Viktoriya Petrova

About Viktoriya Petrova

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how to deal with anger - a holistic approach - dealing with anger - why am I so angry

How To Deal With Anger (Fight, Flight or Love)

body & mind, Health ,

Welcome to Wize Living! In today’s story, I am going to talk about “Why am I so angry” and How to deal with anger!

I’ll start with a short perspective on what really anger is, what is causing it and why is it so addictive. We’ll also explore, could there be any benefits of being angry, why it may bring certainty, and even cooperation.

We’ll explore modern-day psychology findings of anger and its connection to EFT, the ancient Buddhist perspective, the Bible, and what all that has to do with Star Wars! 

Lastly, we’ll dive into my personal experience of dealing with anger through shifting my mindset (you can apply this technique in various situations). I will also share a creepy dream about anger that I once had. Enjoy!

“Anger is a brief madness”

Horace

What Is Anger – a holistic understanding

First and foremost it would be useful to understand what truly anger is and what is this emotion caused by before you even think of how to deal with anger. 

It’s been known to psychologists for decades now, that anger is not a primary emotion. It is merely a defense mechanism people develop to cope with “core pains” such as feeling disregarded, unimportant, accused, guilty, untrustworthy, devalued, rejected, powerless, and unlovable (Leon F Seltzer Ph.D, What Your Anger May Be Hiding, Psychology Today)

Interestingly, I was able to come up with the same conclusions throughout my personal experience during EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) sessions. At the time, I did not have any knowledge of what psychology has to say about anger. The very process of EFT revealed those same truths to me. 

I discovered that I’ve developed a lot of anger toward my father throughout my teenage years and I’ve been holding on to it, deep into my subconscious, ever since. Through EFT, I realized this anger was my “safety island”, my protection against my father’s verbally aggressive dominion, regular frantic yelling, and despair. 

Anger made me feel powerful and in control. It replaced the feelings of deep sadness and fear from the daughter-father relationship that had broken apart. 

Later in life, I transferred this same coping mechanism to my other personal and professional relationships, friendships, and overall attitude toward social injustices and other distressful situations. I didn’t even need to ask the questions Why am I so angry and How to deal with anger because I loved it!

Jennifer Lerner, an experimental social psychologist, examined Americans’ reactions to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. She discovered that mass feelings of anger evoked a sense of certainty and control. Anger helped people to minimize the paralyzing fear and allowed them to come together in times of hardship. The study showed that people who became angry at the 9/11 attacks were less likely to anticipate future terror acts, while those who were fearful expected more attacks.

“Anger is the emotion of invulnerability – those of us who routinely use anger as a “cover-up” to keep our more vulnerable feelings at bay, generally become so adept at doing so that we have little to no awareness of the dynamic driving our behavior.”

(Leon F Seltzer Ph.D, “Anger—How We Transfer Feelings of Guilt, Hurt, and Fear”, Psychology Today)

Aware or not, there is a solid chemical explanation to answer the question “Why am I so angry”, offered by Steven Stosny in his book Treating Attachment Abuse (1995).  Anger, he proposes, can become a “psychological salve” when dealing with both physical and emotional violence in close relationships. This is possible, Stosny explains, because of one of the hormones the brain secretes during anger arousal – norepinephrine. It is specifically designed by the body to numb physical and emotional pain (even just the perceived threat of such pain). 

Another chemical released at the time of an anger outburst is the amphetamine-like hormone epinephrine. It creates a rush of energy throughout the body, leaving you feeling empowered and in control over the provoking situation. No wonder why do people get angry so easily, and even become kind of addicted to the anger response. No wonder why I didn’t feel the ned to learn how to deal with anger for such a long time!

As with other drugs though, anger is simply a momentary cover-up that suppresses other more painful emotions. I’ll talk more in detail about that below.  

But first, let’s see why a growing number of social and evolutionary biologists, psychologists, and brain scientists support the idea that anger doesn’t have to be an all destructive emotion.


If channeled correctly, a “healthy anger” could be a massive driver of change, justice, and innovation. The trick really is to manage not to become the next “volcanic Steve Jobs”. He was well known for his chronic anger and how he used its power to “extract extraordinary performance from his most creative employees.” When overused, though, this technique could have the exact opposite effect. The end result of overdosing with anger, Jobs experienced himself when he was removed from the very company he founded. Apparently he wasn’t wondering either how to deal with anger 🙂

via GIPHY

Numerous brain imaging and electrical studies of the brain support this idea of anger as an expressive, driving force. There is steady evidence that the left frontal lobe (the area lightening up when angry) is essential in our pursuit of desired goals and rewards. While the right frontal cortex is associated with the impulse to withdraw or move away from unpleasantness. 

The basic idea is that fear and sadness lead people to avoidance and escapism. People who choose (consciously or not) to suppress fear and sadness with anger move faster towards taking action and finding solutions. It is worth mentioning that this is only the case if the angry person is actively looking for resolving the conflict that made him/her angry. 

“When individuals believed there was nothing they could do to rectify an angering situation, they still reported being angry, but they did not show increased left frontal activity compared to right frontal activity. it’s most accurate to say that anger is associated with left frontal activity only when the anger is associated with approach inclinations, the perception that there is an opportunity to fix the situation, at the least cost to oneself.”

( Eddie Harmon-Jones PhD, “ Clarifying the emotive functions of asymmetrical frontal cortical activity”, Wiley Online Library, 2003)

It is interesting to look at anger from another angle too, dating back thousands of years ago, and to see a connection with modern psychology. 

The idea of justifying anger is not new, in fact, it is well touched in the Bible too, under the term “righteous anger”. It’s the idea that a person has the right to be angry in the face of injustice. A very well known example of this is when Jesus entered a temple and threw upside down the tables of the “money changers”. This was interpreted by scholars as an act of anger that is not sinful but rather rooted in a strong sense of justice. 

I would argue here that there is no way we know if Jesus was really angry or not when turning the tables upside down. He could have done so and still felt love and compassion in his heart for the “money changers” as they, as everyone and everything else, are one with him and God. 

There is even a contradiction with another Jesus story – when someone slapped him on the cheek, he turned his other cheek to take another slap. Wasn’t slapping Jesus an injustice? Why he acts with humility and compassion in one unjust situation but with “righteous anger” in another?

Anger (also referred to as hatred and aversion) is well-known in the Buddhist tradition as well. It is depicted as one of the 3 poisons that cause suffering and deprive us of happiness in Life. The other two poisons are greed (desire, passion, attachment) and ignorance (delusion, bewilderment). Both greed and anger arise from ignorance. This is illustrated right at the center of the Buddhist Wheel of Life where a cock and a snake, representing desire and anger, emerge from the mouth of a pig that represents ignorance. 

what-is-anger-budhist-perspective
The wheel of life

In the Buddhist sense, ignorance is the belief that “I am one and only and I am separate from everything else that is not me”. This ignorance causes apathy, insecurity, and a feeling of being powerless, hence anger and greed are born. 

As we saw from modern-day psychology findings, anger does indeed rise as an empowering defense mechanism or an empowering driving force. 

Buddhist teachings warn us though that under the influence of any of the 3 poisons (including anger):

“We make unskillful decisions, which affect our future. They cause us to have self-serving and dishonest intentions, which in turn cause us to act unethically and immorally.  They are the roots of not only our own pain and misery but those of our loved ones’ and of society’s.“

Even Yoda gets it in his famous Star Wars quote:

“Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Yoda, Star Wars

via GIPHY

How to deal with anger (my personal story)

There is one shared point of view among science, philosophy, and spirituality – this is the understanding that anger should never be suppressed.  One way or another anger needs to be expressed, channeled, or transformed without harming others physically or emotionally on the way. 

One of the greatest pitfalls of anger is that a person can easily get carried away and escalate anger unconsciously to verbal or physical hatred and aggression. 

This is exactly why concepts such as healthy and righteous anger could be dangerous. They can be easily abused by people who get high on the hormonal rush going on in their brains at the moments of anger. 

A good place to start dealing with anger is by asking a simple question:

Why am I so angry? 

Start by making a list with all the situations you can remember that made you angry today, yesterday, this past week. I’ve been writing in a journal for the last 10 years, not so often as I wish but still at least once every couple of months. 

Going back through my writings today, I can see a pattern in the situations that make me angry. You will see a pattern too, and won’t need 10 years to pay attention to it if you start making it on purpose right from the beginning. Simply write down in a journal every situation that made you angry for let’s say a month and then go back and summarize your patterns.

