Tag: total wellness lifestyle

Giving and Receiving Requires Balance

Published on by Nikken

Many of us were taught from an early age to be of service—parents teach children to help with tasks around the home, to walk the dog, babysit the younger ones, and so on. There might be an allowance earned, and in those cases, the child learns to receive a token for services rendered.

Each individual reacts differently to the many forms of giving and receiving. Young children have to be taught to give as receiving comes naturally to them when they are at the stage of being dependent for just about everything. As they grow older, the tables turn and they typically are reinforced with the importance of giving in the forms of helping, serving or gifting.

Giving is upheld as positive behavior, part of altruism and generosity; however, authentic giving does not expect anything in return. It comes from a place of abundance and joy, of having more than enough to share. Receiving takes a back seat and this may result in the learned behavior of too much giving. When there is a feeling of debt, the imbalance of not receiving enough occurs. That is why it is equally important to learn to receive with grace, gratitude and true acceptance—that is, to receive without guilt and the feeling of having to repay the giver.

One way to rectify an imbalance between giving and receiving is the concept of paying it forward. You can’t always reciprocate equally with someone who is able to give you more than you have, but there is bound to be a time when you can be the giver to someone who has less. You are simply contributing to the cycle of kindness and the spirit of sharing.

There is another aspect of gracious receiving that is often overlooked. Not being able to receive robs the giver of the pleasure you yourself receive when you are the one doing the giving! And, it makes the giver feel misunderstood and unappreciated. Gracious receiving is a way of allowing others to show how much they care and to experience your own self-worth.

Just as “it takes two to tango,” it takes two to give and receive. Creating a balance between the two requires conscious intention, but it’s well worth effort. If you don’t feel joyful when giving, it’s a sign you’re depleted and imbalanced. You can consciously give yourself self-care to replenish your own tank and do some receiving, which can take the form of asking and accepting help!

Think of giving and receiving in this way: it can be as simple as words of encouragement, such as “I know you can do it.” “I believe in you.” “Let me give you a hand with that.” The recipient graciously accepts with “thank you!” We can make balanced giving and receiving a part of our total wellness lifestyle!

‘Tis the season of gifting, and if you want to present the ones you care about with gifts inspired by nature, Nikken invites you to take a look at the 2023 Gift Guide. The special offers extend through the end of the year.

We Can Help Curtail the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Published on by Nikken

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is twice the size of Texas, is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. The patch is bounded by an enormous gyre –the biggest of five huge, spinning circular currents in the world’s oceans that pull trash towards the center and trap it there, creating a garbage vortex.

The Ocean Cleanup initiative estimates there are about 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the patch that weigh an estimated 80,000 tons. The majority of the plastic found in the patch comes from the fishing industry, while between 10% and 20% of the total volume can be traced back to the 2011 Japanese tsunami.1

According to the UN Environment Program (UNEP), the world produces around 460 million tons of plastic a year, which will triple by 2060 without urgent action. Globally, only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled, and as much as 22% of all plastic waste is mismanaged and ends up as litter, with large amounts making it into the oceans.2

The Ocean Cleanup has built a huge trash-collecting system, a U-shaped barrier with a net-like skirt that hangs below the surface of the water. It moves with the current and collects faster-moving plastics as they float by, but cleanup is only part of the solution. A study published recently said that without urgent policy action, the rate at which plastics enter the oceans could increase by around 2.6 times between now and 2040.3

More than one million bottles of water are sold every minute around the world and the sindustry shows no sign of slowing down. Global sales of bottled water are expected to nearly double by 2030. Researchers analyzed data from 109 countries and found that the bottled water industry saw a 73% growth in sales from 2010 to 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. In 2021, global bottled water sales reached 350 billion liters and were valued at an estimated $270 billion, a figure expected to soar to $500 billion by 2030.4

Bottled water is popular throughout the world, with the US, China and Indonesia having the largest number of consumers. Countries in the Global South together represent roughly 60% of the market. A report by the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health showed that the bottled water industry generated roughly 600 billion plastic bottles and containers in 2021, resulting in 25 million tons of plastic waste, most of which was not recycled and ended in landfills.5

Fossil fuels are the raw ingredient for the vast majority of plastics, which have a heavy carbon footprint from manufacturing through to disposal. Around 85% of plastic water bottles, which can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, end up as waste in the ocean, adding to a vast swirl of plastic waste that poses a serious threat to marine life.6

The UN Environment Assembly passed a historic resolution last year to end plastic pollution and create the world’s first global plastic pollution treaty by 2024 – a legally binding agreement that would address the full life cycle of plastic, from its production and design to its disposal.

Each one of us can make it a personal goal to reduce plastic disposals every single day. The easiest way is to break the habit of single-use plastic bottles. All we have to do is make it a matter of routine to use re-usable water bottles and carry them with us. Nikken has outstanding water filters, namely the PiMag Waterfall® and PiMag® Sport Bottle. The replacement filters are recyclable, the water is refreshing and alkalized through the filtration process, and each time we drink from them, we know we are doing our part to live in harmony with nature.

Now through June 30, receive 20% off the PiMag® replacement filters for both the Sport Bottle and the Waterfall, along with the replacement filters for the PiMag MicroJet® Shower Systems and the KenkoAir Purifier®. It’s a win-win as we practice our total wellness lifestyle and help our oceans and marine sustain their survival.

1, 2, 3 https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/world/plastic-pollution-ocean-ecosystems-intl-climate/index.html

4, 5, 6 https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/16/world/plastic-water-bottles-un-report-climate/index.html