Fresh Squeezed Living

Tea Cup: Twinings Chamomile & Delicate Apple = Love at First Sip

In a previous, a post titled Herbal Tea Bus Offers Starbucks Customers a Ride; I shared how I ended my long time love affair with coffee. To be 100% honest, I have to admit I still love the smell and easily recall the amazing taste of great coffee. My transition from coffee to herbal teas was primarily made when I discovered the caffeine jolt my daily coffee drinks provided was affecting me in some undesirable ways. Those jolts that helped me rev up for the day ultimately wrecked havoc on my ability to sleep calmly through the night.

I even switched to decaf but my, I can’t get to sleep blues continued to plague me. Aside from the poor quality of sleep I endured, I began to notice some slight heart flutters from time to time. I visited my doctor to discuss my concerns. She asked if I consumed coffee and or other caffeine laden beverages on a daily (or less frequent) basis. (I admitted to my love affair with coffee.) After agreeing to some tests to identify if I had an undiagnosed medical condition, I discovered no condition existed. It was then that my doctor suggested I wean myself off the coffee drinks and take notice of how my body responded without caffeine.

Me Time: How to Make Your Next Bath (or Shower) a Luscious Treat

One of the many enjoyable things about summer is the cool, often fruity, sometimes exotic and very delicious treats eagerly awaiting the chance to make friends with our taste buds. I don’t know about your taste buds but mine are anxious to make new friendships with delicious treats.

Even those who are counting calories and slimming down, still somehow look to carve a summery treat into their week (if not each day). I believe in a balance approached to living, eating, exercising and spending. There is a time to cut back and then there are times to indulge. Summer treats just make summer a bit more fun and a whole lot more delicious. Wouldn’t you agree?

Hey, doc maybe it’s time to prescribe an iPod instead of Prozac?

Okay, with an opening question like that I may have opened the door to being thought of as slightly “strange”, huh? I’m okay with that possible thought running through your mind. However, before you make a final determination and send me some referrals to local mental health clinics, I ask you to entertain for a moment the notion of how certain music produces soothing effects, stimulates better moods and positive thoughts.

If you are like many others and me, you occasionally (or even frequently) struggle with managing or trying to minimize stress on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis.

Sleep: Count Fewer Sheep With These 5 Tips For A Better Night’s Sleep

Is anyone really getting enough sleep these days? I’m probably in good company when I say that I occasionally experience nighttime troubles and my sleep is less than fulfilling. What can we do to increase our odds of more satisfying sleep? Many factors can contribute to and cause insufficient sleep. The key to getting better sleep is to identify the negative factors, minimize our exposure to them and increase our exposure to the positive factors. We just need some assistance with the identifying process and subsequently implementing a few simple adjustments.

Stress Reduction: Starting the Day

Beginning the day in a manner that adds touches of comfort, peace and enjoyment has the potential to cause us to enjoy our entire day and lives so much more. It is also a great set-up to helping us achieve greater success and fulfillment. While we cannot control everything, we will face on a day-to-day basis, we are able to make small deposits into our lives that lead to greater happiness in spite of the busy day facing us.

How to Create Harmony In Your Work Space

Get ready to say goodbye to the stress of the daily grind. And hello peace of mind!  Office Feng Shui: Creating Harmony in Your Work Space is the ultimate guide to help you transform your work area into a more relaxing and efficient space.  You will discover fun and simple ways to create balance in your busy workspace. Taking the age-old Chinese practice of feng shui and updating it for the office.   Explore more than 75 tips and techniques to increase productivity and promote harmony in any work environment -- even on the commute. Learn how to feng shui a briefcase, bring harmony to everything from your cubicle to your cell phone.  You can even learn how to arrange a desktop for improved concentration, how to unblock stagnant energy, and more! A complete suite of innovative ideas to clear cubicle clutter and clear the mind. It’s time for Office Feng Shui: Creating Harmony In Your Work Space.

Enjoy!

