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Seeking Joyful Simplicity

Your best life after 40 - living with purpose and vibrant health. Empowering you with a holistic approach: nourishing foods, herbal remedies, and self-care to reduce overwhelm, manage your weight, and enjoy vibrant health in your 40's, 50's, and beyond.

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Health and Wellness

Letter to Myself – Stop Putting Off Happiness

8:04 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 11 Comments

Why are we so quick to feel restless and unhappy, even when we get what we want? How do we stop putting off happiness for later, and what is the secret to being happy now?

 

Stop Putting Off Happiness

 “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

Why is happiness and contentment so elusive? Why, even when we accomplish our goals, or get what we want, do we so quickly find ourselves feeling unhappy, restless, and discontented? How do we stop putting off happiness for later, and what is the secret to being happy now?

Are you guilty of waiting to be happy?

Maybe you will find happiness when you get a new job, lose some weight, or have more self-confidence. Whatever it is, if you always look toward tomorrow for happiness, chances are you will do the same when you attain what you’ve been dreaming of.

I know, because this is exactly what I do – whenever I achieve something important, I start looking for the next thing to make me happy. And I’m not just talking about stuff.

I am finally realizing this is not a healthy way to live, and honestly, I am sick and tired of chasing happiness.

Enough is enough. I am giving myself a good firm talking to, and here is my letter to myself. If you are in the habit of putting off happiness, maybe this will help you too.

Stop Seeking and Start Being Happy Now

Dear Michelle,

There comes a time when you have to stop seeking and just be. The joy and contentment you seek is already available to you. Instead of seeking joyful simplicity, learn to discover the joy already present in your life. 

You don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect. YOU don’t have to be perfect.

Life is messy, complicated, and sometimes really, really hard. Sometimes you screw up. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve happiness.

And you know from experience, even in the worst of times, there is beauty, grace, laughter, and joy to be found.

So why can’t you find the beauty and joy every day?

Michelle, let me gently remind you how to stop putting off happiness so you can enjoy being happy now.

Pay Attention

Pay attention. When you pay attention, you notice the simple, wonderful, incredible things in your life. And trust me, they are there.

It’s the ordinary moments – your children sharing patience and kindness with each other; the gentle hum of summer crickets; the way your coworker went out of her way to help someone; the late afternoon light shining across the table; the simple meal shared at the family table. These are the simple moments that make up a beautiful, joyful life.

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” – William Morris

 

Why are we so quick to feel restless and unhappy, even when we get what we want? How do we stop putting off happiness for later, and what is the secret to being happy now?

 

Let Go

Let go. Take a deep breath Michelle, and relax. Everything does not have to be perfect. You do not have to be perfect. You will always make mistakes, feel vulnerable, and sometimes life will be hard and painful, and things will definitely not go your way. But that’s okay, because you can handle it. You know you can. So just let go – of your fear, your disappointment, and your worry.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – Allen Saunders

 

Remember Gratitude

Feel gratitude. Remember to pause and consider all that is right in life. The good health, the good people, and the beauty in your life. Don’t forget these things Michelle! They are a part of you, and the only way not to take them for granted is to remember. Feel gratitude every day.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”  – Oprah Winfrey

 

Slow Down

Stop hurrying and decide to enjoy the process. There will always be more meals to cook, dishes to wash, weeds to pull, and laundry to clean. Joyful living doesn’t just happen in the in-between moments. So you might as well learn to enjoy the process. Slowing down and living joyfully is easier than you think.

 “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius

 

Stop Being So Hard on Yourself

It’s time to stop being so hard on yourself. You are good enough, just as you are. You can be both amazing and a work in progress all at once. Don’t be afraid to live vulnerable, forgive yourself for your mistakes, and celebrate your strengths.

“We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.” – Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

Why are we so quick to feel restless and unhappy, even when we get what we want? How do we stop putting off happiness for later, and what is the secret to being happy now?

 

The Trap of Putting Off Happiness

This is it, Michelle. Time to stop falling into the trap of putting off happiness.

Happiness isn’t about having all the pieces in just the right place. It isn’t about living a simple, problem-free life, or reaching a certain goal.

Being happy is not a selfish or naive way to move through life – being happy makes you more resilient in the inevitable tough times, and helps you help others.

Happiness is available in so many ways, and it starts with changing your mindset.

So do it. Change your mindset.