Here is what I found out about why am I so angry at times. Quite a long list as you can see and quite some of it could be named “healthy or righteous anger’. Which ones relate to you as well?

I am angry when:

  • I need to feel strong and overcome feelings of deep sadness and hurt
  • I need a defense – protective mechanism to make me feel empowered and safe
  • Someone wasn’t doing what I was expecting them to do after a mutual agreement between us before that
  • Someone does not behave up to my moral standards, especially if this is someone close to me
  • I or somebody else make mistakes
  • I seek control over a situation
  • I am in a situation I don’t want to be in and I feel trapped
  • Someone is inconsiderate 
  • Other people are lazy and don’t act upon their full potential and waste their time
  • I feel underappreciated by others
  • Someone is being unjust with me or other people
  • I give an advice that I am 100% sure is right but people don’t follow
  • Others don’t treat me the way I treated them
  • I must deal with corrupted institutions
  • Someone lies to me and avoids responsibility
  • Someone doesn’t apologize for their nasty behavior
  • Someone is not taking seriously my desires and inner struggles
  • I don’t get what I want
  • I am treated unfairly, offended, my opinion and effort being undermined  and wasted
  • I am accused of something unjustly

Now that you know what triggers you, it is very important to decide that you want to deal with anger. This may sound silly but without a true motivation and determination from your part, chances are you’d continue sailing on the anger waves, trying to justify it in one way or another while hoping that you are not hurting anyone around you or yourself. 

There are numerous anger management techniques available. I would like to share one of my personal experiences. While no situation is the same and there is no one person like the other, I believe that the example in the following story could be applicable to all. 

I would also like to emphasize that this is no magic trick or a quick fix promise. This is the result of years of inner working, observation, and practice of basic spiritual concepts. 

Here we go:

I used to be munching upon thoughts of how to deal with my anger toward a family member who happened to live in our house back then – grandma.  

On a regular basis, she would lie, criticize, say or do things to hurt you in purpose, judge, talk bullshit about others, talk negatively about almost anything, and so on. More often than not this behavior would be directly pointed toward me and my husband. Of course, when that happened, both I and my husband did feel deep anger and frustration. 

My usual response was to withdraw from interaction in such moments. Then I started realizing that not expressing how I truly feel keeps coming back to me and bites me later on. 

So, one time, I decided that the way to deal with anger was to stand up for myself, express my condensed anger, and yell it all out. I felt, that too, was a mistake the very moment I started making my point. It was like I was yelling at a wall and not just any wall but a wall that can reply back with even more nonsense, just to irritate me more. 

I felt the anger rising stronger and stronger in my stomach and heart. I disengaged. I knew that this was her way of demanding attention and energy from others and I knew that responding on the same vibrational level will do no good to either of us. 

My husband takes it in more personally and with more rage because she is his biological grandmother. We had this very interesting conversation on the subject once:

Me: How does your grandmother’s behavior make you feel?

Him: Angry

Me: What are you angry about?

Him: I am angry because she is lying and criticizing and she goes into my personal space. I feel emotionally abused when I am around her and she acts like that. She only wants taking and taking and taking and not a single thought of giving. This makes me irritated and mad because she is depriving my own energy, my own field.

Me: You sound like you are a victim

Him: Well, in a sense, I am a victim, she is constantly attacking me emotionally!

Me: Yes, she truly is and I can understand very well how you feel, I often feel the same way. However, being a victim is your choice. You are an all-powerful, almighty being and you have complete control over your own emotions and reactions. You can choose to be a victim OR you can choose to rise above that mentality and see what else is there.

Him: But she goes into my personal space!

Me: You allow her into your personal space every time you feel a disturbing emotion such as anger or frustration towards her. This emotion “opens up a hole in your own energy field” and allows her to suck upon your power and energy. This is exactly what she wants and seeks subconsciously with her behavior because she simply doesn’t know better how to empower herself and feel good. All she wants is to feel good and she had discovered that by draining others’ energy she feels somewhat better, at least for a while. If you maintain your higher vibration of pure Love your space is invincible to others. By indulging in your anger you give her your power yourself. You can choose to feel Love instead.

Him: But how to feel love, respect, and humility towards a person who acts like that?

Me: She acts the way she does because she is disconnected from her heart, from her source of inner Love and well-being. When you react in any way different than, Love, respect, and humility, it simply means that you are not connected to your source of inner wellbeing at this moment either. 

“When you are in the momentum of feeling anger or frustration towards someone, don’t try to stop it or change it. You cannot un-feel what you are already feeling. Rather disengage from the situation and accept it, take a few deep breaths, tell yourself: I am angry at her and this is OK, I now choose to let it go. This anger is not serving me I choose to let it go. Keep breathing deeply and repeating this until you relax and then take further action.”

Abraham Hicks

I was put many times into many situations that gave me a chance to actually practice what I preach. 

“Life will serve you the same lessons over and over again until you learn.”

One of the most frustrating situations I regularly faced at home, while sharing the living room with my grandmother, was the constant battle over TV time and channels. It seems like a small mundane thing, and this is exactly what it is BUT…..  

For someone who hasn’t watched public TV or any TV for that matter, for the previous 5 years, having to spend hours of my day in front of a big flat screen, slowly but surely made me angry. I would then feel guilty for allowing myself to be angry for such a minor but daily annoyance. 

Years passed by and every time I entered the living room, space was be occupied with the TV spitting out an incomprehensive amount of emotional trash. Turkish and Indian soap series or dramatic reality shows, followed by a multi-kill report on the news or something similarly disgusting… 

As this is the common room where we eat and meet, it was nearly impossible to avoid it. 

My husband and I tried different tricks, like buying headphones for grandma or as a more radical approach – setting up a TV for her in the other room. Everything worked for a little while but her character and temper would simply bring her back in front of the TV in the living room, regardless of our pain. 

Day by day my frustration and annoyance grew and brew inside me. I reached a point I felt unwilling to spend time in the room unless I had to eat or prepare a meal. 


I knew deep inside that the most difficult people in my life are my greatest teachers. This was a mere intellectual concept in this particular situation, with not a hint of a practical application. I kept repeating it to myself though – every time I felt angry with the TV. I felt relieved for a while and I also kept telling myself that if there is a lesson for me to learn from all this, I am ready and open to receive it.

Dealing with anger vs How to control anger?

So, there I was one day, already starving and headed for having lunch. I opened the door and as usual, the soap opera melodrama was hanging in the air at full force. I felt an immediate rush of anger, a frantic desire to scream, to break the TV set, and then scream some more. 

I felt overwhelmed with anger and left outside the house. I took a deep breath several times, striding around the house in the strong chilly wind until I started feeling humble again. 

I needed a solution. I wanted to eat really bad and I knew that suppressing my anger was unhealthy. Arguing with grandma was useless and exhausting. For a moment it all seemed like a mission impossible in my head. 

I took some more deep breaths. I knew there were only two options – either the TV had to stop working or to stop bothering me. I kept taking deep breaths, curled in two in the lee of the house. 

I started considering my moves. I wanted to just shut the TV off, for sure. The other option seemed absurd. Then I started envisioning in my mind’s eye, how a possible negotiation about stopping the TV would roll out (based of course on many past experiences). In my mental state back then, it wouldn’t have gone by without some peppery comments. It was highly possible for the conversation to grow into just another home scandal. I didn’t want to do that, somehow it seemed not right. For a moment I considered a third option – not to eat at all and just wait for the soap series to be over. 

I took more deep breaths and then one simple key question popped in my mind – why did these soap series bother me so much?

The answer came instantly – Because I think and believe that soap series pollute my personal space and mind with needless and unwanted drama.

This was certainly the case but then I started asking myself more questions: 

How often did I really watch them? 

We almost didn’t spend any time with grandma unless while having meals together, which is exactly when the soap series are on …

Is it fair to ask her to stop watching it if that is the only thing she enjoys doing?

Is it fair to ask her to go watch it in her bedroom and don’t spend time with us at all? Is she or the TV responsible for my inner peace and wellbeing? 

Is there anything else I could do?

Suddenly, a brighter thought penetrated my mind! If the whole problem was my own attitude and beliefs about how the series make my life miserable, MAYBE, I could simply shift my beliefs and change the entire situation completely!


