- Mastering the Parenting Juggle
Affordable Strategies for an Organized Life
Parenthood is an exhilarating yet hectic journey that demands multitasking at its finest. Ensuring that your children attend their extracurricular activities, getting your household chores done, and keeping up with your professional obligations often leaves you scrambling for a moment of peace. As a parent wearing many hats, how do you keep your life in order without burning a hole in your pocket? The answer lies in adopting effective yet economical organizational tactics. In this article shared with you by How to Organize Your Life, you’ll find several actionable tips for regaining your sense of order without breaking the bank.
Pen-and-Paper Tricks: Planning Tools on a Budget
One of the simplest ways to keep tabs on your busy life is by getting back to basics with traditional paper-based organizers. Whether it’s a cost-effective planner or a self-designed bullet journal, jotting down your to-do list helps solidify your tasks mentally. Seeing your obligations and goals on paper can provide clarity, encourage time allocation, and facilitate priority setting. You’ll find it easier to remember appointments, stay mindful of deadlines, and manage your day-to-day activities without feeling overwhelmed.
Time-Saving Techniques: Gaining Control of Your Hours
Understanding the value of time is the first step toward effective organization. Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique help you divide your day into concentrated work intervals, separated by short breaks. On the other hand, the Eisenhower Matrix allows you to sort tasks into different quadrants based on their urgency and importance. These methods aren’t just beneficial for your professional life; they can also make family time and household chores more manageable. The best part? These techniques are free.
Go Paperless: Streamlining Your Important Documents
Trying to keep everything organized? Try this simple method to make your life easier: scan essential files like medical records, insurance policies, and school reports. You can use this tool to change your files to the desired format online, and converting these documents into PDF files makes them easier to manage, access, and share. Various online platforms offer free tools to compress these digital files further, so storage isn’t an issue. The initial effort required to transition to a digital filing system can save you countless hours down the line searching through physical folders and piles of paper.
One Trip, Multiple Tasks: Efficiently Planning Your Outings
Fuel costs and time spent driving add up quickly. By mapping out your errands in advance, you can accomplish more in fewer trips. Create a weekly or monthly plan to tackle chores like grocery shopping, medical appointments, and school activities in a single outing. Pair errands that are close in proximity, or better yet, choose multipurpose venues whenever possible.
The Art of Maintenance: Staying Tidy Post-Cleanup
Once you’ve cleared the clutter from your living areas, maintaining this newfound space is essential. Create easy-to-follow systems that each family member can contribute to. Label storage boxes, designate areas for specific items, and make tidying up a collective effort. Consistency is key to making this stick.
Household Harmony: Instituting a Cleaning Cadence
Establish a cleaning regimen that works for your family. Divide chores among family members and make it an event in your weekly calendar. Consistency in cleaning minimizes buildup and makes the task less daunting. Plus, a clean and organized home is more inviting and contributes to overall well-being.
Nutritional and Economical: Mastering Meal Prepping
Meal preparation is another excellent method for staying organized. Draft a weekly menu and shop accordingly. Prepping ingredients and even entire meals ahead of time minimizes cooking stress and reduces the chances of resorting to costly last-minute takeout options. Plus, planned meals are generally healthier and more balanced, in addition to saving you money.
Navigating the complexities of parenting doesn’t have to send you spiraling into chaos or financial stress. By thoughtfully adopting these affordable organizational tactics, you empower yourself to streamline your responsibilities and tasks. This newfound sense of equilibrium can drastically improve your quality of life, making room for more enjoyable moments with your family. Overall, a well-organized routine lays the groundwork for a smoother, more harmonious family dynamic.
How to Organize Your Life is here to help you get organized and start living your best life. Let us know if you have any questions!
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- 5 Simple Ways to Beat Blue Monday
A step-by-by step guide to surviving the January blues.
“Blue Monday” refers to the weird third Monday in January—described as the most depressing day of the year—when people appear the lowest in mood. Apparently, this is due to a combination of post-Christmas blues, cold dark nights, and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills. Alas, this year’s date is Monday 15 January 2024.
Is it real?
There is no real evidence to support this theory. The concept was first publicized as part of a 2005 press release from a holiday company that claimed to have calculated the date using an equation. However, the idea is considered pseudoscience, with its formula derided by scientists as nonsensical.
Now, having said that…
Are my clients generally underwhelmed after the Christmas and New Year holidays? Maybe.
Are they broke and just about hanging on for the next paycheck? Certainly.
Have they defaulted on that rather unrealistic New Year’s resolution? Perhaps.
Do they get stressed and overwhelmed by the return to a job they promised themselves that they’d resign from? Sure.
