, helping me check in with myself about what I want to bring in, what I need to protect, and how I want to step out into the world that day.

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The Left Wrist: Internal Support and Quiet Grounding

When I stack bracelets on my left wrist, I think of that energy moving inward toward my subconscious and heart space. It feels like the natural place for stones that support emotional balance, quiet grounding, healing, and softness. The left side is where I put the pieces that hold me together from the inside out, the silent support system for when life gets noisy.

Today, I’m wearing a stack of garnet, rhodonite, and hematite on my left wrist, and the combination feels wonderfully balanced:

• Garnet brings a quiet spark of vitality and warmth, a gentle nudge of physical energy rather than an aggressive rush.

• Rhodonite acts as an anchor for the heart, bringing emotional composure, patience, and compassion.

• Hematite brings weight and structure. It acts like a grounding wire, keeping my thoughts from floating off into ten different directions at once.

Together, they don’t feel too heavy or overly soft. Garnet offers vitality, rhodonite softens the edges, and hematite anchors the whole mix.

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The Right Wrist: Projecting Energy into the World

My right side is my outward-facing, action side. It’s the hand I use to interact with the world, to write, reach out, work and using the mouse on the computer, and shake hands. Because of that, I reserve my right wrist for stones that help me project strength, focus, and purposeful energy outward.

Right now, I keep a single tiger’s eye bracelet on my right side.

Tiger’s eye has always felt like a stone of active courage. It isn’t about sitting back and reflecting; it’s about focus, clear boundaries, and carrying yourself with steady confidence. If my left wrist is about how I nourish my inner world, my right wrist is about how I step forward into my day.

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Necklaces & Centerline: Anchoring Your Energy

While my bracelets manage the directional flow of energy coming in and going out, my necklaces rest right at my center, sitting over the heart and throat. They serve as a bridge between how I feel internally and how I express myself outwardly.

There are two pieces I rotate or layer depending on what I need:

• My Triple Tiger’s Eye Necklace: Made with yellow, blue, and red tiger’s eye, this piece brings layered focus. Yellow tiger’s eye feels bright and motivating, blue (hawk’s eye) brings a calmer, observational perspective, and red tiger’s eye adds rooted physical stamina.

• My Silver Sheen Obsidian Feather Necklace: Silver sheen obsidian is a deeply reflective, protective stone that helps deflect negativity while encouraging self-reflection. Paired with a small silver feather, a symbol of air, lightness, and staying open to intuition, it acts like a quiet shield. Where the tiger’s eye brings active momentum, the obsidian feather brings calm, reflective clarity.

  

A Simple Guide for Your Own Collection

Whether you’re choosing a bracelet, a ring, or a neck piece, you don’t need to overthink it. Just ask yourself two simple questions when getting dressed in the morning:

1. What do I need to receive internally today? (Wear on your non-dominant hand/wrist)

   • Softness, emotional healing, or calm: Rose Quartz, Amethyst.

   • Grounding and inner stability: Hematite, Black Tourmaline, Garnet.

2. What energy do I need to project into the world? (Wear on your dominant hand/wrist)

   • Courage, boundary-setting, and focus: Tiger’s Eye, Onyx.

   • Motivation, movement, and creative drive: Carnelian, Citrine.

(Note on rings: If you prefer rings over bracelets, the exact same directional logic applies. A ring on your non-dominant hand draws that stone’s quality inward, while a ring on your dominant hand projects it outward into your interactions.)

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Final Thoughts

For me, wearing crystal jewelry is equal parts style, personal ritual, and a quiet daily self-check-in. It prompts a quick pause before I start my morning, a moment to notice what I’m lacking, what I have to give, and how I want to navigate the hours ahead. Taking them off at the end of the day is just as much of a ritual: a chance to clear the day’s energy and reset.

Some days require a bit more gentleness. Other days demand protection, focus, or sheer momentum.

My non-dominant side holds the stones that support me inwardly, my dominant side holds the ones that help me move outward, and my centerpiece necklaces tie the whole picture together.

That is what makes crystal jewelry so meaningful: it can be beautiful to wear, but it also serves as a quiet, personal reflection of where you are on any given day.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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Once intermittent fasting becomes part of your routine, the basic decisions begin to feel more familiar. You know your fasting window, meal planning feels simpler, and you have a few reliable meals to fall back on. You aren’t even surprised when hunger shows up at the same time every day, so now it becomes worth looking a little closer at the food itself.

Not only the obvious parts, such as carbs or protein, but the ingredients tucked into products you buy regularly. Added sugar, colorants, flavorings, fillers, and sweeteners can turn up in foods that appear perfectly respectable from the front of the package.

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The Front of the Package Is Advertising

Words like “natural,” “light,” “high protein,” “real fruit,” and “no added sugar” are placed where your eye lands first. They might give a vague hint, but they rarely tell you the whole story.

The ingredient list is ordered by weight, starting with whatever makes up most of the product. If sugar, syrup, refined vegetable oil, or starch sits near the top, that tells you far more than the cheerful health promise on the front wrapper.

A long ingredient list isn’t always a crime, and a short list isn’t automatically a halo. The real question is whether you recognize what the food is made from and whether those ingredients actually support how you want to feel. It is worth knowing whether you are buying actual yogurt or simply a tub of dessert borrowing yogurt’s good name.

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Colorants Create an Impression

Food colorants exist to make products brighter, more uniform, or more appealing than processing allows. They restore color lost during cooking or make something look fresher than it is.

Some colors come from familiar plant sources like beetroot, turmeric, or paprika. Others are synthetic dyes—listed as Red 40, Yellow 5, or Blue 1.

While plant extracts can occasionally trigger sensitivities in certain people, synthetic dyes are mainly worth watching because they serve appearance rather than nutrition. The regulation around them is shifting too; early in 2025, the FDA revoked authorization for Red No. 3 in food, though manufacturers have been given time to reformulate, meaning it still lingers on shelves during the transition.

Instead of trying to memorize every number, pay attention to products with unusually vivid shades, frostings, sweet drinks, bright snacks, and colorful cereals. When the color belongs more in a highlighter pen than in a kitchen, the back label will usually explain why.

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Flavorings Can Disguise Low Quality

Flavorings are added to create, boost, or mimic a specific taste. They allow a bottle or box to taste strongly of strawberry, vanilla, cheese, or smoke, even when almost none of the real thing made it into the factory.

“Natural flavors” sound reassuring, but the label simply means the starting material originated in nature before being concentrated and processed in a laboratory.

The main issue with heavy flavoring is what it hides. Strong additives can make an otherwise plain, low-nutrient product taste rich and comforting. Blanket terms like “flavorings,” “spices,” or “seasoning” often group multiple compounds together under one neat title on the package.

When a product relies heavily on added flavors, going back to basic ingredients is usually much easier. Plain Greek yogurt stirred with fresh berries gives you full control. Meat seasoned on your own cutting board is much easier to track than a pre-marinated cut floating in a paragraph of additives.

Convenience sauces, mayonnaise, relishes, marinades, and ready-made bases can make cooking quicker, but they often come with added sugar, colorants, flavorings, preservatives, and fillers. If you use the same products every week, turn the jar around and look at what is actually inside. Then decide whether you can replace it with something simpler.

There are plenty of easy recipes for homemade mayonnaise, tomato and onion sauce, dressings, and flavored butters. I make a tomato and onion sauce with spices each week and use it as a base for several meals instead of buying instant sauces. I also make my own mayonnaise and garlic or herb butter. It takes a little extra time once, but it gives me control over the ingredients and saves me from repeatedly buying products that do not support the way I want to eat.

Sugar Uses Many Names

Sugar stays fairly obvious in biscuits and cakes, but it slips quietly into salad dressings, store-bought sauces, flavored coffee creamers, bread, marinades, and health drinks.

Manufacturers often use three or four different sweeteners in a single product—such as cane sugar, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, and malt syrup. Because ingredients are sorted by weight, splitting the sugar into multiple forms keeps any single sweetener from floating to the very top of the list.

This is where checking the nutrition panel helps. Look directly at the “Added Sugars” line rather than relying on the front label.

Premade smoothies and fruit juices are classic examples. Drinking three oranges and two bananas takes thirty seconds, delivering a fast hit of liquid sugar without any of the actual fullness you get from eating the fruit whole.

You don’t have to banish every speck of sugar from your diet, but you do want to notice when it shows up uninvited in your morning breakfast or lunch condiments.

When I started intermittent fasting, I was dealing with a stubborn sinus allergy and seemed to have a blocked nose almost all the time. Several months later, that problem had cleared up. I cannot say that fasting alone caused the change, but it happened during the same period that I stopped eating many of the ready-made sauces, flavorings, colorants, and heavily processed products that had previously been part of our meals.

Food-additive reactions are considered uncommon, but they are real, and certain dyes, preservatives, or other additives can trigger symptoms in sensitive people. My experience made me pay far more attention to what was hiding in the products I used regularly. It was one of the clearest reminders that improving your diet is not only about carbohydrates, calories, or fasting hours. Sometimes it is also about removing ingredients your body may not be handling well.

Alcohol Counts Too

Alcohol often gets overlooked in fasting discussions because we think of it as a drink rather than a meal. Your metabolic system makes no such distinction.

Alcohol contains energy that breaks a fast. Unflavored spirits may carry no carbohydrates, but the alcohol itself is still processed first by your liver. Beer, wine, ciders, and mixers bring added carbohydrates and sugar along with them.

Drinking during a fasting window defeats the purpose of the fast, and doing so on an empty stomach makes the physical effects land much faster. It also loosens evening resolve, which makes late-night snacking far more likely.

If you choose to enjoy a drink, keep it inside your eating window alongside a meal. Dry wines or spirits with plain soda water carry less sugar than sweet cocktails, liqueurs, or heavy beers. Cocktails in particular can easily stack syrups, juices, and creams into a single glass.

If energy levels, weight loss, or sleep quality are part of why you fast, keeping an eye on how often you drink is well worth the effort.

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A Simple Spot-Check on Your Next Trip

You don’t need to spend an hour standing in the grocery aisle squinting at every jar until the lights go off.

Start with two or three staples you buy every single week. Flip the package over and check four quick items:

1. The top three ingredients: These make up the bulk of what you are paying for.

2. The “Added Sugars” line: Check both the grams on the table and the names in the list.

3. Artificial colors or flavorings: Notice how much of the product’s appeal is engineered.

4. The serving size: A small calorie count usually assumes a serving half the size of what anyone normally eats.

Take it one category at a time, sauces this week, dairy next week, snacks after that. Once you know what is actually inside your daily staples, shopping becomes faster, calmer, and much more intentional.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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✅ Fasting planners, trackers, and printable worksheets

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🎁 A complimentary copy of my Reset with Intermittent Fasting journal, a guided 12-week workbook designed to help you build sustainable fasting habits, stay consistent, and create lasting lifestyle change

A few times a week, I join my husband on his daily cycle around the island.

