Natural Health for Body and Spirit
Natural remedies, recipies, and musings for your health and wellness
Herbs ~ Harvesting, Drying, Preserving and Storing Your Herbs. — Good Witches Homestead
For the heart of the medicinal herbs! Knowing how to properly harvest your medicinal herbs will increase the potency and efficacy of the preparations you create. Let’s understand the terminology used to describe the parts of herbs {plant parts} when harvesting. Berries and Seeds: These are the fruits of the plant, harvested when they are fully […]
via Herbs ~ Harvesting, Drying, Preserving and Storing Your Herbs. — Good Witches Homestead
Assembling A Grooming Kit For The Man In Your Life — lifewithlilred
There’s no denying that women get the best stuff when it comes to beauty. We get the clothes, shoes, and accessories. And, to top it all, we get the beauty products. While more men are admitting to using moisturizer, it’s still not the norm. And, male makeup is even less so. While we get to […]
via Assembling A Grooming Kit For The Man In Your Life — lifewithlilred
Natural Cleaning Products
Commercial cleaning prodcuts can be harsh and contain toxins that can negatively impact your health, your family’s health and your pets’ health. Natural cleaning products are effective and easy to make. Common ingredients in a variety of natural cleaning products include baking soda, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and essential oils to add a nice scent.
Easy All Purpose Cleaner
Mix 1 cup of vinegar, 4 TBS baking soda and 2 gallons of water. Add your favorite essential oil and pour into a spray bottle. This surface cleaner is works well for most kitchen counters and stainless steel. It is also very good for bathroom clean up. Tough messes can be loosened up with boiling water and then scrubbed away.
Easy Scrub Mix
Mix 1 cup of baking soda and 2 TBS salt. Add enough hot water to make a paste plus a few drops of your favorite essential oil. This scrub works well for sinks, dishes, and anything else that requires a little extra to get clean. The dry mixture can be stored in a clean, dry container for use later.
Deodorizing your Kitchen Disposal
A very easy method of making your kitchen disposal smell fresh and clean is to put lemon and orange rinds through it. The disposal will grind up the rinds and release the citrus oils leaving everything smelling wonderful.
Easy Spa Foot Scrub
For the purpose of maximizing well-being, it is essential practice self-care. Here is a recipe for an easy spa foot scrub.
One of the best things about a spa pedicure is a salt scrub. Now you can make your own scrub and it is very easy. The scrub makes a nice gift as well.
Gather together the following items:
- Glass or plastic jar with lid
- 1 cup plain Epsom Salts
- Essential oil of your choice. I recommend lavender or peppermint.
- Grapeseed or almond oil
Instructions
In a glass bowl combine Epsom salts with several drops of essential oil (you can decide how strong you prefer your scrub) and enough grapeseed or almond oil to fully wet the salts.The consistency should be that of a paste. Place the scrub in a clean glass or plastic jar with a tight fitting lid.
This scrub lasts for about 3 months in its jar.
To Use
Take a generous amount of the scrub and gently massage feet and legs. Pay special attention to any rough areas such as heels. Wipe off with damp towel or rinse in shower or bath.
Gratitude
Gratitude is the feeling of appreciation for what we have. According to an article by Psychology Today, gratitude is a positive emotion that is associated with optimism, empathy and higher energy levels. What does it mean to have gratitude in practical sense? It is simply being thankful, showing appreciation, and doing kind things for others. The expression of gratitude has many personal benefits, both psychologically and physically. Therefore practicing gratitude in everyday life can help you feel better, have more energy and reduce depression. In addition, people will like you better if you have a more positive outlook and practice being thankful, rather than complaining about what you don’t have. In return, personal and work relationships will improve.
There are a few ways to train yourself in order to improve gratitude in your life such as keeping a gratitude journal, writing thank you notes to people on a routine basis, and prayer. Happier Human has a gratitude quiz to help you assess your level of gratitude and a list of simple interventions you can do today to improve your gratitude and ultimately your sense of well-being.
THANK YOU for reading my blog!
Mindfulness
Natural healing for the body and spirit is meant to promote a sense of well-being and calm as well as support physical health. As we move through life and struggle with the external stressors of jobs and families plus internal stressors of meeting people’s expectations, meeting our own expectations, and striving to be more and better, eventually we run short on energy and positive emotions. There are natural ways to improve mental and physical health. The articles in this blog are not meant to replace good medical care and the advice of your doctor.
Recently, I’ve had some family drama which resulted in a very high anxiety level. For me, being balanced and on an even keel is essential to my success in my job as well as my success as a mother and wife. However, the events unfolding in our family had me completely unbalanced. As I was working on the computer at home, a documentary on mindfulness was playing on the TV. I began to listen to it and I was intrigued by how much impact the simple act of being mindful had on wellness, memory, productivity, and a positive attitude.
Mindfulness is simply being aware for what is around us and being in the present. A wonderful article from the website “Mindful” describes mindfulness as “paying attention to where we are and what’s going on.” It sounds very simple and conceptually, it really is. In practice, learning to be mindful takes some practice. If undisciplined, our brains wander and drift which makes us unproductive, allows negative thoughts to enter, and can create anxiety. Practicing mindfulness helps us focus on the present and what we are currently experiencing and reduces our tendency to dwell on past problems or worry about future events.
Learning to be mindful begins with practice. There are a lot of really great tools available, many for free, to help with learning to be mindful. A good one to start with is Pocket Mindfulness, a website that walks you through six mindfulness exercises. There are also many smartphone applications that provide guided meditation and support for mindfulness training.
I hope you will try to practice mindfulness. I know I will!
Natural Health for Body and Spirit 