Finding the Strength in You.

“Hey It’s Mikaela here! I wanted to start the year off strong and positively so I asked my gorgeous and amazing friend Krystina to be my guest blogger for the day. I hope you enjoy her post as much as I do. So without further ado….. my agape mou Krystina!”

Happy New Year to you all on this wonderful blog. I want to thank my beautiful friend Mikaela for inviting me to be a guest blogger today. I hope you enjoy this article filled with emotion, love, and strength.

It is a New Year which brings change and the unknown unless we have telepathic powers lol.

Some folks might be ready for change,  while others might miss the past or the memories that came with it.  I am excited for 2019 because I am finally ready to close the door on a tragic situation that caused immense pain in my life during 2010/2011.  When a person experiences an abusive relationship; whether it be physical, mental, or verbal abuse, it is an experience that will more than likely stay with you for a very long time. This pain; unfortunately, stayed with me for years and years until one day I said enough. I never went to a counselor to discuss this horrific relationship, but rather I held my feelings inside for too long. I could write about the experience but that is not my purpose for this article. The purpose of telling my story is to help those find “strength” in yourself.

You might ask well how do I find strength after going through a horrible experience in life? Or how do I move forward? That is why I am here to share my advice on how to become the better you, or better yet how to find the courage to become strong again. It all starts with healing my friends. Here are a few tips to better yourself in the New Year.

First, you must look at yourself in the mirror and say DAMN I am beautiful and I will move on from this. (Way easier said than done, I get it.) I do not expect you to feel better right away but rather in steps. In Greek we say “siga siga” meaning slowly slowly. It is important to believe in yourself and know your worth!

The next step is challenging, yet vital in the healing process. Forgiving yourself is essential in the ability to start fresh. Most of the time the victims blame themselves for the tragic events that have transpired. No, you didn’t cause this, and this is not your fault! Various forms of abuse occur because the person you are with can’t control their own anger and viciously takes it out on the undeserving.

Once you forgive yourself, the next step is to find a good support group of friends, family, or maybe even a counselor. Unfortunately, I didn’t seek help right away and just kept everything inside. (Trust me you do not want to bottle up your feelings because it will only make matters worse.) Having a strong, supportive circle of friends who will lift you up and help you get through this is key. Surprisingly enough,  I found out 3 close friends suffered from a similar situation.  I was shocked but after reading about some people’s abusive stories; sadly you realize many victims will never say one word about their experience.

Next step is to use your passions; such as music, art, gym, cooking, etc. as a way to express your pain and emotions. I actually started blogging 6 years ago and realized that was my outlet to express myself.  My blog; Kouzounas Kitchen, is a food blog based on modern & traditional Greek cuisine. (You can find many delicious recipes ranging from sweet to savory.) If you enjoy Greek cuisine, then you must check out my first published cookbook called “Back To My Roots” available on Amazon.

Food is life for me, and it really helped me find myself again. I promise you will find yourself but it just takes time. There is a beautiful Greek song that I absolutely feel connected to in so many ways called, Stamatise Tou Rologiou Tous Diktes. In Greek this means; Stop The Clock Hour Hands. Music has really helped me express my emotions as well as painting. Find your passions, focus on them wholeheartedly and use them to heal.

This last step promotes health and well being. One of the reasons I love Mikaela’s blog is that I absolutely love fitness. I am a professional chef and I always include a 30-60 minute workout session in my daily routine to keep me balanced. Fitness is really good for the mind, body, and soul. It doesn’t matter what kind of workouts you include; it can be yoga, zumba, running outdoors, or simply doing jump rope in your own backyard. Try to include a 30 minute workout each day to reenergize yourselves. Incorporating some healthy fruits and vegetables goes hand in hand with your workouts.

I’ve included my own Green Mean Machine Smoothie to motivate all of you this New Year! It is packed with super foods and the energy you need to stay on track with a healthy lifestyle! You must take care of YOU and if you can follow these tips I think it will really help. I really hope if you are in a bad situation you will remove yourself from it immediately and seek help. I am happy to assist anyone who needs my help or advice.

Thank you to my friend for having me on ablondeinthecrowd blog. Have a beautiful year and don’t forget that you are STRONG and use your strengths to get through bad situations.

Love,

Chef Krystina

Kouzounas Kitchen