 

Wishing you peace and happiness,
~ Michelle

 

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Living with Purpose Tagged With: being happy now, stop putting off happiness

A Better Way to Start Your Day – How to Start Your Day with a Positive Attitude

7:31 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 3 Comments

Positive Ways to Start the Day - Best Ways to Start Your Morning

 How do you start your day? 

Are you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, feeling excited and optimistic?
Or do you drag yourself from bed with weariness and dread?

Despite our personal challenges, we can choose how we start our days.

I say “choose”, because we can be intentional in how we begin each day. Although I have children and a job with long hours and a long commute, I can choose to get up early or later, rush or take my time, make time for exercise or lie in bed, eat a good breakfast or hurry out the door. 

After a while it becomes a habit. And like anything else, we can either have good habits or bad habits. And how we start our mornings can have a huge impact on the rest of our day.

A Better Way to Start Your Day – How to Start Your Day with a Positive Attitude

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle 

You can, with some thought and planning, reset your habits for waking up each day.

But it’s not just what we do in the mornings, it’s the thoughts and emotions we experience that will produce profound changes in our day. Especially when life is challenging, changing what we choose to think about as we get started each day can help us find more optimism and resilience.

 

Are your first thoughts of the day consumed with worry, stress, complaining, or other negative emotions? Try these simple ways to start your day with a positive attitude

 

Changing your morning mindset – Starting your day with more positive emotions and energy

Even before you get out of bed, start with noticing your thoughts – are they positive or negative? Are your first thoughts of the day consumed with worry, stress, complaining, or other negative emotions?

Start getting into the habit of asking yourself these questions when you wake up:

  • What can I be excited about today? (If you are unable to find excitement, how about something to feel grateful for?)
  • What, or who might cause me stress today? How can I respond in a positive way, from my higher self? (Visualize yourself responding to stress in a calm, positive way)
  • Who can I surprise today with a thank you or a moment of appreciation?
  • What emotions do I want to feel today? (Joyful, focused, carefree, determined, compassionate, happy, peaceful…)

Instead of jumping out of bed the second the alarm goes off (and turning to the outside world), or hitting snooze 5 times so that you have no time for yourself in the morning, build in some quiet time before starting your day.

Even if you don’t have a lot of time or energy, there are a few simple things you can use to create a positive morning routine. Just 5 minutes of one or more of these activities can change your entire day.

To create a more positive morning routine, try some of these:

  • Light stretching (even in bed!)
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Journalling
  • Affirmations

It’s amazing how changing just the first few minutes can impact your whole day.

My challenge for you – Pay attention to how you start your day – your thoughts and your actions. Can you make it better? Make your plan to change and Get Started!

I would love to hear from you – What is your favorite way to start the day? 

With affection,~ Michelle

Start Your Day with Joy – Morning Affirmations

Join the Seeking Joyful Simplicity Community and receive 20 morning affirmations to help you start your day with joy.
When you join, you’ll be added to my email newsletter. You can unsubscribe anytime, no hard feelings. 🙂

 

 

You might also like:

The Most Important Thing – Having the Courage to Live with Authenticity

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Living with Purpose

Beating the Winter Blues

7:22 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 10 Comments

These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

Five Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

This is the time of year that many of us start feeling down, as the days turn gray and the long nights leave us missing the sun. Instead of suffering another year with the winter blues, and trying to find relief through caffeine, sugar, and comfort foods, let’s make a promise to take better care of ourselves.  These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

 

These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

The cold rain falls slowly, as though uncertain of its path. Almost snow, but not quite, it clings to the branches in fat droplets, as if hoping for one last chance to freeze before finally touching the earth. The power is out, and without the usual electronic inputs, the house is exceptionally quiet. I just finished making bean and bacon soup, tossing in the last of the kale. A batch of apple pie filling went into the freezer, ready for baking another day. The candles are lit, and the house has a cozy feel to it.

 

These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

 

023Winter candlelight

Beating the winter blues with candlelight

 

These are the moments I crave. The mindful and purposeful work of home, the tangible results, create a deep contentment that wraps itself around me like a favorite and comforting blanket. There is nothing that centers me like being home.

But winter is a bittersweet time. The weather means more time focused inside, but the days are short and my energy is low. How can I avoid the temptation of over-eating, and too little physical activity?

