New York City. The city I was born and grew up in for my whole life until just a few years ago! It will always have a special place in my heart. Heck, even after I moved to LA, I was traveling to NYC just about every 4-6 weeks for the next 3 years! I’d call that homesickness. And can you blame me? New York City is bustling and beautiful. The history, the culture, the people, and the fact that I knew every shortcut, back alley and subway route like the back of my hand didn’t hurt either. They say, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
I barely made it there. Between paying $1,000/month to live in places you could barely call closets, to upping my meds every single Winter because of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and it’s super-annoying side effects, like lethargy, melancholy, and just plain having your epic plans constantly fall through. No, I spent a lot of time dreaming of the sunshine coast, chasing sunbeams for the 15 minutes a day they’d peek through the clouds on grey NYC days, waiting for the days when my plans didn’t quite have to be made around the weather.
In the interim between finding my house in LA and moving from New York, I had to face a few awkward months and “make it work”. So, how can you make it work, even if you’re sad, disappointed, lonely, shut in, or just plain feeling down this Winter?
Eat Wisely
Many of us turn to food for comfort during winter months, and end up packing on the pounds out of boredom, discontent or lack of awareness about what we’re consuming. You’re going to eat more naturally during months when you’re cold, so do it wisely. Eat foods that boost your mood and get you motivated. This means: avoid carbs, sugar, and caffeine! Try nuts, fruit, honey, teas and tinctures for upping your Serotonin and feeling motivated even on crappy days. Protein (like salmon) should be eaten 3 times a week, with four cups of bright colored veggies (like peppers or kale) are optimal for health.
Move
Lethargy always kicks in for me when I feel trapped and stagnant. Movement is the cure for this. Even if the snow is piled up, doing something as simple as breaking out your yoga mat or going up and down your stairs a few dozen times gets your blood moving, and improves your cardiac and adrenal health! This helps you to combat stress, anxiety and depression as well.
Herbs
The more herbs during winter months – the better! As long as they’re the right ones! Supplements like 5-HTP and St. John’s Wort can have a make it or break it affect on our moods! These are often the difference between me being in a foul mood and days when things seem more manageable.
Light
Surrounding yourself with as much natural light as possible is a great way to combat sadness or depression during the winter months. My favorite way to do this is candles – lots and lots of candles! Soy candles and beeswax are my favorite, like this one from Delizioso Skincare. Another favorite are himalayan salt lamps, which are purifying and calming.
Remember, it’s your life! It’s where dreams are made of: there’s nothing you can’t do. 🙂
I’m a big music lover. As a musician, the 60’s and 70’s really hit a strong chord for me. The music, the clothes, the vibes, the decades are timeless, beautiful, and always seemed just a little beyond my grasp. And the legendary, soulful and free spirited Janis Joplin has always been a huge inspiration to me.
I was over the moon when I found out I was shooting for Made For Pearl.
The electrifying and brilliant path Janis tore into history was cut tragically short well before her niece, Malyn Joplin, was ever born. Malyn was only privy to family stories and strangers’ accounts of her aunt’s colorful yet turbulent life. Growing up, Malyn was tormented by an insatiable curiosity surrounding Janis, matched by an internal resentment of having never met her in person. In search of a deeper connection to her aunt, Malyn launched Made for Pearl as a creative vehicle on her road to discovery. Each season, Malyn and the team at Made for Pearl source style inspiration from photographs, personal letters, and family stories that capture the passionate, untamed yet brave spirit of Janis. Every silhouette, fabric and detail aims to rebuild an authentic image of Janis through a modern, updated homage to her iconic style.
Made for Pearl’s inspired-by pieces are produced with top-quality materials, lovingly made in the USA. They’re designed not for the prevailing winds of a given season, but for the unchanging sensibility and aesthetic of fashion forward customers that are as constant as Janis Joplin’s unforgettable voice. Made for Pearl designs capture the attention of fans everywhere, as well as inspire a new generation each season to discover the unmatched spirit and soul of Pearl.
The shoot was so fun! We pumped out Janis Joplin Pandora and properly rocked out while we got ready, then ran around town trying too hard not to smile at all the complimentary whistles and whispers. If you’re truly trying to stand out with a bohemian, timeless style, Made for Pearl is the perfect brand for you. 🙂
When The Great Beyond reached out to me on instagram, I was totally thrilled. Bamboo clothing is the ultimate in luxury and style, comfort and eco-pride, and The Great Beyond does it right.