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Me Time: How to Design Time to Relax & Unwind

At the end of a busy day, do you often feel exasperated and tightly wound up? If yes, stay with me. Today, I will share some of my secrets that will help you feel better quickly. Creating a balance between work and relaxation is very necessary in order to experience a healthy interaction with life and keep our sanity.

Stress Reduction: Waking Well

Just as breakfast is considered, the most important meal of the day, getting off to a good start in your mind, is important to having a great day. I love watching the sunrise and the gorgeous and gentle glow it casts over the lake just outside my bedroom window. Easing into my morning at a slowed down pace is the perfect set-up for me to go forth and have a successful day.

Here are some ideas to consider that might help you ease into your mornings as well:

1. Wake up naturally, without an alarm clock, at least once a week if you can. This will help you reconnect with your bodily cycles. Note that going to bed an hour earlier will not necessarily bring forward your natural waking time by an hour - you may find that you lie awake, worrying that cannot sleep. If your bodily cycles make you a night owl at heart, go with the flow and have a weekend lie-in when you need one. If you are a lark, spring out of bed when the time seems right -- you may find there is time before breakfast to do some worthwhile meditation.

For Better Sleep - Indulge the Senses

Are you having trouble sleeping? Do you wake up tired? Does it seem like you are putting in more hours of work every day but you just can't seem to catch up? Do you find yourself getting sleepy in the middle of the afternoon, irritable with other people if they delay you in the late afternoon, or staying awake at  night and thinking about what you need to do the next day? If you are not getting enough rest, and the right kind of rest, it can slow your productivity, impair your decisions and affect your outlook. There are things that you can do to gain control.

It is admirable to be dedicated and hard working. Long hours and lack of sleep do not necessarily contribute to more productivity. On the contrary, if you exhaust your body and begin to perform below your peak capacity, then you will accomplish less in more hours of work. Sometimes a little extra time is necessary, but it is also appropriate to maintain a proper balance with the right amount of rest. Anything less and you are cheating yourself, your coworkers and the people who depend on you.

Don't Count Sheep, Try Organic Pillows For Better Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is the perfect set up to arising with a good disposition and having a productive day.  With our hectic lifestyles and demanding workload, we just cannot afford to lay awake, count sheep, and toss and turn throughout the night because we are unable to get comfortable. 

Troubled sleep can be caused by a variety of things such as allergies, back problems, stiff joints, and insomnia. If you're not exactly getting to dreamland as your head hits the pillow, maybe the pillow itself is the cause of your problem.  I recently upgraded from down pillows to organic wool pillows. I'm happy to report the wool pillows are causing me to sleep so much better now.  I’m no longer tossing and turning throughout the night.  No more counting sheep!   I absolutely love them.

All-Natural Solution to Soothe Your Stress After a Long Day

Could you use some practical and effective ideas on how to soothe your senses and frayed nerves after a long day?  Do you prefer solutions that do not require prescription drugs?  Are you looking to minimize your exposure to chemicals that potentially cause harmful side effects? Well I have great news; today I am going to share another secret of mine.  This secret is perfect for those looking for an all-natural, affordable, easy way to relax both in crises and in everyday life.

2008 Caribbean Music Festivals Will Be So Hot, They Will Sizzle

If you are anything like me, you love music, beautiful locations and the gorgeous beaches they offer.  I used to live in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area.  On a nightly basis, I would pack up my dinner and drive a very short distance to dine at the beach.  I so enjoyed sitting on the beach, watching the beautiful waves roll in, and inhaling the fabulous ocean fragrance as I enjoyed my meal. 

Physical Relaxation and Your Longevity Health

Tension is one of the sources of pain and disease in human. The opposite of tension is relaxation, which is often the cure of pain and disease. Physical relaxation contributes to your longevity health. It is effective stress management.

The common signs of bodily tension are pain in the neck and back. If you are stressed out, your shoulders also get the tension. Expressions such as "shoulder your responsibility" and "on your shoulders" speak volumes of how your shoulders may sustain the stress from everyday life. Given that tension saps your physical and mental energy, always tell yourself to "drop your shoulders" for relaxation. But it is easier said than done.