It is one of those things that sounds quite peaceful, and mostly it is. There is the beautiful seaview, the breeze (or not), the familiar roads and people you see along the way, and plenty to look at like the many bird species we have here.

There is also a hill. A steep one.

You really have to put some effort into it if you want to reach the top without getting off the bike and pretending you stopped to admire the view.

I always struggled with that hill. Partly because I tend to cycle while looking around at the sea, the birds, the trees, and whatever else is happening around me. I become so absorbed in the view that I do not realize where I am until I am suddenly at the bottom of the hill, pedaling like crazy and wondering why this keeps happening to me.

The hill, of course, has been in exactly the same place the entire time.

So, during our last few cycling trips, I decided to approach it differently.

I knew where it was and knew what was coming, so instead of drifting along until the road suddenly tilted upwards, I started paying attention to where I was and how far ahead the hill was.

Just before reaching the hill, I began pedaling a little faster, putting in just a little more effort than usual without breaking a sweat. I was building up some momentum and prepared myself for the extra effort and armed myself with some fairly enthusiastic positive self talk with every pedal.

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You can do this. Here we go.

Keep going. Go, go, go …… yes

No don’t look around, almost there

And it worked.

By the time I reached the hill, I already had momentum. My legs were moving, my mind was prepared, and instead of arriving at the bottom feeling surprised and defeated, I arrived ready.

Now I reach the top with a smile and enjoy the free down the other side with the wind in my face and a feeling that I just cycled the Tour de France.

It works every time.

And somewhere between the bottom and the top of that hill, I realized that this is probably a good way to approach many things in life. We often know when something difficult is coming. We can see the challenge ahead, even if we would rather keep admiring the view and pretend it is not there.

But seeing a challenge does not have to make us anxious. It gives us time to prepare.

We can pay attention. Make a plan. Gather what we need. Put in a little extra effort before the hard part begins and create some momentum instead of waiting until we are already struggling.

Positive thinking alone will not get a bicycle up a steep hill. You still have to pedal.

But your mindset matters too. It is much easier to keep going when your inner voice is reminding you that you can do hard things instead of announcing that this was a terrible idea and you should have stayed home with coffee.

Preparation, effort, the right tools, and a bit of determined self encouragement can take us much further than panic at the bottom of the hill.

And sometimes, when we reach the top, we discover that the challenge was not there to stop us.

It was simply asking us to arrive prepared.

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk 😀

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things 🌸

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I don’t think there is a soul on this planet that does not stare up at the full moon and not appreciate the wonder of it all.

I have been drawn to the moon since I was small but it’s only in the last few years that I started noticing it more and following a bit about the new and full moon cycles and how you can add it to your own monthly cycle. And we just had another full moon yesterday, the July Buck Moon.

If you missed the exact hour or spent the evening under a blanket of gray clouds, don’t worry, you haven’t lost your window. In most crystal and lunar traditions, the day before, the day of, and the day after the full moon all share that same bright, reflective energy. You don’t need to stand outside in a nightgown at midnight or catch a specific astronomical minute. The moon and its energy is still very much there, even when the calendar page has turned.

I have always liked rituals that return without making heavy demands on my time. Life gets busy, the weeks run together, and having a small, familiar anchor once or twice a month offers a welcome rhythm. You don’t need an elaborate setup, strict rules, or a sky cleared on demand.

The moon keeps moving regardless of what our schedules look like, which is precisely what makes lunar practice so appealing. It simply offers a regular moment to pause, see where we are, and decide what is worth carrying into the next few weeks.

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Astronomically, the moon moves through its full cycle every 29.5 days, waxing from dark to bright, waning back to dark again, simply reflecting light based on its position between Earth and the sun. The deeper spiritual meanings attached to these phases belong to tradition rather than science.

For many, the new moon has become shorthand for intention, and the full moon for release or gratitude. I find those themes helpful because they give a simple, pragmatic shape to the month without pretending the moon is running my life.

A Curious Note on This Week’s Sky

If you happen to follow planetary shifts, this particular full moon arrives with some extra timing attached. On July 26, the lunar nodes shifted into Aquarius and Leo. Having this full moon land in Aquarius right as the North Node enters the exact same sign creates a fascinating overlap.

Whether you enjoy reading full birth charts or simply appreciate a cosmic coincidence, this alignment is fun to notice. The Leo and Aquarius axis generally revolves around balancing individual self-expression with collective connection: figuring out who you are as an individual versus how you fit into the wider community.

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The New Moon: A Low-Key Beginning

The new moon occurs when the illuminated side faces entirely away from us, leaving the night sky dark. Spiritually, this darker phase isn’t about dramatic fresh starts or declaring a whole new identity; it functions more like a low-key planning stage.

If you want to work with crystals here, you don’t need a whole shelf. Moonstone is the classic choice for lunar symbolism, but if your goal for the month involves stepping into unfamiliar territory, labradorite is a great companion. If you prefer to keep things completely uncomplicated, clear quartz works as a clean, neutral focus stone. Pick just one that feels relevant.

When setting a new moon intention, I always lean toward choices small enough to recognize in ordinary daily life. Setting a goal to “find peace” is tricky to measure, but deciding to “stop checking emails during breakfast” gives your mind something real to work with. The stone sits nearby as a physical touchstone for that decision, not as a magic wand doing the heavy lifting.

The Waxing Moon: Small, Steady Progress

As light begins to show along the edge, the moon enters its waxing phases (crescent, first quarter, and gibbous), building toward full brightness. In practice, this is the building phase: giving attention to whatever you set in motion.

During these middle weeks, I don’t bother setting up a formal ceremony. Instead, I just keep my chosen stone somewhere I’ll actually see it: on my desk, next to my journal or bed. A ritual stone isn’t particularly helpful if it’s tucked away so neatly in a corner that you forget it exists.

For active effort, citrine brings a bright, practical optimism, while carnelian is great when you need a nudge toward action. Green aventurine is another traditional option for steady growth. Keep in mind that these meanings are personal touchstones rather than rigid rules.

The waxing phase is simply a good moment to check in with yourself and see if your intention has moved into your actual day, or if it’s been sitting politely beside a candle while you’ve done nothing about it. Either way, it’s good information.

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The Full Moon: A Point of Reflection

At the full moon, Earth sits between the sun and the moon, letting us see the illuminated surface in full view. It marks the energetic peak of the cycle, making it a natural moment for reflection, gratitude, or clearing space.

Clear quartz is ideal here as a simple reset stone. Selenite is traditional when you want a sense of clearing, while amethyst suits a calm evening focused on mental rest.

To be clear: a crystal doesn’t act like a small mineral vacuum cleaner sucking up a month’s worth of emotional clutter. Cleansing a stone is a symbolic reset for you. You wipe down the crystal, clear off the space around it, and decide what no longer needs your mental energy. The ritual creates the pause; the meaning comes from what you choose to put down.

The Waning Moon: Making Space

After the peak, the light decreases through the waning crescent until the sky goes dark again. This phase is about scaling back, wrapping up unfinished business, or letting go of things that are no longer serving a purpose.

Smoky quartz is a lovely, grounded choice for release, while black tourmaline works well if your focus is setting firmer boundaries. Amethyst can also fit here if the past few weeks have been mentally noisy and you just need to settle.

Waning moon work can be wonderfully mundane. Finish a project that’s been lingering, clear out one cluttered drawer, remove an unnecessary commitment from your calendar, or accept that the book on your bedside table isn’t getting any better. Not every moment of release requires a massive personal revelation.

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A 10-Minute New Moon Ritual

1. Set Up: Place one crystal beside a notebook. Sit comfortably and take a few slow, settling breaths.

2. Ask: Write down one simple question: What would I like to give more attention to during this cycle?

3. Focus: Write freely for a few minutes. Then, refine your answer into one clear, practical intention that can guide an ordinary choice this week.

4. Anchor: Hold your crystal while reading your intention once, aloud or in your head.

5. Action: Finish by writing down one tiny action you can take within the next 48 hours. Place the stone somewhere visible to keep the decision fresh.

A 10-Minute Full Moon Ritual

1. Prep: Wipe your chosen crystal clean with a soft, dry cloth.

2. Settle: Place it on a table or windowsill where you can sit. (Cloud cover or working indoors doesn’t diminish the practice).

3. Review: Write down what has shifted since the new moon. Note what went smoothly, what felt forced, and what you noticed along the way.

4. Release: Choose one habit, expectation, or outdated goal to drop. Write it down and set it aside.

5. Close: End with a short line of specific gratitude from the past month. A pleasant conversation, a repaired appliance, or three mornings without an alarm are all respectable options.

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Caring for Your Crystals Safely

A quick note on practical care: the moon phase is identical worldwide at any given moment, even if time zones shift the local calendar date. Don’t worry about the exact minute, the moon energy is still active on the nights before and after the full moon.

When it comes to setting stones out overnight, a little common sense goes a long way. Weather, heavy humidity, curious pets, or neighborhood wildlife can all disrupt outdoor setups. An indoor windowsill or table near a window is almost always safer than leaving your collection out on the patio overnight.

When in doubt, stick to a quick dry cloth and keep your stones safely inside. Taking practical care of your stones doesn’t make your practice any less spiritual; it just ensures your reflection doesn’t end with a faded amethyst or a dissolving piece of selenite.

At its core, working with lunar phases gives us a simple, recurring rhythm. The new moon invites a moment of focus, the full moon offers space to look back, and the phases in between remind us that real progress happens bit by bit, right in the middle of ordinary life. The stones are simply physical reminders, waiting on our desks to keep us anchored to what we decided.

Embrace the Magic

Make this ritual and experience your own and make time to step outside for a few moments to soak in the glow of the night sky. There are no strict rules here. Take what inspires you, drop what doesn’t, and have fun connecting with the rhythms of the moon!

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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There are days when a sixteen hour fast passes without much attention. I have my coffee and get busy with my day and then eventually realize that my eating window is approaching.

Then there are days when the same sixteen hours feel entirely different. I wake up hungry or feel hungry when I have my coffee, on those days hunger arrives so much earlier. Small irritations become strangely important, and the kitchen begins to look like the only sensible place to spend the afternoon.

The fasting window has not changed. Everything around it has.

Perhaps I slept badly or exercised harder than usual. Maybe I started the day with a list that already felt unreasonable. Fasting does not happen separately from the rest of life. The body responds to the total strain it is carrying, and cortisol is part of that response.

Understanding how intermittent fasting affects cortisol can help explain why a routine sometimes feels easy and at other times seems to demand far more effort than it should.

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Cortisol Is Not the Enemy

Cortisol is often described as the stress hormone, which has given it a rather sinister reputation. It is blamed for weight gain, poor sleep, anxiety, cravings, and almost anything else that goes wrong before lunch.

