How far away is your phone right now?

Is it right next to you?

Is it in your hand?

How often is it more than 5 feet away from you?

Here in our technology-driven world, it can sometimes feel like our phone is our extension of ourselves. It allows us to digitally connect with our loved ones and the world around us, to have information available in a moments notice, to find inspiration, to grow our businesses, to stay organized, and keeps us entertained.

These are all wonderful things! However, as with many things, there can be “too much of a good thing”. An increasing amount of studies are coming out how addicting social media can be… it’s literally designed to be so you will continue to scroll! So how do we find balance and maintain a healthy relationship to our devices?

Set Boundaries

When you wake up in the morning, begin your day with something more nourishing than screen-time, like meditation, yoga, a walk outside your dogs, or turning on music and having a mini dance party to wake up! Try to wait an hour or two to use your phone.

Set a timer on your phone limiting the amount of time you can spend on each app. Some programs have it built in, or you can even download apps that will block all websites and apps of your choosing for specific times.

Before bed, turn your phone to airplane mode a minimum of one to two hours before your turn in. Set your alarms for the next day, go plug it in in the other room, and then walk away. Spend the evening with loved ones with open-minded conversations that can’t have every question immediately answered by google, expand your mind with a book, bust out a puzzle or board game, enjoy a little self-care in the form of an at-home spa night or bubble bath.

FOMO is a Thing of the Past

Are you feeling a “major fear of missing out” when you open up social media? Being constantly bombarded with snapshots of peoples life can make us feel left out or not enough, but we all need to remember that these are just currated moments of peoples lives, or their highlight reel. Take time to go through the accounts you follow, and if they don’t leave you feeling anything but inspired and joyful, click that UNFOLLOW button and be on your way.

Schedule Your Content

You may be wondering “Lauren, a good part of businesses and social media presence in general requires regular content and engagement, your business included! How the heck am I supposed to cut back when I need to keep up my content?” Thankfully, with a little research and a little planning, you can cut your time needing to be on social media WAY down. There are many scheduling apps out there that can automate your posting, and instead of daily posting, you can instead work on your content once a week to set yourself up for the week ahead. Then, when you would like to pop on and engage, limit your time to 15-20 minutes of commenting and liking.

Try a Digital Detox

Having trouble changing your habits bit by bit? It’s time to quit cold-turkey, friends. Find a time frame that works for you, whether that is a day, a few, or a full week. Set your personal email to vacation-mode, bid your followers a digital adieu for a bit, and stick with it. No social media. No games on your phone. Even try to keep communication to strictly speaking on the phone if at all possible. You might be surprised to realize that whatever you find to fill the “void” may bring you lots of joy. For example, I have been loving drawing and coloring during times I would normally be on my phone, and it certainly brings me a lot more peace and joy than my world unscramble game used to.

What can YOU do to establish healthy boundaries with your phone?

Whenever a loved one catches a dreaded cold or flu typically making the rounds during the colder months, I always recommend they go to bed with wet socks…. wait, WHAT?!

A tried-and-true naturopathic remedy to boost your immune system, the Warming Socks Technique (also known as the Wet Socks Treatment) has been my go-to for fighting off illness for years.

What you will need:

One pair of cotton socks.

One par of warm wool socks.

A tub/shower/basin

Thieves or similar essential oil (optional)

Begin by getting your feet toasty warm in some hot water… enjoy a hot shower, a warm bath, or simply soak your feet in hot water until your feet are pink and warm.

Dry off your feet, and then take this opportunity to put some essential oils on the bottom of your feet if you so choose. I like to use Thieves, an immune system boosting oil by Young Living that is great for colds, the flu, and other viruses. (I also sometimes add in a few drops of Frankincense or Lavender as well!) While this step is not necessary for this technique to work, I have found that throwing in another healing element can help speed up the recovery process! (Sign up for a Young Living account HERE.)

Now, take your cotton socks and soak them in room temperature water. Wring them out so they are wet but not dripping, and put them on your warm feet. Pull on your dry, thick wool socks on top of your wet cotton socks, and immediately jump into bed!

