Telling Your Story
Do you need some suggestions for creating your story?
We are collecting stories from people who have had a significant level of recovery from one or more issues in their lives, where raw food was used as their primary recovery tool. IF THIS IS YOU-WE WANT YOUR STORY!! This is an opportunity for you to make a difference in someone's life. Perhaps someone who may reminds you of you a few months/ years ago, before you discovered RAW!! It is an opportunity to encourage, uplift, above all to offer a little inspiration to those who are in discomfort, perhaps even pain, either emotionally or physically. Don't worry! You don't have to be a fabulous writer! No need to be extraordinarily eloquent, just write from your heart, tell it like it is, and the results will speak for them selves. You don't have to cover every point suggested, just the bits that leap out and grab your attention, and if that's ALL of them that's ok too. Write as much or as little as you like, in whatever style suits. For example, your story may be extracts from a journal you may have kept; it might be in question and answer format; you might like to write a poem (not too esoteric or no one will understand you!); it can be a few paragraphs or even a few pages. Regarding editing, if we see obvious spelling or grammatical errors, we will edit your writing and publish without further ado. If we feel you have a fabulous story that just needs a little tweaking, we will write and suggest those tweaks, before we publish; or we'll extract some really juicy bits! Here are some points to ponder, just to get the ball rolling. Do feel free to digress from these questions, whilst staying on the rawcovery track!
Who are you?
Share as much as you feel comfortable to about your age, gender, occupation, and where you live. We'd love to see photos of you as well! Of course if you want to remain anonymous, that's fine, but a first name will help readers identify with you.
What was/is the issue in question?
Acne, greasy/ lank hair; anxiety, overweight, cancer, dry skin, depression, high blood pressure, mood swings, diabetes? People will be interested whether you story is a dramatic recovery from a life threatening illness in a short space of time, or a slower road to helping a relatively minor problem. Define the issue, and say what impact it had on your life- physically, socially, emotionally, financially, perhaps even romantically! Was the issue a gradually creeping kind of condition, or did you have a serious wake up call?
What were your food choices before you began eating high raw and why?
A few lines about your food/ beverage intake. Was it high veg/ fruit, lots of meat and flour products, or cooked? Did you yo-yo a bit with different eating styles? Di you eat large or small meals or snack a lot? Did you drink a lot of water, tea, coffee etc. Were did you get educated about the food you ate, perhaps you felt heavily influenced by the media, or the medical establishment, ie, DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE EATING? And what it was doing to you:.
What was your self-care lifestyle before going raw?
Did you fall sleep quickly and deeply ? Tell us about any exercise you did. What were your energy levels like? Have you regularly had saunas, massage etc. Did you smoke?
Did you try anything else to help your condition before going raw?
If so, tell us what you had success with, what was a waste of time/ money, whether your condition worsened, or you had side effects.
Was there something that 'woke you up' to raw food?
Was it a gentle transition, after you'd heard bits and pieces of conversation, or a real 'lightbulb' moment? Did you have much scientific information to go on, or was it more of a gut feeling to just give it a go?
What was your main reason for going raw in the first place?
Perhaps you were wanting your eczema to clear up or wanted to lose a few pounds. Maybe you did it to annoy your parents;-) but got hooked? Seriously though, some people have had great health breakthroughs by going raw without even really expecting them!
How long have you been a high Raw eater?
Has that been very consistent, or wavered around a bit?
When did you begin to notice an improvement in your condition?
Perhaps there were little signs along the way, or maybe you had a giant detox, and came out of it free of 'XXX' Do you feel that you are completely free of your condition now, or is there still a little ways to go?
How do you feel about the improvement in your condition?
Share your joy, your relief, calmness, pride, excitement. Different feelings at different stages of the journey, take us on a little trip into what it FEELS like to have had your condition, and then to have it gone or dramatically reduced. People WANT TO KNOW!! This is a bit that really inspires people, let it all hang out!
What are other positive the side effects since the improvement of your condition?
Perhaps you have more energy to spend playing with your kids. Maybe you can get out those dresses from the 'slim' section of your wardrobe again. Have you noticed people are complimenting you on the twinkle in your eyes, the softness of your skin?
Raw is also great because:
Perhaps you have more money from saving on doctors bills. Could be you have less washing up, and that's a real plus for you, or your recycling bin no longer has take-out cartons in it, so you feel you are doing a bit more for the planet.
This recipe has helped me stay raw, or helped my condition:
You may wish to share technical information ie details of particular trace elements that appear in some foods that have been sited as beneficial for those with a certain condition, and your favorite beneficial for those with a certain condition, and your favorite recipe to include all the goodies in a delicious form. Or.. because of my IBS, I was not able to tolerate XXX, so I made this recipe instead. Or, if I ever craved 'XXX' I made this instead.
OK, so what's the downside?
We don't just want the glossy stuff here, we want the Real Thing! Perhaps you have found an aspect of being a high raw food eater challenging. Tell us how you have overcome or managed any challenges or downsides.
If I had my time again:
When we learn something new be it surfboarding, playing the piano, or a change in our eating patterns, we can have a bit of a learning curve! Please let the readers know of any 'tips in hindsight' that you could offer to help them as they become high rawfoodists. You could save them time, money and a bit of heartache!
Some final points
Please do not use offensive language, use other people's personal information or use the story as a means for blatant advertising. You can include a link to a website that readers can seek further information.
Thank you
Thanks SOOO much for taking the time to write your story.
With Kind Regards
The Team at RawCovery
Publishing
Please send you stories to : harleyquinn69 at yahoo.com (please click the link, or replace at with @)
Suggestions
If you have any suggestions to add to this list please email Lisa abundantlife at aapt.net.au (please click the link, or replace at with @)