Tag: SH Wellness
Presents to myself, from myself.
Heat Wave and Ants
This article includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hello Summer!
It’s finally here and it is H.O.T.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the heat. The humidity, though….. I could do without feeling like I could cut the air with a knife. Where’s the cool breeze? Where’s the relief with being in the shade?
I do my best to keep complaints to myself, or at least to a minimum. I prefer to use that privilege in the winter. Cause give me hot weather over cold all day.
Summer Vacation
Do you have a summer vacation planned?
We have quite a nice vegetable garden going, so we won’t be leaving it for an extended time this summer. The hot weather is good for the okra, peppers, and tomatoes. Mini vacays and mental breaks will suffice for us this summer. We get to eat yummy veggies though! It’s a good trade.
Ants Are Here
They don’t like the heat either. We currently have them in our bathtub, presumably in search of cool water to drink. They have been inundating the kitchen countertops, stove, and sink too.
While I feel for them and their plight, I don’t apprciate them running around my kitchen. You feel me?
While being mindful of our limited space and our food prep area, we have been using Terro Liquid Ant Bait to keep them at bay. It works like a charm! If the darn things would just stay outside……
I hope your summer is fantastic! Stay cool. Stay well.
Do you have travel plans, or are you staying home and tending your garden this summer?
I Have Cataracts. Now What?
Having been recently diagnosed with cataracts, I naturally have some questions. The diagnosis wasn’t a complete surprise. I am “of the age”. Plus I smoked for decades.
**If you smoke, this is another reason to stop asap**
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In this article:
What are cataracts?
What causes them?
How to know if you have them.
What you can do about it.
What makes them worse.
What to do as prevention.
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What are cataracts? According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a cataract is when your eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy. Proteins in your lens break down and cause things to look blurry, hazy or less colorful. In other words, cataracts are the clouding of the lens of your eye, which is normally clear.
What causes cataracts? Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye’s lens. Proteins and fibers in the lens begin to break down, causing vision to become hazy or cloudy. Other factors can increase your risk of cataracts, such as genetics, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
How do you know if you have them? An eye doctor can give you a diagnosis. Regular eye exams are recommended, especially when you reach the age of 60. In most cases, that’s when cataracts start developing. However, changes in the lenses of your eyes can start to affect you in your 40s. Reading glasses anyone?
What can you do about them? At first, stronger lighting and eye glasses can help. If impaired vision begins interfering with your usual activities, you may need cataract surgery. Likewise, your eye doctor may recommend it. In the U.S., the average age for cataract surgery is 73.
What makes them worse? Dehydration, alcohol, smoking, and obesity speed up the development of cataracts. Uncontrolled blood sugar or high blood pressure are also contributing factors.
Prevention, please:
Get regular eye exams. They are helpful in early detection.
Quit smoking.
Manage other health problems.
Choose a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruit and veggies.
Wear sunglasses
Reduce alcohol use.
Now we know what cataracts are, what causes them, how to know if you have them. We also know what you can do if you have them, what causes them to get worse, and some preventative practices.
Hopefully, this answers some of your questions, just as it did for me.
Do you know someone with cataracts? Share this post with them. Sharing is caring.
Do you suspect you have cataracts? Tell us in the comments so we know we aren’t alone.
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Being visually impaired or having low vision, doesn’t mean you can’t still journal, write, jot down notes, make lists, etc. As a journal creator with low vision, I have created a book designed just for us. It’s on Amazon. Here’s a link – https://www.amazon.com/Need-Vitamin-Sea-lined-notebook/dp/B09RNFY3GG/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=i+need+vitamin+sea+notebook&qid=1648062359&sr=8-19
Crossing Bridges
Bridges help us cross difficult terrain, sometimes being the only way to get from here to there.
Are there memorable bridges in your life?
Speaking of bridges and crossings, and getting from here to there, I want to introduce you to a new endeavor I recently started. I am creating adult coloring books, journals, and to-do list notebooks. They are available on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/author/suzannehorrocks
This new endeavor feels like crossing a bridge because it is a new avenue, a new path, a new road. Having a bridge connecting my wellness journey, my entrepreneurial journey, and my dream of creating a line of blank books is priceless.