Seasonal Affective Disorder

The winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder, is common for those who live with a winter season. Sometimes mild, it can become debilitating

It seems each year, despite my best efforts, I feel the winter blues settling over me. Although I believe in the benefits of slowing down, especially after the holidays, feeling sad and melancholy affects not only me but my relationships as well. My family depends on me, and when I am am not doing well, everyone seems to suffer.

Does this happen to you?

Last year I focused on the small things to keep myself happy and healthy during the cold, gray days of winter. I believe being mindful of our inner thoughts and feelings, and having a plan can make a big difference.

This year, instead of turning to mindless distractions, bingeing on comfort foods, caffeine, and other less healthy ways to pass the winter season, let’s focus on the simple things we can do every day to take care of ourselves. And let’s start now.

 

5 Simple Ways to Take Care of Ourselves and Beat the Winter Blues

Instead of suffering another year with the winter blues, and trying to find relief through caffeine, sugar, and comfort foods, let’s make a promise to take better care of ourselves. These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

The content on this site may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. SeekingJoyfulSimplicity.com is a participant in the Amazon Services Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for you for supporting Seeking Joyful Simplicity. ~ Michelle

Lighting

My husband gets annoyed with me in the winter months, as I go around the house early mornings, turning on lights and opening the blinds to let every drop of light in. But the older I get, the more I notice the powerful effect light has on my mood.

Such a simple thing we take for granted. Sunlight, passing through clouds, sometimes makes us stop and pause. Without even knowing it, light exerts its influence on us.

 

These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

 

Being aware of the amount and quality of light in our homes is a simple way to make a huge impact on our mood and energy level. The effect of light is a physical thing – light affects our biorhythms and body chemistry, and can not only affect our energy and mood, but the quality of our sleep as well.

Using quality broad-spectrum bulbs in the rooms where we typically spend a lot of time in the winter can lighten our mood.  A simple string of twinkle lights adds a certain festive feeling, long after the holidays have passed. Candles cast a comforting glow on dreary winter days. And research demonstrates using broad-spectrum lights with timed exposure has helped many people with seasonal affective disorder and depression.

More information on light therapy for depression
and Seasonal Affective Disorder:

  • Mayo Clinic – Seasonal Affective Disorder and Light Box Therapy
  • Harvard Health Publications – Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Live Science – Bright Light Therapy Can Ease Depression Symptoms 

Music

We are all familiar with the power music has to transport us to different place and time, as we listen to our favorite tunes from the past. The right music can change our mood in an instant. Why not make a plan to take advantage of your favorite music to help you feel better?

I really struggle with getting out of bed and feeling hopeful for the coming day when I have to rise early on dark mornings. Having my favorite music close by the bed helps me plug in and get going first thing, often setting the mood for the rest of the day. It can be helpful to create a playlist of your favorite happy songs to rely on when you need a quick boost.

Nourishing Foods

Every winter it seems my stomach has a mind of its own. Cravings for high-fat and high-carb snacks and meals take over. When I’m feeling tired, or down, I cannot muster the energy or discipline to make healthy food choices. The more I give in, the worse I feel.

The food choices we make can have profound effects on our mood. When we indulge too much in high-fat, high-sugar foods, or consume too much caffeine and alcohol, not only do we suffer with the negative physical effects, we too often feel we are letting ourselves down. Over time, this can be exhausting. There are some simple strategies we can use to eat well consistently and avoid the winter blues and the unfortunate weight gain that often goes with it.

    • Eat small frequent meals. When our mood and energy levels are down, we have less motivation and self-discipline to draw upon. If we can eat small, frequent meals/snacks, we can keep our overall energy level up and avoid those “I’m starving, I have to eat something now!” moments.
    • Include healthy proteins with our meals/snacks. Adding protein can give us a longer sense of satiety and avoid the sugar highs and lows that come from high-carbohydrate eating. Carbohydrates alone are digested more quickly, leading to a sudden rise in insulin, followed by a quick drop. Even complex carbohydrates can produce this affect. Adding healthy proteins like a handful of nuts, two tablespoons of nut butter, sunflower seeds, cheese, cottage cheese, and other protein sources can help us avoid the roller-coaster of carbohydrate foods. All of these nuts and seeds provide healthy fats which give us sustained energy levels and studies suggest support a better mood. Keep the portions in check though – mindless eating through a bag of nuts or sunflower seeds can mean too many calories. Here is a delicious recipe for healthy, herbal-infused energy balls using nut butters, honey, and chocolate – Women of Power Balls, Herbal Health Treats.
    • Nourishing Herbs. There are many herbs that offer nutrition and are safe to use daily. The herbs I suggest are nourishing and mood-lifting and can help us stay healthy and happy during the challenging winter months.