Whilst it might be tempting to indulge in a national collective “woe-is-me” day, it’s probably more helpful to focus on how to make your life better this year.
There might not be much evidence to support “Blue Monday,” but we could probably agree that some people might feel particularly low in mood this week, so let’s be compassionate and offer support to them as we would any other day of the week.
So, if you happen to experience the blues on Monday the 18th of January (or frankly, any other day of the week, for that matter), I invite you to try any or all of my top things to do when I need to beat the blue out of any bluey day! My clients love these, too.
Try any or all of my top things to do when I need to beat the blue out of any bluey day.
5 Simple Ways To Beat Your Monday Blues
- Go to bed early on Sunday night. Your body will thank you for it. It’s important to prepare for sleep using a helpful bed-time routine such as having a warm bath and limiting blue lights which often radiate from mobile phones and tablets. If you really have trouble sleeping, I’d recommend you see your physician for some advice. However, to learn more helpful tips about sleep, my favourite specialist is Dr. Michael J. Breus—aka The Sleep Doctor.
- Plan your Monday schedule, as it’ll help you to feel more in control. Remember to incorporate time in your day for a proper lunch. If you find yourself feeling stressed, take a quick 5-minute break to practice being mindful. Focus on your breathing and allow thoughts to float in and out.
- Meet a friend online and have a good laugh! Or organize a zoom meeting with a number of friends—better yet, friends you haven’t caught up with for a while, and have a really good laugh about all the silly stuff that happened in the past.
- Burn some energy. Go out for a run, cycle ride, or walk until you feel just a little bit better. The endorphins our body produces are our natural anti-depressants and will help boost your moods.
- Don’t pressure yourself. If you don’t fancy doing any of these, then don’t do it! Do something instead that you’d actually enjoy. There’s always Tuesday. It might be a much better day anyway!
How Essential Oils Can Support the Body in Stress
Understanding what actually triggers a stress response gave me the tools to help reduce it.
For example, nipping the thoughts that stir a stress response in the bud can help avoid it altogether. Essential oils are uniquely suited to help us address, transform and clear negative emotions and thought patterns.
Our sense of smell, which is part of our olfactory system, is one of the most powerful channels into the body. In fact, our sense of smell is estimated to be 10,000 times more acute than our other senses. Research has shown that scents can travel faster to the brain than other senses like sight or sound. Perhaps for that reason, inhalation can be the most direct and effective method for using essential oils. The entire process from the initial inhalation of an essential oil to a corresponding response in the body can happen in a matter of seconds.
When we inhale essential oils through the nose, the odor molecules trigger receptor sites in our mucous membrane, which then sends the odor information on to the olfactory bulb at the base of the brain. I find it interesting that it is not actually the essential oil itself that is sent to the brain, but a neural translation of the oils. These fragrance messages are interpreted and transmitted to the limbic system of the brain, known as the “emotional brain” because it deals with emotional and psychological responses.
As you may know, the limbic system serves as the control center in the brain for emotions and feelings, along with hunger, thirst and sex drive. This helps explain how scent can influence appetite and sexual attraction. It also impacts long-term memory through our hippocampus which stores our memories. The hippocampus is the area of the brain at play during those powerful experiences of smell triggering emotions or memories. For me, the mere smell of mothballs transports me back in time to my grandparent’s apartment in Brooklyn, triggering a multi-sensory memory including both the visuals and the emotions that I experienced during our annual visits.
This powerful emotional reaction in the limbic system is triggered by nerve impulses which in turn trigger other areas of the brain that are responsible for secreting hormones, neurotransmitters and regulating body functions. For example, the pituitary gland releases endorphins, which can help alleviate pain and promote a sense of well-being.
The theory of how this works centers on the idea that essential oils can stimulate or sedate the brain to promote or inhibit the production and release of various neurotransmitters which then impact the nervous system.
Because smells can bypass the thought center of the thalamus and connect directly to the emotional center of the brain, known as the amygdala in the limbic system, they can trigger us to react first and think later. All other physical senses are routed through the thalamus, which acts as the switchboard for the brain, passing stimuli onto the cerebral cortex (the conscious thought center) and other parts of the brain.
The amygdala plays a major role in storing and releasing emotional trauma. The easiest way to stimulate this gland is through the sense of smell. In other words – the emotional brain responds better to smell than it does to words that are read, spoken or heard. Our sense of smell links directly to emotional states and behaviors often stored since childhood.
This makes essential oils especially powerful tools for enabling us to access stored or forgotten memories and suppressed emotions, like anxiety, depression, fear, worry, grief, trauma, anger and self-abuse. Once accessed, we can acknowledge and release them. The word “emotion” includes the word motion, implying that are supposed to move through us and be released. Negative emotions can that we hold onto can contribute to health problems.