The reality is less dramatic.

Cortisol is an essential hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It plays a role in metabolism, blood pressure, inflammation, and the release of stored energy. Your cortisol level changes naturally throughout the day. It usually rises around the time we wake and declines as evening approaches.

That morning rise is useful because it helps us become alert and ready for the day. Cortisol also increases when the body needs to respond to a temporary demand, including exercise, illness, emotional strain, or a period without food.

A rise in cortisol during fasting is therefore not proof that something has gone wrong. Research suggests that fasting and calorie restriction can temporarily increase cortisol, particularly at the beginning. The effect may become smaller as the body adapts, although the response differs between people.

Hormones are meant to change. The more important question is whether the body has enough opportunity to settle again once the demand has passed.

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Fasting Is Only One Part of the Load

Intermittent fasting creates a controlled challenge. During the fasting window, no new energy is arriving, so the body has to rely more heavily on stored fuel. Insulin generally falls, and other hormones help keep enough energy available for the brain and body.

When someone is sleeping well and eating enough during the eating window, the challenge may feel manageable. Some people even notice better concentration or a calm sense of alertness.

The same fast may feel very different during a difficult week.

Poor sleep can make hunger harder to tolerate. Intense exercise adds another physical demand, while emotional pressure can leave the nervous system more reactive than usual. If the eating window is also too restrictive, the body may simply have too much to manage at once.

This is where conversations about fasting can become unnecessarily moral. When a familiar schedule suddenly feels difficult, people often assume they have lost their discipline.

Usually, the body is responding to circumstances rather than character.

A sixteen hour fast after a peaceful evening and a good night’s sleep is not the same physical experience as a sixteen hour fast after lying awake until two in the morning while mentally rewriting every conversation from the previous week.

The clock shows the same number of hours. The body is doing different work.

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Sleep Changes the Fasting Experience

Cortisol and sleep follow connected daily rhythms. Cortisol supports daytime alertness, while melatonin rises in response to darkness and helps signal that biological night has begun.

They are not competing for control. Both are part of the body’s timing system.

Sleep restriction can disturb that pattern. Inadequate sleep may keep cortisol higher later in the day or slow its normal evening decline. This can leave the body feeling tired but still alert, which is an especially irritating combination when all you want is to sleep.

Poor sleep can also make the following fast more difficult.

Hunger may feel stronger than usual. Food becomes harder to ignore, particularly food that offers quick energy. Patience also tends to disappear early in the process, sometimes before breakfast would normally have happened.

Coffee often enters the situation as both friend and minor troublemaker. A cup in the morning may fit easily into a fasting routine. Repeated cups used to prop up an exhausted afternoon can make it harder to wind down later. I’m happy that I am not affected by caffeine and can drink coffee late at night.

Before extending a fasting window, it is worth looking at sleep. A shorter fast after a poor night may support the larger routine better than forcing a longer one and spending the rest of the day tired and preoccupied with food.

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Meal Timing Matters Too

Research into earlier time restricted eating suggests that consuming more food earlier in the day may support glucose control and insulin sensitivity for some people.

That does not mean everyone needs to finish dinner before three o’clock.

An early eating window may work well in a study and become far less appealing once family meals, work schedules, and ordinary social life are involved. A fasting routine still has to fit into a life that includes other people.

The research does suggest that eating most of the day’s food late at night may not suit everyone. Human metabolism follows a daily rhythm, and the timing of meals can influence how the body handles food.

For some people, moving dinner earlier may help. Others may feel better by avoiding a very large meal shortly before bed. There is room for adjustment without turning the evening meal into a biological crime scene.

The goal is not to copy the earliest eating window you can find. It is to notice whether your current schedule supports sleep and stable energy.

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When Fasting Starts to Feel Like Too Much

Some hunger is normal when you change an eating pattern. Appetite often appears at familiar meal times, even when the body does not urgently need food. Those hunger waves may become less noticeable once the routine settles.

A steady decline in how you feel is different.

You may notice that sleep becomes less reliable or that exercise takes longer to recover from. Irritability might keep returning during the fasting window, even after the first few weeks. Strong cravings or uncontrolled eating can also suggest that the routine is becoming too demanding.

Fatigue deserves attention too, especially when it continues despite apparently adequate rest. So does a growing obsession with extending the fast, as though every extra hour is proof that the previous one was not enough.

None of these signs prove that cortisol is medically high. Cortisol disorders cannot be diagnosed from a collection of broad symptoms. They can still tell you that the current fasting arrangement may not be working well.

Longer is not automatically better. A manageable fourteen hour fast can be more useful than a twenty hour fast followed by poor sleep and overeating.

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Work With the Day You Are Having

Managing cortisol does not mean trying to keep it permanently low. The body needs alertness during the day and enough calm to recover at night.

A consistent waking time can help support that rhythm. Morning daylight reinforces the signal that daytime has begun, while dimmer light in the evening may make it easier to wind down.

Caffeine also deserves some honesty. More coffee does not repair poor sleep. It can temporarily hide the tiredness, but the body still has to recover eventually.

Exercise should match your current capacity. A hard workout may feel energizing after good rest and excessive after several difficult nights. The same applies to fasting. The body often handles one challenge well, but several together can change the experience.

As we mentioned in our previous posts, food during the eating window matters as well. Meals need to provide enough protein and overall energy. A short eating window should not quietly become a way of eating too little.

Most importantly, the fasting schedule can change when life changes.

Fourteen hours may be enough during a demanding week. A wider eating window for a day does not undo the routine. It may be the adjustment that allows you to continue without turning fasting into another source of pressure.

Tracking sleep, mood, hunger, exercise, and fasting hours can make these patterns easier to see. The scale will not tell you that every difficult fast followed a poor night’s sleep. It will not show that an earlier dinner left you feeling calmer the next morning either.

That information often appears in the ordinary details. Intermittent fasting is an eating structure. It is not a test of character.

The most useful fasting window is not always the longest one you can tolerate. It is the one that leaves enough room for sleep, movement, proper meals, and a life that does not revolve around the clock.

Sometimes consistency means keeping the routine. On other days, it means adjusting it before the strain begins to show.

Learning to recognize the difference is part of making intermittent fasting sustainable.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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When I brought home my first few crystals more than twenty years ago, I did not think much about caring for them. I placed them around the house, carried some in my pocket and occasionally wiped off the dust.

Over time, I realized that looking after them had become part of my relationship with them. It was never an elaborate ritual, just a way of paying attention to the stones I had chosen and the intentions connected to them.

Crystal care does not need to be complicated. Most stones simply need gentle physical cleaning, safe storage and an occasional energetic reset. The important part is knowing that not every crystal can be treated in the same way.

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Why Crystal Care Matters

Crystals collect dust, skin oils and residue, especially when they are handled regularly, carried in pockets or worn as jewelry. A physical clean keeps them looking their best and gives you a chance to check for chips, cracks or damage.

Many people also cleanse crystals after stressful periods, after someone else has handled them or before setting a new intention. Whether you see this as clearing energy or simply creating a thoughtful pause, the purpose is the same: reconnecting with why you are using the crystal.

Simple Daily and Weekly Care

You do not need to follow a strict schedule. A few small habits are usually enough.

• Wipe frequently handled crystals with a clean, soft cloth to remove dust and skin oils.

• Check pocket stones and jewelry for chips, scratches or loose settings.

• Cleanse stones after emotionally difficult days or when you feel ready to change their intention.

• Store travel crystals in a small pouch or wrap them in cloth so they do not knock against keys, coins or other stones.

• Keep delicate crystals separate from harder stones that may scratch them.

Water can be used for some hard, stable stones such as clear quartz and agate, but only as a brief rinse. Pat them dry immediately and never assume an unidentified crystal is water-safe.

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Crystals to Keep Away From Water and Salt

Some crystals can soften, dissolve, tarnish or lose their finish when exposed to water.

Selenite and other gypsum-based crystals should be kept dry, while halite is natural rock salt and can dissolve easily. Malachite, azurite, pyrite and marcasite are also better cleaned with a dry cloth. Calcite can lose its polish, and dyed, glued, coated or porous stones may be damaged by moisture.

Salt can scratch polished surfaces, enter small cracks and corrode metal settings. I prefer to avoid direct salt baths because there are gentler methods that work for almost every crystal.

When you are unsure, use a soft cloth, smoke or sound.

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Safe Ways to Cleanse Crystals

There is no single correct cleansing method. Choose one that is safe for the crystal and practical for your home.

Smoke

Pass the crystal briefly through incense or herbal smoke. Keep it away from the flame and make sure the room is ventilated.

This is a convenient method when you have several different stones and do not want to investigate whether each one can tolerate water.

Moonlight

Place your crystals on an indoor windowsill or in a protected outdoor area overnight. Moonlight is gentle and suitable for most stones, which makes it one of the simplest choices.

Some people use the full moon as a time for release and renewal, while the new moon is associated with fresh intentions. You do not need to wait for a particular moon phase, though. Any night can become part of your routine.

Running Water

Hard crystals such as quartz and agate can usually tolerate a quick rinse under lukewarm water. Avoid soaking them, and keep all soft, porous, layered, metallic or treated stones dry.

Sound

Place your crystals near a singing bowl, bell or chime and allow the sound to move around them for 30 to 60 seconds.

Sound is useful when you have a larger collection because it is gentle and does not require direct contact. Keep fragile stones beside the bowl rather than inside it, where the vibration may cause them to knock together.

Earth

Placing a crystal on dry soil, or burying it for a short time, can be used as a grounding practice. Wrap the stone in cloth or place it inside a small container so it does not become stained or lost.

In a damp tropical climate, I would avoid leaving crystals in wet soil for long periods. A short time resting on dry ground is often enough.

Sunlight

A few minutes of gentle morning sunlight can be used for durable stones. Strong sunlight and heat may fade crystals such as amethyst and rose quartz, so avoid leaving them in direct sun for hours.

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Charging and Programming Your Crystals

Cleansing is usually seen as clearing the stone, while charging and programming are about deciding what you want it to represent.

Hold the crystal in your hand and choose one clear intention. State it aloud or silently, then visualize the stone becoming connected to that intention.

You might say: “I choose this crystal as a reminder to stay calm and clear.”

Repeat the intention three times, then place the crystal in moonlight, beside a clear quartz cluster or on a dry selenite slab.

The crystal does not replace your own choices or actions. It becomes a physical reminder of the way you want to move through the day.

A 10 to 15 Minute Cleansing Routine

Choose three to five crystals that you use often and place them on a clean cloth.

Begin by checking each stone for dirt or damage. Wipe them gently, and rinse only those you know are water-safe.

Next, cleanse them with smoke or sound. Pass each crystal through smoke for a few seconds, or arrange them on the cloth and ring a bell or singing bowl three times.