You can learn more about the 4 herbs I use to relieve depression and anxiety – 4 Herbal Remedies for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. 

Physical Activity

When you’re feeling sad and depressed and eating too much and all you really want to do is enjoy a Netflix binge, the idea of physical activity can be pretty awful. Too often I end up arguing with myself, and it might sound something like this:

Pro-exercise voice says, “Come on Michelle, you know you need to get some exercise. Just go for a short walk, you will feel so much better!”

No-exercise voices says (in a whiny tone), “Ugh. It’s cold, and damp. I’ll have to put on something warmer first, which means going ALL THE WAY UPSTAIRS to the bedroom. We can walk later, or even better, tomorrow.”

Pro-exercise voice replies, “Oh no, you need to walk TODAY and TOMORROW. You haven’t done anything all week, and you are getting stiff and lazy. Besides, if you don’t stop eating those chips and get walking, you are going to have to go shopping for bigger clothes.”

No-exercise voice responds with a loud sigh, “Alright, alright. We’ll go, but just for a short walk.”

Once we get out the door, the crisp breeze invigorates us, and the blood flowing helps our brain function and the happy endorphins kick in and we tell ourselves what a great thing it is to be out here walking.

Unfortunately, the pro-walking voice doesn’t always win the argument. How can we support ourselves and stay active when we feel down? Here are some ways I keep myself active:

  • Keep my exercise clothes ready to go. I have running shoes, an ipod, and the clothes I need for the current weather, set out the night before (I typically exercise in the morning.) The less reasons I have to talk myself out of it, the easier it is to get going.
  • Create an exercise playlist of songs that really make me feel like moving. Sometimes all I need to do is plug-in for a few minutes and I am ready to go.
  • Set a schedule. I know that Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my designated exercise days. It’s good knowing that if I get my exercise on Monday, I won’t have to fight with myself on Tuesday, etc.

Being physically active when it is cold and dark outside is a huge challenge (heck, it can be challenging enough when the weather is nice!) But physical activity offers so many benefits, and can make a world of difference in our energy levels, our mood, and even our self-esteem.

Time Outside

Outside, walking along the river trails, I hear the sound of the wind swishing through the bare branches above. Fallen leaves crackle underfoot. Everywhere are muted blues and charcoal grays. Empty trees stretch to the overcast sky, the white bark of the many sycamores blending with the even darker sky.

We can forget how beautiful these gray days are. We can be so preoccupied with resisting the discomforts of the current season, we miss the beauty and grace of it.

 

These five ways to beat the winter blues won’t magically make you happy, but they will help you enjoy better health and a better mood this winter.

 

Being in nature, even in the cold and wet is the best remedy I have found. It takes discipline, and some strong self-encouragement to get myself bundled up and out the door. But I never regret it. Moving is essential – staying still in one place too long lets the cold seep in.

Choose Acceptance

This year I am trying hard to take care of myself and avoid slipping into the winter depression I so often experience. Exercise and time outside are essential. And fighting the urge to over-consume high calorie comfort foods is always a challenge.

But even as I try to avoid sinking into a deep winter melancholy, I am also learning to accept things as they are. I will have less energy and enthusiasm, and I will feel more withdrawn. And that is OK and a natural part of the cycle of the seasons. Acceptance and non-judgement allows us freedom. Freedom to accept the current situation as it is without labeling it “good” or “bad”, or trying to change it. So much of our struggle comes from resisting. But many things in life can be like the weather – we have no control over it and it just is.

I hope you find the right balance between slowing down and caring for yourself. Balance between doing what is hard and doing what feels easy. And that you enjoy a peaceful and contented winter season.

In health,
Michelle

If you want to eat healthy, stay active, have fun, and avoid gaining weight this winter, check out my post on five great apps to help you track your meals, log your exercise, keep you motivated, and get you through the winter months at home. The apps are easy to use, free, and a fun way to stay healthy! Read more here…

5 Apps to Get You Through the Winter Months at Home

 

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Living with Purpose Tagged With: seasonal affective disorder treatment

Aging Gracefully or Letting Ourselves Go – What Does Aging Gracefully Really Mean?

