Lemon Wellness Tea for Sick Days
Inside: Even the healthiest among us succumbs to the occasional sick day. Tissues, a warm throw, and this lemon wellness tea for sick days are the perfect companions to help you on your way back to feeling better.
January has been a month of head colds and coughs around my house. Seems like we went from exciting goals for the new year to the goal of not using so many cough drops and tissues! But we’re regaining our health. As for this month, well, slow starts are better than no starts!
But back to the tea. . .
My friend Candace gave me this recipe years ago, and I’ve made it whenever I feel like I’m coming down with something. Or, when I didn’t get ahead of the sniffles, I’ve brewed the lemon tea. It’s packed with some of nature’s best cold-fighting, germ-killing ingredients. But instead of me rambling on about it, let’s get right to the recipe:
Lemon Wellness Tea for Sick Days
- Three whole lemons, sliced
- 5 cups of water
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- honey or real maple syrup to taste
Slice lemons and put into a pot filled with the water. Start to bring it to a boil, though you want to keep it at a simmer. Add smashed garlic cloves, grated ginger (can add powdered ginger in a pinch, but use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon instead), and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey or maple syrup to taste.
Note: Ginger root keeps well in the freezer, and you can keep it for other recipes, so if you can, buy fresh.
Honey is soothing for your throat and a natural cough suppressant, so you might want to use that for its added benefits rather than the syrup. Because the tea is quite sour from the lemons, I ended up using a combination of sweetener and honey–otherwise I probably would have wanted to use more honey than I really need, carb-wise.
The cayenne does make this a bit hot, so use with caution if you have trouble with spicy food. While the tea is better with the cayenne, this tea would still have some wonderful cold-fighting properties without it.
Do you have a favorite home remedy for sick days? Share it with us in the comments!
Related posts:
How to Make Chicken Bone Broth
My Simple 5 Day Detox Experiment
My Simple Detox Day 1: Lemon Water
My Simple Detox Day 5: Onions and Garlic
Posts from a year ago:
Simple Suppers: Creamy Cheesy Cauli Soup
Simple Suppers: Butternut Beer Brats Soup
The 5 W’s for Thriving in Winter
Inside: Winter can be long and hard–or it can be welcoming. Surviving and thriving in winter is possible. Read on for my five tips to make the most of the season.
The Woes of Winter
Winter. Not exactly the most popular of seasons. My dad didn’t like winter. Working on a dairy farm in the cold all those years can do that to a person. I know because I worked alongside him for a couple of decades to see for myself.
I’ve faced my own battles, too, in the past. Feeling down or even full-blown depression a couple of times in the month of January have resulted in some hard winters in my lifetime, and though life is better these days, I’m still learning how to manage winter and all the pitfalls this time of year can bring.
But I am learning. Here is what has been helping me survive–and dare I say thrive?–this season.
The Five W’s of Winter
Warmth. Bundling up. Dressing in layers, even if I’m taking out the trash. Wearing gloves. In the past I’ve been known to not properly prepare for the cold with my clothing choices, which left me shivering and crabby..This year I’m taking better care of me.
Writing. Not only a creative outlet but a way to express myself. Vital. Neglecting the habit of writing isn’t good for me. Sharing my thoughts with you, kind readers, has blessed me tremendously! Thank you for showing up and reading!
“Weeklies.” What I mean by that is keeping my weekly appointments. Church, critique group, running errands. Coffee at Roasted Bean. Hibernation is for bears, not humans. I know my tendencies, and burrowing in can be one of them, particularly when the weather is bleak. Sharing, talking, connecting–these are good for me. Still learning in this area, too. Aren’t we all?
Wellness. That means getting enough sleep (but not too much), eating right, exercising, taking vitamins, and diffusing essential oils. Getting outside at least once a day is a goal. A good way to make that happen is by having something you have to do outside. Walk the dog. Take out the trash. Feed the birds. Give yourself a reason to go outdoors and breathe in plenty of fresh air while you’re out there.
