Creating a pure, natural and balanced life

October 26, 2017

Becoming a first-time mother causes many changes: emotional, physical and mental. For me the most significant change was the way that I viewed the world. I suddenly began to question parts of my daily routine and the impact it was having on my body and the environment.

When you have newborn, so pure and innocent in your care, you realise that it is your responsibility to keep them that way as long as humanly possible and surround them with an environment conducive to doing so. For me that was the turning point when I decided to make the changes to living a clean, natural and sustainable life. Now fortunately, I had already been living a healthy lifestyle so the changes were not overly drastic. However, as I now continue my journey to natural living I am finding there are more and more ways in which I could improve and work towards my goal of creating a natural balanced life for my family.

So, where to begin? Anywhere! Just start.... start small and see if that change is suitable for you and your family. The key to making significant changes in your behaviour is to ensure that those changes are sustainable long term. I have made the mistake of trying to totally rid my household of any processed food. Well let me tell you, that did not last long. Sure we gave it a good go, but the fact of the matter is that no amount of fresh fruits, veggies and homemade snacks will satisfy the cravings of my four kids.

So no, we are not a processed food free house yet, but we do have a lot less of it and are constantly working towards that goal one bag of pretzels at a time. An example of where a change was easy to stick to was ditching plastic straws. Thanks to YouTube we had stumbled across a video of a sea turtle that had a plastic straw stuck up his nose! I may have scarred my children for life as they now believe that plastic straws kill animals, although that's not far from the truth it is an extreme view for four year olds to have. So we have happily replaced our plastic straws with stainless steel ones and have not looked back.

We have successfully manage to introduce natural remedies into our household as well. When I had my first child I just could not bring myself to spray bug repellent on or even around her pure untainted skin. So instead of vowing to spend all summer long trapped indoors to avoid contact with any pests, I began looking for natural remedies and inevitably found essential oils. After creating our family's chemical free bug repellent I was hooked on the effectiveness of essential oils and amazed at all of their healing properties. Again, I have not completely phased out all traditional medicine, but I have managed to transition to a much more natural approach when our lives become imbalanced or need a little extra support.

My Top Ten suggestions for creating a natural, pure and balanced life:

1. Buy seasonal - When you do buy products that are not in season you are encouraging stores to bring in foods from far away. In order to take into consideration the transportation time of the food, the product is usually harvested before it's peak and also comes with a higher price tag to compensate for the shipping process. This means over priced, inferior products for the consumer. To find what is seasonal in your area checkout seasonal food.

2. Buy local - Not only does buying local support local businesses it also helps to ensure that the goods are ethically produced or in the case of food that it is seasonal and fresh. Both of these are good for your health and the health of the planet.

3. Avoid over packaging - Fruit and veg does not need to come in plastic! So much of what we consume comes wrapped in layers of plastic, styrofoam and cardboard. When shopping please consider your options. By buying loose fruit and veggies, meat and fish from the deli, and even toys without all the excess wrapping I can assure you will notice a big change in the amount of waste you and your family produce throughout the week.

4. Shop Farmers Markets - Not only does Farmers Markets shopping guarantee fresh, local produce it also makes it much easier to purchase packaged free. Kills 3 proverbial birds with one stone.

5. Bring reusable shopping bags/fruit and veg bags - Although it takes some getting used to, this is one of the easiest and quickest ways to make a small change that has a big impact on our planet. My absolute favourite shopping bags are from Project Ten they offer a great selection of bright reusable bags including insulated and oversized. I have also been using range of simple old-school net cotton bags perfect for your loose fruit and veggies.

6. Avoid over consumption of disposable fashion - Buy ethical, sustainable and quality over quantity. The market is currently saturated with cheap, imported clothing and even though these bargains may seem harmless, the reality is the excess waste is proving detrimental to the environment.

7. Incorporate the benefits of essential oils - Some of my favourite ways to start using them are a few drops in a warm bath, diluted in a carrier oil and used to give massages or simply diffused throughout the house (Kmart has a brilliant night light and diffuser combo for only AUD $20)

8. Avoid unnecessary chemicals - Once you stop and have a look, you will be shocked at the superfluous chemicals used in your everyday life. Chemicals found in cleaning products, cosmetics and bug repellents can all be replaced by natural products. There is a wealth of knowledge on creating DIY products that are safe for the whole family.

9. Reduce excessive use of electronics - No not just the smart phone, tablets and TV, this includes the dryer and microwave. Not only is it better for the environment but your health as well. Here is great article on how blue light from screens effects your sleep.

10. Say no to disposable cups - Bring your own take away cup, if you don't have one with you consider taking the time to enjoy the coffee there at the café. At the absolute least just go topless (ask the barista to leave off the lid to your take away cup) a movement created to end single use coffee lids and cups.

If everyone makes the conscious decision to make a few adjustments on how they live their everyday lives the effects could be astronomical. Not only does your immediate family benefit but the global family as well.

Like many of you I am a work in progress and it has been an undulating transition to a pure, natural and balanced lifestyle. However, I have a goal in mind on how I ultimately would like to raise my tribe and we are constantly working towards that goal. One of my favourite quotes at the moment is "Sustainability takes forever. And that's the point". The idea of being 100% pure, natural, balanced and sustainable may be unattainable but it's something to strive for.

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Sharon on November 16, 2017

It’s easy to forget and take the simple route. I too am a work-in-progress environmentalist mum. For me, it’s all about breaking old habits and creating new. Once the new kicks in, the old is forgotten. Until the habit changes, it’s easy to swing back. Persistence and the willingness to commit even in busy times helps.

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