At Green Earth Medicinals, we believe that a holistic approach is best for dealing with difficult times. Here are 10 things that we are doing to support a healthy outlook.

Keep a schedule. You don't have to block out every bit of time, but try to stay on a regular sleep-wake schedule and keep your meals on a routine time. This helps set our circadian rhythms for energy, sleep, and repair, and promotes better well-being. Schedule regular time each day at home to help rebuild and support your body.

Get plenty of sleep. As much as you can, make time for rest. Set a schedule to include sleep, and go ahead and schedule yourself some time for naps if you feel that's what you need. Sleep is when we repair and restore our systems. Our immune system is three times more active while we sleep, as well as all our systems for repair. We all need more time to rest, take advantage of this opportunity.

Set aside time to be outside at least 30 minutes a day, preferably in the sunlight. Sun exposure improves vitamin D production. A great way to set your sleep/wake cycles is to expose your eyes to natural sunlight when you wake up in the morning, even if only to sit by a window and enjoy a cup of tea.

Make time for exercise. This can be part of #3, but try to get your body moving for at least 30 minutes a day even if it's only stretching, doing tai-chi or yoga, or walking in circles around your room. Engaging all the major muscle groups does wonders to help your lymphatic system clear out waste materials from oxidation, aging, Etc. Getting the blood moving through exercise is a fantastic way to help "take out the trash," oxygenate your tissue, improve your focus and mood, & raise your metabolism.

Reduce sugar intake. If that chocolate cupcake is all that is keeping you from killing your spouse, by all means, enjoy every bite. But now is not the time to binge on a lot of sugar. Not only might you pack on the pounds, but it can potentially raise your blood sugar, increasing metabolic stress and inflammation, leaving your nervous system more frayed. Depleting your vitamin C levels, and weakening your immune system at a time when we want it as healthy as possible.

Drink plenty of water. Our needs for water are higher during periods of stress. As a rule, try to target half your body weight in ounces of water each day. That ensures you are getting rid of all the waste material from increased stress and metabolic inflammation.  

Increase your plant intake as best you can. If you do not have access to fresh plants, plan your meals around available canned and frozen options with an eye on diversity. The more variety of plant fiber in the diet results in a greater variety of beneficial bacteria. Greater diversity in the microbiome can make your gut immunity more resilient, and improve the production of stress and mood response compounds such as serotonin.

Support your health with preventative nutrition and herbs. Constant stress causes us to burn through nutrients a lot faster, as all of our systems work a lot harder. Ensure an adequate supply of nutrition and provide additional support for body systems that deal with stress and immunity. A multivitamin is a great way to ensure you have sufficient essential nutrients to meet your demands while under higher levels of stress. A good multivitamin should provide a full spectrum of B complex nutrients (min 25mg. Per serving) and a right mix of antioxidants. Also, Dr. Christian Le from The Green Earth medicine clinics in Oregon recommends 4000 mg a day of vitamin C and an additional 2,000 IU of vitamin D to help support immune health with a high potency multivitamin.

Include good fats. Essential fatty acids are vital Aid to a healthy diet. Olive oil at meals is an excellent source of cellular building blocks, such as oleic acid. Fish oil supplements with EPA and DHA can also protect and improve cellular health and communication. 1000 mg a day of molecularly distilled fish oil is an essential building block to support health, immune, and stress response.

Use CBD rich Hemp Extracts to support a healthy nervous system and outlook. CBD has received attention for many things, but it is not as well appreciated for its role in preventive health and fear. CBD's most significant benefit may lie in its support for the healthy function of the Endocannabinoid system. Among other things, the ECS modulates our central nervous system, our stress response, and the perception of threat. Daily use of Full Spectrum hemp extract helps many people better perceive and understand fears and worries. Rather than sedating a person, clinical-grade Hemp extracts may help a person function with greater calm during times of stress. As Allure magazine Editor Michelle Lee wrote last summer: "I think the most important thing it did was it helped me reset my expectation of what calm feels like." CBD will not change the circumstances we are in, but it may help us better navigate them with a more accurate perception of our threats, so they are not overwhelming.

We hope this list is helpful as you navigate through these times. Please know we are here to support you with the best medicine we can make for those who need it.