What bridge have you built or crossed that changed your life? (Small changes count too.)
Sweet Dreams
It feels so good to get ready for bed.
You filled your diffuser with beautiful oils, you rolled calming nourishing pure-fume on your neck, wrists, anywhere, everywhere.
You fluffed your beautiful sheets and pillows. You have the most delicious book ever written beside your bed.
Your bedroom is cool, it smells inviting and relaxing, the lighting is soft .It’s ready for you to leave your troubles at the door and snuggle into sleepy time.
Feeling clean, cool, relaxed, you climb into bed, the beautiful soft sheets and soft fluffy pillows are waiting for you. You settle in for a few minutes with your favorite author, and feel your tension and busyness of the day melt away.
When you are ready, you turn off your side table lamp and the room goes to a luscious welcoming darkness. The bed is the most comfortable bed ever, your body is clean and fresh, the room is cool and dark.
You snuggle down into the covers, close your eyes, take a few deep breathes, and off you go into a deep restful rejuvenating sleep.
Your lips form a slight smile as you drift off into that deep nourishing sleep.
The morning sun peeks through your curtains, the birds are singing their morning songs, your eyes open and you realize that you are ready, eager to begin your day.
Your body, your mind are ready. Your body, your mind have had a nice long chunk of time to collect, sort, and store the nourishing nuggets from yesterday.
You are ready to glide through today with joy, grace, and ease.
Because you just slept like a baby.
To learn more about how to sleep like a baby night after night, read this post.
Let’s talk about sleep
This article includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sleep is important for healthy metabolism, a healthy immune system, and healthy organ function, just to name a few things. During restful sleep, your body heals and your brain gets a necessary reboot. Just like your electronics need a reboot, so does your brain.
Up to 90 percent of adults report mental stress and anxiety as the number one reason that they can’t shut their brains off at night in order to easily fall asleep.
According to Dr. Ashley Anderson, there are some lifestyle changes that can help improve the quality of your sleep.
1. Own your morning. Get up early or at least on time. Give yourself time to organize your thoughts, and your day. There are anti-anxiety practices that you can do to start your day on the right foot. Things like deep breathing, meditation, journaling, or spiritual reading can help you begin the day in a calm, stress free mood. Unlike getting up at the last possible minute and rushing to get to work on time.
2. Create space within your day to de-stress. Take a break. Stroll outside. Listen to a short guided meditation. Relax in the sun for a few minutes. Take time to relieve some stress during the day to keep it from piling up at bedtime.
3. Create a good night time routine, especially in the last hour before bed. As parents, we know the importance of a good bed time routine for our kiddos. We need one too! Things like a warm bath, relaxing with a good book, dim the lights, low impact stretching, massage, journaling, etc., set you up for a good night’s sleep. Your brain will get in line with the program and pretty soon, you won’t have any trouble falling asleep.
There are some tools you can use to help you fall asleep easily. Namely essential oils. Cedarwood, Frankincense, Vetiver, Petitgrain, sleep blends, and more.
I work with doTERRA Essential Oils. Lavender, Roman Chamomile, and Vetiver are my go-to oils. doTERRA has curated a sleep wellness program which includes bath salts, some body butter infused with their sleep blend, a gratitude journal, a spritzer/sprayer for the bed linens, and more.
I have been using this program for two months and my sleep has improved noticeably. My energy is more consistent, my memory is better, focusing is easier, my food choices are better. The best thing is my good mood. I wake up looking forward to my day.
With my established bedtime routine, my brain is recognizing the signals and I’m ready for lights out quickly and fall into a deep restful sleep easily. This is after years of not getting enough sleep. The difference is stark.
Getting a good night sleep consistently is one of the best things you can do for yourself, your loved ones, your life.
To learn more about how to #SleepLikeABaby night after night, read this post.
You get to choose a good day
How is March and Spring going for you so far?
