Healing Natures Way

01/04/2026

No April fool here, as it is after midday 😊
Spring has sprung, and Action for Happiness in this month's calendar encourages us to be Active this April.

Following on from the previous post about ideas for detoxing from some of our technology and screen use. For those ready for it, this would be another, more significant option to try:

Seven-day digital detox.
Day 1 – Switch off push notifications on your phone, tablet and laptop.
Day 2 – Unsubscribe from redundant email lists.
Day 3 – Set your email apps to refresh manually, not automatically; take emails (or at least work emails) off your phone.
Day 4 – Have a device box for use at mealtimes. Every family member must put theirs in before you all sit down together to eat.
Day 5 – Switch off all your electronic devices 90 minutes before bed.
Day 6 – Have two one-hour periods during the day where you are device-free; see if you can enjoy some special moments without posting them on social media.
Day 7 – SCREEN FREE DAY. Live your entire day offline and without screens!

This exercise is a great way to shine a light on your tech reliance – and provides an interesting potential opportunity to change a few things longer term as a result.

Best wishes, Debbie 🌺

22/03/2026

The Spring equinox on Friday (20th) marked the official start of Spring, which often leads to thoughts of detoxing. In the herbal world, there are many plants we can use to help us, nettle (Urtica dioica), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), burdock (Arctium lappa), cleavers (Galium aperine), and milk thistle (Silybum marianum), to name just a few. But what about our modern environments, could it be useful to consider some 'detoxing' in this regard? Well, one such way would be to think about our use of technology.

Technology is part of everything we do these days — keeping us connected, helping us work, even for some of us, supporting our health. But all those notifications, long hours staring at screens, and the pressure to stay “always on” can quietly stress our nervous system. Ever notice headaches, tension, anxiety, poor sleep, or even chronic aches after a long digital day? It’s not your imagination.

Our bodies can stay on high alert from constant digital stimulation — studies even show that screen time ramps up our “danger signals”, keeping stress levels high.
And let’s face it, our phones are like slot machines in our pockets… each notification could be good news or bad, and that unpredictability keeps us hooked. When the outcome is positive, we get a burst of dopamine, making us reach for our devices even more. The downside, however, can be chronic pain, anxiety, tiredness, sleep problems, digestion issues, and increased muscle tension — all linked to nervous system overload.

Okay, so a full detox and ditching technology altogether might be a step too far for many, but we can all take some simple steps to feel better. Try these easy changes:
• Set boundaries: Switch your phone to sleep mode at night, have “tech-free” meals, or leave your phone in another room before bed.
• Practice slow breathing: Breathwork can help your body reset its stress response.
• Add gentle movement: Stretch, walk, or dance to release tension — take a break to move every 30–60 minutes.
• Pause for awareness: Spend a few minutes, three times a day, just noticing your surroundings without a device.

Small intentional shifts can make a big difference.

Best wishes, Debbie 🌺

01/03/2026

Walking around it certainly seems like Spring is arriving, with flowers coming into bloom, blossom on the blackthorn & leaf buds appearing🌿💚Uplifting & lovely to see the sunshine recently too🌞

Action for Happiness starts this season with the Mindful March calendar😊.

Best wishes 🌺

01/02/2026

This month's calendar from Action for Happiness is called Friendly February, and I'm sure hearing that some people will be thinking, 'let's hope so, because January was certainly full of trials and tribulations. '

Due to our evolution, the mind is designed to have a negative bias. For the most part, this was to keep us safe and enable the survival of the species, but in modern life, this bias can serve us less well. This is where various practices, such as gratitude and mindfulness, can assist us. Of course, our wonderful plant friends can support us along our journey, shine light in the darkness, lift dampened spirits, ease anxieties, soothe irritations and help us with resilience to all forms of stressors.

Walking around outside in nature, positively, there have been the new signs of life and colour already, the snowdrops, daffodils and buds beginning to appear on trees💚 Although sometimes hard to believe, the blue skies and sunshine are always there, too, we just can't always see them because of the weather. This is a bit like life; despite the dark and difficult times, there is always light; we just can't always see it at the time, but we will.

