These babies are on sale! #bestswimwear #cocobelle #sale...

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10 Tips To Keep Your Houseplants Happy (And Not Dead)

Looking for a new roommate of the plant persuasion? We're talking about how to pick 'em, plant 'em and keep 'em alive with the pros at New York's The Sill (meet and win the cute new service here).

Spend a little time picking the right plants (even if they're succulents!) and you'll have better luck maintaining that "jungalow" look that will last...

Be mindful of your schedule: Be sure to consider your daily schedule, travel frequency and general forgetfulness while you decide on a plant. If your absentmindedness is what stands in the way of plant ownership, pick a plant that thrives from neglect. If you have bright light, try a succulent or cactus, and if you have low light, try a snake plant or ZZ plant. Truly, the only way to kill those four is over-care!

Do not overwater: Beware of overwatering; it’s the easiest way to kill a plant. You may be tempted to water your plant on a schedule, but the best thing to do is to water it only when needed. Always check the soil first before giving it a drink. A telltale sign your plant is past due for a watering: wilting leaves or soil pulling away from the sides of the planter. If the soil is darker in color and sticks to your finger, your plant should be fine for the time being. Always use tepid water to water your plant. Let the potting soil soak up the water for about 15-30 minutes, then empty any remaining water from the saucer.

Increase humidity when necessary: For plants that prefer more humid conditions such as ferns, ivies or tropical plants, mist them using a small spray bottle in between waterings. During the dry months of winter, grouping your plants together helps to create a humid microclimate. A humidifier can help, too.

Keep your plant’s environment stable: Plants, just like us, are most comfortable between 65 and 75 degrees. Extreme fluctuation in a plant’s environment can seriously stress them out. Do your best to avoid placing your plant near temperature hazards like vents, radiators and exterior doors, which might create hot or cold spots and drafts.

Forgo fertilizer: If you’re a novice, stay away from fertilizer. It’s another easy way to kill your plant. Plants get minerals from the air, water and their potting mix – and are nourished and energized by sunlight. It is entirely possible to have a healthy plant without additives! If you do choose to fertilize your plant, only do so during the growing season and follow the general rule of thumb: Less is more.

Purchase a healthy plant from a reputable source: Do your best to buy a quality plant from someone with at least some expertise. In most cases, you’ll want to stay away from department stores and supermarkets, and instead stick to your local nurseries, garden centers, and specialty stores or florists. Definitely give your plant a once-over before purchasing - watch out for yellowed leaves, powdery mildew, leaf spots, brown leaf tips, weak or wobbly stems and other obvious signs of poor plant health.

Pick your plant based on your light: Determine the amount of sunlight in your space and choose your plant accordingly. Start by figuring out which direction your windows face. If there’s something outside the window (a large tree or building, for example) that could obstruct sunlight, make sure to take that into consideration.

South-facing windows provide bright light for the majority of the day. Choose almost any plant, and situate them a few feet or more from the windows, depending on whether they prefer direct or indirect light.

East and west-facing windows both provide medium light for the majority of the day. Keep your plants well within a few feet of the window, or choose a plant that tolerates moderate to low light.

North-facing windows provide the lowest level of light. Choose plants that can tolerate low-light conditions and keep them as close to their light source as possible.

Remember that while nearly all plants prefer bright light - be careful to protect them from intense direct sun. If the summer sun is intense enough to burn your skin, it’s certainly too much for your plant’s leaves. To protect your plants from burning, draw a sheer curtain or move them even a foot away from the window.

Show a little extra TLC in the beginning: Show your new plant a little extra attention in the beginning. When you bring a new plant home for the first time, establish a routine of checking in with it every three to four days. A little extra attention can go a long way. Slight environmental can cause fluctuations in the frequency of your care, so best not to just assume “every Monday is watering day.” Besides, it’s nice to check in and say “hello” to your plant every few days!

