Cup of tea with Aisha

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) how have u been? I had a nice day, alhamdulillah. Went to the jummah prayer, and picked two things from my favorite shop, I tell you more below. I got answers to my little prayers, and hopefully for the bigger ones too. Then I came home through market, we had dinner, and finally it's the time to chat with you guys :) ... So what did I get from the swamp? Hehe. My favorite shop is  Kaurilan sauna . It's located on the same street as my favorite mosque, so two birds with one stone (I don't want to stone birds though, this is not a good saying). They sell all kinds of handmade sweetnesses, like soaps and other cosmetics, cleaning products, all kinds of sauna stuff (like sauna hats!). I bought a deodorant cream and a natural peat face mask (hence the swamp). The deo cream is familiar to me already, I know it works so well even though I'm a stinky and most deodorants won't work for me.. but this does! Unfortunately ...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah :) how have u been? I had a meeting with my nurse in the morning, then I did some grocery shopping and came home to rest the remaining day. I've been gathering my thoughts and practiced what I preach: I try to enjoy the moment. ... These past two times I've met my nurse I've felt that something is off. And sometimes it's like that. Sometimes I don't also have anything new to say. It's normal to go on a little loop too. Mainly I keep on making my own life difficult by overthinking and being worried, even when I'm not actively anxious. Or I phrased that wrong, it's not me doing the overthinking, it just happens, and even though I can try to gain the control over it, it's not in my hands do I have it or not. But it is truly frustrating when your own mind plays tricks on you. If I strip down all my thoughts and just objectively look at my life, I am so freaking happy, like really. I'm in a good place with everything a...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how's your weekend been? I slept late today, only woke up to hubby making sounds in kitchen, meaning breakfast. I just had some tea. I'm not actually a breakfast person, but often I try to eat something in the mornings because it's the healthy way. But really I'm more of a brunch person - my stomach needs some time to wake up too so brunch time is ideal.  I went for a walk, found some new routes. My circles here are very small, I used to walk in the forest but now when I want to know our surroundings better, it's a bit trickier to find good places. I love a good loop, in sha Allah I'll find one. Went to market too, to pick few things. Ziaja day and night cream, some magnesium pills, earbuds, candy, yoghurt, cheese. A bit random. Then came home and had my brunch: hot cocoa and cheese sandwiches, yum.  ... The sunshine does so much, ma sha Allah. Instantly more energetic and feeling like going out. I have to st...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh :) how r u today? I had a little shopping round. I went to pick a book from library, then I used my gift card at Tokmanni, and then I bought socks and food at the supermarket, and picked my Limepop order on my way home. Alhamdulillah. I got some supplies for my art project (or it's more like a diary project but anyways), some snacks and also gloves now when the weather is turning cold. I feel like I have plenty and I only used 20 euros so all in all, a good trip. ... My Limepop order contained four things: almond oil, castor oil, glycerine and frankincense essential oil. The frankinsence oil is produced in Somalia, that's nice. It's new for me, and I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized frankincense is a type of resin. So it has a nice, fresh scent with a hint of lavender or some herb. Beautiful, nice scent. It also has great healing qualities, especially treating aging skin. It also reliev...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how's your week started? I had one appointment today, and after that I did some grocery shopping. I bought yoghurt and frozen blueberries, and I can tell you that nothing tastes better right now! With a drizzle of honey of course. I also bought my favorite flavored dates, tastes like cinnamon rolls, and I enjoy them now with a cup of silver tea. Husband sleeping, only the plates are calling me to come and wash them, but I postpone it because I need a bit of time for myself first. ... I consider myself so lucky. Before I was a muslim, I prayed occasionally, but after I started calling God Allah, I saw how my prayers came true, one by one. It's a bit funny because Allah means just the God in English, so basically it was the same thing. But maybe I had more clearer idea, which kind of deity I was calling. And Allah is the greatest. As muslims we know that Allah has 99 names/attributes, which describe for us how He is like. You ...

Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) how are u? I have had some health issues, nothing dramatic but enough to keep me sunken in the sofa. That's why I haven't written anything, just been trying to manage. But alhamdulillah, I feel now a bit better so we get to chat again :) how are u doing, how's your weekend going? ... I have a strawberry plant on the balcony. I bought it from the supermarket in the start of summer, and ma sha Allah it very kindly gave me a fresh strawberry every now and then. What I didn't expect, is that it still keeps giving and is making more strawberries in the late month of October.. I'm not sure can it make a ripe berry but we'll see. It's been a very warm autumn, only now these days we get some cold air. The cold feels good. I had been inside the whole day so I went to do the grocery shopping already which I planned for tomorrow, so I got a taste of the coolness and it felt so good. Summer is beautiful, but I like ...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah dears :) how have u been? This is my second "day off" of this week. I know, I'm on pension so technically almost all my days are actual day offs, but I do still need a day to charge my batteries. And I was waiting to get to chat with you guys! Make a cup of hot tea and curl up in the sofa corner, I'm here too :) ... Since my anxiety has been gone for some time, I have had time for insecurities! Haha. This never ends, does it? Lot of my current insecurities have been about my weight and looks. I have become a grown woman, and my body has grown together with me. It has been, and is sometimes difficult to accept. In the West, we have grown into the culture that only youth is beautiful, only a skinny body is beautiful, and when you're +30 and "let yourself go" you become expired and worthless. And it couldn't be more wrong! Beauty doesn't end at a certain age. Beauty is how you carry yourself, and how you love yoursel...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah all :) how r u? I have had something to do every day this week, which is good. It's good to be a bit busy sometimes. I'm a bit tired, but I had to come see you guys :) and make a cuppa of course, some silver tea. ... I've gotten out of my comfort zone this week, by going to new places and also been out in the evening time, which I normally avoid. This is what happens easily to anxious people, they start to avoid certain places etc. So, as I want to treat myself and not in that good way, but maybe good in a long run -way, I occasionally do things I don't like to do but which are good for me. And of course there's a greater good: I met a sister I haven't seen in a while, and her toddler too, ma sha Allah. It was nice to catch up and meet face to face. I'm more active online, but I want to be more active overall and enlarge my circles. After all I can't live just in my home-market-home life forever, I need to do things and g...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) how did your weekend go? This could be an aw27 style post, but it's not. Today, like every day, we focus on the everyday things and experiences > consuming. So today, we finally went to the Winter Garden here in Helsinki. The weather was warm, and we had matching sweaters, so a bit too warm, but a nice day still, hehe.  ... The Winter Garden is small but a very precious spot close to Pasila and Töölö. It's free, that's nice too. It has three different rooms full of plants, which are actually very common houseplants but grown for years, probably decades. Cacti, palm trees, flowers.. and a little pond with koi fish living in :) Then there's a rose garden outside. Beautiful place. Of course this time of the year the flowering plants and the roses outside had seen their best days already, but the sunshine mended the flaws. I recommend! We've had some ups and downs, so spending time together and going on a date f...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh :) how are u? I just made a cup of 'hopeatee', in English 'silver tea'. It's a warm drink often introduced to us as kids by our grandmothers. A drink which simply has hot water, honey and milk. It's not bad at all :) I am following a diet, and also want to reduce my caffeine intake, so this is a good alternative. I have been a bit busy, doing regular things, nothing special. Household chores and grocery shopping. ... Generally the start of the week has been good, alhamdulillah. The anxiety is there, as always, but more at the back of my thoughts. I can do things and go to places, and it's so relieving. Today was clearly a colder day, autumn is here. So should we go to autumn favorites? :) 1. Shea butter My go-to moisturizer. Starts to get extra handy now when the weather changes. Cold means dry skin, so I usually use shea butter to moisturize my skin, usually after shower. It's best to apply as soon as possi...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah all :) how did your weekend go? Alhamdulillah. Today I had so good time with my friends. We had some fresh baked apple pie with vanilla sauce, and good talks about everything, just like it is best. :) Then on my way home I went to a nepalese restaurant to get a dinner for myself, and accidentally bumped into one old friend. We haven't seen each other in few years, and so much has happened. In sha Allah we'll meet again soon :) I came home through a dark forest, called my husband and slipped in the mud with my white sneakers.. when I came home, the first thing my husband did was taking my shoes and washing them. He is so sweet and he really goes an extra mile helping me. Princess treatment is not always fancy dinners and gifts, even thought that's nice too. But it might also be a filled water boiler, found in the kitchen ready when I come home, knowing well that the first thing I always do is make a cup of tea.  ... I have had very sweet enco...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how have u been? I've been fighting against the anxiety and I think I'm winning, alhamdulillah. I had to cancel my participation to a sisters meeting, but I try to go to the mosque tomorrow in sha Allah. So today I had other plans.. I got a gift card, so I bought a gift for myself. Got a gift for hubby too. And then I went to market. After I got home, it started to rain like someone would've just snap their fingers, full rain.  ... There has been a lot of causes getting visibility again in social media. I feel ashamed how easy it is to just live in a little bubble, enjoying all the comforts in life, and forgetting what the reality is for millions and millions. I'm glad these platforms like Tiktok can give voices to the people who need be heard. It's heartbreaking to listen, but we must. There's so much pain than can't be just set aside because we wanna have a nice brunch or something. I'm not claiming...

Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) how's your weekend going? I planned yesterday evening a walk for today, but the weather was looking so grey I decided to stay today just home. I treat my anxiety with a happy pill, prescribed one, and after few cups of morning coffee I changed to my regular green tea, so I have something to sip while I write.  ... I'm feeling optimistic. I want to thank all of you who made du'aa for me, it helped, alhamdulillah. A prayer never goes to waste. I feel a lot more grounded and stable. Yesterday I even wore my new abaya to go do groceries, and it felt so good. Little steps.  I've been trying to think about the connection with the hijamah and my mood. I was expecting to feel better overall afterwards, but even though physically I feel light, my mood has been so low and anxious, and I've had very dark thoughts. It might be that these two aren't connected, but also I thought maybe after cleaning the physical heart fr...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah all :) how have u been? I'm here, alhamdulillah. It's been an interesting week so far. I'm diving deeper into healing, maybe more on finding the ways of healing and guidance that resonates with me. If my life has been stable, now I'm on an emotional and spiritual roller coaster. ... It's exactly like I wrote in my last post: the anxiety is back. I had to even ask some extra medicine today, and the doctor kindly wrote me a prescription. I don't like to take these kind of drug medicines, but there is a time and place for them. I took one when I came home and it helped.  It's been anxiety attacks, low imaan and struggle with hijab. Feeling of despair. Surviving, fighting against my own mind. So I need to also prescribe some treatment for myself. Firstly, no social media, or keeping it minimum. There's so much hate online that it makes me sick. That's why I might delete my Facebook these coming days. If you don't see ...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) jummah mubarak! This has been a bit exhausting day, and strange too. Actually it started yesterday evening, I had a terrible anxiety attack. Alhamdulillah for my husband, and of course I made du'aa too, so it eased when I was able to talk about the things that overwhelmed me. I did cry, then woke up early in the morning, and my eyes were so swollen still. Well, I hope no one noticed. I had an odd work gig, but sometimes it's like that, basically I only took the trash out and then the customer sent me home, so easy for me, but I was ready to work more. But what can I do, I have to respect the customer's will, so then I came back home. I feel like a lot happened in such a small time. ... My anxiety comes and goes, and it has shown some signs that it's coming back. I do have a little anxiety almost every day, and partly it is normal, but then there's the type of anxiety that almost overpowers me and puts my though...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah :) how are u doing? I was gonna write edibles on the title, and I started the post with my e-mail address.. (essalo...) But that's what happens when you sit in the sofa corner, the sharpness and professionality of the kitchen table is gone, and we are off to this little craziness we might actually need. There's no tea with Aisha without a cup of tea, and we also needed my husband to go take a nap so we have the whole house for our thoughts and chat. :) ... Do you collect something? It can be anything. Go ahead and share in the comment section :) I'd like to collect experiences, and maybe we all do that anyways. I mean I'd like to travel to many countries, go to a pottery and sewing class, art class too, and I'd like to learn more of making natural cosmetics at home. I'd like to do more things together with my spouse (mostly I'd like to travel with him! ♥), and I'd like to do something.. I don't know what it could be, ...

Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how's your weekend been? We are on Sunday, and the week is turning to another, in sha Allah. I'm a bit tired, but decided to come write here in the kitchen, maybe it'll make me sharper. Peppermint tea on the way, like you know I like to drink in the evenings, and I have a few dates for a sweet treat. ... I'm excited for next week, genuinely. This past week was so good and I feel like I was able to give and receive so good energies that there's some of it left for next week too. I don't have yet much planned things, just a few, but in sha Allah the week will shape itself while it goes forward. I will be more aware of my diet and health, and give myself stress free time, and also enjoy the process. I know this all might sound silly, but note that I have a severe mental illness, I am somewhat still a recovering addict, and I am an anxious stress ball, so I need to plan intentionally to have good vibes hehe.  I al...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah dears :) how have you been? Welcome to my sofa corner. I had a nice day, alhamdulillah. These good days are so needed because so much of my time is occupied by anxiety. Today's program was a work shift, grocery shopping and cooking an easy dinner of French fries and chicken. That's my go-to when I have work and come home later, it is ready quickly and is a nice option for rice. But I cooked so nice food at work, my customer had some AI generated recipes and we decided to make a baked chicken-vegetable-blue cheese oven dish with some potatoes. I'll try to make it at home too in sha Allah. So goes the veganism.. but I'll get into it. ... My toxic trait is that I get so excited about something, and then my motivation doesn't keep up. This is a problem for me, because I need to a) do exercise and b) lose weight and eat healthy and c) do fun, nice things that keep me on good mood. I can't keep up with a workout plan, and I decide to b...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how's your weekend going? Alhamdulillah. This weekend has been more of an easy one. I went yesterday to jummah prayer with one sister, met some more at the masjid, and then we went for a coffee/matcha and cake in a cafe afterwards. Nice day and even though I had this awkward feel about myself, I didn't have much anxiety and was able to enjoy the day. Today I just went for groceries, and then just hang out at home. It's one of these times when things seem smooth and easy, so alhamdulillah. I am thankful for this because things can change and trials and difficulties wait for their turn. We should all be thankful, and remember our sisters and brothers who struggle, may it be more publicly or a private, silent battle. I added a charity link on my Instagram @cupofteawithaisha, it's part of MATW Project's program and directed to the orphans of our ummah, you'll find it in my bio. Making the donation is very simple,...