Pick up each stone individually and decide what you want it to represent now. State the intention three times and imagine that quality becoming connected to the crystal.

Place the stones on a selenite slab, beside clear quartz or on a windowsill if you are using moonlight. When you are finished, return them to their usual storage or choose one to carry the following day.

You may also want to write a short note about what you noticed. It can be as simple as feeling calmer, realizing you no longer connect with a particular intention or deciding that one crystal needs a safer place.

For a quick pocket cleanse, hold the stone, take three slow breaths and restate your intention. The entire routine can take less than two minutes.

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Storing and Displaying Crystals

Keep softer stones in separate pouches and use trays, bowls or shelves to stop crystals from being knocked over. Color-sensitive stones should be stored away from strong sunlight.

Remove crystal jewelry before swimming, showering or cleaning, and check settings regularly. If you have a larger collection, a simple notebook or list can help you remember the names of your stones, what you use them for and when you last cleansed them.

Caring for my crystals changed when I stopped thinking of it as another set of rules. Wiping off the dust, noticing which stones I had been carrying and taking a few minutes to reset an intention made the collection feel personal rather than decorative.

Try the short routine with a few of your own crystals and notice whether the experience changes how you connect with them. If you are still building your collection, you may also enjoy reading Your First Five Crystals. In the next crystal post, I will look at moon cycles and the different ways people work with them.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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When you start intermittent fasting, hunger can feel like the loudest part of the whole experience.

You choose your fasting window and feel quite sensible about it, then the usual breakfast time arrives or the afternoon snack hour appears, and suddenly your brain starts acting as if there is a small emergency happening.

The useful thing to understand is that hunger is not always a simple message from your stomach. It can also be habit, routine, boredom, stress, tiredness, or the familiar signal your body has learned to send because food usually arrives at that hour.

That does not make the feeling imaginary. Hunger can feel very real, but real does not always mean urgent.

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Your Body Learns Your Eating Times

Your body learns patterns quickly.

If you eat at similar times every day, your body begins to expect food at those times. One of the hormones involved in hunger is called ghrelin, and it often rises before expected meals. That is useful when your routine is working for you, but it can feel annoying when you are trying to change when you eat.

When you start fasting, your old eating schedule does not disappear on day one. Your body may keep sending the same hunger signal at the same familiar time, even if you ate enough during your last eating window.

This is why beginners often think something is wrong. They feel hungry at the time they normally eat, then assume the fasting window is too hard. Sometimes the window is too long, or the previous meal was not nourishing enough, but sometimes it is simply the old routine asking why breakfast has not arrived yet.

Your job is not to panic every time that signal appears. Your job is to pause long enough to understand what kind of hunger you are dealing with.

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Habit Hunger Feels Urgent

Habit hunger often arrives quickly and loudly. It can show up at the same time every day, feel intense for a few minutes, then fade when you get busy, drink water, make coffee, or stop staring into the fridge like it might reveal your destiny.

Real physical hunger usually builds more gradually. It feels steadier and does not always demand one specific food.

Habit hunger is often fussier. It may want something sweet, crunchy, quick, or familiar. If only toast, biscuits, chips, chocolate, or your usual snack will satisfy the feeling, you may not be dealing with true hunger. You may be dealing with a pattern.

This is where intermittent fasting becomes useful beyond the fasting window itself. You begin to notice how often you eat because it is time, because food is available, because you feel restless, or because a familiar habit has created a small sense of urgency.

Once you notice the pattern, you have more room to choose.

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The 20-Minute Pause

The next time hunger hits during your fasting window, try not to react immediately. Pause for 20 minutes and treat it as information.

Drink water. Make plain tea or black coffee if that is part of your fasting routine. Move around, start a small task, or step away from the kitchen if the kitchen is the problem, which it often is.

Then check again.

If the hunger fades, it was probably a wave. Hunger waves are common when your body is adjusting to a new eating rhythm. They can feel urgent, but they often pass.

If the hunger stays, grows stronger, or comes with dizziness, shakiness, weakness, or feeling unwell, that is different. Do not ignore your body to prove a point. Break the fast if you need to, and reassess the plan.

A fasting window should stretch you a little. It should not turn your day into a battle scene.

Ask Better Questions

When hunger shows up, it helps to ask a few practical questions before deciding what to do.

Did I eat enough protein and proper food in my last eating window?

Did I sleep badly?

Am I thirsty?

Is this the time I usually eat?

Would I eat a proper meal right now, or do I only want a snack?

These questions help you separate body hunger from habit hunger. If you are truly hungry, eat when your window opens and make the next meal more nourishing. If you are only responding to a familiar time of day, you may be able to wait it out and let the wave pass.

There is no need to be harsh with yourself. You are not fighting your body. You are learning its signals.

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Your Brain Can Learn a New Rhythm

One of the encouraging things about intermittent fasting is that hunger does not always stay as loud as it feels at the beginning.

If you keep a consistent fasting window and eat proper meals during your eating window, your hunger signals may begin to settle into the new rhythm. The first few mornings may feel strange, and the afternoon may test you, but patterns can change.

Every time you pause instead of reacting immediately, you teach your brain something new. You show it that food does not have to arrive the second a familiar signal appears. You create space between the urge and the action, and that space matters.

This is not about mastering yourself in some dramatic iron-will kind of way. I do not find that helpful. It is about becoming less automatic.

You are allowed to feel hungry without treating every hunger signal like an emergency.

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When Hunger Means You Need to Adjust

Not all hunger should be ignored.

If you are constantly miserable, weak, dizzy, shaky, or unable to function, your fasting window may be too long for where you are right now. You may also need to look at what you are eating, how much you are eating, your hydration, your sleep, and whether IF is the right approach for your body.

Some people try to push through everything because they think longer fasting automatically means better results. That is not a useful mindset.

A realistic fasting rhythm should support your life. If your hunger is intense every day, go back to a shorter window. Try 12:12 or 14:10 for a while. Eat more nourishing meals. Make sure you are not using your eating window for too little food or too much sugar.

Slowing down is not failure. It is how you make the habit sustainable.

Hunger Is Information

Hunger is not always hunger, but it is always information.

It may be telling you that your body needs food. It may be showing you that your old routine is still running. It may also point to a poor meal, bad sleep, thirst, stress, or the need for comfort.

The point is not to ignore hunger. The point is to understand it before you obey it.

When you can pause, question the signal, and give yourself a few minutes before reacting, intermittent fasting becomes less about discipline and more about awareness.

That is where the real shift begins.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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I have been thinking lately about how much of our disappointment comes from things that never actually happened.

That sounds strange, because disappointment usually feels connected to something real. Someone did not respond the way we hoped. A plan did not work out. An opportunity did not arrive. A conversation went differently from the one we had imagined. Something happened, or failed to happen, and we were left feeling let down.

But often the real source of the disappointment started long before the actual event. It began in our minds, where we had already created a version of how things were supposed to go.

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We do this so easily that we barely notice it. We imagine how someone will react when we tell them something important. We expect a certain response to a message. We picture how a holiday, birthday, business launch, dinner, relationship, or new beginning will unfold. Sometimes we spend so much time imagining the outcome that it begins to feel almost real.

By the time life catches up with the moment, we are no longer meeting it with an open mind. We are comparing it to the version we have already rehearsed.

That is where disappointment often enters.

The reality may not even be terrible. It may simply be different. But different can feel like failure when we have become emotionally attached to one particular result.

I have caught myself doing this many times. I may put effort into something and imagine that it will be received with a certain level of enthusiasm. I may send a message and expect the other person to understand exactly what I mean. I may plan an experience and quietly hope it will feel a particular way.

When it does not, the disappointment can feel surprisingly personal.

The other person may not even know that they have disappointed me. They were not following the script because they never knew there was one.

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That is perhaps one of the strangest things about expectations. We can create them privately and then feel hurt when other people fail to meet them. We expect them to respond according to a conversation that has only taken place in our own minds.

Of course, I do not think it is possible, or even desirable, to live without expectations altogether. We expect the sun to rise. We expect people to keep their promises. We expect effort to have some kind of result. Expectations help us make plans, protect ourselves, and move through daily life.

The problem begins when an expectation stops being a reasonable possibility and becomes a demand placed on the future.

We start telling ourselves that things should happen in a certain way. We believe people should react as we would react. We assume that hard work should produce the result we want, and that if we have been patient, loyal, kind, or committed, life should reward us accordingly.

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But life does not always work according to that kind of fairness. People have their own histories, moods, limits, and priorities. Timing shifts. Plans change. Effort matters, but it does not give us control over every result.

This is where expectation can become exhausting. It keeps asking reality to match what we have already decided should happen.

I have started wondering whether there is a better way to approach these moments. Not by becoming indifferent or pretending not to care, but by replacing some of my expectations with intentions.

The two may sound similar, but they place our attention in very different places.

If I go into a conversation expecting someone to agree with me, I am giving them responsibility for how I feel afterward. If I enter the same conversation with the intention to be honest, calm, and willing to listen, I am focusing on something I can actually control.

If I create a new project expecting people to love it, I may quickly become discouraged if the response is quiet. If my intention is to create something useful, honest, or meaningful, then the value of the work does not disappear simply because the reaction is different from what I imagined. (Currently working REALLY hard on this one 😀)

The intention still matters, even when the outcome surprises me.

This does not mean intentions protect us from disappointment. Some things will still hurt. There are times when people genuinely let us down, when plans collapse, or when an outcome matters deeply. Replacing expectation with intention is not a trick for avoiding every difficult feeling.

It is simply a way of reducing the unnecessary disappointment we create by demanding that life follow our preferred script.

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An intention gives us direction without pretending we control the destination.

We can intend to be present, but we cannot guarantee the moment will be enjoyable. We can intend to love someone well, but we cannot control how they receive that love. We can intend to work with care, but we cannot force recognition. We can intend to begin again, even when we do not know where the next chapter will lead.

There is something freeing about that.

Expectation often carries tension because it is always watching the future for proof that things are going according to plan. Intention allows us to return to the present and ask a more useful question: How do I want to show up here?

I like that question because it doesn’t require certainty, and it doesn’t depend on life cooperating or other people behaving the way I imagined. Instead, it brings the focus back to the only thing I can really influence: myself.

Perhaps that is the shift I am trying to make. Not to stop hoping or planning, and not to become so detached that nothing matters, but to loosen my grip on the exact result.

Expectation says, “This is how it should go.”

Intention says, “This is how I want to meet it.”

The future may still disappoint me at times, but it may also surprise me with something better than the outcome I had imagined.

At least with intention, I am leaving enough space to find out.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

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Starting intermittent fasting becomes much easier when you know what the first few practical steps look like.

You do not need a strict meal plan or a long list of rules. You need to know how to break your fast without overdoing it and to have a plan for keeping your meals simple enough to repeat, and knowing how the most fasting plans works, helps so you can choose a rhythm that fits your life.