1:20 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 2 Comments

Women aging gracefully - with courage, joy, and authenticity. We can love our bodies, care for ourselves, support each other, enjoy our strengths, and be proud of who we are becoming. 

Women aging gracefully - with courage, joy, and authenticity. We can love our bodies, care for ourselves, support each other, enjoy our strengths, and be proud of who we are becoming. 

Women Aging Gracefully

I spent my early twenties preoccupied with the shape and size of my body. During my thirties, I was busy with raising children and finding balance between family and career. And despite the inevitable changes that come with 3 pregnancies and aging, by my early forties I had reached a happy acceptance of my body.

But already that “happy acceptance” is changing. The woman staring back at me from the mirror and photos is not someone I recognize. My mind and spirit are still young, but my body is aging. How strange to feel so disconnected from the physical changes and the body I inhabit!

Will it always be this way, my mind feeling one way, while my body takes on a new shape? And now I wonder, what does aging gracefully mean?

Defining Grace

Grace is often defined as: Smoothness and elegance of movement. Dignity. Refinement and style.

So then, if we are to age gracefully, are we to slide into old age with dignity, refinement and style? Perhaps.

But what about those of us who still carry a youthful mind and free spirit, and the words “dignity, refinement, and style” feel stuffy and confining? Hiking muddy trails, acting silly, and getting sweaty in the garden don’t seem particularly “dignified”, but certainly are part of my image of aging gracefully.

The older women I find most inspiring are those who continue to act with joyful vigor and aren’t afraid to define for themselves what aging gracefully means.

If you Google “women aging gracefully”, almost all of what you find is related to physical appearance and fashion. The youthful looking older woman is held up as our role model, as well as the fashionable older woman.

Is our appearance all that defines us as women? Where are the role models for aging women that emphasize the deeper values of personal integrity, strength of character, authenticity, self-awareness, and simple confidence? 

Loving Our Body

Can we learn to love our older bodies despite the effects of aging?

I am striving to embrace my body and honor it for how it has served me. I remind myself of how this body has given me three beautiful children, and carried me well through my 48 years on this earth. It has handled the abuse I have given it and yet continues on.

I want to care for my body – with good food, vigorous exercise, and fresh air. But there is a fine line between caring for our bodies and the battle we so often wage against ourselves.

Does my expanding waist line and wider hips mean I am not trying hard enough, or is it an inevitable result of aging and shifting hormones? Shall I exercise harder, be stricter with my nutrition, and watch my weight?

Should I accept things as they are and learn to “age gracefully“? Or does accepting these changes mean I am simply letting myself go?

Do I cling to the previous version of me, or do I embrace my new self with all the outer and inner changes that come with getting older?

Living with Authenticity

For women, we may struggle between taking care of ourselves – and becoming overly preoccupied and dissatisfied with the changes that come with getting older. Sagging boobs, weight gains and a changing body shape, hair loss (and hair in new places!), wrinkles, loose skin, age spots – there is a billion-dollar market ready to help us fix what’s wrong with us.

Ultimately, I believe to look good, we need to feel good. Feeling good requires us to take care of ourselves. No magic lotions or creams can fix poor habits of nutrition and physical activity. For us to enjoy our aging bodies, we must make self-care a priority.

We have a difficult relationship with ourselves – there is the conflict between want we should be doing, and what we are doing. Too often we become unhappy with the shape of our bodies, we lack motivation, and we fear becoming fat, dull, old women.

Can we accept our changing bodies with unconditional love, despite the negative messages our culture sends? I believe we can.

I believe that no matter what, we can carry ourselves with confidence, and dare I say, grace. We can embrace the changes that come with aging, and make them our own. We can love our bodies, care for ourselves, support each other, enjoy our strengths, and be proud of who we are becoming.

And most importantly – we can choose to live with authenticity.

Let's redefine what aging gracefully means. Does my expanding waist line and wider hips mean I am not trying hard enough, or is it an inevitable result of aging and shifting hormones? Shall I exercise harder, be stricter with my nutrition, and watch my weight?  Should I accept things as they are and learn to “age gracefully“? Or does accepting these changes mean I am simply letting myself go?  Do I cling to the previous version of me, or do I embrace my new self with all the outer and inner changes that come with getting older? How do you define aging gracefully?