“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at start to change”

Perfect timing to put that quote into use and to see if it actually works! Maybe that was the most important thing when dealing with anger!


I recapped my 3 options:

  1. Fight – to stop the TV and confront a conflict
  2. Flight – to wait and eat after the series are over, thus avoiding the conflict
  3. LOVE – to shift my prism and realize there could be no conflict at all

Shifting my prism was just a matter of introducing a new thought. Instead of: “These series are stupid and polluting and bothering me”, I told myself: “Maybe it is possible that I could hear something that might be useful for me at that moment. Maybe I can use the time to start a conversation with grandma instead of focusing on the drama in the series.”

I took one last deep breath and I entered the living room keeping the bright thought in my head. It really felt like a miracle – there was no frustration, no annoyance, no anger. 

The only thing I felt was the warmth and ease of my inner peace. I could still hear the squeaky, melodramatic voices from the TV, but they were suddenly not bothering me at all! The nasty words no longer nailed and imprinted in my brain; they were somehow away, keeping a distance, just flowing and passing by me.

I ate in peace, had a nice small talk with grandma, and YES I did hear something from the TV that gave me a new idea about the project I was currently working on!

P.S. With gratitude to grandma who is no longer among us. May she rest in peace.

A creepy dream came to teach me about anger

Speaking of Love as a response to anger, a dream I once had came to my mind.

I was in a room with a very angry, mindless person and a child. All of a sudden the angry person tore out the head of the child with his mouth. I was shocked. Then my mother entered the room and her reaction absolutely amazed me. She was able to see the inner child of the crazy, aggressive person and showed compassion towards him, regardless of what he just did….

This dream left me with a mixture of feelings. I caught myself several times to get angry with other people’s mindless or aggressive behaviors. What a wonderful reminder this dream was to love and accept other people as their are and to always be able to see their inner child. This is something that my mother always does and came to teach me even in my dreams.

I felt it is important for each one of us to develop a sense of ever loving mother’s love for all human beings. If we could allow ourselves just for a moment to imagine what it would be like to love all people as they were our children! What a wonderful feeling! 

I decided to pray for the ones who are still expressing anger. For a short moment, I imagined a sphere of white light embracing all angry people on Earth, suiting them and shining a spark of love in their hearts. I did not feel overwhelmed or stagnated by their anger as I usually do around angry people, I only felt mother’s love, as in the moment of seeing her children fighting one with another for something. I felt the suiting mother’s smile and calming hug.

What still makes you angry?

sustainability lifestyle planner

The Sustainable Lifestyle Planner: 100+ Actions To Bring Change

Lifestyle, Sustainability ,

In this story, I will talk about 100+ actions you could take towards living a more sustainable lifestyle. I’ll touch upon what exactly a sustainable lifestyle is, why it is important, and what it takes to achieve it. I will also share information about the Sustainable Lifestyle Planner I’m developing – what it is, when to expect it, and how to be part of the process. 

Let’s begin!

What is a sustainable lifestyle and why is it so important?

Just replace “Sustainable Development” with “Sustainable Lifestyle” in the following quote and you will get the answer!

“Sustainable Development is one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

– Our Common Future 

This is the definition of sustainable development by The World Commission on Environment and Development by the UN General Assembly. They first outlined and put forward this concept in the famous report – “Our Common Future”, back in the ’80’s.

Living sustainably is not one size fits all journey. Each individual must decide for themselves:

Is it important to me that future generations, including my children and grandchildren, will live in a world where they can meet their needs?

Once you decide the answer is YES and embrace this mindset, you will see a massive shift in your consumer and civil habits. Aim for perfection but celebrate every single minor change in your daily routine.

Start small, add more, and inspire others!  

And remember, that you vote with your money for the future of the generations to come! 

How do you live a sustainable lifestyle?

Is living a sustainable lifestyle even possible? YES! It is all about consuming consciously and appreciating others more.

All it takes is to develop a habit to practice the “7 R’s” of Sustainable Development and Lifestyle:  Reduce, Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Replace, Repurpose, Repair. Add to that ongoing determination, strong will, consistency, and patience. 

While turning completely “zero waste” and “carbon neutral” sounds a bit utopian, taking even the smallest step, on a personal level, is a must. For everything else, you can at least offset your carbon footprint. I will talk about how at the end of this article. 

What is a Sustainable Lifestyle Planner, why and how to use it?

The Sustainable Lifestyle Planner is simply a checklist with all the simple actions you can take towards living a more sustainable lifestyle. You need one because you may get overwhelmed if you start changing your habits all at once. This may lead to doubtfulness and unwillingness to change and proceed further. The Sustainable Lifestyle Planner gives you an overview of what could be done, what are you currently doing and what could you be doing more next. The Sustainable Lifestyle Planner will also give you the satisfaction of tracking your progress.

I collected and organized 100+ actions (inspired by other people) to help us live in a more sustainable way.

You can read all the actions in the following sections of this article. All these actions and more are also inside the Sustainable Lifestyle Planner App, which is already in the making and coming up SOON!

If you wish to be among the first to get the Sustainable Lifestyle Planner App, and to become an active leader in promoting a sustainable lifestyle, please register below and get on board as a sustainability ambassador:

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100+ actions toward a more sustainable lifestyle:

Sustainable Shopping Checklist

Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

Replace single-use plastics. We know already that plastic wraps are the main water and landfill pollutants, so this is a great starting point. 

1. Get your own reusable shopping bag and keep it at hand. 

2. Never buy fruits or veggies wrapped in foil.

3. Whenever possible choose to buy beans and grains sold in bulk.

4. Look for cosmetics with reduced packaging or refillable options.

5. Buy products with recycled or biodegradable packaging.

6. Buy drinks in glass bottles as much as you can. 

7. Bring your own bottle or cup when buying coffee or fresh juice to go.

8. Refuse plastic straws, disposable cutlery, and napkins.

9. Don’t buy balloons, confetti, glittery items, fireworks or other festive trash.

Sustainable House & Kitchen Checklist

Your Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

10. Opt-in for recycled napkins, kitchen, and toilet paper. Even better get cloth napkins and cleaning towels and make a habit of washing your butt instead of using toilet paper.

11. Only buy non-toxic cleaning products, or even better – try making your own with some baking soda and vinegar. There are non-toxic detergents, and dishwasher tablets as well. 

12. Use the most energy- and water-efficient dishwasher, if possible. If you don’t have one, make sure you turn off the water while soaping the dishes and turn it on for rinsing only. 

13. Use LED lighting or CFL bulbs.

14. Turn off the lights when you are leaving the room. 

15. Turn off your electronics, including the electric outlets, when going out or sleeping.

16. Put extra clothing, instead of turning up the heat. Wool socks and mittens are cool.

17. Repurpose any plastic or glass containers you may have into self-watering planters and grow your own herbs. 

18. Find reusable freezer bags or reuse any plastic packaging that you couldn’t avoid getting. 

19. Get rid of your trash bin lining if possible or use biodegradable options. 

20. Collect the water when taking a shower and use it to water plants, wash the floor or flush the toilet.

21. Put a sign on your mailbox that you don’t want any paper crap. 

22. Use a drying line, especially in the summer, instead of the electric-powered dryer. 

23. Throw away dryer sheets and instead, use naturally scented wool dryer balls. 

24. Time your showers.

25. Compost your organic leftovers; there are composting solutions even if you live in an apartment building. Use it as a fertilizer for plants. 

26. Opt-out from receiving paper bills and statements. 

27. Use natural repellents inside your home and on your body as well. 

28. Don’t buy plastic Christmas toys and decorations. Skip the Christmas tree as well – this is a good occasion to opt for a plastic tree that can last for generations. 

28. If you live in a house, install solar panels, collect rainwater. 

29. Buy a water purifying system if you can afford one, instead of using plastic bottles or often-replaceable filters. 

30. Buy second-hand or repurposed furniture, whenever it makes sense.

31. Buy second-hand or refurbished electronics, appliances. 

32. Don’t use artificial house deodorants and aroma candles. 

Sustainable Garden & Backyard Checklist

Your Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

33. Try permaculture in your garden.

34. Create an edible garden and fruit trees garden in your yard. 

35. Create a tower garden, it uses 98% less water than a soil garden and it waters itself.

36. Don’t spray your garden with poisons – instead, use natural repellents against pests and hands/tools to pull out weeds. 