What you want to avoid is realizing you have no plan except hunger and vibes. I have been there. Hunger and vibes are not a meal plan.

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Breaking Your Fast Gently

When you have been fasting for several hours, your body has had a break from food. Your digestive system has not been busy with constant snacks, meals, drinks, and little bites from the kitchen counter.

So when your eating window opens, it helps to ease back in and eat something gentle enough that your body can handle it well.

If you break your fast with something heavy, sugary, or greasy, your body may let you know quite quickly. Instead of feeling steady, you may feel uncomfortable, tired, bloated, or hungry again far sooner than expected.

That is why the first food after a fast should be simple. It does not need to be tiny or joyless, but it should give your body a sensible way back into eating before you move into your main meal.

For me, plain yogurt has often been a good first food after a longer fast. It is easy, quick, and does not feel like a full meal landing in my stomach all at once. Eggs can also work well. Some people like soup, broth, avocado, or a small portion of protein before eating a bigger meal.

The point is not that everyone has to break a fast the same way. The point is to pay attention.

Your first food after a fast should help you feel steady, not send you straight into discomfort or cravings.

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Simple Foods That Work Well

Good food options can include plain Greek yogurt, eggs, broth, soup, avocado, cooked vegetables, chicken, fish, or another small portion of protein. If you have done a longer fast, you may prefer something softer or lighter before moving into a bigger meal.

Avoid breaking your fast with sugary foods, sweet smoothies, fried food, oversized portions, or a plate loaded with refined carbs. These foods are not helpful when your body has just had a break from eating, and they can quickly lead to bloating, cravings, tiredness, and overeating.

If you want intermittent fasting to support your health, the first food after a fast needs to be a better choice. Start with something simple, nourishing, and easier for your body to handle before moving to your main meal.

Easy Meal Planning for IF

Meal planning for intermittent fasting does not need to be complicated. In fact, the simpler it is, the more useful it becomes.

We live on a small island in the Caribbean, so we do not always have endless food options. Sometimes an ingredient is not available, or we have to change the plan on the day. That used to feel annoying, but now it is easy to adjust because our meals are built in a simple way.

We usually plan on Sundays. It is a slower day for us and we make a whole social thing about it, we sit down, look at what we already have, and write out a basic menu for the week. Nothing fancy, just pen, paper, and a menu we can stick on the fridge so we know what needs to be defrosted or prepared.

The first thing we choose is the protein.

That is the anchor of the meal. Once we know whether we are having chicken, beef, fish, pork, eggs, or something else, the rest becomes much easier. Then we add vegetables and anything else that makes the meal feel complete.

This also makes the shopping list simple. Instead of wandering around the shop trying to invent meals while standing in front of the shelves, we already know what we need.

A simple IF meal planning rhythm can look like this:

1. Check what protein you already have.

2. Choose a protein for each main meal.

3. Add vegetables or salad to each meal.

4. Add healthy fats or extras where needed.

5. Write the shopping list from the meals you planned.

That is enough.

If you are doing one meal a day, this can be your main meal plan for the week. If you are eating earlier as well, you can keep that meal very simple: yogurt, eggs, soup, avocado, or a small protein-based meal.

The point is to remove the daily guesswork. When your eating window opens, you do not want to be hungry and trying to make good decisions from an empty fridge.

Plan the protein first, build the meal around it, and keep the whole thing realistic enough to repeat. Try this simple meal plan template below.

The Main Fasting Plans

There are many fasting methods, but you do not need to try all of them.

The most common place to start is 16:8, where you fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8-hour window. For example, you might stop eating at 8 PM and have your first meal at noon the next day. Many people like this rhythm because much of the fasting time happens while they sleep.

The 18:6 plan is a little longer. You fast for 18 hours and eat during a 6-hour window. If you stop eating at 8 PM, your first meal would be around 2 PM the next day. This can feel like a natural next step once 16:8 feels comfortable.

The 20:4 plan gives you a much shorter eating window. This is not where I would suggest most beginners start. It can work for some people, but it requires more care because there is less time to get enough proper food.

Then there is OMAD, which means One Meal A Day. This is a much stricter approach where you eat one main meal and fast for the rest of the day. Some people like the simplicity, but it is not automatically better and it is not something you need to force.

A longer fast is not always the smarter fast.

If 18:6 works well for your body and your lifestyle, that can be a strong and healthy rhythm to stay with. If you want to try OMAD later, build toward it carefully and make sure your meal is nourishing enough to carry you.

The goal is not to collect fasting plans like badges.

The goal is to find a rhythm that supports your health and fits your life.

Trusted Resources for Learning More

Intermittent fasting has a lot of information around it, and not all of it is useful.

There is useful advice out there, but it is often mixed with exaggeration, unnecessary rules, and the kind of language that can make beginners feel as though they are already doing it wrong.

That is why it helps to choose a few resources you trust, then think critically about what you learn.

Dr. Sten Ekberg explains intermittent fasting and metabolic health in a calm, detailed way. His videos may suit you if you prefer clear explanations and want to understand what is happening in the body.

Dr. Mindy Pelz focuses heavily on fasting for women, including hormones, fasting schedules, and how women may need to adapt their approach at different stages of life. In addition to her YouTube content, she has authored a book (”Fast like a Girl“) aimed at helping women integrate IF into their lives effectively.

Dr. Eric Berg shares practical videos about intermittent fasting, food choices, insulin, and metabolic health. His content is usually easy to follow and covers a wide range of common fasting questions.

Use these resources as learning tools, not as a replacement for your own common sense or medical advice. If you have health conditions, take medication, have a history of disordered eating, or feel unsure whether fasting is right for you, speak to a qualified health professional.

That is not overthinking it. That is looking after yourself.

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Keep It Simple

When you start IF, there are three things that make the process much easier.

• Break your fast gently.

• Plan simple meals you can actually repeat.

• Choose a fasting window that fits your real life.

You do not need to master every fasting method this week. You do not need to eat perfectly. You do not need to copy someone else’s routine just because they sound confident on YouTube.

Start where you are. Pay attention to your body. Build slowly.

That is how intermittent fasting becomes a rhythm instead of another complicated thing you are trying to survive.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Next week, we will look more closely at the foods that can make intermittent fasting easier or harder. We will cover the best and worst foods to eat, useful low carb and no carb options, and the foods that may support fat burning.

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Starting with crystals can feel surprisingly overwhelming.

You think you are only going to choose one or two stones, and then suddenly there are shelves full of clear quartz, amethyst, citrine, moonstone, obsidian, rose quartz, carnelian, and names you have never heard before. Trust me, when I ran my crystal shop, I watched people walk in and practically freeze in front of the shelves. Some are polished and smooth. Some are raw and earthy. Some look like they belong in a pocket, and others look like they should come with their own security guard.

Then come all the meanings.

One crystal is for protection. Another is for love. Another is for confidence, creativity, grounding, clarity, abundance, intuition, or calm. I love crystals, but even I can admit that the crystal world can become a lot very quickly.

If you are just starting, you do not need a large collection. You do not need to understand every stone, every chakra, every cleansing method, or every traditional meaning before you begin. Sometimes the best beginning is much simpler.

You choose one because it catches your eye. You receive one as a gift. You keep one in your pocket because it feels comforting. You place one beside your bed because it makes the space feel softer.

That is enough.

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This is not a list of my absolute favorite crystals, because I have many that I love. My favorites also change depending on what is happening in my life. But if someone asked me where to begin, these are the five crystals I would suggest first.

They are easy to find, easy to use, and useful in ordinary daily life.

How I Use Crystals in Real Life

My house is scattered with little containers full of crystals. They occasionally get knocked over by life, or covered in dust, but they are there. I have them near the place where I meditate, on my work desk, and next to my bed. I wear crystal jewelry, and I always carry stones in my pocket.

Yes, I really do love them. 😀

But I do not use them in a complicated way every day. Most of the time, they are simply part of my environment. A crystal on my desk can make my work space feel more grounded. A stone beside my bed can become part of my evening rhythm. Holding one during meditation gives my hands somewhere quiet to rest.

For me, crystals are not about escaping real life. They are about bringing a small ritual into real life.

They remind me to pause, to notice my own energy, and to be more intentional about the space I am in. So here is my choice of your first 5 crystals if you want to start your collection.

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1. Clear Quartz

Clear quartz is one of the best crystals to start with because it is so versatile.

It is often associated with clarity, focus, cleansing, and amplification. I think of it as a reset stone. It has a clean, bright feeling and does not feel too heavy or complicated.

Clear quartz is lovely to hold during meditation, especially when your mind feels busy. You can also keep it near your journal when you are trying to sort through your thoughts, or place it on your desk when you want your work space to feel lighter and clearer.

I like clear quartz because it does not push one strong emotional theme. Rose quartz feels tender. Carnelian feels active. Black tourmaline feels grounding. Clear quartz feels open.

That makes it a beautiful first crystal.

2. Rose Quartz

Rose quartz is often known as the stone of love, but I think it becomes more meaningful when we remember that love is not only romantic.

Love can also be softness, patience, forgiveness, self respect, friendship, and the way we speak to ourselves when nobody else can hear.

Rose quartz has a gentle feeling. It is traditionally connected to the heart chakra, which is really just a spiritual way of talking about the space where we carry our grief, our relationships, and how we treat ourselves when nobody else is looking. It is a lovely crystal to keep beside your bed, near your bath, on a dressing table, or anywhere you want the space to feel softer.

I do not see rose quartz as a stone that makes everything sweet and perfect. Life is not suddenly wrapped in pink ribbon because there is rose quartz on your bedside table. But it can remind you to soften where you have become unnecessarily hard.

Some days that is more useful than another plan.

3. Black Tourmaline or Obsidian

Every beginner collection needs a grounding stone.

For this, I would choose either black tourmaline or obsidian. You do not need both at the beginning, although you may eventually want both. That is how crystal collections quietly become families.

Black tourmaline is often associated with protection, grounding, and energetic clearing. Many people place it near doorways, workspaces, or electronic devices. It has a steady, earthy feeling, which makes it useful when life feels noisy or overstimulating.

Obsidian is also used for grounding and protection, but it feels a little deeper to me. It is volcanic glass and is often associated with truth, shadow work, emotional honesty, and protection. I would not describe obsidian as light or fluffy. It has more of a mirror quality.

If you are brand new, I would probably start with black tourmaline. If you are drawn to deeper reflection, obsidian may call to you more.

Either way, a grounding stone is a good companion for daily life.

4. Citrine

Citrine is often connected with confidence, abundance, personal energy, creativity, and motivation.

It has a warm, sunny feeling, but not in a silly way. I think of citrine as practical optimism. Not the kind that pretends everything is wonderful when it clearly is not. More the kind that says, “There is still something here I can work with.”

That is why I like citrine near a work desk or creative space.