The Great Beyond creates bamboo clothing for the stylish and confident woman. Designed in Queensland, Australia referencing the classic styles you know and love to fit into your everyday lifestyle. Their vision is to create eco-friendly fashion through luxury fabrics and staple pieces that complement the modern woman and the environment.
WHY CHOOSE BAMBOO?
Clothing made of bamboo is extremely soft, durable and luxuriously comfortable. As a textile, bamboo is renowned for it’s many unique features and impressive environmental benefits.
Breathable and thermo-regulating: Feels great to wear in every season. Keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter.
Moisture Wicking: High moisture absorption and evaporation keeps you dry and comfortable when you are active or when the weather gets hot and humid.
Kind to sensitive skin: Because of the smooth and round structure of its fibers, bamboo clothing is soft and non-irritating, even to sensitive skin.
Easy Care: Crease resistant, colour fast and low shrinkage. Gentle warm wash and cool iron if needed will ensure long term colour clarity and perfect fit.
Sustainable: Bamboo is naturally prolific and resilient. It grows to maturity in 3-4 years and once harvested, can replenish itself within a year. It does not require intensive irrigation and thrives without need of pesticides or fertilisers.
Eco Restorative: Growing Bamboo improves soil quality and helps rebuild eroded soil. It’s extensive root system prevents erosion, and retains water in the watershed.
100% biodegradable: Ultimately bamboo clothing will simply return to the earth, with minimal environmental impact.
It’s crazy to think that around this time a year ago I was freezing my bum off in New York City. In fact, every single Winter of my life has been spent at least partially on the east coast until this one. What a difference a year can make!
Keeping up with the summer vibes theme, this week was full of summer weather. I worked with an absolute dream team – everyone was amazing, from the incredible photographer to the hysterical hair and makeup artists, shooting for Solid & Striped and Gypsan this past week was a dream come true. The day was absolutely perfect, and I loved traipsing around town in this breezy, gorgeous Vagabond kimono and beautiful blue chloe top. The whole outfit was gypsy heaven: from Solid & Striped’s incredibly luxurious European and Japanese fabrics, to Gypsan’s gorgeous, free-spirited prints and fabrics. Gypsan also donates 5% of their profits every year to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, an incredible charity that mentors children.
I am so excited to share this interview with you! About.me, one of my absolute favorite social networking sites, asked me some questions on how I find balance, about my book, music, science background and more 🙂
A ritual I do every single morning consists of vitamins, oils and tea to enrich my dehydrated skin and hungry body early in the day, while I sip a fresh, home-made smoothie. This keeps me nourished and motivated while I make food and catch up on e-mails. This last week I spent on the road, driving up to San Francisco and back down to San Diego in less than a week. Between meetings, friendships, working remotely, travel, switching sleeping spots and catching up on e-mails, wellness fought hard to take a front seat. And while I did manage to take my vitamins, drink my teas, ingest my tinctures and do my little rituals, doing it in my own space again means so, so much to me!
Currently morning vitamins include True Svatsthya’s (follow @truesvasthya for more info!) Phythoceramides, which have gotten a lot of press lately after Dr. Oz said on his show that they could “take ten years off your life in four weeks!” I’ve been very eager to try them, as customer testimonials boast plumper, more hydrated and rejuvenated skin. I noticed results in about four days – most noticeably I’ve needed to hydrate my sun-loving skin way less, saving me on product. And makeup which used to get “stuck” on wrinkles and bumps now seems to glide right on and look dewey.
Life EqualsVitamin D and Omega 3’s ( follow @lifeequals for more info & get 10% off your first time purchase with coupon code ORGANICLIFE or 75% off with coupon code ORGANICLIFE75 for monthly vitamins) for my skin and mood in the morning have been killer, and were much needed on my shocking trip to Northern California, where sunshine peeks out with reservation a few times a day, a lot like it does on the East Coast, especially in January. A far cry from the 75 and sunny I’m used to in LA and SD!
Life Equals Vitamin D has been coined “ the sunshine vitamin”. It can affect more than 2,000 cells in the body. Vitamin D fights heart disease, the flu and symptoms of MS. It does wonders for my mood and helps my body absorb sunshine while fighting free radicals.
Life Equal’s Omega-3’s help as a natural anti-depressant, as well as helping my rheumatoid arthritis, stiffness and joint pain in the cold. Omega’s are essential for overall health, including heart health, cholesterol, and concentration. It can maximize your learning potential, aiding in helping disorders like ADHD, Chron’s Disease, Parkinsons, Alzheimers and general brain function.