37. Plant some flowers that attract honey bees to provide them with a food island. 

38. Plant a tree every year or support Wize Living with $5 and we will plant a tree for you. Learn more. 

39. Stop mowing your lawn, leave some natural habitat for all the bugs and flies (when mowing, you kill almost all the living beings in your grass). 

40. Install a greywater system that waters both your edible garden and drought-tolerant landscape.

Sustainable Food & Drinks Checklist

Your Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

40. Grow your own food as much as you can, even if it is just your herbs or a vertical strawberry garden.

41. Buy your food locally from small farmers and producers.

42. Refuse to buy or eat any food with MSG or Palm Oil. 

43. Reduce your cooking oil consumption.

44. Reduce your meat consumption. 

45. Reduce your sweet food intake. 

46. Reduce the overall amount of food you take. 

47. Never throw or play with food, no not-edible food art either. If you have leftovers, feed a person in need, a stray cat or dog or bird or even the worms. 

48. Make your coffee in a French press or Turkish style, instead of buying capsules. 

49. Opt for organic, non-GMO produce every time when possible. 

50. Opt for meat from small free-range farms. Don’t eat a chicken that grew 4 pounds in less than 3 months OR a cow that never saw sunlight. 

51. Use only natural dyes for food or Easter eggs coloring. 

52. Eat seasonal food whenever possible. Can your own veggies, beans, and even meat. 

Sustainable Travel & Commuting Checklist

Your Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

53. Walk or ride a bike whenever possible. 

54. Use car-sharing or carpool services.

55. Reduce your flights to a minimum.

56. Choose closer destinations for your vacations. 

57. Make a shopping list and a store map before you go out. Aim for doing all the shopping at once and use the shortest routs. 

58. Find a local grocery delivery that uses bicycles or electric cars. 

59. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

60. Use public transportation whenever possible. 

61. Have a trash bag with you when hiking and collect other people’s trash. 

Sustainable Fashion & Clothing Checklist

Your Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

62. Buy fewer, higher quality, durable clothes and shoes.

63. Prefer P2P buying of second-hand clothing. Second-hand stores use a lot of strong chemicals on clothes for disinfection. 

64. Prefer materials with organic and fairtrade labels. 

65. Avoid fast-fashion cheap clothing. 

60. Repurpose or donate your old clothes and shoes. 

66. Avoid buying real leather and fur.

67. Learn basic sewing and fix yourself minor patch holes or buttons. 

Sustainable Beauty & Makeup Checklist

Your Sustainable Lifestyle Planner

68. Palm oil is in cosmetics as well, check the ingredients and avoid it at all cost.

69. Avoid cosmetics with petroleum products like glycerin. 

70. Never buy cosmetics tested on animals.

71. Reduce your overall use of makeup. Natural beauty is the best beauty. 

72. Dye your color with natural dyes such as henna. 

73. Buy face/body creams and oils with all-natural ingredients. 

74. Try bamboo toothbrush, dental floss, and earbuds.

75.  Ladies, use a menstrual cup or washable menstrual panties, or reusable pads. 

76. Use all-natural toothpaste. 

77. Buy replaceable razor blades, or even better use an electric blade.

78. Try taking a shower without soaping your body, unless there is noticeable dirt on your skin.

79. Buy refillable cosmetics, or cosmetics with reduced packaging. 

80. Try some homemade recipes for beauty scrubs, masks, etc.  

81. Reduce the use of deodorants and perfumes you put on yourself. Try some natural scents instead. 

Sustainable Technology & Innovation Checklist

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82. Use sun-powered chargers.

83. Opt-in for rechargeable batteries.

84. Recycle your batteries and electronic devices.

85. Consume fewer electronic devices.

86. Donate your old electronic devices. 

87. Buy electricity efficient technology

88. Buy second-hand appliances. 

89. Try to repair first before you buy a new device or appliance. 

Sustainable Office & Workplace Checklist

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90. Print something only if it is an absolute must and use both sides of the paper.

91. Bring your own reusable mug for coffee and glass bottle for water.

92. Turn off and unplug your computer and other devices when leaving the office.

93. Bring in a plant. 

94. Don’t use paper to dry your hands after you wash them.

Sustainable Gifting Ideas

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According to a recent survey, 2.5 million tons of returned merchandise will end up in the landfills just for the gift-giving season around Christmas….

95. Gift experiences instead of things.

96. Buy gift cards. 

97. Use old clothes, scarfs to make gift wraps.

98. Ask for a gift wishlist to make sure no gifts will be useless. 

99. Recycle paper by doing your own greeting cards. 

100. Buy a living flower in a pot instead of bouquets. 

101. Plant a tree as a gift. 

102. Donate useless gifts to someone who needs them. 

Sustainable advocacy

103. Share this sustainable lifestyle planner with your friends and communities. 

104. Join the Sustainability & Mindful Lifestyle gro for more Wize Living stories, tips and actions.

 
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104. Talk about taking sustainable lifestyle actions every time when appropriate. 

105. Encourage and support others to take small but consistent steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle. 

106. Be the first to test the Sustainable Lifestyle Planner App prototype. Register below.

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As promised, here is a great conversation with the founder of Chooose, talking about how to offset your carbon footprint. Watch the video here.

a spiritual diet in times of pandemic

A Spiritual Diet In Times Of Pandemic

Health, Spirituality , , , ,

In this story, I am about to share my personal experience with the wheat regime. It is a very special spiritual diet to clean the body and the soul. It is also a great way to shine a new light and new perspective into the crazy world of coronavirus that we live in these days. I will also describe in detail when and how the regime is done.

While surrounded by the craziness of the current pandemic, I felt a very strong calling to do a very special spiritual practice. One of the greatest, but maybe the least-known masters who ever lived on Earth – Beinsa Duno, or simply the Teacher, as people call him gave this practice to his students. He was born in Bulgaria in the second half of the 19th century and left a huge spiritual legacy to humankind. His teachings are the foundation of many modern-day philosophies and spiritual practices. Many people in Bulgaria, and around the world, are closely studying his lectures and reviving the practices, the exercises, and the wisdom he once transferred to his students. 

The wheat regime is one such practice. I’m honored to share it with you. It is not just a diet for cleansing the body, as many people today see it. It is rather a spiritual exercise to purify the soul, to build resilience, to open the heart and to connect to all sentient beings. Inevitably, the body will clean itself throughout the process, and eventually one could also lose some weight. 

Personal insights

I did a total of 4 regimes so far and each experience is unique and fulfilling. I also do a journal each time, so that I can compare my sensations, lessons, insights, and also observe patterns and unresolved conflicts. 

My first time was a breeze. The following two times were very difficult, I had severe headaches, very strange body sensations, weird dreams, and sporadic panic attacks. This 4th time, I felt fantastic the entire time. I barely ate my wheat, not even all the apples and walnuts. Yet, I didn’t feel hungry at all. I felt light, airy, and full of energy during the day. By looking back at my notes, I see that the darker the thoughts I had in my head prior to starting the regime, the worse the side effects of the cleansing were. 

I noticed that during the first 5 days, all sensations are mainly related to the body. On day 5, the teacher says that “the new cells arrive”. What I also observed happening for me around day 5 is the opening of my heart. I started feeling humble and at peace with everything and everyone around me. I felt appreciation for what is present and immense love for all sentient beings, including the famous now coronavirus. I felt its divine presence and divine mission – to unite, to inspire, and to make people humble on a large scale.

“What a beautiful realization”, I thought. I felt love and gratitude in my heart. I always remember that feeling and try to maintain it even days after I finished the regime and I still find myself immersed in a pandemic. 

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How to do the wheat regime?

You can do the wheat regime once or a few times per year, but ideally not in two consecutive months. It is 10 days long and you only eat 100gr of wheat, 3 apples, and 9 walnuts per day, equally divided into 3 servings. The wheat grains should be raw, soaked in warm water for 24h before consuming. They should be non-processed, the kind which is suitable for sprouting. Try to find bio certified grains. Eat apples, walnuts, and wheat separately, starting with the apple and waiting for at least half-hour between each food. You can also have a teaspoon of honey with every serving or an occasional spoon throughout the day. Drink hot/warm water only, maybe some light herbal tea such as camomile or linden. All other drinks, including coffee, are not recommended.

Before starting with the first serving for breakfast tell yourself:

“God, thank you for showing me the healing power of Life!”