As you may recall, emotions and thought patterns can trigger an ongoing stress response in the body (since our stress response cannot differentiate between physical or emotional and thought driven stressors) which impedes our ability to heal. Smelling essential oils can be a powerful tool for moving through and releasing these thought patterns. To learn more about different essential oil blends to help release emotions, click here.
Essential Oils as Tools to Relieve Stress
Armed with this knowledge that I could use essential oils to help balance my stress, and not need to abandon my job or my children, I incorporated several emotional blends (my personal favorites are Liver Support™ for my anger and Small Intestine Support™ for my boundaries), along with:
Parasympathetic™: The first line of defense against stress is known as the “fight or flight” response triggered by the sympathetic nervous system. We are designed to switch into this sympathetic state, flee from danger, then drop back into the balanced parasympathetic “rest and digest” state where we can rest, repair and heal. To help stimulate the Parasympathetic response, apply Vibrant Blue Oils Parasympathetic™ blend to the vagal nerve (behind the earlobe on the mastoid bone). For more aggressive vagal stimulation, you can also apply at the base of the skull (where you feel a small indent). Apply before meals to optimize digestion and up to 6 times daily to help reset the body into the Parasympathetic state.
Adrenal™: The adrenal glands help determine and regulate the body’s stress response by secreting hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Prolonged periods of stress can deplete our reserves of these hormones and exhaust the adrenal glands. Applying Vibrant Blue Oils Adrenal™ blend over the adrenal glands (back of the body, one fist up from the 12th rib), may help to increase the body’s ability to adapt to stress and maintain healthy adrenal function.
Hypothalamus™: The limbic lobe can also directly activate the hypothalamus – a pearl size region of the brain often referred to as the “master gland” which acts as the hormonal control center for neural and hormonal messages received from/sent to body and plays a key role in the body’s stress response. The hypothalamus releases hormones that can affect everything from sex drive to energy levels. The production of growth hormones, sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, are all governed by the hypothalamus. It is constantly reading blood the levels of hormones, and adjusting resulting signals sent to the body to maintain internal balance (homeostasis). Chronic and prolonged stress can damage the hypothalamus’s ability to receive clear messages from the body which then impacts all outgoing endocrine and neural signals. Applying Vibrant Blue Oils Hypothalamus™ blend over the third eye may help reset the natural ability of the hypothalamus to send and receive clear messages to and from the body.
What are your tips for beating the Blue Monday blues? Please share in the comments below
- 5 Best Foods For Colds and Flu
While we might want nothing more than to retreat under a blanket and sleep away the sickness, it’s vital for recovery to know what foods are good for colds and flu, too.
After all, your body will need a helping hand in fighting off the viruses and/or bacteria that have you feeling under the weather – and food is the best backup you could ask for. By eating the right meals and snacks, you can provide your body with the nutrients that it needs to recover.
Read on for a breakdown of the 5 best foods for a cold and flu.
1. Soups and broths
Whether served up by parents to their little ones off sick from school or used as a tonic to get you back to feeling your best, soup is a fantastic food to help with colds and the flu.
Chicken soup, in particular, is the go-to choice for people suffering with sore throats, stuffy noses, and pounding headaches. That’s because a steaming bowl of chicken soup is packed full of the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to fight off the sickness, including protein, energy-filled electrolytes, and essential amino acids.
For an extra kick, try adding chilli flakes or powder to the soup. The spicy edge can clear your sinuses and get rid of annoying blocked noses, making this tasty food to help a cold even more beneficial!
2. Fruit and veg
If we’re talking about the best foods for a cold, continuing to eat your five a day is so important for fighting off those uncomfortable symptoms.
Citrus fruits and leafy greens are the name of the game here. The best fruits and veg for combating a cold include oranges, grapefruit, spinach and kale – the ones that are packed full of fibre, vitamin C, and antioxidants with each and every bite. It’s these essential nutrients that give your body the helping hand it needs to recover from a cold or the flu.
So, munch on the sweet fruits as a tasty snack to boost your energy levels or include the leafy greens in your meal prep. If you’re looking for inspiration of what to eat with a cold, our recipe for red lentil and spinach dal includes those vital vitamins to give you a much-needed pick-me-up.
3. Herbal tea
While eating foods that help with colds is obviously important for your recovery, you need to make sure you stay properly hydrated, too. Water and fruit juice are often touted as the best drinks for a cold, keeping your thirst quenched.
However, if you want to add some essential nutrients to your beverage, stick the kettle on and brew up a herbal tea. Herbal teas are amazing at helping recover from cold and flu symptoms as they contain lots of antioxidants. Breathing in the steam from the hot water can also help to unblock sinuses and stuffy noses.