Wonder. A fresh fallen snow. The thick fur coat on a horse in winter. Icicles–nature’s ice sculptures. The bluish glow as night descends on a blanket of white. A tiny snowflake. Find the beauty in the ordinary. Not always easy, but it’s a skill well worth cultivating. And it does take cultivating.
Embrace the remaining days of January and welcome February with both arms. Live well!
What are your thoughts on winter? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
When Your New Year Takes an Unexpected Turn
Starting the Long and Sentimental Project
Finding my Pace: Slowing Down to Enjoy Life
Posts from a year ago:
Rain Rain Stay, Suburban Farm Supply, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
How to Make Chicken Bone Broth
When Your New Year Takes an Unexpected Turn
Inside: What do you do when your new year takes an unexpected turn, wrecking your plans?
Note: While this article was first posted two years ago after my dad passed away, I’ve run it every year since because it has resonated with so many readers. Originally titled “When Your New Year Didn’t Go as Planned,” I post it here again in the hopes of helping those who have started the year off in a hard place and struggle to find the way forward. If you know of anyone going through a difficult time, please pass the link along.
-Amy
I had high hopes for 2017. By December I had gotten my word for the next year—“accelerate,” and I was excited. I took a class in goal setting, watched videos, filled out worksheets, and listened to podcasts. I carefully penned my actionable steps in my brand spanking new calendar. And I dreamed.
Then my dad passed away.
Barely into the second week of January, I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. Priorities changed overnight. Suddenly all of those goals didn’t amount to a hill of beans. I was knee-deep in the Kubler-Ross school of hard knocks, working on my five stages of grief.
Maybe your new year didn’t go as planned, either. Maybe you lost your job or received a bad report from the doctor or recently signed divorce papers. Maybe someone you love passed away.
So now what?
Here are my five observations from the trenches:
Give yourself time to process. Whether the death of a loved one or a diagnosis of cancer, take the time to grieve the tragedy. Stuffing feelings only delays forward movement because sometime, somewhere, those feelings will surface—maybe at the wrong time. Better to take a long walk on a deserted park trail to cry rather than breaking down at the office.
Allow for changes to your schedule. This will look different for every person. Maybe you need to cut back on your busyness, drop the weekly book club meeting. On the other hand, adding in some time at the gym might be a good stress reliever. However it looks to you, respect the change in priorities. For the rest of January, I cut all of the nonessentials from my work and personal schedule. I also swapped my every three weeks grocery shopping marathon with elaborate meal plan system for a less intensive weekly shopping trip and winging the food thing. Mondays Mom and I have been spending leisurely afternoons at the Roasted Bean, sipping coffee and making sense of our lives without Dad. It’s been healing.
Take care of yourself. Dress warmly. Take your vitamins. Journal. Watch a funny movie. Read a mystery. Eat healthy, but give yourself grace for a chocolate bar, if that fits your lifestyle. January visits to The Bean included custard-filled donuts for Mom and me. Giving yourself that extra TLC is imperative.
Reach out to others. Again, this will differ depending on the individual. Maybe you are an extrovert and joining a support group makes sense. Or maybe a standing dinner date with a friend is more your speed. For me, a confirmed introvert, spending time with Mom, texting my brothers, and emailing my daughter are avenues of communication that work well.
Plan a New Year reset. So you’ve been through some pretty traumatic events, but slowly you’re starting to feel like it’s time to return to some semblance of normal. Life is calling you back. Maybe you want to tackle some of those goals you were once so excited about. It’s time for a New Year reset. This could be the first day of spring or maybe your birthday or some other milestone. Maybe you need six months to process what happened. After some prayerful consideration, I knew that February 1 would be my reset.
Regardless of your timetable, the way forward begins with you.
Related posts:
Finding my Pace: Slowing Down to Enjoy Life
Starting the Long and Sentimental Project
Posts from a Year Ago:
Rain Rain Stay, Suburban Farm Supply, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
My Goals for 2019
Inside: In the excitement of the new year, it’s easy to get carried away when making goals. This year I’m adopting a new process. Check out my goals for 2019.