As I mentioned, the regime is not just about cleansing the body. It is the perfect moment to sanitize your thoughts as well. It is very important to let go of all judgments and offenses while on the regime. Put yourself into a gratitude mode each morning by simply saying thank you for all that is.  

On the 10th day, at noon, you can start introducing other foods to your body. For your very first meal, the Teacher says: cook the “Angelic soup”. It is simply a couple of whole peeled potatoes, boiled in water. You can add some parsley or dill but no oils or salt. You’d be surprised how tasty and delicious a boiled potato can be after eating just raw wheat for 10 days.

It is a great exercise to appreciate and find joy in simplicity.

On the next day, you can start adding more foods to the menu but it is very important to take it slowly and carefully increasing the amount. Start with boiled or raw veggies. Postpone coffee, soda, alcohol, chocolate, meat, dairies, salt, oil, baked, fried and spicy food for at least another 10 days. Avoid fruits and veggies, in the beginning, that are hard on the stomach like tomatoes, garlic, citrus foods, etc. 

It is also very important to prepare your body before you start the regime. For example, if you consume meat, coffee and alcohol, start removing those gradually from your menu at least 10 days before starting. You can replace your daily coffee with green tea to avoid headaches. If you consume bread, eggs, and dairies, start removing them from the menu at least 5 days before you start. Stepping into the regime gradually is important and will save you many unwanted bodily sensations throughout the first days. 

The recommended time for starting the regime is in February. This is when most of the people do it, there are support groups on Facebook, the collective energy could be felt, it is very exciting. However, you could start a wheat regime in any month, 1-2 days after the full moon. This is what I did this year because I could not prepare for February, so I did it in March. 

Disclaimer: The regime is not suitable for people with gluten allergies or intolerance. Also, if you are having some sort of chronic disease and you are taking any prescription medication, it is better to consult your doctor before starting. 

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what-is-EFT-emotional-freedom-technique-uses-and-science

What is EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique (Uses, Science & My Personal Experience)

body & mind

In this story, I am going to talk about an effective but still scientifically controversial therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT for short. It’s been used for decades as an alternative treatment of anxiety, depression, and even some chronic pain conditions. I’ll dive deep into my personal experience with it as well as into the scientific research supporting EFT’s psychological benefits.  I’ll also touch upon EFT’s connection to acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine and how this may be related, in a very abstract manner of course, to the recent Higgs Boson discovery.

What is EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) and what is it used for?

EFT, or often called simply “tapping”, is a modality of an exotic term “Energy Psychology” or the more general –  “Energy Healing”. While this may sound more or less absurd to some, there is a growing number of studies and clinical research done on EFT and its effectiveness in treating post-traumatic disorders, phobias and even in boosting athletic performance.

I will talk more about the science in the following section, now let’s dive deeper into what is EFT and how it works.

In short: EFT is a technique that is used to elicit and release deeply suppressed emotions through focusing on a specific problem, asking questions and doing series of tappings on specific points of the body while repeating positive statements. These are not just any spots on your body, but very specific acupuncture points, which have been known and used by the Chinese for over two thousand years in acupuncture treatments.  

To fully comprehend how EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) works, it is worth taking the time to understand the basics of acupuncture.

Acupuncture originated in China but no one really knows for sure when exactly did that happen. Some people claim it was around 6000 BCE, based on stone needles, dating around that time, and ancient documents describing the meridian system and the flow of Chi but not acupuncture itself. Bare with me I’ll explain what all that means in more detail.

The first documented evidence for acupuncture as a treatment dated much later, around 100 BCE. It was found inside “the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”, likely a collection of traditions, passed by to the generations over the centuries.

In 1980, The World Health Organization recognized acupuncture for its efficacy and recommended it as an alternative therapy for 43 different disorders, despite its mysterious ways of working.

In traditional Chinese culture, it is believed that every living entity is sustained by a subtle invisible Life Force called Chi (Qi). Chi is the energy of Life, it leaves the body at the time of death.

According to Classical Chinese Philosophy, “Chi is the force that makes up and binds together all things in the universe. It is paradoxically, both everything and nothing.”

Sounds familiar? It sounds a lot to me like the explanation of the so called God’s particle: “An invisible energy field present throughout the universe that imbues other particles with mass, believed by physicists and scientists to govern the basic building blocks of matter.”

In traditional Chinese medicine, Chi energy is perceived as flowing, in a very precise manner through the body, via interconnected pathways called meridians. Think of it as an invisible energy circulatory system.

There are 14 main meridians (12 in some sources) within the body that distribute Chi to all vital organs. Each meridian is rich of acupuncture points that, when stimulated, affect different organs and systems in the body. Illness occurs when Chi flow through the meridians and the acupuncture points are disturbed or blocked.


There are more than 2000 known acupuncture points within the body.

Modern day CT scans reveal that “acupuncture points have a higher density of micro-vessels and contain a large amount of involuted microvascular structures.’

Another important finding, that sheds a bit of light on why is acupuncture working, is that acupuncture engages the brain to produce the pain-relieving hormone Adenosine (PubMed, J Pain. 2012 ). There are also claims that acupuncture helps to release the “feel good” hormone Endorphin, but it seems that it is just the case for a very specific form of acupuncture based on electric stimulation. For now, traditional acupuncture does not show solid evidence for stimulating Endorphin production. More research is also needed to support the theory that acupuncture regenerates the nervous system through stimulating the nerves to produce growth factor.

Despite that the scientific research on acupuncture has been on a growth sprout for the last two decades with over 13,000 studies published in medical journals in 60 countries, the findings are still inconclusive.

There is still no clear understanding of how and why stimulating acupuncture points through needling, pressure or electromagnetic signals work. However, many clinical trials and evaluations, as well as hundreds of thousands of patient reports clearly show that acupuncture does work.

What accupuncture has to do with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) ?

As I briefly mentioned earlier, the Emotional Freedom Technique uses series of tappings done on 12 specific acupuncture points. While traditional acupuncture is generally used for physiological treatments, EFT main focus is addressing psychological disorders and traumas.

The connection between the meridian system and emotional states was first introduced in the western world with the name of “Acupuncture Emotional System” (AES), developed by the Australian psychologists Dr. John Diamond. Dr. Diamond refined this system for over 35 years. He discovered and categorized over 200 relationships between emotions and specific acupuncture points.

He also added another interesting component to the stimulation of acupuncture points. He started using affirmations (positive self-statements or thoughts) when the person was contacting selected acupuncture points.

In the 80s, Roger Callahan, inspired by Diamond’s work, developed a series of tapping protocols for specific emotional conditions, combined under the name TFT (Thought Field Therapy).

The term Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) was coined in the early 90s by Gary Craig, a Stanford trained engineer and a life performance coach. He believed and proved himself right that there is no need for complex and unique sequences for different types of psychological disorders and conditions, like Callahan’s TFT suggested. Craig developed EFT as a “single formula” tapping method, which is now one of the most famous modalities in alternative psychological treatments.

The method is simple enough that you can do it by yourself, although, I personally find it much more effective to seek the assistance of a trained professional.

Is EFT tapping evidence based or a mere pseudoscience?

The rapid and consistent results EFT gives certainly attracted the attention of the scientific community.

American clinical psychologist David Feinstein Ph.D. is at the frontiers of EFT research. He has received 9 national awards for his books on consciousness and energy healing, but he wasn’t always so inclined to such exotic methods. He happened to marry Donna Eden,  an extraordinary woman who claimed she can literally see how energy is flowing through the body, where it gets stuck and progresses into an illness. She has developed her own, unique energy healing techniques for various health conditions. The consistent, nearly miraculous results Donna’s patients reported, undoubtedly influenced David’s analytical mind to turn an eye into the mysterious realms of invisible energy fields and their relation to human health.

His most groundbreaking work is an extensive meta-study, reviewing 3000 research articles on EFT, that was published in the prestigious General Psychology Journal in 2012.

Shortly after the publication, the American Psychology Association (APA), one of the largest associations in the world, with vast international influence, recognized EFT by allowing EFT courses to be offered to therapists and other psychology practitioners, as part of their annual mandatory selective continuing education circularium.

What is Clinical EFT?

Clinical EFT emerged as a new term in the energy healing community, referring to “the “evidence-based” method that has been validated in research studies that meet the requirements of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 12 Task Force on Empirically Validated Treatments.”

Despite this bold definition, I could not find any official statement regarding Clinical EFT validation as evidence based practice on the APA website. It is also not included in their official listing of evidence based practices.

