The Ultimate Guide to More Joy and Less Stress

As the pandemic really shows no sign of letting up, my self-imposed quarantine drags on and on. I find myself struggling to motivate myself to do just a little bit more each day, instead of the bare minimum, so that I have a feeling of advancement instead of stagnation. 

Sometimes, though, I need a reminder that whatever I get done today is enough. These are unusual times, and I really am doing the best that I can. Since I’ve finished my last CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) course at Udemy, I’ve been searching for another way to keep me positive. Ultimate Bundles has filled that void for me with the Ultimate Guide to More Joy and Less Stress. 

Now, this isn’t a bundle, but rather a single workbook with 15 video lessons. Each lesson is designed to be completed in less than 15 minutes. These are are simple but effective strategies you can implement immediately. Additionally, many of the presenters have additional bonuses free for you to download.  Take a look at the table of contents!

If you order before October 6, you’ll also get a 12-month subscription to the digital edition of The Goodnewspaper, a monthly newspaper that highlights the people, ideas, and movements that are working to make the world a better place. Who can’t use a regular dose positivity these days?

The Ultimate Guide to More Joy and Less Stress is only available from October 5 until October 9, but once you’ve downloaded the workbook, you can go through the lessons at your own pace and as many times as you’d like. 

In addition, when you order, you’ll have the option to also pick up the Self Care Mini Bundle 2020 that was available earlier in the year. Having already purchased this bundle, I have to say, you won’t regret it! This little gem has 8 eCourses and Membership Sites, 5 eBooks, 9 printables, and workbooks valued at $564.80! 

Ultimate Positive Mindset Guide 2020

With the way things have been going this year, the next few months could be just as stressful. I continue to make my mental health a priority, which means continually looking for ways to successfully manage stress. Online classes, like the ones Ultimate Bundles offers and Udemy’s CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) courses, have been so helpful. What have you been doing to keep it together these days?

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Natural Healing — Geranio

Every so often, my husband will head out to my garden and come back chewing something or other. Sometimes it’s an actual fruit or vegetable. Sometimes it is a leaf off my Wandering jew plant and sometimes he’s salted and eaten a leaf from my geranium plant. He swears that it was the remedy Mama Sofia (his grandmother) would prescribe when he had a bit of a stomach ache. 

Not one to let unexamined herbal remedies slide by, I set about to find more on this plant. The genus for this plant is pelargonium spp and there are nearly 300 varieties. It is native to South Africa but was brought to Mexico in the seventeenth century. 

Although a favorite of certain species of butterflies, the Japanese beetle becomes paralyzed after eating geranium flowers. It seems that they contain quisqualic acid which causes excitotoxicity (nerve cell death).

In Mexico, geranio leaves are mashed with vinegar and salt and applied to the forehead to alleviate headaches. A decoction made from red geranium flowers is used to treat diarrhea. Another diarrhea remedy calls for a rounded spoonful of ground geranio root boiled in ½ cup of water drunk every hour until the ailment ceases.  

An upset stomach can be treated with a tea made from geranio, manzanilla (chamomile) and yerba buena (spearmint). Pelargonium sidoides and Pelargonium endlicherianum have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that will indeed calm your stomach. Pelargonium roseum Willd. is antiparasitic and thus another variety that can soothe your digestive system if you have intestinal parasites. 

The leaves are also applied topically to treat sores and wounds. Pelargonium graveolens has antifungal properties and is effective in healing diabetic foot ulcers. Pelargonium asperum and Pelargonium peltatum are antibacterial in nature. 

Scented geraniums have long been used in perfumes. Pelargonium quercifolium smells like incense. The Prince Rupert variety has a lemon scent. P. radula has a lemon-rose smell. P. odoratissimum has an apple scent. P. capitatum smells like attar of roses. The aroma of the Reunion Geranium (Pelargonium roseum Willd) has an antidepressant effect.

Pelargonium sidoides is an effective treatment for acute respiratory tract infections. Extracts from the root of this same plant can calm a cough.  Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) essential oil has anticancer components. 

Not all varieties have been studied scientifically, but there is more than enough evidence to say that geranio belongs in a curandera’s garden after all.

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Interested in natural remedies? Uncover herbal remedies from traditional Mexican sources for healing and wellness in the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series.

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The Show Must Go On

Who says life can be boring during self-isolation? Not me, that’s for sure. Our animals have all decided that they are circus stars or at least TV stars and there’s never a dull moment around here!

You already know about Jolina and her kids, who believe they are part of a circus routine, rolling out the barrel just 20 minutes after birth.

Now we have Mama Chicken and the Magic School bus.

Our broody hen finally hatched some pollitos. She’s been an attentive mother for the most part. She kept them safe and sound in the corral for a week. Then, suddenly, one day, we hear this clucking and peeping symphony. My son ran out there yelling, “She’s decided to take them on an adventure!” And sure enough, there they were, under her wing, peeping excitedly as they left the corral.

We aren’t exactly sure what Terry will do when confronted with these chicken nuggets on legs and we weren’t ready to risk it, so back into the corral they went. My son said that she was like the teacher on the Magic School Bus cartoon. “Ok everyone, get under my wings. It’s time to head into the volcano!” Although, they may have been headed through the digestive tract instead.

Then there’s Fuzz, who has decided in retribution for the arrival of Cocoa, he’d become Douglas Fairbanks. On several occasions, he’s tried to slide down the blue screen I have for work, much like the sails of a pirate ship.

Cocoa is not one to be left out in the starring role. He’s decided that every moment possible would be a WWF session. Fuzz is the competitor whether he’s up for a romp or not. Starting as early as 5 am, Cocoa is ready for round one!

The Puppers continue their gladiator reenactments every time my son heads out into the back yard. Those of us about to die, we salute you! BATTLE COMMENCE! George, of course, takes on the starring role as the head dog. I will vanquish you, Fred!

Red has been fitted with his first saddle. He’s too young to be ridden, but my husband has been having him run in circles with the saddle on so that he becomes accustomed to it. Lady has a new set of shoes and happily does a little tap dance every time her hooves hit the road. All we need now are the elephants, and we’re good to go!

Terry’s contribution to the Greatest Show in La Yacata is fairly dismal. Every day, without fail, he bolts from the gate and drags my son out the door, nearly dislocating his arm. That’s really is one and only trick. Too bad he seems unwilling to try some of these tricks!

So, with all our barnyard animals joining in, quarantine, or no quarantine, the show must go on!

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