The Ultimate Offering: Edible Flower Salad And Sweet Tahini Dressing

TheRawDance, I just wanted to say that I think you are an amazing person. When I saw your picture, I thought, "Who's that cute person in the tutu?!" and I visited your website. I learned so much from reading all that you wrote. I have struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder (which can sometimes lean towards orthorexia), and getting to know you through your website/Youtube videos/what you share on this forum has really helped me to remember to loosen up and enjoy life. You are very inspirational, thank you so much for sharing all that you have gone through.

P.S. Have you ever considered writing a raw food cookbook? Seriously! Your recipes look amazing. You also have a lot to offer in the way of how we can love/nourish/care for ourselves in unexpected ways... sooooo helpful :) xxxooooo!!!

At the very beginning, what helped me the most was Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life. A lot of people think that book is cheesy, but I L-O-V-E it. From reading that book, I replaced some of my OCD rituals with beautiful mantras: "A thought is just a thought, nothing more!" and "I am safe and all is well." After doing that I was able to move out of my head and look at the big picture (this was the healing moment for me!) I realized that I had such a crazy, hectic, sad, anxiety-ridden upbringing that my body was actually used to being in a constant state of anxiety. Now that I am in control of my own life and it is peaceful and beautiful, my mind thinks negative thoughts in order to get the adrenaline rolling and bring my body back to the anxiety-ridden state that it is used to. Of course, I have nothing to prove all of this, I just kind of came up with it on my own, but I TRULY BELIEVE that this is what OCD's reason was for being in my life.

Then, after I figured all of that out, I was able to handle it all. I wasn't scared of myself anymore and I gave myself love and care (esp. loving the hurt, scared child within)... Then things just started rolling! I went back to school, and now I'm studying art. I love it. Art helps me so much. Sometimes I do "OCD" drawings where I draw the same shape over and over and over as many times as I want to-- it's so healing for me and I have created some of my best pieces of artwork using this method.

Another big thing is totally setting boundaries for myself; i.e. not letting OCD keep me from enjoying or experiencing life in any way. This is hard sometimes, but I try to stick to it. For example: a "silly" ritual such as counting my foot steps is okay because it is comforting to me, I've done it ever since I was a kid. However, letting OCD take over and keep me from driving because I am scared I am going to hurt someone-- not okay! I force myself to get out there and drive so that I can get to wherever I want to go. (Well, I bike or walk whenever possible though, lol!)

And my bed :) I read somewhere that your bed is a safe-haven for you too :) I love my bed. I call it my "hulka"- I don't know- it came from some book I read a long time ago where people went into these little caves called hulkas if they needed to recharge. If it all becomes too much, I tell my family I'm going to my hulka, climb under the covers, and stay there until I am feeling sooooo warm and safe. I love that.

So, that's what helps me deal. Sorry if I wrote to much. I love to share though, hoping that someone else who is struggling might read it and find some relief. Hey, we're kindred spirits in that way, huh?

Take care, lots of love, hope you are having a fantastic day :)

~jelli

Beautiful! Thanks.

At the very beginning, what helped me the most was Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life. A lot of people think that book is cheesy, but I L-O-V-E it. From reading that book, I replaced some of my OCD rituals with beautiful mantras: "A thought is just a thought, nothing more!" and "I am safe and all is well." After doing that I was able to move out of my head and look at the big picture (this was the healing moment for me!) I realized that I had such a crazy, hectic, sad, anxiety-ridden upbringing that my body was actually used to being in a constant state of anxiety. Now that I am in control of my own life and it is peaceful and beautiful, my mind thinks negative thoughts in order to get the adrenaline rolling and bring my body back to the anxiety-ridden state that it is used to. Of course, I have nothing to prove all of this, I just kind of came up with it on my own, but I TRULY BELIEVE that this is what OCD's reason was for being in my life.

Then, after I figured all of that out, I was able to handle it all. I wasn't scared of myself anymore and I gave myself love and care (esp. loving the hurt, scared child within)... Then things just started rolling! I went back to school, and now I'm studying art. I love it. Art helps me so much. Sometimes I do "OCD" drawings where I draw the same shape over and over and over as many times as I want to-- it's so healing for me and I have created some of my best pieces of artwork using this method.

Another big thing is totally setting boundaries for myself; i.e. not letting OCD keep me from enjoying or experiencing life in any way. This is hard sometimes, but I try to stick to it. For example: a "silly" ritual such as counting my foot steps is okay because it is comforting to me, I've done it ever since I was a kid. However, letting OCD take over and keep me from driving because I am scared I am going to hurt someone-- not okay! I force myself to get out there and drive so that I can get to wherever I want to go. (Well, I bike or walk whenever possible though, lol!)

And my bed :) I read somewhere that your bed is a safe-haven for you too :) I love my bed. I call it my "hulka"- I don't know- it came from some book I read a long time ago where people went into these little caves called hulkas if they needed to recharge. If it all becomes too much, I tell my family I'm going to my hulka, climb under the covers, and stay there until I am feeling sooooo warm and safe. I love that.

So, that's what helps me deal. Sorry if I wrote to much. I love to share though, hoping that someone else who is struggling might read it and find some relief. Hey, we're kindred spirits in that way, huh?

Take care, lots of love, hope you are having a fantastic day :)

~jelli

TheRawDance, I just wanted to say that I think you are an amazing person. When I saw your picture, I thought, "Who's that cute person in the tutu?!" and I visited your website. I learned so much from reading all that you wrote. I have struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder (which can sometimes lean towards orthorexia), and getting to know you through your website/Youtube videos/what you share on this forum has really helped me to remember to loosen up and enjoy life. You are very inspirational, thank you so much for sharing all that you have gone through.

P.S. Have you ever considered writing a raw food cookbook? Seriously! Your recipes look amazing. You also have a lot to offer in the way of how we can love/nourish/care for ourselves in unexpected ways... sooooo helpful :) xxxooooo!!!

Had a guess with myself that due to the photo showing cool bowls etc that it would be a recipie from RawDance and I was right! RawDance: you gets such cool bowls and plates and takes such good photos!

Beautiful! Thanks.