If you are building, writing, planning, or stepping into a new season, citrine is a beautiful crystal to keep nearby. It is traditionally connected with the solar plexus chakra, which is essentially your gut-check area, the seat of your confidence and willpower. Think of it as your inner engine room.

Of course, it still won’t do the work for you. Sadly, no crystal has yet answered emails, cleaned the kitchen, written the article, or made the difficult phone call. Very rude of them, honestly. But it can remind you of your own participation.

5. Carnelian

Carnelian is full of life.

It is often associated with courage, creativity, motivation, passion, and movement. Many people connect it with the sacral chakra, which is the energetic center for creativity, emotion, and life force. It’s the part of you that wants to build things, make things, and actually participate in your own life rather than just watching it pass by.

Where rose quartz softens, carnelian wakes things up.

This is a good crystal for days when you feel stuck, flat, hesitant, or disconnected from your own spark. It has a warm, fiery quality that makes it feel different from the other stones on this list.

I like carnelian for creative work. Keep it near a journal, art supplies, a work space, or anywhere you do the kind of work that asks you to bring yourself into the room.

It is also a useful stone when you are starting something new and need courage more than certainty.

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Simple Ways to Use Your Crystals

Once you have your first few crystals, the next question is usually, “What do I actually do with them?”

You can keep it very simple.

Carry one in your pocket when you leave the house. Place one beside your bed. Hold one in your hand while you meditate. Keep a crystal near your journal when you are writing through your thoughts. Place them around your home in small bowls, on shelves, near plants, or in the spaces where you spend the most time.

You do not need a complicated ritual. You do not need to wait for the perfect moment. Crystals can become part of ordinary life in very quiet ways.

• A clear quartz on your desk to bring a bit of lightness to a heavy workday.

• A piece of rose quartz near your bed to remind you to soften before you fall asleep.

• Black tourmaline near the door to leave the noise of the outside world behind you.

• Citrine beside your notebook to spark a tiny bit of practical optimism while you plan.

• Carnelian in your pocket on a day when you simply need the courage to move forward.

That is enough.

Start With What You Will Actually Use

The best beginner crystals are not the rarest or most expensive ones. They are the ones you will actually reach for.

Clear quartz, rose quartz, black tourmaline or obsidian, citrine, and carnelian give you a lovely foundation. Together, they cover clarity, softness, grounding, confidence, and creative movement.

That is a good beginning for almost anyone.

You can learn more as you go. You can add other stones later. You can explore chakras, cleansing methods, crystal grids, and deeper meanings when you feel ready. There is no need to turn the beginning into another thing to perfect.

For me, crystals are small reminders. They help me pause. They bring texture to a moment. They make my spaces feel more personal and alive. They remind me that energy is not only something we talk about in big spiritual language. It is also the feeling at your desk, beside your bed, in your hands, and in the way you move through the day. So pick one, put it in your pocket, and don’t overthink it.

And that is a beautiful place to begin.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things 🌸

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Once you have chosen a fasting window, the next question becomes very practical.

What do I eat when the eating window opens?

This is one of the most important parts of intermittent fasting. Fasting is not only about the hours you spend without food. The food you choose during your eating window affects how you feel, how steady your energy is, how strong your cravings become, and how manageable the next fasting window feels.

You can have a neat fasting schedule on paper, but if your eating window is filled with sugar, refined carbs, processed food, and constant snacking, the whole rhythm becomes harder to sustain.

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That does not mean you need to eat perfectly. It means your eating window needs to support the reason you started fasting in the first place.

There is that old saying, “You are what you eat.” I know it has been used so often that it almost sounds like something printed on a tired fridge magnet, but there is truth in it. If you keep feeding your body food that leaves you tired, hungry, bloated, or craving more sugar, fasting alone is not going to fix the whole picture.

Intermittent fasting gives your body a break from constant eating.

Your eating window is where you choose what your body gets to work with next.

Your Eating Window Is Part of Fasting

The fasting window and the eating window work together.

One gives your body a break from food. The other gives your body the nutrients it needs to feel steady, satisfied, and supported.

That is why the eating window should not be treated like a reward for fasting.

I waited. I behaved. I deserve something nice.

Food should absolutely be enjoyable. Nobody needs to live like every meal is a punishment with lettuce on the side. But if the first thing you give your body after a fast is sugar, refined carbs, or heavily processed food, you may feel the effect quickly.

For many people, that can mean a burst of energy followed by cravings, tiredness, or the strange feeling of wanting to eat again even though they technically just ate. This is why food choices need to become part of the IF conversation early. Not in a strict, joyless way. In a practical way.

Your eating window is not separate from your fasting journey. It is one of the places where the rhythm is either supported or made harder.

Start With a Simple Food Mindset

Before you think about recipes, meal plans, or complicated food rules, start with one honest question:

Will this meal help me feel steady, satisfied, and nourished?

That question is more useful than trying to memorize every diet opinion on the internet.

When we started taking intermittent fasting seriously, we moved toward a high protein, low-carb, no sugar approach. That worked well for us because it made meals more satisfying and reduced the constant pull of cravings.

For us, protein became the anchor.

Not because protein is trendy, but because it helps a meal feel like a meal. When your eating window is shorter, you need food that holds you. A plate full of sugar and refined carbs may taste good in the moment, but it often does not support you for long.

That does not mean every person has to eat exactly the same way. Your body, health, preferences, and lifestyle matter. But if you are new to IF and you have no idea where to begin, a simple direction helps.

Build your meals around protein. Add vegetables. Include healthy fats. Remove sugar and refined carbs.

That is already a strong beginning.

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Protein First

Protein is a good place to begin because it gives your meal structure.

Eggs are simple, filling, and easy to prepare, but if you enjoy animal protein and want meals that feel truly substantial, look toward chicken, beef, pork, mutton, or turkey. Fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are great because they bring protein together with healthy fats—unlike tuna, which is incredibly lean and usually needs something a bit more satisfying alongside it.

If you need something effortless, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are highly convenient, while plant-based options like tofu and tempeh work well if you pay attention to the rest of the meal so you aren’t relying too heavily on higher-carb sides. Nuts and seeds can help too, though they are notoriously easy to overeat straight from the bag while pretending the handfuls are being counted by a responsible adult somewhere.

The point is not to create a perfect protein list. The point is to stop opening your eating window with food that leaves you hungry again an hour later. Start with protein, then build the rest of the meal around it.

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Be Honest About Sugar and Refined Carbs

Carbohydrates are where many people get confused, because not all carbs behave the same way in real life.

For this beginner stage, I would not start with complicated carb theory. I would start with the obvious places where things often go wrong.

Bread, pasta, white rice, pastries, crackers, chips, sugary cereals, desserts, fruit juice, sweetened yogurt, and sweet drinks can make the eating window less helpful than it should be. They may taste good in the moment, but they often keep cravings awake, and they are often loaded with sugar, colorants and flavorants.

Smoothies deserve a special mention because they often travel under the banner of health while quietly carrying a lot of sugar. Some are fine as part of a balanced eating plan, but if your morning smoothie is basically a sweet drink with a wellness accent, it may not be helping your fasting journey.

This is not about never eating carbs again. It is about noticing which foods leave you satisfied and which ones wake up the snack monster.

If you want carbohydrates in your eating window, choose them with more awareness. Vegetables are a better starting place than refined grains and sugary foods. If you include beans, lentils, quinoa, or fruit, pay attention to portion size and how your body responds.

The point is not fear. The point is honesty.

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Add Food That Supports You

A good beginner meal does not need to be complicated.

Start with a proper protein. Add vegetables you will actually eat. Include enough healthy fat to feel satisfied.

That might look like eggs with avocado and tomatoes, chicken with roasted vegetables, salmon with salad, beef with cauliflower mash, or Greek yogurt with a small portion of nuts if you need something lighter.

Vegetables do not need to become a whole personality, but adding options like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, or peppers fits beautifully into simple meals. You might find that you prefer them cooked because they feel gentler on your digestion after a fast, or you might prefer crisp salads, especially when the weather is hot and turning on the stove feels like a personal insult.

Healthy fats can also make meals more satisfying, especially when you are eating fewer times per day. Avocado, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, olives, eggs, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, and some full-fat dairy can all have a place, depending on what works for you.

Just remember that “healthy” does not mean unlimited. Fats are energy-dense, and it is easy to overdo them if every meal becomes a festival of oil, cheese, nuts, cream, and avocado.

Use fats to support the meal, not bury it.

Watch the Hidden Sugar

Added sugar is one of the first things I would pay attention to when starting IF.

Not because one sweet thing ruins your life. It does not. But sugar has a way of slipping into daily habits until you stop noticing how often it is there.

It may be in your coffee, yogurt, smoothie, sauce, dressing, snack bar, or the little thing you eat at night because the day was long and you are finally alone with your thoughts.

Later, we can talk more about reading labels and avoiding the fine print. For now, just start noticing where sugar keeps showing up.

You do not have to change everything in one day. But you do have to stop pretending the small daily things do not count.

They do.

Keep It Simple This Week

If you are just starting, do not try to fix your whole diet in one dramatic sweep.

Choose one place to begin. Remove sugar from your coffee, or replace it with something like Monkfruit drops. Replace sweetened yogurt with plain Greek yogurt. Build your first meal around protein instead of bread. Stop buying the snack that always becomes a problem at night. Prepare one simple meal in advance so you are not opening your eating window with whatever happens to be easiest.

Small changes matter when they are repeated.

The eating window is not the time when fasting stops. It is the time when you support the body that carried you through the fasting window.

Use it well.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Next week, we’ll look at easy meal planning and how to break your fast in a way that feels gentle, sensible, and realistic. After that, we’ll walk through the main fasting plans without turning it into a complicated chart of misery, and I’ll share a few trusted resources you can use if you want to understand intermittent fasting beyond social media opinions.

This Week’s Small Experiment: The Label Spot-Check

If you want to take this off the screen and bring it into your actual kitchen this week, let’s do a very simple, unpretentious exercise. Don’t try to overhaul your entire pantry or throw away everything you own. Just pick the one item you consume most frequently during your eating window.

It might be your favorite store-bought salad dressing, the creamer you pour into your coffee, a daily wellness smoothie, or that specific afternoon snack bar you reach for when the day gets heavy.

Go to your fridge or cupboard, turn the package around, and look at the actual ingredients list. Don’t worry about calories or complicated math. Just look at how high up sugar is on that list, or look at the grams of “added sugar” on the nutritional label.

The point here is not to feel guilty, and it’s certainly not to punish yourself. The point is simply to notice. Once you see exactly what you are opening your eating window with, it becomes much easier to answer that honest question: Is this item supporting my rhythm, or is it secretly making tomorrow’s fast twice as hard?

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The first time I heard anything about Rumi’s poem The Guest House, I did not hear the whole poem. I heard one line mentioned during a meditation. It was a simple comment, almost passing by quietly: our emotions are just visitors.