For a nutritional sweetener, consider adding honey to your herbal tea to help soothe your sore throat with every sip. In fact, research suggests that honey contains antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties, helping you get rid of that sore throat and headache when you have a cold.
4. Yoghurt
Yes, we’ve already talked up a storm about how yoghurt can help improve gut health, but did you know that yogurt is a great food to eat when you have a cold, too?
The probiotics found in yoghurts help boost your immune system, fighting off the bacteria and viruses that have you feeling under the weather. What’s more, yoghurt is a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals that are also important for your immune system.
To get a healthy helping of vitamin C as well, sprinkle a handful of berries atop your yoghurt. This tasty combo makes for one of the best foods to eat with a cold!
5. Oily fish
There are so many reasons why having enough protein in your diet is so important for your overall health – and chief among them is the immune-boosting benefit of giving your body more energy to fight off a virus.
In this respect, oily fish are good foods for colds and flu. Not only are they rich in protein goodness, but they are also packed full of omega-3 fatty acids that can help your immune system work more effectively.
Need a recipe for foods that help with colds? Our quick salmon with green beans and pesto potatoes will have you well on your way on the road to recovery!
- Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for 2024
These simple suggestions will have a positive impact on your health.
1. Walk more
Brisk walking, even for just 10 minutes a day, can improve your circulation, boost your mood and improve your sleep. If you want to start walking more in 2024, try doing it in 10 minute chunks to make it less daunting.
Remember, you can tell if you’re walking briskly enough if you’re able to talk, but you’re breathing faster than usual.
2. Experience nature
Mental health charity Mind found that proximity to nature can have positive wellbeing benefits, including helping you feel more relaxed and less angry.
If you’re able, visiting green spaces more often can be really beneficial. One study found, for example, that just hearing birdsong can boost mental well-being for four hours or more.
You can bring nature into your everyday life by having flowers in the house, looking after house plants, growing your own food or exercising outdoors.
3. Spend less time sitting down
Sitting is the new smoking – the body wasn’t built for spending hours at a desk or in front of the TV. It increases your risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and breast, colon and colorectal cancer. Why not try the Pomodoro method to break up desk time.
Set a timer to break each hour into two 25-minute blocks separated by two five-minute breaks. Work intently during the work periods and move about during the breaks. Use your breaks to stand up, do a quarter squat, do some rotations, or just go for a walk round the office. This technique can also boost your focus when you’re working.
If you’re to maintain a healthier balance between staying on and off screen, why not check out our article on things to do instead of looking at your phone.
4. Get good sleep
Being sleep deprived can negatively affect your mental and physical health. It can even make you prone to major illnesses, from obesity to depression. Reducing screen time before bed, sleeping in a cool room, and going to bed at the same time each evening all help with a good night’s rest. Apps such as Sleep Cycle can help you pinpoint any issues and help you to improve your sleep. For more tips, see our article on best and worst foods for sleep.
5. Stretch
Many of us want to become more flexible and introducing stretches into your daily routine can help you achieve that. Dynamic stretching can help improve flexibility and range of movement, and decrease the risk of injury.
Make a habit of stretching when you wake up, or while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. Discover more ways to getting more mobile, including some morning stretches to try.
6. Make food more fun
Challenge yourself to cook and eat one new recipe every week. As well as vitamins and minerals, there are hundreds of micronutrients known as phytochemicals in food. Eating a wide variety of food is an easy way of ensuring we get a good nutritional mix. If you’re looking to shake things up, why not try one of our delicious, healthy recipes, with ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
7. Plan meals
A focused food shopping list cuts calories and waste, and saves money, as you only buy what you need (and throw nothing away). Take the time to plan your meals, and write out a list before you go to the shops.
8. Reach out to others
We’re all busy, but in 2022 take time out for your relationships. The Mental Health Foundation says that having good quality relationships can help us to live longer and happier lives with fewer mental health problems.
Try to schedule calls (or in-person meetings) with your friends on a regular basis rather than leaving it up to chance. You can increase your sense of belonging by joining clubs or volunteering in your area. If you can’t get out and about, there are plenty of online communities you can join – from book clubs to parent/grandparent groups. For your romantic relationships, reflect on whether you’re in a healthy relationship.
9. Drink plenty of water
Drinking enough water is crucial to good health. The NHS recommends drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day (or 1.5 to 2 litres in total).
You can meet this target by buying a reusable water bottle and keeping it with you throughout the day. If you know your bottle holds 500ml, you know you have to refill it 3 to 4 times to drink the recommended amount. Don’t forget that you need more water if you exercise, or on hot days.