The only thing I dislike more than being sick is taking care of sick people. I am an absolute HORRIBLE nurse. Go ahead and judge away but if my kids are sick (or worse yet, the mm man… hello man-cold) I call my mom or mother-in-law to take care of them. I try everything to stay healthy and not get sick, unfortunately I have two small (adorable) germ magnets in my house so I wasn’t surprised when I felt a little tickle in my throat last week. So what did I do? Well here are my tips – keep in mind I am not a medical professional these are just some cold and flu hacks from one friend to another 🙂

#1. Drink…and sadly not just coffee and wine. Seriously, liquid up and flush that sickness out of you. My favourite sore throat concoction? Boil a chopped two-inch piece of ginger in four cups of water until it is reduced to about two cups. Add a tablespoon each of lemon juice and honey. Yummy.

#2. Caliente! Spice up your food. When I’m feeling stuffy nothing gets things cleared up quite like a bit of heat in your meals.

#3. Get Oiling. I am a strong believer in essential oils. I personally use doTERRA and love to diffuse their On Guard and Breathe blends as well as peppermint, eucalyptus, ginger and lavender when I am feeling under the weather.

And finally..get ready for it because #4 is life changing and has only taken me 34 years to figure out… REST! Like actually rest. I am talking LIE DOWN, nap, submit to a Netflix coma and do not under any circumstances try to do anything that even resembles being a productive member of society. Just take a day and let your body do it’s thing. This one is SO hard, but I promise it actually works!