That was it. No long explanation. No deep analysis. Just that one idea.

But it stayed with me.

Some words do that. They land softly, but they do not leave. They follow you into ordinary days, into quiet mornings, into moments when you are annoyed, sad, anxious, or trying very hard to pretend you are fine. That one comment made me search for the actual poem. I wanted to understand where the idea came from and why such a simple image had made so much sense to me.

Then I found the opening line: “This being human is a guest house…”

At first, I thought it was simply a beautiful poem. Over time, I realized it was offering me a different way of understanding myself.

Before I go further, here is the poem itself.

“The Guest House” by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks.

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A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

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Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

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The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

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Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

It was not asking me to become someone who never feels sadness, fear, anger, jealousy, grief, or frustration. It was not promising some neat emotional life where everything uncomfortable disappears if I become wise enough. It was offering something much more useful than that. It was showing me the difference between what arrives inside me and who I actually am.

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Most of us spend a surprising amount of energy fighting our feelings. We divide emotions into categories without even realizing it. There are the ones we like: joy, peace, gratitude, excitement, love, confidence. Those are welcome. Then there are the ones we would rather not host at all: sadness, fear, anger, jealousy, frustration, grief, shame. These are the feelings we treat like interruptions, as if their arrival means something has gone wrong.

It makes sense. Nobody wakes up hoping for anxiety before breakfast or a full serving of irritation with their morning coffee. But this is where we often make life harder for ourselves. A difficult feeling arrives, and instead of simply feeling it, we start fighting it. Sadness comes in, and we think we should not feel this way. Anger appears, and we tell ourselves we should be more mature than this. Fear shows up, and we ask why we cannot just be calm.

Then we are no longer dealing with only the original feeling. We are dealing with the judgment we have placed on top of it. Sometimes that second layer hurts more than the emotion itself.

At first, that can sound almost too simple, but it changes the way I hold my own emotions. Instead of saying, “I am anxious,” I can say, “Some anxiety is visiting today.” Instead of saying, “I am angry,” I can say, “Anger has arrived.” Instead of saying, “I am sad,” I can say, “Sadness is moving through today.”

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This does not make the feeling fake or smaller than it is. Certain emotions arrive heavily, with muddy shoes and no concern for whatever plans you had for the day. But the wording creates space, and that space matters. When I say, “I am anxious,” anxiety can become the whole story. When I say, “Anxiety is visiting,” I remember there is still a me underneath the feeling. I am experiencing something, but I am not reduced to it.

There is an Irish phrase I love for this too: Tá brón orm. It is often translated as “I’m sorry,” but more literally, it carries the sense of “sorrow is on me.” I find that beautiful. It does not say I am sorrow. It says sorrow is with me, or on me, for a while. The feeling is real, but it is not the whole of me. It can arrive, stay, and eventually pass.

I thought about this one morning on the island while we were out for our morning cycle. It was a beautiful clear day with a soft breeze, and I was enjoying the scenery. There is a spot where we always stop to take a breath before we turn around and head home. But that morning, loud music arrived with a group of tourists, and the whole atmosphere shifted.

So did I.

Frustration walked in quickly. My first instinct was to make the feeling about them: they were too loud, they were ruining the peace, they should have been more aware. Maybe some of that was true, maybe it was not. But the real lesson was noticing how fast frustration tried to become the whole story.

That is where the guest house image helped me. Frustration was visiting. It did not mean the morning was ruined, and it did not have to take the rest of the day with it.

The hardest part of Rumi’s poem, for me, is not the idea that emotions are visitors. The hardest part is the invitation to welcome them all in.

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That sounds lovely when the visitor is joy, and almost wise when the visitor is inspiration. It becomes much harder when grief, anger, fear, shame, resentment, or disappointment stands at the door.

I do not always want to welcome what arrives. Certain emotions feel rude and inconvenient. They show up at the worst possible time, bringing memories I would rather not revisit or pointing toward truths I do not feel ready to look at. But welcoming them does not mean enjoying them. To me, welcoming means allowing the emotion to exist long enough to understand what has arrived.

This poem changed the question I ask when difficult emotions appear. I used to ask, “How do I get rid of this?” Now I try to ask, “What has arrived today and how do I handle it?”

That question softens something. It gives me a moment before reacting and reminds me that emotions are information, not instructions. An uncomfortable feeling does not have to become a personal failure.

Once I notice what has arrived, the feeling may pass quickly or stay for a while. Either way, it often shows me something I needed to see: a boundary, a disappointment, a fear I have been avoiding, or a need I did not want to name.

I still resist certain feelings. I still wish I could choose only the pleasant ones and leave the rest outside. But Rumi’s poem reminds me that an emotion can arrive without becoming my identity.

A difficult feeling may stay longer than I would like, disturb my peace, or show me something I was not ready to see. Even then, it is still only passing through.

The guest changes. The house remains.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things 🌸

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Once you have looked honestly at your current eating rhythm, the next step is choosing your first fasting window.

This is where intermittent fasting can start to sound more complicated than it really is. You read one article, then another, and before long it feels like you need to understand a whole new system before you are allowed to begin. You do not.

Your first fasting window does not need to be impressive. It needs to be clear, realistic, and repeatable.

A fasting window is simply the time between your last calories of the day and your first calories the next day. If you stop eating at 8 PM and eat again at 10 AM, you have fasted for 14 hours. If you stop eating at 8 PM and eat again at noon, you have fasted for 16 hours.

That is the basic idea.

There is nothing mystical about the first step. You are not trying to become a fasting expert in one week. You are trying to choose one rhythm your body can begin to understand.

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A Quick Safety Note

Intermittent fasting is not for everybody.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, have a history of disordered eating, have diabetes or blood sugar concerns, take medication that is affected by food timing, have heart disease, or have any medical condition that could be affected by fasting, please speak to a qualified health professional before you start.

Changing when you eat can affect your energy, blood sugar, medication schedule, mood, and general health. For many people, IF can be a useful structure. For others, it may be the wrong tool, or it may need proper medical guidance.

The goal is better health, not winning a fasting competition nobody asked you to enter.

Start With the Easiest Window You Can Repeat

A good first fasting window should feel almost boring.

That may not sound exciting, but boring is useful when you are building a habit. If the first version of IF feels dramatic, miserable, or impossible to fit into normal life, you will spend too much energy negotiating with it every day.

The easiest place to begin is usually the overnight fast. Most people are already fasting while they sleep. The only real change is making the edges of that fast cleaner.

You stop eating after dinner. You choose when your first meal will be the next day. Then you repeat that same rhythm for a week.

That is enough to begin.

When we first started, we did not jump straight into long fasts. We moved breakfast later and gave ourselves time to see how it felt. That first adjustment matters because your body is used to your old routine. Your mind is used to it too. If you normally eat early, snack late, and graze in between, a sudden long fast can feel like a personal attack.

It is better to begin with something you can repeat than to start with something you can only survive once.

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Simple Beginner Fasting Windows

There are many fasting methods, but you do not need all of them at the beginning. For your first week, keep the choices simple.

12:12 means you fast for 12 hours and eat during a 12-hour window. This is a gentle place to start if you are brand new. For example, you could stop eating at 8 PM and have your first meal at 8 AM.

This may sound too simple, but for many people it already removes late-night snacking and creates a cleaner rhythm around food.

14:10 means you fast for 14 hours and eat during a 10-hour window. This is a good next step if 12 hours feels manageable. You could stop eating at 8 PM and have your first meal at 10 AM.

For many beginners, 14:10 is a comfortable starting place because it creates a real fasting window without making the morning feel too stretched.

16:8 means you fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8-hour window. This is one of the most popular IF rhythms. You might stop eating at 8 PM and have your first meal at noon.

It can work well, but it is not always the best first step if your current eating window is very long. If you normally eat early in the morning and snack late at night, moving straight to 16:8 may feel like too much too soon.

18:6 means you fast for 18 hours and eat during a 6-hour window. This can be useful later, but I would not make it the default beginner plan. It is better to earn your way there slowly than to force it before your body has adjusted.

The best plan is not the one that sounds the most disciplined. The best plan is the one you can repeat without making every day feel like a fight.

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Pick One Window and Stay With It

This is the part that matters most.

Once you choose your first fasting window, stick to it every day for a week.

Intermittent fasting works better as a rhythm than as an occasional experiment. If you fast on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then go back to eating from morning until night for the rest of the week, your body never really gets the chance to settle into the pattern.

You are starting and stopping, then wondering why it still feels difficult.

This does not mean life has to be perfect. There will be family meals, travel days, birthdays, strange schedules, and days where the plan bends. That is normal. But in the beginning, the goal is to give your body and mind enough consistency to understand what you are doing.

I would rather see someone do a 12-hour or 14-hour fast every day for seven days than attempt a much longer fast twice and give up by Thursday.

A useful question is not, “What is the hardest fasting window I can handle?”

A better question is, “What fasting window can I repeat every day this week?”

That answer will usually tell you where to start.

What Counts During the Fasting Window

During the fasting window, keep things simple.

Your fasting window is the time when you are not consuming calories. That means water is fine. Plain tea is fine. Black coffee is usually fine for most fasting routines.

What does not belong in the fasting window is anything that turns the fast into a quiet little eating window in disguise.

Alcohol is a no during the fasting window. So are juice, milk, cream, sugar, sweet drinks, snacks, and little bites of food. Even if it feels small, it still counts.

Coffee is where many people get surprised. A plain black coffee is one thing. A coffee with sugar, milk, cream, flavored syrup, or anything that turns it into a morning dessert is something else entirely.

I know coffee is personal. Nobody wants to be emotionally assaulted before 9 AM.

If black coffee feels impossible at first, do not turn the whole thing into a crisis. Start reducing what you add. Some people use monk fruit drops as a stepping stone away from sugar. Others slowly reduce milk or cream until their taste adjusts.

The point is not to be perfect on day one. The point is to understand what belongs inside the fasting window and what quietly breaks the rhythm.

During the fasting window, keep it clean: water, plain tea, or black coffee.

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Do Not Change the Window Too Quickly

The first week is not there to prove how strong you are. It is there to give you useful information.

If you choose 14:10, stay with 14:10 for seven days before changing it. If it feels manageable, you can keep it for another week or gently extend it. If it feels too hard, you can move back to 12:12 and build from there.

There is no shame in starting smaller.

The problem is not a shorter fasting window. The problem is choosing something so difficult that you cannot repeat it.

Let your body adapt. Let your mind settle. Let the routine become less dramatic before you make it harder.

You may feel hunger at the time you normally eat. That does not always mean something is wrong. Sometimes it is simply your old routine ringing the bell. You may also feel a little restless in the morning if breakfast has always been automatic.

Pay attention, but do not panic.

If you feel unwell, dizzy, shaky, or genuinely not okay, stop and reassess. IF should support your health, not make you ignore clear signals from your body.