Do not be afraid to repot:A common misconception, repotting does not necessarily mean putting your plant in a new planter, but rather, changing its soil or potting mix. This is because plants receive some of their nutrients from their soil. Great news if you love your planter. But if you’re looking to splurge on a new one, try to choose one no more than two to four inches larger than the current planter, depending on plant-size - i.e., you do not want your plant swimming in soil. It is best to repot in early spring, before the growth season starts.

Create drainage for your plant: If your plant’s planter does not have a drainage hole at the bottom to allow excess water to escape from the soil, it is important to create makeshift drainage. You can do this by lining the bottom of your planter with rocks and sand. We recommend using lava rocks because they are porous. This added precaution could help prevent you from overwatering your plants in the long run.

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How To Fit More Wellness Into Those Friend Dates (Tag A BFF)

We love catching up with friends over cocktails, dinner or a cozy Netflix night in, but why should our friend dates fight against our fitness goals?

We're not cancelling any reservations just yet, but we recently found ourselves inspired by Aussie fitness queen (and former TCM guest editor) Lorna Jane as she eased us and a few fitness ladies we love through a light yoga and meditation session pre-brunch at her gorgeous new place here in L.A.

While not all of our future friend dates will involve downward dogs and deep breathing, we asked Lorna for a few tips on how to more gracefully fit wellness into our weekend hangs and weeknight lady dates. We love her ideas below, as well as these simple recipes that Lorna loves for her friends to "steal"...

Catch Up On the Move. I love to start my mornings with a brisk morning walk to help boost my metabolism, so whenever my girlfriends suggest getting together over coffee or breakfast, I suggest going for a morning walk together. It’s the perfect way to get your move on with your girlfriends, while catching up on what's happening in their lives.

Set the scene. Create a peaceful, beautiful environment for yoga or other fitness activities, just as you would for dinner or a cocktail party. I love that the brand space we've made here in L.A. feels like home - makes you feel relaxed but also inspired at the same time. We've practiced mediation and yoga with music in the garden and it's always just as special as a traditional brunch or cocktail hour!

Make Healthy Snacks to Share. Whenever I have my girlfriends over, of course the food is healthy. But when I'm entertaining I try to make it especially delicious and nutritious so that they'll love it enough to ask for the recipe. I always have them either printed or on my phone ready to send because I see sharing healthy recipes as an amazing way to spread the message that eating well doesn't have to be boring or hard work! I LOVE it when I go to their houses and they cook my recipes for me. Check below for two of my favorite recipes... [olists num=1][olists num=2]

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Please Send Plants: Inside This Cute New NYC Plant Delivery Service

Forget flowers, please send plants! We're a little gaga over The Sill, an adorable plant delivery service in NYC who is helping clients take their plant-loving ways to the streets. For roughly the same amount as floral delivery, The Sill will deliver a succulent or etc in an adorable piece of pottery to your BFF on her birthday - they'll even come to your office for a full space consultation to help you dream up, install and maintain (meaning they'll actually come over and water everything!) your dream office garden scenario.

We're kind of obsessed with this charming new business, their curation of simple pottery options and their tiny shop on the Lower East Side that hosts workshops and - duh - plenty of plant-spiration. Since The Sill also ships nation-wide, we asked them to arrange a planty giveaway for you guys below. Enter, cross your fingers, and pop over to our piece on home plant care with The Sill pros today here.

Enter to win $50 To TheSill.com!
We're giving away two $50 gift certificates to The Sill.
Enter for the chance to win by leaving us your email in the entry box below. Good luck!

Two winners will be announced in the comments below and be contacted by email. Open to residents of the continental U.S. only. Giveaway closes Tuesday, October 28th.  By entering your email you agree to receive email communication from The Chalkboard. 

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Color Blocked! @b_swim @celestebrightt in the Edgy Noir Nova Duo...