Best wishes, Debbie🌺

31/12/2025

As the New Year approaches, many people start making resolutions. Another great idea is to reflect on your values and assess the path you’re on, considering if a small adjustment could help you better align with what matters most to you.

For example, if one of your values is spending time with loved ones, what does that look like in your daily or weekly life? Are you truly enjoying quality moments together, or would it help to plan a dinner once or several times a week, where phones and other distractions are set aside so you can talk, share stories, reminisce, and enjoy some laughter?😄

On the topic of laughter, may you all have much more reason to laugh in 2026, along with good health, peace and prosperity.

Here's the Action for Happiness calendar for January 2026 to also help us start on a positive note.

Best wishes, Debbie🌺

23/12/2025

Although we are now past the shortest day of the year (December 21st) and the amount of light is gradually increasing again, at the moment, that may be quite imperceptible. This time of year, also, whilst for some it might be wonderful and jolly, for many it is full of mixed emotions, or even mainly just sadness. Be kind to yourself and manage as best you can, but always know there is help out there if you need it....🌺

21/12/2025

You may have seen recent headlines about certain medicinal mushrooms now being classed as novel foods in the UK. Whilst in reality these mushrooms have been consumed and used for millennia, this change in classification mainly affects how they can be sold as food supplements in shops or online.

As a qualified medical herbalist, I use medicinal mushrooms like Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) and Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris / Ophiocordyceps sinensis) strictly as medicines, not as foods.

Here’s how that works:
• Medicinal mushrooms are only used after a full consultation
• They’re prescribed individually, based on your health history
• Dispensed as part of a therapeutic plan
Medical herbalists in the UK operate under a different legal framework from food retailers. Prescribing herbs or mushrooms as medicine, following a consultation, falls under medicine law — separate from food regulations.

These mushrooms are well researched, with substantial traditional use and growing scientific interest in their effects and potential benefits. They’re selected thoughtfully, used conservatively, and always with your safety in mind.
If you have any questions or concerns about your prescription, please feel free to ask. Informed, collaborative care is at the heart of good herbal medicine!

Best wishes🌺

01/12/2025

Good morning all as we wake to the new month of December 😊 As many start the countdown to the festive season, Action for Happiness reminds us of perhaps one of the true meanings/intentions behind the Christmas story, that of being kind🕊
Best wishes 🌺

25/11/2025

A very good friend enjoys foraging, making and taking the spring tonic, and she has been asking me what she can make at this time of year. In answer to this, an immune tonic is something useful to make and take; it is part foraged, but also part store cupboard for the ingredients. (If foraging, always make sure that you know what you are picking before consuming it!)

Ingredients:
3-4 Star anise
10 Cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons Cardamom pods
1.5 litres Apple cider vinegar
Approx. 350g of Rosehips, Hawthorn, Elder and Sloe berries

(Saucepan, muslin cloth and sterilised glass jar or bottle).

Method:
Forage, collect, and wash the hawthorn, elderberry, sloe and rosehips.
Cut the rosehips and de-stem all the berries, then place in a saucepan. Add the dried spices.
Pour the apple cider vinegar into the saucepan, covering the berries, spices and rosehips. Put a lid on the saucepan and gently heat the mixture for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent any burning or sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.
Leave to cool before then straining the mixture through a muslin cloth and pouring into your sterilised jar or bottle.

To take the immune tonic, use 1 teaspoon for children, or 1 tablespoon for adults, mixed in hot water with (local if possible) honey to taste 💚

Stay well. Best wishes, Debbie🌺

01/11/2025

Like many people, I don't know where October went, let alone the rest of this year?! Anyhow, here we are in November 2025 already, and in case the shorter, darker days begin to make us feel in a rut, the Action for Happiness calendar this month is all about "new ways" 😊
Best wishes🌺

01/10/2025

For those who would find being prompted useful, this month you can also sign up for daily encouraging email; for more information here's the link below:
actionforhappiness.org/october-challenge
Best wishes 🌺

Join the Optimistic October Challenge!

01/10/2025

Whilst the daylight is getting notably shorter, Action for Happiness are encouraging us to be optimistic this October 😊