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Keep the First Window Simple

Your first fasting window is not your final fasting identity.

It is just the first rhythm you are testing.

Start with 12:12 or 14:10 if you are new. Try 16:8 if you already feel ready for a longer window. Leave 18:6 for later if your body needs more time.

Choose one. Repeat it for seven days. Keep the fasting window clean. Do not turn every morning into a debate.

That is enough for the first week.

Download: The Timeline of Fasting Benefits

I have added a simple fasting timeline for you to download with this post.

It shows what may happen in the body as a fast gets longer, from the early digestion stage to longer fasting windows. Do not use it as pressure to jump into long fasts immediately. Use it as a simple guide to understand why fasting windows matter, and why it helps to choose one rhythm and give your body time to adjust.

Longer fasts are not automatically better for every person. Start with a realistic window, stay consistent, and build slowly.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Next week, we will look at what to eat when you start intermittent fasting, why food quality still matters, and how to use your eating window to support your body instead of undoing all your effort.

The Timeline Of Fasting Benefits

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Intermittent fasting is easy to misunderstand in the beginning because it can look like just another diet. We usually arrive at it from that very familiar place of frustration. Your clothes feel tighter, your energy is dragging, and somewhere in the middle of ordinary life, you realize your habits have been making all your decisions for you.

I know that feeling very well. It rarely arrives as one dramatic moment. More often, it builds slowly through relaxed choices and that uncomfortable sense that your body is asking for more attention than you’ve been giving it.

But intermittent fasting doesn’t work well when we treat it like a quick fix. That mindset brings a strange kind of panic with it. You want the results to show up immediately, and you want the scale to reward you right now because you’ve already survived a few difficult mornings, and surely that should count for something!

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That impatience is where we make the beginning far too heavy. Instead of building one steady habit, we try to tighten every single part of life at once: the fasting window, the food choices, the exercise, the water, the sleep, and the emotional stability we all apparently expect to arrive by Friday.

That isn’t a plan. That’s a personal ambush.

This Is Not a Quick Fix

If this is going to become something sustainable, the first shift has to happen in your mind. You are not “going on a diet.” You are starting to build a different way of living around food, energy, habits, and your real daily rhythm.

A diet, in the way most of us use the word, usually comes with an expiry date. You go on it for a while, try to behave, count what you’re supposed to count, avoid what you’re supposed to avoid, and then real life starts pushing at the edges. There’s a birthday, a stressful week, a trip, or just one tired Tuesday evening when the old rhythm feels a whole lot easier than the new one. Before long, the habits you were trying to change quietly walk back in and make themselves comfortable again.

A lifestyle change has to be built differently. It can’t depend on a perfect week or a sudden personality transplant. It has to fit into the ordinary, messy shape of your life, including the days when you are tired, busy, stressed, short on time, or standing in the kitchen wondering what on earth to make for dinner.

For me, intermittent fasting sits inside a much bigger picture than simply counting the hours you don’t eat. Food is part of it, of course, but it isn’t the whole story. The way you hydrate, sleep, handle stress, move your body, and talk to yourself all shape whether this becomes sustainable or just another short attempt that exhausts you before it helps you.

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None of that needs to be tackled on day one. Actually, trying to fix it all at once is usually where things go sideways. But it helps to understand from the start that you are working with your whole lifestyle, not just an eating window.

This includes the way you speak to yourself. We often become incredibly harsh with ourselves when trying to lose weight or change a habit because we think harshness creates discipline. It usually doesn’t. If your new lifestyle feels like a punishment, you will eventually look for a way out. That doesn’t mean you are weak; it just means you are human.

Start With Your Real Rhythm

Before choosing a fasting window, I think the better place to begin is with one honest question: What kind of lifestyle am I trying to build?

Intermittent fasting isn’t just about delaying a meal or skipping breakfast. It’s about creating a way of living that supports your health, your energy, and your ability to stay consistent when life isn’t perfectly arranged around your good intentions.

Your starting reason doesn’t have to sound impressive. It might be weight loss, energy, blood sugar, digestion, discipline, or just that uncomfortable feeling that your habits have been quietly taking over. Whatever it is, let it be honest enough that you can return to it later when the initial excitement fades. It reminds you that this isn’t about punishing yourself for yesterday, but building something better for the life you want to live.

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After mindset, the next step isn’t to choose the hardest fasting plan you can find. It’s to look at the rhythm you already have. Before you can change your habits, you need to see them clearly, not the polished version we nicely explain to ourselves, but the real one.

A few simple questions can show you a lot:

• When do I usually start and stop eating each day?

• How often do I snack without really thinking about it?

• What tends to happen after dinner?

• Do I eat because I am hungry, or because I am tired, bored, stressed, or simply used to it?

• How much sugar, milk, alcohol, or processed food has quietly become part of my normal routine?

• Do I drink enough water, or do I mostly run on coffee and good intentions?

This isn’t about judgment; it’s just about awareness. You can’t build a fasting rhythm around an imaginary version of your life. You have to start with the life you are actually living.

Practical Adjustments (No Military Operations Required)

This is where many people make fasting way more complicated than it needs to be. They start with the method before they understand their own pattern. They ask whether they should do 16:8, try OMAD, download an app, count calories, cut carbs, or change everything at once.

We can talk about all of that later. Some of it matters, some of it depends on your body, and some of it is just the internet making noise in a shiny outfit. For now, just focus on your current eating rhythm.

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When my husband and I first used intermittent fasting seriously, the biggest shift wasn’t that we suddenly became perfect, flawless eaters. We were still normal people with cravings, habits, and days that did not go to plan. What changed was the structure. There was a time for eating and a time for not eating, which made the whole day feel less like one long, exhausting negotiation with food.

If you are eating from early morning until late at night, simply noticing that pattern will teach you something. If evening snacking is your routine, your first step isn’t another app; it’s understanding why that habit feels so comfortable. And if your morning coffee is basically dessert wearing a mug costume, changing what’s in your cup might be your best beginning.

You don’t have to fix all of this immediately. There is a massive difference between taking your health seriously and launching a full-scale military operation against your own life. The first one asks you to pay attention and make better choices; the second one usually collapses because it asks too much too soon.

A better beginning is to choose one or two changes that feel entirely manageable this week:

• Pay closer attention to your water intake.

• Close the kitchen after dinner.

• Gently move your first meal a little later.

• Write down your eating window for a few days so the pattern is visible instead of guessed.

Small changes can look incredibly unimpressive from the outside, but they are often the ones that last. This isn’t the part of the journey where you need to prove how disciplined you are. This is the part where you learn what you are working with.

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Write It Down

There will be plenty of time later to talk about fasting windows, schedules, coffee, electrolytes, food quality, hunger, and longer fasts. Those details matter, but they only make sense when you’ve looked honestly at your current rhythm. Otherwise, you’re just building on top of guesswork.

This is exactly why I like writing things down. Not in an obsessive way, and not because every bite needs to become a spreadsheet. Writing things down simply helps you catch the patterns you would otherwise explain away. You think you know your habits until you see them on paper. The evening snacks, the sweet coffee, and the “just this once” choices get a lot easier to understand when they aren’t floating around vaguely in your head.

A Simple Starting Page

To go with this post, I’ve put together a simple printable starting page. Print it out, make some coffee, and fill it in without overthinking it. It isn’t meant to be a perfect, rigid plan. It’s just a practical way to write down where you are starting, what you can manage this week, and the first small habit you want to try.

For this week, don’t chase the hardest version of intermittent fasting. Just pay attention to your rhythm again. That feels like the right place to begin.

Before the rules, the apps, and all the clever details, start with the mindset. This isn’t a quick fix. It’s a lifestyle shift, and the very first step is simply to notice the life you are asking that shift to fit into.

A Simple Starting Plan

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Start here. Keep it simple, be honest with where you are, and choose one small step you can actually repeat this week.

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Until next time,

Ciska 💕

Next week, we’ll get into the practical side of starting intermittent fasting: how to choose a simple fasting window, what to do first, and how to ease into the routine without making the whole thing feel harder than it needs to be.

Subscribe for honest notes on building a life that still feels alive, from health resets and brave decisions to comfort zones, good coffee, and the strange little moments that teach us something.🌸

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My love for crystals started more than twenty years ago, when I first met my husband.

He had a small collection of crystals, each one kept in its own little box, and I remember being immediately drawn to them. There was something about them that caught my attention straight away. The colors, the shapes, the feeling of them, the quiet beauty. I cannot say I understood it all then, but I knew I loved them.

From there, I started noticing crystals everywhere.

Over the years, I collected a few here and there, but when we moved to Panama, that love grew into something much bigger. I started collecting more crystals, and for a while we sold crystals and incense from our home as a hobby. It was something to keep busy, but it also became something I truly loved.

Eventually, that little hobby turned into a full crystal and incense shop.

And I loved that shop.

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It gave me a place where I could be surrounded by all the things I enjoyed so much: crystals, incense, beautiful scents, energy, color, texture, and little treasures that all seemed to carry their own personality. At one point, I had more than fifty different types of crystals, and I still remember how much joy that brought me.

Even after we moved on from the shop, my love for crystals never disappeared.

They are still around my home. I carry them in my pockets. I use them when I meditate. They have become part of my daily life in a way that feels natural to me.

I know not everyone feels the same way about crystals, and that is perfectly fine. I am not here to convince anyone of anything. I am simply sharing what they mean to me.

For me, crystals carry a kind of energy I love being close to. Some feel grounding. Some feel calming. Some feel protective. Some simply make me happy when I look at them or hold them in my hand. They help create a feeling, a moment, a small connection to something quieter than the usual noise of the day. And I found a fun hobby in making crystal jewelry.

Essential oils have their own story in my life.

That journey started in South Africa, long before we moved to Panama. We had a business called Beautiful Earth, where we produced skin and body-care products using natural ingredients and essential oils. That was where my love for oils really deepened.

I loved working with them. I loved the scents, the blending, the way one oil could feel bright and uplifting while another could feel calm, warm, or deeply comforting.

That love stayed with me too.

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things.

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Today, I still use essential oils in some products I make for personal use, and I also use them in meditation. Oils have a deeper meaning for me in that space, but that is probably a whole other post on its own.

For now, I can simply say this: crystals and oils are not trends to me. They are not decorations I picked up because they look pretty in a photo. They have been woven into different parts of my life for many years.

They remind me of people, places, seasons, businesses we built, shops we loved, and parts of myself I have carried through many changes.

They are part of my home. Part of my meditation. Part of my energy.

Part of my story.

Until next time,

Ciska 💕

I’m curious, do you have some crystals too?

Real life, brave decisions, health resets, comfort zones, coffee, and staying alive and kicking. Subscribe for honest notes from a woman still learning, still building, and still saying yes to slightly crazy things.

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