Color Blocked! @b_swim @celestebrightt in the Edgy Noir Nova Duo Tri top 💘 #bestswimwear #regram #bswim http://ift.tt/2ecb3Fy

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Why Ella Mills’ Recipe for Success Is Deliciously Refreshing

one million Instagrammers don't flock for nothing. While clean eating and recipe blogging aren't new concepts, our October Guest Editor, Ella Mills of Deliciously Ella has built up a brand we love and a community that's truly something special. Her following embodies what we think girl power is all about - lifting each other up to support one another in our own definitions of health and wellbeing. If that't not the ultimate measure of success, we don't know what is.

We asked Ella about her personal journey to the current high point in her career (one that's included best-selling cookbooks and a skincare collab we're obsessing over), and were refreshed by her down-to-earth answers about the power of optimism, the struggle of loneliness and the importance of having some good old-fashion "be your best self" values to build on.

Maintaining balance as big dreams come to life requires a strong and stable foundation: Read on as Ella tells us about the key bricks in hers, including a book recommendation we think every woman needs to read at least once (and yes, audiobook counts)...

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An EFT Tapping Technique to Let Go of Trauma + Emotional Baggage

Letting go of pain from our past is hard work, sometimes even more emotionally overwhelming than the initial trauma. We owe it to ourselves to heal - or at least to try - and EFT tapping is a unique resource for just that. 

Integrative nutritionist, Jennie Miremadi, recently walked us though an introduction to this amazing therapeutic tool. Below, Jennie is diving deeper into the topic of EFT tapping with insights on creating a more impactful experience and a recipe for a personal practice to try at home...

Although EFT was once relatively unknown, there are several million people around the world who have either been exposed to it or have practiced it. Professional athletes are increasingly using it, including during the 2016 Olympic games; YouTube is flooded with videos demonstrating the practice. Despite EFT’s increasing popularity and the research supporting its use (discussed in Part I), I have read stories of and met people who have said that they’ve previously tried EFT and either it didn’t work or its effects didn’t last. If EFT has the potential for remarkable results, why do some people have lackluster experiences with it?

I believe that many people who fail to receive benefits from EFT aren’t tailoring the EFT to their own individual experiences when using it on an issue or belief. For example, someone might use EFT on the broad belief of “I’m afraid of heights,” rather than that specific time when the person was 5 years old and fell out a window. This broad, general approach to EFT can be seen in some YouTube videos where the EFT practitioner focuses on a general issue like money or love, and has people tap on broad, global statements about these issues. You can also see this general approach to EFT occurring with some “tapping scripts,” which are word-by-word, written instructions that a person can read and repeat while tapping on a particular issue. These scripts have become very popular in the EFT world for those who seek detailed guidance on how to use EFT on an issue. There are tapping scripts for stress, procrastination, self-sabotage, rejection and weight management. Whatever the issue, there is probably a tapping script for it.

Although many people claim to have been helped by such videos or scripts, these general approaches are unlikely to get to the core of each person’s individual issues. If we form beliefs about ourselves based upon specific events that have happened in our lives, we should use EFT on those specific events if we want to clear the belief. A generalized video or tapping script is unlikely to accomplish this and will likely provide only partial benefits, if any.

How To Personalize EFT Tapping

Specificity is key in EFT. If you want the possibility of benefiting from EFT, steer clear of EFT that focuses on global issues. Instead, focus on being specific. In fact, before you start doing any EFT, pick a specific event, or, if you’re concerned about a general issue, pick a particular incident showing how that belief, issue, or problem is actually a problem.

Try asking yourself some of these questions to identify prior experiences related to your issue: When do you first remember feeling this way? What was happening in your life when you first felt this way? Do you remember an event that gave rise to this belief? Does this current issue remind you of an event from your past? Are there other events that contributed to this issue? Are there other times when you felt this way?

Make a list of the specific events that come up when you ask yourself these questions. Then, use EFT on all of the particular incidents that you identify.

If you are having trouble identifying specific events related to an issue or belief, consider using a practice called the Personal Peace Procedure instead. In the Personal Peace Procedure, rather than focusing on issues, you make a list of every specific event from your past that evokes a negative emotion and, one by one, use EFT to remove or reduce the emotional intensity of each of those events.

