Take A Bite

Quick wellness update: I had a sinus congestions for about the past two weeks that turned into a bacterial infection that then lead to the most miserable sinus pressure and migraine I’ve ever experienced. I thought I was on the mend, but went in for a steroid shot on Friday to really kick it out of my system and that’s when things went downhill. The pain lingered in my forehead, in my nose, in my teeth, behind my neck, and ears, it was awful. A lot of tears, hot showers and baths, frozen vegetables on my head, naps, Advil, and peppermint oil. I’m trying acupuncture for the first time this morning and praying to God that it helps relieve some of the dull pain I’m still feeling. Fingers crossed I get back to feeling like myself again. This allergy/sinus mess going around is no joke. It’s also my birthday on Thursday, and sister is not trying to have a migraine on her bday!

-Threw together this random assortment of pantry ingredients for Monday night dinner that ended up lasting me for multiple meals during the week. I used this recipe as a guide and I highly recommend it.
-Packed up a very lunch box looking lunch and it sparked a weird amount of joy.
-Step aside Agolde Parker shorts (which I own and do not like), I have found my jean shorts of the summer. And they are $50!!
-Got a surprise visit from my parents on Thursday as they were driving en route to Austin to see my sister and BIL’s new place! They came bearing hammy-downs from their recent move, lunch, and an early birthday gift, addressed to Ann…hey mom it’s Anne or Annie? LOL
-One of the better drinks I’ve had in a minute. This passionfruit gimlet from Beverly’s was so good for Friday happy hour.
-Friday happy hour lasted longer than an hour as two of my girlfriends and I bumped into some friends from college and then finished the night with the best chips and salsa (and butter) in Dallas.
-My migraine and sinus pain kind of swept me off my feet this weekend. Saturday and Sunday looked a lot like this.
-Left the house to pick up more advil and an antibiotic and swung by Pressed Juicery for a Pressed Freeze too. I forgot how good these are!
-I’m addicted to the oat milk latte’s at my neighborhood bakery and I don’t care that I spend almost $6 on them.

Annie

Do you ever wake up with headaches? They are the worst and it is no way to start your day. I love to self diagnose myself when I get sick. I know that is the last thing you should do, but lets be honest, we all do it. When I have a cold, I turn to the internet for quick fixes, when I'm hungover I look for home remedies and when I get raging headaches I love to search for the best way to end it quick. Last week I woke up with a headache from H-E-double hockey sticks. I had a day full of to do lists and I didn't want a headache to be hanging out with me all day.

I found this article from Dr. Oz to be really helpful. It lays out what types of headaches there are and what the cause and cures for them are.

Migraines and hormonal headaches usually take place on the side of your head. Migraines are more extreme sometimes causing you to become nauseous. Hormonal headaches are caused when your estrogen levels drop, leading reason why women have more headaches than men. Magnesium is needed to calm these monthly triggers. Magnesium can be found in food like spinach, chard, potatoes, and bananas.

Tension headaches are the ones where it feels like a band is wrapped around your head, usually caused from stress that you are holding in your neck or shoulders. Try placing a heating pad around your neck or on your shoulders to help ease the pain.

Cold and flu related headaches pop up from being dehydrated due to loss of water and essential salts. Drinking lots of fluids and eating foods like watermelon or cucumber help with hydration.

When my hellish headache struck I fixed it with these easy home remedies. I'm no doctor, but it worked for me and I hope it works for you.

1. Drink a huge glass of water. Headaches are typically always due to dehydration.

2. Make some green tea with mint. The soothing power of mint helps ease the tension in headaches. I drink this tea daily.

3. Lay down in a dim room with a cold or hot rag on your forehead. I know mornings are rushed but if you have at least 10 minutes, lay back in bad, shut off the lights and rest with a cold or hot towel on your head. Either temperature should help, whatever seems better for your situation.

4. Make a smoothie with spinach and bananas. Migraines and hormonal headaches can be fixed with a dose of magnesium. Try making a smoothie packed with tons or spinach and banana. My matcha smoothie helped cure my aches, but this and this recipe should too!