It is essential to not let yourself catch a chill, so pile on all the cozy blankets and get snuggly!

Although I typically find it hard to sleep with socks on, using this warming socks technique I often pass out much faster than I do any other night, and sleep much harder as well! Because of this, this treatment can also be used for insomnia as well.

Later in the night, you will wake to find your socks completely dry! As your feet are still warm, feel free to either get up to re-wet your cotton socks, or simply allow yourself to drift back to sleep.

It’s as simple as that!

(If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to check with your doctor or naturopath to make sure this technique is right for you.)

Have you ever heard of the Warming Socks Technique? Do you have another odd technique that helps you get over colds lickety-split? Share our experiences below!

For me, it started with a certain blue, name-brand dish soap. Every time I would stand at the sink to wash dishes, my nose would start pouring and it would take me about an hour to get back to normal. I eventually realized it was due to the artificial fragrances in the soap, and as soon as I got rid of that bottle and replaced it with a natural brand, I no longer experienced sneezing fits while washing the pots and pans. (The only downside was that it also eliminated my excuse to not do them, but oh well!)

Over the last year, my household has been slowly shifting out to completely non-toxic products and cleaners, and it feels incredibly comforting to know we are not exposing ourselves to unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals anymore. It felt little backwards to have a countertop that is “cleaned” with chemicals you wouldn’t want remotely near your food, or clothing and bedding soaked in bleaches and fragrances you would never put on your skin but would curl up in every day and night.

There are plenty of brands out there that claim to be “natural” or “free”, but have hidden chemicals or artificial fragrances. So I was incredibly excited to find out that Young Living, the essential oil brand I use the most, has an entire line of natural home cleaning products! Based off of their infamous Thieves essential oil (known for its immune-system boosting properties), their cleaning line includes dish soap, laundry detergent, fruit and veggie spray, everyday household cleaner, dishwasher detergent, foaming hand soap, and more!

I’ll be honest though, when I first took a look at the prices, I almost didn’t make the switch. “HOW DOES ONE RECONCILE THE DESIRE TO BE ALL NATURAL BUT ALSO NOT BE MADE OF MONEY???” I pondered as I shook my fist at the sky, because compared to the big-box store prices, they are certainly more expensive. But as I did a little more research, I came across a few things that made me switch over.

1. Young Living products are incredibly concentrated. For example, for every bottle of laundry detergent, I pour out 3/4 of the liquid into a reusable container to stash for later, add water and a few drops of Purification oil to the bottle, and we are ready to go! (I’ve heard you can even dilute it further and still have your clothes come out just as fresh and clean!) I also dilute our dish detergent and the household cleaner (which we use on everything, every single day). Plus, if you buy the refills when available, like with the hand soap, it’s an even better deal.

2. I didn’t have to switch over all at once. Although Young Living offers a discounted package on all the cleaning products (which can be great if you have just moved, want to eliminate chemicals overnight, or want to qualify for a monthly YL promotion.) As we ran low on cleaning products, I would add them to my monthly essential rewards order instead of running to Target to restock. They’d arrive at my door, and that was that! Plus, because I am using only a percentage of each product, I am stretching out how long I can go between repurchasing.

3. By including the items as a part of my monthly rewards order, I am earning points back within the company, which I can then apply to future purchases to pay for my products!

A quick note: Young Living has a wide variety of products that I trust and enjoy (which is why I signed up with their company and like to share my personal experiences with their products), but if there is another reputable company you prefer, I encourage you to research what options they offer, find out how healthy their products *actually* are, and start making the switch today. (Here’s to not s****-talking other brands/competition, just sharing individual experiences, and letting YOU DO YOU… cheers!)

That said, if you are not a Young Living member yet, feel free to ask me questions in the comment section below, or follow this link to get signed up: SIGN UP HERE (While being a member is not necessary to purchase the products, it gives you access to discounted merchandise, special promotions, and allows you to accumulate rewards points with their monthly program. Plus, signing up with me grants you access to an awesome community of people who are passionate about essential oils, exclusive Facebook groups that are a wealth of information, and loads of creative graphics and educational tools to share with friends.)

Have you made the non-toxic switch yet?!