What is HOT?

What is HOT?

Today I’m going to say a few words about a topic of high importance. There are questions that I’ve asked myself many times, and now I got the answers…and just in case you’re wondering too I want to let you know, so you won’t waste time figuring out: why is that we want the things that are HOT? 

If you happen to love chili peppers, you may have had the experience of reaching the point, in which your mouth is burning so much that small tears start falling from your eyes. Some peppers are uncomfortably hot and even a very small amount could cause actual pain.

Here are some hot questions “What is so HOT about chili peppers, why do we like the hot burning sensation and is this hotness useless?” . 

Chili peppers are known to be part of people’s diet (in America of course) for around 10 000 years. However, if you love chili peppers as much as I do, you may start celebrating Columbus Day, because Columbus was the first known European to be presented to chili peppers when he was in the Caribbean. After this point they were distributed around the globe. YAY!

Who is the hottest?

The world's hottest pepper has the respectable name: Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. What makes hot peppers hot are the substances called capsaicinoids. When they bind with the mouth pain receptors the brain receives message of the “hot event”.

However, the reason why we get actual pleasure out of this pain is because the response of the brain to this message is “raising the heart rate, increasing perspiration and release of endorphins”. There’s the paradox- you’re burning but your body goes like: “YEAH!”.

Is the HOTNESS useless?

In defence of chili peppers, I’d say that their function is not to serve as a natural endorphin high only. Chili peppers contain many vitamins such as vitamin C,  carotene, B vitamins, high levels of potassium, magnesium and iron.
The Capsaicinoids in the chili are natural antioxidants and help protect against disease caused by toxins. They were also proven to reduce cancer cells and also have a preventative and healing role for a number of other diseases such as arthritis, high blood pressure, harmful bacteria, some skin conditions, common winter colds, just to name a few. Capsaicinoids in the chili peppers are also a muscle relaxants and a pain relievers. They also act as aphrodisiac and improve love life.

Chili peppers can warm you up in the cold winter days not only when you have them as your meal.  You can use the them in other ways such as the ancient Japanese recipe for cold feet with chili that is: 

Recipe

“Chilli Pepper Foot Bath - Togarashi - for Cold Feet

 Togarashi or red chili peppers can be used to warm up your feet and stimulate circulation.
Add hot water to a bowl or foot bath and add some dried red chili peppers to it. Sit and soak your feet in the water for about 10 min. Pat dry with a towel, and moisturize.” (If you decide to try this recipe, make sure that your skin is not irritated and that you're not using too hot chili. If you feel any discomfort rinse your feet immediately!)
(the recipe is from: http://www.naturaljapanesebeauty.com)

In Latin America women have also used it as a beautifier- applying a bit of chili mixed with raw honey on their lips, helps the blood go to the lips and consequently they look naturally red, hydrated and fuller. You can make this recipe on your own, but you may want to go for “LUSH”'s  ready to use lip balm with chili...

Anyhow, my point was that chili peppers rock! Hope you liked the HOT psychology & stuff posting. Have a great HOT day! See ya! :-)

Pieces of the Gestalt

Pieces of the Gestalt

Part one

“I am I and you are you

I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations

And you’re not in this world to live up to mine

I do my thing, and you do your thing

If by chance we should meet

It’s beautiful

If not, it can’t be helped.”

                                     F. Pearls

Frederick Pearls

  This primary “axiom of good functioning” (Latner, 2010, p. 35) originates from the founder of the Gestalt therapy Frederick Pearls. It is the starting point of his therapeutic sessions and it integrates the main conditions for health and growth- accepting oneself, accepting the other person and accepting what IS without enforcing, altering or mind-modifying either myself, you, or what IS. The good and healthy functioning is a flow that goes naturally. In this flow we realize our needs (without resisting, transforming them, denying them, and doing what we “should”). Our functioning is conceptualized as being a constant flow of forming Gestalts that we need to differentiate, recognize and destroy. by taking the  appropriate action. Interestingly, responsible behavior in terms of the Gestalt theory is not doing things that we don’t want to, just because we “have to”. To the contrary- this is considered to be irresponsible behavior, because we’re not taking into account our naturally flowing needs. Failing to fulfill natural needs frequently leads to frustration and neurotic behavior. Now, before printing this page and giving it to your boss saying “You see what this page says? My Gestalt is to go and have a beef steak, and then take a nap, and then go to the movies with my friends. I need to be responsible to my needs, so I’m leaving. And if the need to be closed in the office emerges naturally, I’ll be back tomorrow again” you’ll probably realize a small, but significant detail from the picture. The life we live is not exactly constructed in a way that always favors our health and needs. However, the life we choose to construct for ourselves can be closer to our natural and healthy state of mind. Now, we can continue being highly irresponsible and keep working.

To be continued…

The music- Above and beyond

Music and therapy- the note of bliss

   Today I had to post a new topic. However, I'm going to do that in a few days. Here and now, in my free functioning space, I decided to shut up and share not a publication, but what I'm listening to right now, while I work. Why? Because I'm enjoying it very much and I would like to share my pleasure with you. If you don't like this type of music, I hope you'll enjoy my next publication (which will come very soon).For the rest of you, I invite you to join my "shut up", Above and beyond-inspired "music therapy" work day :)))

The artists are: "Above and Beyond" the album is called: "Group therapy". I find it so cool! If you don't know it, try "A year of group therapy", "Eternal", "Thing called love", "You've got to go" and the other cool tracks...Here are some YouTube links:

A year of therapy

Eternal

Thing called love


Enjoy your day! :)))


You've got to go