Here is a detailed library of the conducted research, along with an explanation of APA standards.

Seems like APA still tries to play it on the safe side with EFT – recognizing it as a valid continuing education credit for professionals but at the same time not endorsing it just yet, officially, as an evidence based practice.

The main argument against EFT in the scientific community is that the extensive research done on EFT did not put into consideration a proper placebo control group, which is also the case with acupuncture itself. Another objection in the scientific community is that there is no enough evidence for how EFT treatments affect patients in the long run. There is a debate about whether the method just gives a temporary relief or it might as well provide long term, even permanent results.

What I found surprising is that Wikipedia is absolutely dominated by EFT skeptics, calling it straightforward a pseudoscience and citing arguments of the very little scientific review done to support that specific point of view.  

What does EFT help with?

EFT can be applied to every disturbing emotion or event and help clear the drama in a surprisingly short time. Its most famous and researched uses are for healing anxiety, depression, PSTD, eating disorders, addictions, phobias, and extreme phobias, as well as bettering overall performance, implementing long-term goals, reducing stress and even physical pain.

A person may not even be aware of the exact emotion they want to treat. EFT does a great job when done with a professional, to help you get to the core of what is really going on deep inside.

Feeling NOT Good Enough? Read This (my personal experience with EFT)

I did an emotional breakthrough session with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) under the guidance of a very nice person, friend and a client of mine – the Life Coach & Healer Hang Boge.

The goal for the session was for me to feel lighthearted.

For over 2, maybe 3 years, I’ve been carrying a heavy stagnant feeling in my entire chest area. So strong and stagnant I felt heaviness and sometimes pain every time I breathe, especially when trying to do a deep breath. I haven’t told anyone about it because I could not handle being diagnosed by “all-knowing” relatives and friends with heart disease or who knows what. Of course, as usual, I thought I can handle it on my own and I don’t need help. During my doctor’s routine check-up everything was fine so I lived with it.

I just got used to it, bearing with it, ignoring it. Sometimes I would feel frustrated at it and my inability to let go, even though I meditate every night, eat healthy food, try to be active during the day, etc.

This was my first emotional breakthrough session ever with EFT so I had no expectations for the results. I filled out a thorough questionnaire before the actual session. I didn’t even think of my heavy heart when filling the questionnaire – this is how used to it I was.

When we started Hang asked me:  “If there was one single thing you’d like to get out of this session, what would that be?”I didn’t have to think about it, it just came out of my mouth – I want to feel lighthearted. And this is how a 3-hour long journey into my deeply wounded heart began.

I was able to bring out emotions and feelings from events I thought I have fully released and forgotten. I realized how much anger and sadness is still residing in my body after I opened all these old drawers and took the bullshit out of them. I noticed that when I remembered a feeling of sadness or guilt, I felt the pain in my chest area. I noticed that when I felt anger or resentment, my pain shifted to the solar plexus area.

What EFT does is to elicit the hidden, suppressed emotion and then to release it through series of tappings done on certain points of the body. While you tap, you also repeat specific phrases out loud. When you want to elicit an emotion that is very deeply suppressed and bring it to the surface you repeat out loud, for example: “My father constant yelling still makes me feel sad, I am sad, I am angry” and you tap. At first, I did not want to say that because it sounded like a negative affirmation to me; but then I noticed that when I do say out loud the truth about my feelings, the pain level and discomfort rise and this is exactly how one becomes aware of these emotions. Then and only then one can truly release them.

how to deal with anger - a holistic approach - dealing with anger - why am I so angry

How to deal with anger?

Dealing with the emotions is as easy as eliciting them with EFT. I simply kept going with the tapping but this time saying something like: “Even though I am still angry with my father, I deeply and completely love and accept My-Self.”

Hang was taking notes on the levels of pain and discomfort (from 1 to 10) at the beginning of the session, while we elicited the emotions. Some emotions required more tapping to be released. Some required me to say: “I give My-Self permission to let go of this anger or this sadness.” This was needed explained Hang, because I was so used to it that it felt safer for me to hold on to the anger rather than to release it and become vulnerable.

The anger was my “safety island” my protection against my father yelling. I thought that if I feel angry I will not get hurt by his behavior, without realizing that anger was just hiding the hurt, it was still there.

It is amazing how tapping into one thing unlocks another and then another (Hang said we need a bigger board for me :D).  

After 3 hours of an intense “emotional clyster”, we bottomed down to what Hang calls “the root issue” –  the main hidden emotion that sprouts out all other feelings.

“If one is able to “cut” the root out, the branches also disappear. “

– Hang Boge

For me the root turned out to be a fear of “not being good enough”, not being good enough to live up to the expectations and worldviews of my father, not being good enough as my sister, not being good enough to fall into social norms, etc. Over the years, shame and anger developed to “protect me” from that very same fear of not being good enough.

Instead of accepting and loving My-Self for the mistakes I made, I would get angry at my-self first and then try to blame it on other people. Deep inside I would feel shame for both making a mistake and for blaming others for it.

At the end of the session, I was able to feel light-hearted at level 6 (on a scale from 0 to 10). I slept like a baby, I woke up still lighthearted at level 6. Not only that but my whole body felt humble without its usual aches and stiffness.

The following day I had what Hang calls, an “emotional hangover”. I felt very calm and peaceful with sporadic bursts of hidden sadness and anger which I was able to release with doing tapping on my own.

I knew this was just the beginning of probably a long self-healing journey. I am very grateful to Hang for accepting me into her year-long program; helping me becoming aware and releasing old ghosts from the past.

7 sustainability trends light

7 Sustainability Trends in 2020 & How to be Part of Them

Sustainability ,

The day we saw our Planet from Space, for a very first time, was one of the most fascinating human achievements in history. For a first time mankind acknowledged Earth as a living organism that is interconnected and interdependent with everything that is around, and whose health depends on the health of all its parts.

Yet, it took another 40 years for humanity to realise that  “The time has come to take the decisions to secure the resources needed to sustain this and coming generations.” ( Our common future. 1987 )

It wasn’t until 1983 that the World Commission on Environment and Development by the UN General Assembly was established. They first outlined and put forward the concept of a sustainable development in the famous report – “Our Common Future”.

“Sustainable Development is one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”


– Our Common Future

As simple as this concept sounds, it took another 30+ years before it started being acknowledged globally

Entering into 2020 we still face the very same problems presented in the Common Future report from 1987.

One thing, noticeably different today, is the continuously rising level of global environmental awareness.

More and more people come to realize that the air we breathe and the water we drink don’t recognize local, national or even continental boundaries. More and more people globally are willing to take responsibility for the impact they have on our surroundings.

Here are the 7 sustainability trends to follow and act upon in 2020 and beyond!

1. More environmentally conscious consumers entering the market.

Image by Susan Ruggles – Generation Z steps up!( CC BY 2.0)

We are already seeing the power of Millennials (born between 1980 to 1995) who now generate the most demand for sustainable and organic products. Their market influence will definitely continue to rise as their spending power gradually increases.

What’s even more exciting is the emerging transformative potential of Generation Z-ers (born between 1996-2010) who are now entering the workforce and account for 32% ( (Lee J Miller and Wei Lu. “Gen Z Is Set to Outnumber Millennials Within a Year”. bloomberg.com.) of consumers globally in 2019. They are particularly eager to participate in the creation of a more sustainable world. They shamelessly demand from government and companies to address and take stand in pressing global issues like poverty, hunger, environmental positive impact and human rights.

According to a 2018 survey ( GenZ: Emerging Talent. Atkins Consultancy. 2018 ), 49% of GenZ are willing to spend more on green products and 31% have already boycotted companies they regard as unsustainable. A whopping 83% think that governments should listen to their demands when it comes to sustainability because they feel current leaders haven’t done enough to protect the environment. Over 60% are willing to participate in a shared economy and inspiring 50% are reporting they are already taking actions to cut their energy consumption. 59% are interested in studying or having jobs related to sustainability!

What can YOU do:

Regardless of your generation, you can certainly join Millenials and Z-ers on their mission to shifting the global consumer power. Here are few actionable ideas:

  1. Actively follow local environmental news and demand authorities to take visionary decisions aligned with long term sustainability goals.
  2. Boycott multinational brands, known to have exhausted the environment and exploited workers in poor countries for ages.   
  3. Use water and electricity mindfully.
  4. Educate yourself and apply  the concepts of circular and shared economy.

