Here we are, already at the point of mid-December, and I don’t know about you, but I can feel the rush of the holiday season weighing on my mind a bit more these days. Added stress can often deplete the immune system, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be sick during the holidays, so I’m sharing a bit about some lifestyle, seasonal, and herbal practices I’m doing to support winter wellness this year.
The Holiday Hustle
- There’s the gift list to make and check twice.
- There’s the holiday gatherings and events to schedule on the calendar and attend.
- Not to mention the house needs cleaned before guests come over.
- And then there’s the holiday menus to plan and shop for.
While this running list of to-dos stuck in my head can send me in a tail spin, I’m choosing to slow down and do things as intentionally as possible this year.
Having lists and scheduling things out keeps me on track. Keeping that list flexible and being okay with moving to-dos around or delegating things to others, keeps me sane.
Now, I get that lists don’t work for everyone, so if you’re feeling the pressure of the holidays, I hope you take some time early this week to figure out how to get everything on your plate out of your head and onto paper (or a computer screen) so you can look at everything with your two eyes and decide how to accomplish it all (or whether it really needs doing at all). I also hope you find/make time to do enjoyable things that bring the season alive to you and your family.
Schedule in time for holiday movies. Make a new kind of cookie. Go look at Christmas lights. Buy pretty wrapping paper, put on some music, and wrap gifts. In fact, keep the music going non-stop! (I love a good “winter folk” playlist on Spotify!)
Lifestyle Practices to Support Winter Wellness
And if you live in the northern hemisphere, and it’s getting dark earlier and earlier — don’t neglect lighting candles or switching on the lamps with a soft yellow light around your home at dusk. Think of this as a daily threshold moment that signifies then end of the work day (or productive part of the day) and the beginning of the quiet, restful part of the day.
This is a key practice for me during the dark season of the year. I feel like it does so much for winter wellness — perhaps not so much for physical wellness, but definitely for mental wellness — this time of the year.
Speaking of daily to-dos… let me add one more to your plate, only this one includes herbs and is good for your health.
Herbal Support for Winter Wellness
Winter is notorious for sickness, so why not incorporate a cup of daily winter tea for nourishment and immune support? The longer I’ve been studying herbalism, the more convinced I am that a cup of herbal tea is the ticket to a lot of wellness issues, especially during winter. If you want to support winter wellness, here’s a basic nourishing winter tea blend that will give your body some additional vitamins and minerals to support proper function all season long.
Winter Nourishing Tea
- 1 tbsp oat straw
- 1 tbsp nettle
- 1 tbsp rose hips
- 32 fl oz boiled water
Mix everything together in a quart size canning jar, let steep for 20-30 minutes (or overnight for an infusion), strain, and enjoy throughout the day.
This blend is packed with minerals that are nourishing and soothing to your nervous system (something we all need this time of the year). It’s also got a decent amount of vitamin C (thanks to the nettle and rose hip) which is supportive to the immune system when it’s fighting a pathogen.
The longer you steep this blend, the strong the flavor will be and the more plant constituents you’ll pull out too. Overnight infusions are ideal if you’re trying to get the most wellness benefit from the herbs. Also, vitamin C is very sensitive to heat, so using super hot water (like just off the boil water) can deplete it. Using room temperature water and steeping overnight will preserve the vitamin C best!
If you aren’t a fan of the flavor or you want to warm the energetics of this tea up a bit (most of these herbs are on the colder side), throw in a cinnamon stick for warmth or some ginger slices for a circulation boost to your hands and feet.
If you give this tea a try this week, be sure to comment below and tell me what you think of it!
Love and light,
Meagan
PS. If you’re looking for more seasonal living inspiration — lifestyle and wellness — I have plenty of archives for you to peruse right here.