I believe we must each define for ourselves what Aging Gracefully means, and there is no one-size-fits-all definition.

My approach to aging gracefully includes:

  • Finding a healthy balance between striving to be my best and accepting the reality of living in an older body
  • Choosing not to focus on my limitations, but instead to appreciate my strengths
  • Instead of striving for weight loss, I am staying fit
  • Instead of dieting, I am focusing on nourishing foods
  • I will not forget the value of good sleep
  • I am finding healthy ways to manage my stress
  • I am embracing my age, not hiding it
  • I am living with authenticity – with courage and joy in the woman I am today

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. ~ Sophia Loren

My question for you is this – How Do YOU Define Aging Gracefully? How will you take care of your changing body? Will you offer yourself compassion and acceptance?

With much affection,
~Michelle

You might also enjoy this article by Suzanne Braun Levine – Learning to Appreciate the Body You Have

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Living with Purpose

Autumn Gold Tea Blend – Make Your Own Nourishing Herbal Infusion

7:35 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 13 Comments

The herbs in this tea blend are nourishing and warming. Perfect for supporting our immune systems as we transition to the new season. This DIY fall tea blend contains the anti-inflammatory turmeric, providing health benefits and a delightful golden glow as embrace the brisk fall season. Make your own nourishing herbal infused tea and stay healthy this fall and winter.

The herbs in this tea blend are nourishing and warming. Perfect for supporting our immune systems as we transition to the new season. This DIY fall tea blend contains the anti-inflammatory turmeric, providing health benefits and a delightful golden glow as embrace the brisk fall season. Make your own nourishing herbal infused tea and stay healthy this fall and winter.

Food and nutrition is the foundation of good health.  Herbalists always start with nourishing herbal infusions, and I drink one nearly every day. The herb combinations I use change with the seasons, and with the arrival of fall weather, I am choosing warming and immune-boosting herbs. Here are the herbs for my autumn gold tea blend and some of their benefits.

The herbs in this tea blend are nourishing and warming. Perfect for supporting our immune systems as we transition to the new season. This DIY fall tea blend contains the anti-inflammatory turmeric, providing health benefits and a delightful golden glow as embrace the brisk fall season. Make your own nourishing herbal infused tea and stay healthy this fall and winter.

*This post contains affiliate links to herbal producers I use and trust. If you purchase by clicking on these links, I may receive a small compensation, at no additional cost to you. I participate in the Amazon Services Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for supporting Seeking Joyful Simplicity.

DIY Fall Tea Blend – The Herbs

Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Nettle packs a lot of nutrition and forms the base of this nourishing tea blend. Nettle leaves are high in minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Also high in vitamin A, vitamin K and many trace minerals, nettle is used both as food and medicine. Nettle is wonderfully nourishing and helps support healthy hair (you can read more about how nutrition and diet impacts your hair HERE.)

Spearmint (Mentha spicata)

Spearmint adds flavor, supports the digestive system and lungs, has antimicrobial properties, and increases circulation.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Lemon balm is a lovely aromatic herb with many health benefits. Studies show lemon balm has strong antiviral and antibacterial properties, offering protection from colds and flu. Lemon balm helps increase alertness, relieves anxiety, and adds a delicate lemon flavor to the blend.

Rose Hips (Rosa spp.)

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose, containing the seed. They contain more vitamin C than oranges and are believed to stimulate white blood cells, an important part of the immune response.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

There is a lot of research confirming the health benefits of turmeric, including: antibacterial and antiviral properties, powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties, and more. Studies show turmeric to be more effective than many common prescription medications.

In addition to its amazing health benefits, turmeric adds a lovely autumn gold to our tea blend, and because it stimulates the circulation, is a warming herb.

Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Mild and sweet, the flavor of dried licorice root is nothing like the licorice candy. Licorice root is underappreciated for its well-documented and powerful medicinal properties, including: adaptogen, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant.

*Licorice root can cause adverse side effects and interfere with some prescription medications. It is recommended to limit the use of licorice root to small amounts for short periods to avoid side effects. (Do not use licorice root daily for more than four weeks duration).