Regardless of whether you identify specific events related to an issue, or you work off of a list of past events not tied to any specific issue, make sure you have a particular event in mind before you start doing EFT. Once you’ve identified a particular event, rate how much that event bothers you now (as opposed to how much it bothered you when it happened) on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the most bothersome and 0 not at all bothersome. When you think about the event, if you feel an emotion that troubles you, such as anger, fear, or sadness, identify the emotion and rate its intensity. And, when you think about the event, if you feel a body sensation that bothers you, such as a pit in your stomach, make a note of it and identify its intensity. Write down your number(s). This is how you will assess whether the EFT is working.

How to do EFT Tapping on yourself

Rate. Imagine that the event you are working on is falling off a horse at age seven. When you think about this event, you feel fear and the intensity is 8. Give the event a specific title, such as “falling off the horse event.”

Begin. Take the tips of your index and middle finger, or all four of your fingers, and tap on the karate-chop point (identified in the photo) located on your opposite hand. While tapping, repeat this setup phrase three times: “Even though I have this falling off the horse event, I deeply and completely accept myself.” (It doesn’t matter whether you use the karate-chop point on your right or left hand, though many people tap with the fingers of their dominant hand on the karate-chop point of their non-dominant hand.)

Tap. take the tips of your index and middle finger and start tapping about 7 times on each meridian point identified in the photo, beginning at the eyebrow meridian point, moving to the side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin and collarbone points. Switch to using all four fingers for the underarm point, and end by tapping with all four fingers on the top of head point. While tapping on each meridian point, repeat your title phrase, such as, “This falling off the horse event.” For the meridian points that have two sides - eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, collarbone, and underarm - you can either use the fingertips of both hands to tap on the meridian points at the same time, or switch sides while tapping-tapping first on the right and then on the left, and vice versa.

Review.After you complete the entire sequence, retest how much the “falling off the horse event” bothers you when you think about it now. If your fear hasn’t reached 0, repeat the tapping sequence, but change the setup phrase to indicate that the event isn’t yet resolved. You could say, “Even though I still have a small amount of this falling off the horse event, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Repeat. While tapping on the meridian points, repeat a reminder phrase along the lines of “this persisting falling off the horse event.” Keep repeating the tapping sequence until your fear is reduced to 0.

While qualified EFT practitioners have many different techniques at their disposal to help you move through events and issues, and may be able to take you deeper than you would be able to go yourself, it is totally possible to obtain benefits from EFT by using the EFT Basic Recipe on your own.*

Now that you understand the potential impact EFT can have when done correctly, imagine the powerful shifts you might be able to create in your life if you use EFT on a regular basis. I believe that we all have the power to create the lives that we want for ourselves; EFT is an extraordinary tool with the potential to help us get there.

*If you have suffered abuse, or been the victim of a crime or serious trauma, my heart goes out to you and I wish you relief from your pain. In order to get the help that you deserve, please avoid using EFT on your own and seek assistance from a qualified professional who can guide and support you.

* While more detailed EFT sequences with additional meridian points exist, the EFT Basic Recipe or shortcut version is the EFT sequence most commonly used.

References:

Adams, A., Davidson, K. (2011). EFT Comprehensive Training Resource: Level 1. Energy
Psychology Press: Fulton, CA.

Adams, A., Davidson, K. (2011). EFT Comprehensive Training Resource: Level 2. Energy
Psychology Press: Fulton, CA.

Church, D. (2013). EFT for Weight Loss. Energy Psychology Press: Fulton, CA.

Church, D., Marohn, S. (Eds.). (2013). Clinical EFT Handbook: A Definitive Resource for
Practitioners, Scholars, Clinicians and Researchers (Vol. 1). Energy Psychology Press: Fulton, CA.

Craig, G. (2010). The EFT Mini-Manual: EFT’s Basic Recipe. Energy Psychology Press:
Fulton, CA.

Craig, G. (n.d.) What is EFT? Theory, Science and Uses.

Craig, G. (n.d.) The EFT Silent Sea of Disappointed People.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program. 

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