*This post contains affiliate links.
Last night was our annual goal meeting at my writer’s critique group, a time we set aside to share our goals for the year–writerly and otherwise. It’s always encouraging and motivating for me as we go around the table, reading our lists. Some of us choose words for the year as well, which I talked about in a previous post. But before I reveal this year’s list, I’ve got some old business to finish–namely last year’s goals. . .
How Did I Do in 2018?
Well . . . I did okay. Actually I nailed two of the eight. In case you’re wondering, here is last year’s list:
- Take a photography class.
- Develop a fitness habit by exercising 3 times per week, setting weekly step goals, and getting up to move at least once per hour from 9 – 6.
- Develop early morning 15-minute book reading habit.
- Revise my novel and get it ready for publication.
- Declutter bedrooms.
- Finish my new writing project.
- Save up money to buy “the Ark” (farm animals) for needy families through World Vision.
- Read 12 books off my bookshelf in 2018.
If you read my taking inventory post, you know that I developed an exercise habit, thanks in part to my fitness tracker–so I won’t belabor the point here. I also mentioned in that post that taking pictures brought me the most joy, so it’s easy to see why I accomplished that goal.
My New Approach to Goals
Hint: It has something to do with the picture. Well, actually, a lot to do with it. A couple of weeks ago I went on the hunt for a new planner–the little books I’ve been keeping the past nine years worked great, but I needed to move to something with more accountability. So I went planner shopping on Amazon, and the one that kept coming back to me was the Jesus-Centered Planner.
While my previous approach to setting goals is a good one, this year I’m trying something entirely different. As per the directions in the planner, I’m making one to three goals per quarter, and then I’m re-evaluating these at the end of that time period and very possibly making one to three brand-new goals, or continuing with the previous ones. It’s not up to me, and that’s the point–and what makes this such a new and adventurous way to make goals. I’m relying on God to show me what He wants me to work on for the next three months.
Admittedly, that’s not necessarily easy. For example, I’ve been wanting to revise my novel since I finally finished it the end of 2016, and I want to declutter my entire house. But when I wrote down what I wanted, including my “I would like” list, I then prayerfully asked what I should be spending my time doing. Very different answers, let me tell you!
With that said, here are my goals for the first quarter of 2019:
- Learn time management, particularly how to plan ahead.
- Be more social, saying “yes” to more social situations.
- Make a budget, to get a better handle on finances.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not excited about being more social. I tend to be in hermit mode a good portion of the time, with my default setting being, “No, thanks, I’m staying home.” If you are an introvert, you get it. If not, no amount of explaining from me will likely help you understand. . . But this goal is what God wants for me, so I’m keeping an open mind.
As nerdy as it sounds, I’m motivated to learn time management for a number of reasons. I also talked about that in the inventory 2018 post under the question “What didn’t work?”. I’m looking forward to learning to manage my time better so that I can have less stress and enjoy my life more. I’m reading (for the second time) Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out and finding it very helpful! You’ll probably be hearing more about that as we head into the thick of the year.
As for creating a budget, I’m using Dave Ramsey’s Every Dollar app and am still trying to figure it out. That’s not to say it’s hard to figure out, only that I’m trying to learn it. And, really, I don’t mind doing a budget because, again, I have this practical side that likes to keep track of things and build structure. Plus I like to enter the numbers in and see it all at a glance. Also nerdy, I know.
So there you have it. Goals 2019, first quarter. I’ll keep you posted (pun not intended, but it works here) on my progress. And if I blossom into a social butterfly (cue the laugh track) you’ll be the first to hear about it!
Did you make goals for the new year? Tell us about it in the comments!
Related posts:
Finding my Pace: Slowing Down to Enjoy my Life
Is Perfectionism Holding You Back?
Posts from a year ago:
When Your New Year Didn’t Go as Planned