Assembling Your Tea

Purchasing dried herbs in bulk is the most economical way to work with herbal remedies (when you can’t grow your own.) These dried herbs can be used individually, or combined for tea blends, and you can use them to make herbal tinctures, oils, honeys, and vinegars. I recommend Frontier and Starwest Botanical brands. You can order both of these brands online through Amazon.

Herbal Infused Tea Blend

This tonic tea blend is a beautiful autumn gold and offers nourishing and warming herbs to keep you warm and healthy.

“Parts” can be whatever measurement you prefer – teaspoon, tablespoon, ounces, or grams. I made 1/2 quart of dried tea mix with this recipe using Tablespoons as my measurement. I then use 1 tablespoon of tea combined with 8-ounces of water for tea making.

Ingredients:

4 parts Nettle
3 parts Spearmint  leaf
3 parts Lemon Balm
1 part Rose Hips
1 part dried Turmeric
1/2 part dried Licorice Root

Directions:

To make your tea blend, combine the dried herbs in a glass mason jar with a lid and store. To brew, add 1 tablespoon of tea blend and steep with 8 ounces of water for 10 minutes.

This would make a lovely homemade gift to share with friends and family.

If you have any questions, let me know!
~ Michelle

For more on staying healthy using food as medicine:

These 4 Simple Foods Fight Cold and Flu – Sage, Ginger, Garlic and Honey

Health Benefits of Turmeric

4 Herbal Remedies for Stress – Finding Relief from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

Filed Under: Healing Herbs, Health and Wellness

These 4 Simple Foods Fight Cold and Flu – Sage, Ginger, Garlic and Honey

7:16 am by Seeking Joyful Simplicity 34 Comments

Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.

Marketing and commercialization by the pharmaceutical and health food industries tries to convince us that taking responsibility for our health is difficult. We are encouraged to buy expensive products and to rely on the “experts” to guide us in our choices.

Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.

Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.

The content on this site may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. SeekingJoyfulSimplicity.com is a participant in the Amazon Services Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for you for supporting Seeking Joyful Simplicity. ~ Michelle

Traditional Foods as Medicine

When you feel yourself with the beginning of a cold, there are some simple things you can do without turning to  store-bought medicines or remedies. Many of our common kitchen ingredients have been used for thousands of years as both food and medicine.

In our modern world of medicine today, the pharmaceutical industry continues to churn out “new” and “improved” medicines for us to buy, and bombard us with advertising, and the FDA regularly recalls drugs discovered to cause harm.

But we can rely on simple foods that connect us to the earth and our ancestors. We can use the remedies that have been available through the generations. Research is confirming these foods as powerfully effective in supporting our immune systems and keeping us healthy.

Four Simple Foods for Cold and Flu

  1. Raw Honey
  2. Sage
  3. Fresh Ginger
  4. Fresh Garlic

There are so many foods that support our health, but I chose these four because:

  • They are have a long history of use as medicine
  • Are easy to obtain
  • Have extensive research confirming they are incredibly effective
  • They taste great!

These four foods are effective medicine when used alone, but work even better together. Synergistically, these foods fight colds and flu by:

  • Destroying the bacteria and viruses that make us sick
  • Stimulating our immune system (such as increasing white blood cells)
  • Preventing viruses from reproducing, essentially stopping a cold or flu in its tracks

Sometimes when we use food as medicine, we need more than we can comfortably consume. Medicinal honey is a great way to enjoy the nourishing and healing properties of plant medicines, and honey is an excellent way to pull and concentrate the medicinal properties in the plants. Using good quality local honey, we can enjoy the medicine of the plants and the medicine of the honey.

Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.

Benefits of Raw Honey

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists honey as a demulcent, which means it is a substance that soothes dry, irritated membranes. Honey is effective for soothing coughs and sore throats, and it has antimicrobial properties (nature’s way of preserving the honey for the bees!) These antimicrobial properties help us fight the cold and flu viruses.

Honey is an excellent way to extract and preserve the medicinal properties of the plants. And the great taste helps us take the medicine we need.

But beware, most “honey” sold in grocery stores is highly processed, meaning the honey is heated to such a high temperature that all the medicinal qualities are destroyed. In addition to this heating process, the “honey” is diluted with water, corn syrup, and often found to be contaminated with chemicals and heavy metals.

Sadly, most of the large national honey distributors import honey from countries with poor quality standards, and the FDA is unable (or perhaps unwilling) to test more than a very small percentage of the honey industry. *If this disturbs you, and you want to learn more, this is an excellent resource.