I also take MSM + Sulfur for my joints and bones. MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a naturally occurring sulfur compound found in all vertebrates, including humans. MSM is already well-known for its joint health benefits, but it may be important for a whole host of other reasons as well. Sulfur plays a critical role in detoxification, and also in inflammatory conditions. For detoxification, sulfur is part of one of the most important antioxidants that your body produces: glutathione. Without sulfur, glutathione cannot work. It also reduces pain and swelling, improves circulation and improves cell vitality by breaking up unhealthy calcium deposits, which are the root cause of many degenerative diseases.
Buddha Teas (Follow @buddhateas & receive 20% off your Buddha Teas order with coupon code ORGANICLIFE at buddhateas.com) are local to my hometown in San Diego and they’re amazing! They sent me over some Chakra based teas that I have at night, but this Pure Mind tea is incredible for super early in the morning!
Pure Mind tea is great for both relaxing from stress and enhancing concentration. This awesome elixir of holy basil, rosemary, oregano, sage leaf myrtle, gotu kola, and spearmint is completely organic and tastes delicious!
I will add my spirits, and tinctures to this, like Sleeping Monk’s Mind Sharpener, which is a reishi-mushroom based tincture that helps concentration and focus ( follow @sleepingmonks to find out more!) as well as eliminates threats of many common degerative mind diseases. Loaded with powerful ginseng root (which calms, concentrates and strengthens the body), polygala root (amazing for nervous tension, memory, nerve growth), and sweetflag rhizome (relieves confusion and depression, aids in digestion, increases circulation to the brain) Sleeping Monk’s formula’s are super powerful! I add a dropper full to my tea in the morning along with some Manukah Honey for a powerful and delicious blend.
Wedderspoon’s Manuka Honey is the best of the best. I’d like to take this moment to correct a previous post I made on Manuka Honey, as the good people of Wedderspoon have given me some updated information. Though many people believe it, UMF is an inaccurate way to test quality and potency of manuka. Through a robust marketing campaign, UMF has convinced the public of this however, UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is a company that trademarks Manuka honey and is not an official standard in any way for determining potency of Manuka. In fact, UMF sets the stage for manipulating the honey, since the testing method involves heating, which also automatically alters the contents of the honey and could affect the valuable enzymes found in manuka honey.
Wedderspoon eliminates this problem by providing raw, organic, GMO free, unheated manuka honey. It’s amazing for everything from tea, to a drizzle on a fruit salad, to DIY face masks! (Follow them on @wedderspoonusa to find out more!)
Along with my tea, I take Thayer’s Natural’s throat drops (Follow @thayersnaturals to learn more!) These natural throat drops are how I keep my voice in tip top shape! Thayer’s have been around for over a century, making natural products since 1869! Made from the inner bark of the Slippery Elm tree (ulmus fulva), these dependable demulcents soothe the tissues of the mouth and throat and restore the voice without the dulling effects of menthol. Try them – you’ll soon be singing Thayer’s praises!
To help it all go down, I apply 21 Drops Digestion onto my pulse points and inhale deeply. 21 Drops makes extremely affordable and natural essential oil blends for different ailments, like pain, nervousness, insomnia and digestion. A blend of cardamon, ginger and chamomile helps my meals go down easier and reduces the “morning sweats” that I get from nausea associated with pain and stomach problems I incurred during pharmaceutical withdrawal.
Finally, I apply Laurel’s Skin’s new natural and organic one drop wonder eye serum. While in San Francisco, I stopped by Laurel Skin HQ for an inspiring chat with the lovely Laurel & her amazing team! She was kind enough to gift me her magical new eye serum, releasing in March! It is truly a ONE drop WONDER! I was so surprised that the instructions said to use ONE drop! ? So I did! One heavenly drop is enough to cover under both my eyes with a little left over!
Deeply nourishing jojoba, borage, rosehip, pomegranate & almond seed oils go straight to work hydrating skin. It smells divine, with Laurel’s signature earthy scent, mixed with deep and pleasant tones of rose and berries. I can’t stop sniffing the ‘tester’ part of my hand. I can’t thank Laurel enough for this gorgeous beauty! This serum is perfect for travel, so I’ve found my holy grail! ( Follow @laurelskin to learn more about her awesome whole plant based organic line.)
Thanks for reading all about my morning routine this week. These kinds of posts are super fun to do and there will be more to come!
Hi, I'm Tara! A bestselling self-help author, singer and speaker. The Organic Life is a place where I share my healthy life hacks - so we can all become our best selves!
I’m a big 
