Mappy May!
In this letter:
New on MappyEverAfter: Can you do a meditation retreat for free? And a video of desert blooms up close.
Experiment: Sleep mouth taping
Health: We both got Covid
Eat: Bryndzove Halusky - Slovak national dish
Travel: Chase Sapphire card, 80k point bonus ending soon
Mental hack: I chose to … because I want …
New on MappyEverAfter
Did you know you can take a meditation retreat for free? And that being silent is not the difficult part of a silent retreat? I wrote about it here: mappyeverafter.com/silent-meditation-retreat-what-it-is-and-why-do-it
I like to touch everything, flowers being no exception. If you want to see Red Rock desert blooms up close, here’s a video I made:
James Nestor - “Breath” book and an experiment in mouth taping
I was thinking - I already have enough wellness worries: Am I spending too much time in REM sleep? Am I getting sufficient magnesium in my diet? Does walking even count as exercise? (the answers are: 1) Who cares, I love dreaming. 2) Likely not. 3) Yes, it’s the perfect Zone 2 workout).
I need anxiety about my breathing about as much as need a lead parachute. But curiosity got the better of me and I picked up the Breath book by James Nestor (an audio version from the library, of course) and loved it. The breathing techniques can seem contradictory until you realize that they are designed to build resilience, like a hot sauna followed by an ice water plunge.
The author traveled the world researching ancient texts and modern science on everything breath-related and experimented on himself. Dr. Weil and Wim Hoff, whose breathing exercises I have been doing for years, are also referenced.
What intrigued me the most was the idea of mouth taping.
Before bed, you take a square of surgical tape the size of a postage stamp and tape your mouth shut so you’re forced to breathe through the nose while sleeping. The air enters your lungs warmed, humidified, and filtered which is said to have countless benefits - cessation of snoring among them. With visions of a peaceful, silent night and a refreshed morning, Markus and I taped our mouths.
It worked. He didn’t snore that night, the tape, surprisingly, wasn’t at all bothersome and we both woke up more rested. That was a month ago and the effect of that night was pleasant enough to keep going. It’s not the sexiest looking thing but it’s worth it.
We both got Covid
Markus and I joked that if we got Covid now, it would be akin to the last soldiers shot the day peace was declared.
There was much controversy around mask-wearing but one week after we stopped wearing ours, we were both in bed with Covid, feverish, snotty, headachy, horse, and with agonizing back pain. I was scared since Covid can be unpredictable but it passed pretty quickly, apart from the tiredness and congestion that still lingers.
I first tested negative at a quick-care facility where the swab barely reached an inch into my nostril. I had the same symptoms as Markus (whose doctor stuck the swab way into his head), so wanted to get retested. I found a walk-through kiosk where they handed me the q-tip to collect the “sample” myself. I went as far in as I could and that test, not surprisingly, came out positive. The disadvantage was the wait. Quick-care spat the (inaccurate) results in 15 minutes, whereas I had to wait for 2 days to hear the verdict of the walk-through test.
The moral of the story: If you want to get tested, make sure it’s done right.
Bryndzové Halušky, the Slovak National dish
Bryndzové Halušky (potato gnocchi with cheese and bacon) is one of those dishes that ticks all the boxes.
It’s creamy, cheesy, fatty, and delicious. The ultimate Comfort Food. Here’s a video I made to help you along if you want to make it:
Chase Sapphire gives 80,000 bonus points to people approved by 5/31
For Americans, this is the most versatile travel card and the most generous offer yet. If you plan to spend $4000 in the next 90 days, you might as well spend it with this card and earn the 80,000 bonus points it offers. If you use this link (which you don’t have to, it’s a public offer, you can just google it), we’ll get 15k points for the first 5 people approved:
Earn 80,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Preferred.
80k points can be exchanged for one of these:
$800 statement credit
12, 16, or 22 nights in category 1 Hyatt hotel (depending on the season)
2 nights in the most luxurious Hyatt hotel
A return flight to Europe
$1000 worth of travel booked through Chase Travel Portal
and many more options if you research travel hacking with Ultimate Rewards points.
The card carries a $95 annual fee and there’s a minimum spending of $4000 in the first 90 days required to earn the sign-up bonus. If you’ve been approved for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card in the last 4 years, you’re not eligible. The card has many other perks, like no foreign transaction fee, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, and 1-3% back on all your purchases.
Mind hack
We all do things we don’t want to do, stay quiet when we really want to say something, put up with people we can’t stand. If we can’t change them, getting really clear about WHY we do these things makes accepting them easier.
Here’s a sentence that helps to do just that:
I choose to ………… because I want ………… .
Try it out. Think of the most unpleasant thing you do.
Do you keep your mouth shut instead of telling your boss exactly what you think of him?
- I choose to put up with my boss because I want the money he pays me.
Do you get up early to work out but have hated every minute of it for years?
- I choose to get up early and exercise because I want to be perky and healthy when I’m 90.
Do you hate cooking but have to eat at home to save money?
- I choose to cook every day because I want to save money for a vacation in Greece.
It’s very simple and takes just a few seconds. Changing my point of view from “I have to do this” to “I choose to do this”, makes life easier and more enjoyable. Sometimes it also makes me realize that the pay-off is not worth it or that there are, in fact, other options.
So there you have it. Hope you’re having a lovely May and enjoying the spring (or autumn if that’s the case for you).
Be Mappy,
Mags