Your best choice is to buy organic honey from a trusted source, or better yet, buy local raw honey. Raw honey does cost more, but when making medicine for ourselves and our families, using raw honey is essential.

Raw honey can be used to make some truly indulgent infused honeys. Consider indulging yourself with rose honey, lavender honey, mint honey, and more! Check out my herbal honey recipes – Herbal Infused Honeys .

Benefits of Sage

Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.

 

Sage is a plant used as food and many kinds of medicine for thousands of years. For colds and flu, sage kills the virus and bacteria responsible for our respiratory infections, relieves our cough and sore throats, and because sage has astringent properties, it’s excellent for treating drippy sinus. Sage can be used alone as a tea, or as a gargle to sooth a sore throat.

Avoid medicinal amounts if you are breast-feeding (slows lactation).

Benefits of Ginger

 

Ginger is an incredibly versatile food and medicine that has been used for thousands of years. Traditional uses and current science agree that ginger has potent antibacterial and antiviral properties. Ginger also has strong anti-inflammatory properties and several large studies have shown that ginger is as effective at treating aches and pains as Ibuprofen. And by increasing circulation, ginger has a warming effect; perfect for the cold seasons.

Benefits of Garlic

Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.

For over 5,000 years garlic has been used as food and medicine. Garlic stimulates the immune system, helps thin mucous, and acts as an expectorant. Like ginger, garlic has anti-inflammatory compounds that help relieve the discomforts of cold and flu.

The Cooking Detective has a well-researched article on the 39 Health Benefits of Garlic. 

Avoid medicinal amounts if you’re on blood thinners or antibiotics.

Easy Steps to Making a Medicinal Honey

Click here for your easy-to-print PDF: Cold and Flu Recipe

Supplies:

  • Raw Honey
  • Fresh or Dried Sage Leaf
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Fresh Garlic
  • Pint-sized Jar
  • Wooden spoon
  • Knife and cutting board

Instructions: 

  1. Fill a clean, dry jar 1/3 to 1/2 full with loosely chopped sage, ginger, and garlic.
  2. Cover ingredients with honey, stirring lightly to remove air bubbles.
  3. Add more honey as needed to completely cover the herbs.
  4. Cover and allow to infuse. The longer you leave it, the stronger the flavor. You can use within a few days, but I like to give mine a week before straining into a clean jar.

You don’t have to strain the honey, but I prefer to strain mine for a smooth honey and take it by the spoonful.

Dosing:

During acute illness:

  • Adults – 1 teaspoon every 2 hours up to 10 doses daily
  • Children over 1 year – 1/2 teaspoon every 2 hours up to 5 doses daily.

Summary

When I think about making medicine at home for myself and my family, I want to keep it simple and accessible. I have used these simple plant medicines, and I see how well they work. Unlike the store-bought cold medicines which simply suppress our cold and flu symptoms, the plant medicines work deep, supporting and strengthening our body’s immune system.

I’m excited to share this simple traditional medicine with you. I encourage you to give it a try, and let me know how it works for you! And don’t forget to share this with others.

Do you have a traditional remedy for colds and flu? Maybe something shared in your family?

~ Michelle

Here are some more of my favorite homemade remedies:

Honey-Vinegar Cough Medicine

Easy Fermented Garlic and 5 Recipes

 

 

Please Note: the information provided here is not intended to replace professional medical advice and care. It is simply my perspective for you to consider as you make good choices for you and your family’s health. Seek the support and care of a physician and/or complementary care practitioner you trust, and above all, listen to and trust in yourself. Be well!

Filed Under: Healing Herbs, Health and Wellness Tagged With: health benefits of garlic, herbs for cold and flu, home remedies for cold and flu

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Hello and welcome! Seeking Joyful Simplicity is about creating space in your life for the things that matter most - abundant health, joy, and contentment. With a holistic approach focused on self-reflection, simple foods, and herbal support, I offer a practical approach to living with purpose and vibrant health. Want to learn more? Start here…

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Disclaimer and Disclosure

The information provided here is not intended to replace professional medical advice and care. It is simply my perspective for you to consider as you make good choices for you and your family’s health. The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and maintaining health. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not meant to diagnose any disease, nor is it intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Seek the support and care of a physician and/or complementary care practitioner you trust, and above all, listen to and trust in yourself. Be well!

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