2. Growing demand for Zero-Waste shopping

Today, over 40 years after the introduction of the universal recycling symbol by Gary Anderson, only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling ( the Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s report – “The new plastic economy” ).

Each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastics find their way into the ocean. As that is a number difficult to grasp, you may picture it as an average garbage truck trashing its content into the ocean every minute. Estimates suggest that plastic packaging has a major place in this leakage. 32% of plastic packaging is illegally dumped or mismanaged and 40% is simply disposed of in landfills.

Think about that next time you grab that plastic-wrapped cucumber from the shelf.

Astonishing 62% of all items (including non-plastic) collected in coastal cleaning operations internationally are in fact packaging trash.

The annual damage of plastics to global marine ecosystems is calculated to be USD 13 billion per year. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) estimates that the damage of ocean plastics to the tourism, fishing and shipping industries is valued at USD 1.3 billion in that region alone (United Nations Environment Programme, Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry (2014).)

Even in Europe, where the leakage is relatively limited, potential costs for coastal and beach cleaning could reach EUR 630 million per year ( European Commission, Directorate General for Environment, website, Our Oceans, Seas and Coasts: 10: Marine Litter.)

And that is just the beginning, no one could really estimate the true cost over time if we allow losing close to 700 marine species that are already endangered by plastic ocean pollution.  

Ironically plastic packs are to these days considered a cheaper and convenient alternative…

I am sure Ralph Willey couldn’t have imagined what his accidental discovery of the first-ever in history plastic food wrap, in 1933, would have lead to,

No wonder zero-waste shops are popping one after the other in developed countries and we are about to see a lot more of that in 2020 and in the future. A zero-waste shop goes beyond the idea of charging or banning plastic grocery bags. It literally eliminates all kinds of useless plastic wraps you could see in a supermarket – from individual fruits and legumes wrapping to packs for beans, nuts, and even cosmetics.

Here are some resources to find a zero waste shop in your area:

Worldwide: https://www.bepakt.com/

Mostly Europe: https://zerowastemap.org/

United States: https://www.litterless.com/wheretoshop/

Another zero waste trend that will grab growing attention in 2020 is edible and biodegradable packaging. While these are still relatively new and even controversial solutions, they steadily pave their way into the mainstream. 2020 will be a year of doing more and more research and development in that direction.

Growing consumer concern about plastic pollution in oceans and landfills will pressure more food companies to address their packaging impacts. More organic and sustainable food companies are expected to move to biopolymers and other sustainable packaging materials. The new concept of Natural Branding, introduced by the fresh produce distributing company EOSTA, will also gain momentum. EOSTA reported that they have saved 6.3 million pieces of plastic in the first year of using laser marks in replacement of traditional labeling.

What can YOU do:

While going fully zero waste may sound like an extreme idea, taking even small steps in that direction and leading by your example is a great way to start!

  1. Avoid buying unnecessary plastic-wrapped food in supermarkets.
  2. Find beans and grains sold in bulk and put them in your own cloth bags or reuse old plastic bags that you might have at home.
  3. Find a natural cosmetics shop, they usually sell their items with reduced packaging material.
  4. Choose products that used recycled or biodegradable materials for packaging.

3. Making recycling environmentally friendly

Image by baselactionnetwork – wireburningvillagesorting (CC BY 2.0)

Most people in the developed world, who passionately follow recycling guidelines and directives, don’t have a clear understanding of what’s involved in the recycling process itself, beyond separation and collection. Only a few realized, by now, that recyclable trash is a commodity, sold to factories in distant parts of the world. Factories with usually low or no regulation at all for their processes and labor conditions.

Rich countries recycle “their own high-quality plastic domestically and export low-worth plastics to Asia.” ( Recycling is not enough report )

China is, or to be precise, WAS the world’s biggest importer of trash.China has taken in more than 45 percent of the world’s plastic waste since 1992. ( UN commodity trade database )

Nearly ALL plastic waste from the USA, EU and other parts of Asia was being shipped to recycling factories in China, supplying in return cheap cardboard or yarn. While businesses proudly brag for buying back and using such materials as environment friendly, the truth is that the recycling process itself is highly polluting within China.

The industry boomed so fast that it became highly decentralized and poorly regulated. The imported trash almost never comes in a pure form, it is usually contaminated with sometimes highly hazardous unrecyclable substances. Chinese workers most often than not, don’t have proper safety equipment to handle the contamination.

On top of being deteriorating for their own health, the contaminated waste is also devastating for the Chinese environment as it usually ends up in local landfills or bodies of water and eventually finds its way to the Ocean. Hence, China is also crowned the biggest polluter of the Ocean by international researchers…ironically China is polluting the Ocean with international trash.

These recycling practices only add up to the rest of the growing environmental problems China has been facing since its rapid industrial development.

China’s first attempt to regulate the industry back in 2011 seemed to have failed. They are now taking a radical new approach as a quick response to the recycling pollution crisis. The Chinese government simply ruled it out in 2017 – “We don’t want your trash anymore”.

This decision is already in effect with an import ban of 24 types of ‘solid waste, including types of plastic and paper scrap, in addition to a  set of extremely strict standards for the waste that it will continue to accept. More waste materials are expected to be banned and regulated in 2020.

What does this mean for the rest of the world?

Ideally we should consume less plastic. Several countries and cities are taking the leap with banning single-use plastics. Kenya has even criminalized plastic bag producers, sellers, and consumers, who now face up to 4 years in jail or a fine of 38,000 USD.

While this action will not fully solve the recycling crisis immediately, it is at least a step in the right direction. EU’s ambitious strategy of making all plastics reusable or easily recyclable by 2030 is definitely worth watching closely.

Unfortunately, businesses that lost their recycling partner in the face of China are now looking to other Asian countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Turkey. Malaysia became the “new dumping site” according to Greenpeace.  Things went out of control so fast though, that by the end of 2018 Malaysia and other Asian countries started considering trash bans of their own.

Surprisingly, Europe found a low regulated recycling partner in its own backyard. The Year 2020 started with a huge scandal over garbage imports in Bulgaria. Weak regulations and complete lack of any control made the country the perfect dumpsite.

A smarter response, developed countries will most certainly take in 2020, would be to develop more strict regulations in order to minimize contamination level in the recycling facilities so that the process itself becomes eco-friendly.

What can YOU do:

  1. Make sure you clean your plastic waste before you separate it.
  2. If you haven’t done so yet – stop using plastic bags!
  3. Refuse straws and other single-use plastic trash.
  4. Buy liquids in glass bottles whenever possible.
  5. Give your own mug when buying coffee or fresh juice to go.
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4. Biophilic design entering the workplace

Image by Ohalo123, Wikimedia [CC BY-SA 4.0 )

Biophilic design is not a new concept but definitely something you’d start hearing a lot more in 2020 and the years ahead.

The term Biophilia simply translates to “In love of all living things” (from Greek). You may look at philia as the opposite of phobia, which is an innate fear of something. Biophilia is a term used nowadays to explain people’s affinity with the natural world and our deep desire to affiliate with other living things. 


“A biophilic relation with nature is considered to be a fundamental biological need that influences people’s health, productivity, wellbeing and even existence”

– tephen Kelert, social ecology professor and one of the pioneers in the biophilic research.

While science still struggles to explain how and why is this subtle connection between humans and nature working, there is a multitude of existing studies showing the effect nature has in our day to day life.

Since our modern world requires most of us to spend close to 90% of our time indoors, we must find a way to satisfy our deep need to be close and in touch with nature.   

Recent studies have shown a positive correlation between nature, productivity, and creativity in the human brain.

Biophilic design seeks to achieve just that when creating workspaces or home and public environments. It is not just adding plants or green walls, it is a holistic approach to addressing the appropriate lighting, space proportions and air quality within the indoor environment. ( Abdelaal, Mohamed & Soebarto, Veronica. (2018). History matters: The origins of biophilic design of innovative learning spaces in traditional architecture. International Journal of Architectural Research. Volume 12. (108-127). 10.26687/archnet-ijar.v12i3.1655. )

Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought,
improve our well-being and expedite healing.

Entering into 2020 forward thinking employers will go one step further in supporting their employees. Going beyond caring for their physical wellbeing and taking action to satisfy their emotional and cognitive needs as well through deploying the biophilic concept at the workplace.