Spring is time for new beginnings and awakenings. The flowers and trees are budding. We just took some of our houseplants outside for the warm half of the year.
Our bodies are ready to liven up after the rest and digest period of winter. Movement and cleansing are good areas to explore this season.
I have been drawn to cilantro recently. Chopping it up along with spinach and cabbage for a salad is amazingly refreshing and energizing. Cilantro is good for detoxing too. Perhaps that’s why it has come to me with such strong feelings this season. Give it a try. Or add some other light and leafy green if cilantro doesn’t float your boat. You can add it to sandwiches or salad. Use it as a garnish or make your own version of pico de gallo or a relish. Yum Yum!!
It’s your choice!
Along the thought line of “you get to choose”, how about choosing to NOT accept that guilt trip? Do you ever feel those? Either from inside your own head or from another person? You get to choose. Thank the guilt trip for reminding you to be mindful and let it go on it’s way. Don’t hang on to it. Seriously, guilt will find a home somewhere. You don’t have to hang on to it.
Life gets to be your choice. Live it as you like.
If you could make a change in your life, what would it be?
Happy Spring!
A Lemon Tree on Mars
Natural – existing in or caused by nature, not made or caused by mankind
I preach and teach a lot about healing and natural wellness. So I looked up the definition. It makes perfect sense. Right? Existing in or cause by nature, not mankind.
Take a lemon tree for example.
Imagine taking a lemon tree to Mars vs taking vitamins, minerals, and supplements found in lemons.
The tree, with proper conditions like air, water, and light, will perpetually make more lemons. These lemons will have seeds to make more lemon trees, to make more lemons, to make more trees, to make more lemons, as far into the future as the imagination can see.
If you simply took the vitamins and minerals to Mars, they don’t replicate like a natural living tree. Pills don’t make more pills. They are made by mankind. They are not natural. You would quickly run out.
The difference is obvious.
Since we are of nature, perpetually replicating, doesn’t it make sense that our bodies would respond better to other things “of nature”?
Hence my constant teaching and preaching about choosing natural options first. Real sunshine vs vitamin D supplements. Water vs soda. Fruits and vegetables vs boxed and processed food. Restful sleep vs chemically induced sleep.
We are soooooo lucky to live on this planet. It has the perfect conditions for our species to thrive.
May you have great health and wellness, the natural way.
And like magic, the ugly skin thing is gone.
Since this is a reader supported blog, this article includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
First of all, my sincere apologies for the terrible pictures. I was taking them because it was a good way for Charlie to see what was bothering him on his back. Don’t you just love the new capabilities we have with our phones?
Anyway. Here’s the rest of the story……
This spot had been growing fairly slowly on Charlie’s back for a little while. It was beginning to bother him though. Hitting the chair when he leaned back. And starting to itch.
I took this picture because he wanted to see what it was.
And it not only looks terrible, it didn’t look like anything normal. Neither of us are medical professionals, nor do we specialize in beautiful skin. But this spot was a bit alarming.
Since we are both passionate about aging gracefully, naturally, and in a healthy way, we are into essential oils and natural remedies. So we took that route.
We started trying iodine. It didn’t seem to be making much of a difference so we switched to essential oils.
Lo and behold, we found a perfect formula.
Frankincense and Myrrh diluted with fractionated coconut oil. We applied it once a day. Once!! And that’s when we remembered to.
An incredible 15 days later. 15!! The spot was gone.
We chose Frankincense and Myrrh because they are both very good healers. Frankie heals everything. Let me put that a different way – Frankie helps your body heal itself. Myrrh is like liquid skin. It’s amazing!
The two together are magic. They healed the skin under that spot and it must have fallen off at some point.
No prescriptions drugs. No doctor visits. No cutting or any procedures. We simply put the Frankie/Myrrh/FCO combo on there daily (or at least as often as we could remember. Pretty much daily though.)
It has been about six weeks since the ugly skin thing disappeared. So far, it hasn’t reappeared here nor there, nor anywhere. It’s like magic. Nature works like that, you know?
Suzanne Horrocks 