From after Labor Day until the end of February, at least in my life my friends and loved ones struggle with colds, flu, stress, depression and anxiety are on the rise. There are several correlations with our mental health, physical health, and the holidays.

First off, the holidays for most people are when the most sugary foods are consumed. This does not mean just candies, desserts, and baked goods, bread, pasta, already “done” packaged microwavable meals, meat, dairy products, and so forth.

The Flu is not a season, it is an inability to adapt due to decreased sun exposure and water intake, combined with the increase of sugar intake & stress. Solution? Create YOUR own juicy, delicious, feel good healthy lifestyle. Create the resistance!

Processed sugar ridden foods are taxing to our immune system, our organs go in turbo mode trying to process and organize such foods. What to do with all these foreign ingredients? All these unncessary chemicals and ingredients? It causes discomfort, dis-ease, our mental health suffers, we become depressed or anxious because this is the chemical reaction of such foods. Processed sugar, processed foods, the commercial dairy products have ingredients that usually we can not even pronounce. Just imagine how this feels to your body when it has to meet and take in such things.

Besides food choices causing mental and immune health doing down, our mental state plays a factor as well. When we are mentally down, it is much harder to stay focused, to make healthy choices like making a homemade meal instead of picking up fast food. Very often when we think to ourselves, I’m a crappy person, I don’t deserve good, any of the negative fear based thoughts we create a negative effect on our health; mentally and physically. We create our own blocks, we get in our own way!

If we become stagnant we feel stagnant. Make changes that give light, space and way to growth.

Here are some of the things I personally do to help keep my mental health up which end up keeping my immune system up:

1. Every morning or night writing up a gratitude list and getting myself to write at least one thing I like about myself (if you have been following my site for a while this will make sense)
2. Having a morning ritual before dealing with the “outside world” before chatting with a single person. This could be a few Sun A Salutations, writing in a journal, singing, meditating, drawing, reading or anything that feels like an expression of your self. What feeds your soul? For me I like to read a little in bed, then do some Sun A’s, I literally gradually use the space around me to slowly get out of my room.
3. Have a list of things that make you happy, what MUST you do? For me every day I MUST make myself at least one juice or tonic that is just for me. It’s not from a batch that I am making for clients, but something I am doing in honor of myself.
4. Have a Seasonal Goals List. Each season brings new chances, opportunities, beauty, views, smells, and yes I could keep going haha. On my Fall & Winter Goals List I have learning how to ice skate, oh mercy haha. I also have doing some sort of service and or volunteer work on Thanksgiving week.
5. When we are feeling down sometimes the only way to cheer up is by doing something nice for someone else. Often these are the times I remember how grateful I am to have specific people in my life and make a point of sending them a card, text message, or gift showing my appreciation.
6. Of course, doing something LOVING towards ourselves is a huge help. Choosing a healthy meal, deciding to not talk to toxic people, leaving a party early when we know our gut feeling is telling us there is too much drama or gossip. It’s OK to change plans according to our energy level of the day. Please honor what your body is delivering for the day. Be grateful for the easy days, rough days, messy days and everything in between.
7. Eat more vegetables and colorful meals, colorful as in a mix of fruits, veggies and seeds. Just because we might feel blah doesn’t mean we have to stay blah!
8. Keep your blinds open, try to soak up as much natural light as possible. If life is feeling chaotic, finding more grounding activities to do like going for a hike. If you are feeling bored, like life is on repeat, mix things up! If you always do the same activities like crafts, exercise, music, sports, genre of books etc TRY something different.
9. Of course, make sure you keep your hands clean, be mindful of cleaning up after yourself and if you are just starting to feel a little something start here are a few great options; oregano oil, an apple cider vinegar fireball like concoction, citrus fruit, and/or oil pulling. Use ginger and turmeric in your foods, have hot lemon water instead of exhausting your system with several cups of tea throughout the day.

To mix up some of these health tips here is another variation of a Fireball Shot

Orange Oregano Fireball Juice Shot

Serves 1, ideally consumed on a empty stomach in the morning or before bed

1 orange juiced

1/2 lemon juiced

1/2 lime juiced

1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (depends on your taste buds)

1/2 inch of more ginger grated or juiced

1/2 inch of turmeric grated or juiced, or if in powder form 1 teaspoon or more

A dash of cayenne powder

A dash of salt

1 dropper of Oregano Oil (this depends on the brand you use)

Stir and drink! I like to have this cold, thankfully I already keep on my citrus goodies in the fridge so it works out excellent.

Thank you all for taking the time to stop by my site and reading my articles. Wishing you all a happy, healthy and fun holiday season. Much love ❤ and raw power 😉

xo Jess