What can YOU do:

  1. If you are an employer, consider incorporating some biophilic concepts at the workplace.
  2. Apply biophilic concepts at home too.
  3. Spend more time outside in Nature.

5. Eating smarter going mainstream

Image by NCI – Good Food Display (Wikimedia Commons)

According to the World Health Organization, global obesity levels nearly tripled since the mid-70s. As of 2016 close to 40% of adults worldwide were overweight and 13% were obese.

These numbers are only expected to grow if we continue on the current path of mindless eating.

So what went wrong?

Since the beginning of civilization salt, sugar and fat were worshiped by humans for the delicious flavor they added to food.

At the very beginning of the 20th century, and still the very early days for the food processing industry, scientists discovered that a proper combination of these 3 ingredients can result in a cravable state of pleasure and hedonism for those consuming them.

The term “bliss point” was coined by the American market researcher and psychophysicist, Howard Moskowitz.

Food magnates applied this new concept of “craveable foods” in almost anything; consumption and profit started soaring. And so, it all began.

In more recent times another flavor-enhancing ingredient gained popularity, the so called Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). It is produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. While its natural form is present in our bodies and in certain foods like tomatoes, the long term health effects of its artificial addition to our diet are still unknown. One thing that is certain – MSG makes food even more flavorful, creavable and addictive.

And…this is also how we killed our taste buds.

You know something is not right when you see your father adding salt on feta cheese.

Constant exposure to enhanced flavor, “bliss point” foods, makes you want not just more food but also more salt, more sugar and more fat added to it. This is completely normal as we get used to the enhanced flavor and we start “losing the bliss”.

It is a natural response to seek that “bliss”, so people simply started adding more salt, more fat and spices enhanced with MSG to home-cooked meals as well.

A raw, unprocessed leafy green became awfully tasteless.

Around 30% of total daily calories on average in the developed countries, come from sugar and fat. (What the world eats report)

Add to that the rise of meat consumption which is over 300% globally since the early 60s, and there you go – you have the perfect recipe for the overweight pandemic.

Fortunately more and more people awake to the simple fact that the food, one eats, directly affect their health. Going back to Gen Z, they don’t even put fast food chains in their top five nutrition choices (one of the biggest “bliss point” masters). They would rather pay more for organic, fresh meals.

There is also a gradually growing curiosity for reading the food labels. People who did not care before, now start paying attention to the food ingredients. People who just paid attention to ingredients quality before, now start to also consider the packaging choice, how and where was the product made etc.

This shift in consumer behavior will put more and more pressure on the food industry to change in order to keep up with the wave.

What can YOU do:

Changing eating habits might be difficult but definitely worthed as most of the modern day diseases are now known to be very closely related to our diet choices.

  1. A good place to start is to do 10 days “taste buds cleansing diet”. Eat only unprocessed, unsalted and unsweetened food with no fat for 10 days and I challenge you to notice the difference in your taste afterward. You may be surprised!
  2. Read the labels! Avoid foods with added sugar and salt or MSG.
  3. Avoid foods with palm oil and corn syrup.
  4. Add more veggies and fruits to your daily diet. Reduce meat consumption.

6. Farming bees in urban environments

Urban beekeeping is not new. In fact, the growing concern around bee colony collapses and the potential environmental damage has pushed many people, businesses and institutions to create a movement around urban beekeeping. It has boomed in popularity over the last 9 years and is still on an uphill trend.

Hives could be seen in backyards, rooftops and even in various government agencies in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, Metro Washington DC, Brussel, London and the list is going on.

Findings from the Urban Beekeeping Lab, point that surprisingly bees produce more honey and survive the winter at a much higher rate in an urban environment, compared to hives in rural areas.

The overall urban environment is believed to be more bee friendly by researchers because of the greatest diversity of plants in urban parks and balconies and the lack of pesticides. The quality of honey, they claim is comparable to rural beehives.

This last statement is a bit arguable, because it does not take into account the myriad of urban pollutants that stick to urban plants and are being processed by bees in the urban honey production.

It is also not certain how city bee farming would help with a potential pollination crisis in the case that rural bees disappear. We could of course use cities as “habitat islands” for bees in order to preserve them as species. This won’t do much for our preservation as species though, if we cannot find a way to spare bees in rural and natural environments where they belong and do their job in the ecosystem.

Urban beekeeping will keep growing in popularity in 2020 and will do a marvelous job in spreading awareness, education and search for long term solutions.

What can YOU do:

  1. If you live in an urban environment, make your balcony pretty and bee friendly by adding few colorful, fragrant flowers. Bees love a variety of flowers, you can try with lavender, roses or smelly herbs. If you have access to your rooftop – transform it into a cozy, flowerful bee sanctuary.
  2. If you want to go a step further, try adding a beehive on the rooftop.
  3. Buy honey from rural bee farmers.
  4. Demand from local authorities and big chemo companies to dismiss the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, known to be harmful for the bees.
  5. If you use pesticides yourself, always check the label and boycott pesticides with neonicotinoid inside.

7. Using blockchain technology for sustainable impact

Blockchain technology is still an exotic term, often associated and mistaken with the fallacy of cryptocurrency and initial coin offering promises.

For the purposes of this article I will not go into detailed explanation of the differences.

Here is a great resource for learning more about blockchain solutions beyond the cryptocurrency hype.

In brief, blockchain is simply a record keeping technology that allows for recording public and private information that could never be tampered.

There are several projects working in direction of employing this technology in the social impact and sustainability sector.

While these developments are still in their infancy, 2020 will bring them up to public attention as more and more working projects pop up.

One interesting use case of blockchain is to promote transparency in the social funding sector. A sector that has been bluntly corrupted for years, to a point of losing trust completely because of lack of transparency how funds are being used and how is any sustainability impact actually measured.

Watch now: Bringing trust back into the charity sector

Alice is a financial platform for measuring impact on social projects. It helps impact investors, governments and nonprofits fund projects with fully tracked impact data and low transaction costs. Why is this platform so much needed and how it deploys blockchain technology we will learn from the founder Areti Campyli in the following video talk.

Watch now: A new economic paradigm – turning impact into capital

The IXO Foundation is a South African, blockchain powered, platform for collecting, verifying and tokenizing any project’s impact data, which can then be monetized, shared, or traded. Using the IXO protocol, organizations and funders can use a decentralized impact exchange to create verified impact claims The data from these impact claims becomes a part of a global impact ledger, an open data commons that organizations, governments, and researchers can access to make informed decisions and optimize impact initiatives. IXO is proud to be partnered with Singularity University Venture, Innovation Edge, and UNICEF. In-dept explanation of all these concepts are presented by Fennie Wang, strategy and legal for the IXO Foundation.


Another promising solution that blockchain technology can offer for sustainability is a way to encourage and reward environmental positive behavior.

Watch now: Stimulating purchasing behavior for climate change

For years we have put our faith in the market to incentivize cleaner technology, and for years the carbon market has been riddled with corruption. AND It is still cheaper to pollute and buy carbon credits than it is to change industrial production processes. Chooose is building a solution that has the potential to change that by revolutionizing the carbon credits market. How they plan on doing that and what does it have to do with blockchain we will learn directly from Andreas Slettvoll, founder of Chooose.

Watch now: Bringing carbon back to earth in a scalable and profitable way

Skymining is a concept and technology that aims to reverse the flow of carbon; sending carbon from the atmosphere back to the earth. The reversed flow is then used to produce carbon negative fuel replacing fossil fuels, organic food, and renewable fibers while restoring degraded ecosystems. How this works and what is its connection to blockchain we will learn from Skymining founder Carl Pendragon in the following video.

What can YOU do:

  1. Educate yourself about the basics of blockchain technology.
  2. Find and follow social impact projects created within the industry.
  3. Join forums and discussion groups to stay on top of that wave.

—–

If I have to summarize these trends into one sentence, it could be that 2020 will be the year of a growing sense of one’s responsibility in making lifestyle choices and a growing awareness of the collective consumer power to positively impact local and global policies, markets, industries and Life itself.

While at times it feels we are helpless to change a thing alone, the ripple effect of our individual example creates a far greater impact over time than one could imagine. The mere fact that you are reading this and would probably talk about it later could make a huge difference in somebody’s lifestyle decisions; who might, later on, influence somebody else and on and on and on.

Entering into 2020, there is a lot of work ahead in building a future our children will want to live in.
Every single simple action matters!

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