Raise your hand if someone you know has been sick this year? Yeah? Me too. But thankfully, though we have dealt with some sinus stuff, we’ve avoided the flu. It wasn’t by chance, though. And no, none of us get the flu shot (that’s a story for another time). Just natural tips to stop the flu.
Natural Tips to Stop the Flu
Honestly, it’s about what we don on a daily basis. Both the bigs in my house and the littles. Smalls is in school all day, and consequently he’s exposed to a million bugs. Thankfully, he’s only been out a handful of days, and those were precautionary because of his condition. Me? I’m working myself too hard, but thankfully I make sure that I do the things I need to in order to keep my body healthy.
Sleep
Seeing as how this is my Year of Rest, it only seems natural that this is my first tip. All of us go to bed early for the kids that means they’re in bed by 7:00 pm on school nights and 8:00 pm on the weekends (yes, really). For the adults in our house, that means we’re in bed no later than 10:00 pm.
I actually use an app called Sleep Genius that I downloaded about 6 months ago. I heard about it from another oily mama, and I haven’t looked back. Y’all. This app rocks. It helps me take short naps and wake up refreshed, has an awesome “relaxation” mode that I use when I meditate, and it helps lull you into a deep sleep gently using soothing music.
Why is sleep important? Well, the average person needs at least 8 hours. Many of us need more. Do some experimenting and figure out what your optimal sleep time is over the next couple of weeks-set a standard wake-up time (for me it’s 6:00 am), and then adjust your bedtime forward and backward, keeping track of how easy it is to wake each morning.
Vitamins
Oh boy is this a hot topic for some people. But Y’all. The dirt that we grow our food in just doesn’t have all the vitamins and minerals it used to. It’s important to take an organic, whole-food Vitamin. Every.Single.Day.
It’s even more important to take one when you feel a little “off”. Whole-food vitamins also keep you nourished during a cold. I take Supplements daily. And, I can tell when I miss them-I feel gross, tired, and just not myself.
The boys both take their chewable vitamins every day. They always remind me if I forget them.
Mushrooms
Did you know that mushrooms are natural immunity boosters? I take a supplement called Immune Health that contains organic and medicinal mushrooms as well as Beta 1,3 Glucan from nutrient-rich algae daily during cold and flu season. While I don’t give it to my kids, Ish also takes it.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a known immunity booster, but more so if it’s 100% pure and made from whole foods. Much of what’s on the market is isolated ascorbic acid powder. These are chemically synthesized in a laboratory. Not good. I love my Super C, but if you dislike taking pills pure Vitamin C forms can be found as a mix-in powder like this one.
Thieves Cleaner
Call me crazy, but I swear that diffusing Thieves essential oil and using Thieves Cleaner helps to keep us healthy. I tossed out conventional cleaners a long time ago, but when I heard about Thieves Cleaner (and their fruit & veggie wash!), I had to give it a try.
Y’all. I have never looked back. My house smells like Christmas each time I clean, and I know that rolling a little bit of diluted Thieves essential oil on our feet before bed helps to bolster our natural immunity.
Super Foods
Yeah, yeah. I get it that super foods aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. But. When you’re sick, you want comfort foods, right?
This doesn’t always translate to healthy…but it can! Use bone broth in your chicken soup, toss some kale in a pan and cook it up (or add it to your soup, too!). Superfoods can support your body’s daily process of regeneration, which can help you recover from illness faster than if you didn’t eat them.
If you don’t like kale, that’s okay! Look for dark leafy greens to add to your soups and salads instead.
Add in some elderberry syrup and you’ll be amazed at how well your immunity can handle being around the coughing sneezing masses at the grocery.
Did You Still Get Sick?
That sucks. Seriously. Getting sick is literally the worst. But, there’s hope. If you’re under the weather, I can help. Hop on over to this post to find out how to kick your cold naturally (and super fast).
