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Author: Jay

Some pink tulips on a yellow background. Black text reads, "Living in Season (With Allergies)."

Living in Season With Allergies

Some pink tulips on a yellow background. Black text reads, "Living in Season (With Allergies)."

Living in season with allergies is tough.

One key tenet of a lot of mindful practices, hygge living guides, and so on is living in season — that is, celebrating the now and the joyful parts of each season. 

In the spring, this often looks like getting outside into nature, eating what’s growing locally, and throwing the windows open and getting fresh air now that the weather’s warming up. 

All of this is great! …But slightly less doable when you’re allergic to the outdoors. 

So how do those of us with allergies live in season when the season brings uncontrollable sneezing? 

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A flatlay photo of some cut plants. Text reads, "Beginner's Guide to Mindfulness."

Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness

A flatlay photo of some cut plants. Text reads, "Beginner's Guide to Mindfulness."

I admit: my mom was my motivation in writing this article. (Hi, Mom!)

She’s been pretty stressed over the last couple years, what with the virus, family stuff, politics, and so on. (I’m sure most of you can relate.)

I’ve suggested mindfulness to her and she said she didn’t really know where to start and that she felt like she needed a simple, beginner’s guide to mindfulness. This is that guide. I hope it will help her — and you! — find your way to a less-stressful and happier life. 

I was fortunate enough to have a teacher and guide when I started my mindfulness journey. He had decades of experience in mindful practice and had studied overseas with experts in the subject. As a clinical psychologist, he was also a strong proponent of the health benefits of mindful meditation. I was skeptical at first but he won me over, and I’m very glad he did.

Because I learned from him, a lot of the advice I’m going to share with you is based on what he told me — tips, tricks, books, and so on. 

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A bright red, textured sauce in a jar. White text reads, "Tomato-Free Tomato Sauce."

Tomato-Free Tomato Sauce

A bright red, textured sauce in a jar. White text reads, "Tomato-Free Tomato Sauce."

“Tomato-free tomato sauce” sounds a lot like an oxymoron. It’s a bit like saying “chocolate-free chocolate chip cookies” — doesn’t make sense, right?

In this case, the idea of a “tomato” sauce refers to a puree of vegetables, made with Italian spices, that’s slightly sweet and slightly acidic.

The flavor is intended to mimic a typical Italian-style tomato sauce without using nightshades.

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A photo focusing on a person's hands as they write a list in a spiral notebook. Text reads, "Zero to Ten: Building Habits for Better Days."

“Zero to Ten” Habits List for Better Days

A photo focusing on a person's hands as they write a list in a spiral notebook. Text reads, "Zero to Ten: Building Habits for Better Days."

I was thinking about my hopes and goals for this year and how I plan to reach them.

I wanted to come up with a simple routine that I could do every day. But also something that would, over time, have a big impact. And something easy to remember!

I read a couple articles about “ten minutes a day of X” or “do Y three times every day,” and I liked the idea, but none of those fit quite right.

So I thought: let’s combine some of these.

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A sparkly abstract background with text reading, "Celebrate the Winter of 2022."

Celebrate the Winter of 2022

A sparkly abstract background with text reading, "Celebrate the Winter of 2022."

For me, part of being mindful and living in the moment is taking time to find the good parts of the season I’m in — in this case, to celebrate the winter of 2022. (Well, 2022-2023. I’ve never been quite sure how to refer to the winter months!)

I like to come up with a sort of “punch list” or “bucket list” of things to do each season. They’re not exactly the same each year — this current winter will have a few new things compared to last winter’s. Some of them are projects I’d like to do, some are just fun activities. 

I also like to pick something off my homestead skills list to learn each season. This helps me keep on track for my homestead goals, and also gives me a deadline to help keep me from procrastinating!

The point is to help me be grateful and present, recognize how lucky I am to be able to experience life and this season, and make my days more intentional. Especially during winter, when the nights are long and sometimes things feel kinda heavy, focusing on the good is good for your health!

Here’s how I plan to celebrate…

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An off-white, creamy candy with pretzel bits and snowflake sprinkles. White text reads, "Peanut Butter White Bark Candy."

Peanut Butter White Bark Candy

An off-white, creamy candy with pretzel bits and snowflake sprinkles. White text reads, "Peanut Butter White Bark Candy."When I was little, I always knew it was Christmastime when my mom started making peanut butter white bark candy.

We had to go to a specialty baking shop to specifically get Merckens melting chocolate, because we didn’t like taste of the stuff sold at the grocery store. So we’d make the trek out, wander around the aisles in awe of all the colorful goods, then come home with our treasure.

Peanut butter white bark candy is a great gift to give during holiday exchanges, since it’s unique and also easy to make. You can pretty much guarantee there won’t be any duplicate givers at your cookie exchange the way there might be with gingerbreads!

If you have kids, this is also a good recipe to make together or to let the kids help you with. Really small kids can help by crushing the pretzels and sprinkling on toppings; kids a bit older can scoop out and measure the peanut butter; and kids old enough to safely use the stovetop can melt the chocolate wafers.

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