Natural First Aid Kit

After scouring the internet for a list of Natural First aid kit to have, I have decided to create one since I don't find what I need from other site.

1. Thieve's oil - You can buy it on amazon here . I dilute it in water and spray it on before I head out for walking. And it seriously keeps away mosquitoes and ticks. I also spray it on if I do get bitten and have bumps on my skin. I find that the bug bite marks fade far more quickly when sprayed with Thieve's oil. You can also use it as a general disinfectant around your home.It can also be used as a gargle to relieve itchy throat.
2. Bentonite Clay/ Activated Charcoal - I use this if I have a tummy upset. It helps adsorb the toxins generated. If you have a bad case of blackheads - clay works wonders. I also put clay all over my body once a month to remove toxins from my body. If you have bad gas, bloating or even some mild food poisoning , you definitely want activated charcoal in your home. Charcoal can also be used to whiten your teeth - very effective at removing tea/ coffee and tobacco stains. A combination of the two would be super good at drawing toxins from bug bites if you are unfortunate enough to get bit on by.
3. Arnica Gel / Camphor oil- I use this if I get sore muscles. Definitely helps bring the pain down. Also any twitching legs go away with a combination of magnesium drink , and camphor oil on my legs.
4. Honey - I use honey on any burns I get from cooking. Skin heals very well with honey.
5. Sea Salt - I do neti pot rinses during allergy season and gargle with salt water followed by a teaspoon of honey for my throat. This or Thieve's oil can be used to gargle. Salt water gargle is much gentler.
6. A few bandages and some cotton to put pressure on any cut's you may get. 
7. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar - I do regular drinks during allergy season to help with symptoms.
8. Vicks vaporub - I find that dropping it in hot water and inhaling the steam works wonders on clearing up the nose. That and with some net pot rinse , I was able to get a good night's sleep. If you can make it at home - would be even better.
9. Hydrogen Peroxide - To use as a mouth wash and antiseptic rinse.

I can't think of anything more I would need at home. The common problems I get are all taken care of above. I used to need motrin for pain every month - but now that's taken care of by balancing my hormones. If symptoms bother me - I take a day off and I sleep it off. I find that always helps. And any UTI's , food poisoning etc - those don't happen anymore with my increased focus on fixing my gut. I don't get headaches - but if you do , you should again watch your diet and make sure it's good. I get summer headaches when I have been out in the sun a bit too much - but if I drink a lot of water and sleep it off, that goes away.

Are there common issues you struggle with that I haven't accounted for in this first aid kit?

Productivity

Working as a Software Engineer - I am required to come up with solutions to problems a lot. That has made me very sensitive to how long it takes for me to solve a problem. And I have found the following to be true - a clear and curious mind is a prerequisite to creativity. At points in my career where I have lacked it , I have been very slow in solving problems.

Working long and continuously on a problem with great sincerity results in wasted time. I have performed that experiment upon myself twice in my life and gotten sub par results. Objectively - I would say I am reasonably smart and can solve problems. But I can be completely stymied if I am sick or if I have intrusive negative thoughts ricocheting in my head.

A lot of us in the modern world suffer from Adrenal Fatigue. Adrenal Fatigue happens when you have stressed yourself from either sickness or mental stress to the point where your adrenals can no longer support you. When the adrenals fail , your thyroid can also get affected and that can feel like you have a mental fog in your head. Dr Wilson's book on Adrenal Fatigue gives excellent details on the subject and on how to get out of it.

Today however , I want to give a list of thoughts that I have found to put a damper on one's ability to solve problems. These thoughts if left unquestioned can stress you out tremendously.

1. I am just too stupid.
2. I am taking forever to solve this problem when others are doing it much faster.
3. I am doing something dumb/stupid/hateful.
4. This problem is too huge and too difficult for me/ I can't solve this problem. 
5. Other people are inherently smarter than me and can solve this problem way more elegantly than me - I can never hope to get to where they are.

Negative self talk such as I am stupid or I am dumb - must be avoided zealously. It is not true at all if one were to objectively look at oneself. Keeping your mind free from such clutter is as essential as keeping the space around you and your person clean to avoid getting sick. You are allowed to realize you acted in an unwise fashion and to learn from your mistake - but you yourself are not an absolute complete waste of space for having done what you did. To err is human.

Stressing out while comparing oneself to others is counter productive. Sure they are doing better than me - and perhaps they don't want to share how they are doing better than me with me. Or perhaps they just don't understand why I am not doing as good as they are. Perhaps my job is on the line if I do worse than others around me. I find I feel better when I submit such overwhelming worries to God and ask HIM to help me get through it. I need to do this to eliminate the tremendous counter productive worry brought on by the comparison. The state of mind I need to get to is one of curiosity about the problem. The belief and faith that I can solve the problem with God's help. For things are often imagined before they take material shape in this world. It is a problem I am meant to learn how to solve. The techniques to solve the problem can easily be found once the mind is calm enough.

If you feel uninterested in the problem you are solving - ask yourself why you are doing it? Perhaps you need to quit or perhaps you need to continue. Either way I find it's always best to start with acknowledging and letting myself know why exactly I am doing what I am doing. And always keeping in mind that I have the choice to quit or stay - in short I am powerful and am doing this only coz I want to.

When I wish I could solve a problem but feel I am incapable of solving a problem - that's a problem I really really want to have the ability to solve :). And hence should solve. One can feel overwhelmed if one is sick as well. I remember a time when I had no motivation to take up challenges at work coz I was too sick. In such times, the best course is to relax and truly take on only that which one can. If however its only fear of an enormous task that's preventing one , one can systematically break it down into it's smallest unit and eat the elephant bite by bite. And that will generate a truly big confidence boost in oneself.

Other people might be smarter than me - but how does that matter in my life? I can still provide value to others and to myself with all that I am. The spirituality books I read recommend loving everyone as yourself. I find I get peace when I rejoice in others being smart/happy.  Not to say I do that every time and have nailed being happy for everyone - but that whenever I have practiced being happy for everyone around me, I have found a happiness and peace within me.

I am surprised workplaces don't give more importance to employee morale and state of mind. It definitely affects their performance and hence the companies bottom line.

Savings Last Year

It's getting closer to Tax time and that means staying organized with bills and savings is on top of my mind. I did good on organization and was able to save on a few categories last year and have more areas I could save on in 2016.

1. Cable - No cable , Only Netflix, Youtube and Amazon Prime for me. That might not work for everyone , but it did cut the cost for me tremendously. I pay 60$ for internet and when Google Fiber gets to where I live, I will be so moving to Google Fiber ( which costs the same as Comcast) 
2. Insurance ( Home, Car, Disability ) - I used Dave Ramsey's ELP's and that helped out quite a bunch. Unless you are friends with an Insurance agent - I don't see these rates offered easily through the more easily recognized insurance agencies . 
3. Security - Simplisafe - is simply the best!
4. Electricity - 
1. Installing Solar Panels  ( Hopefully in 2016)
2. Keeping the house a few degrees cooler ( in winter ) / warmer ( in summer ) than comfortable .I do this because A/c gives me nose bleeds. I might even try to acclimate myself to the weather in Atlanta. That might not be for everyone but would be a cool skill to possess so the widely varying temps of Atlanta seem more bearable :). Check out this guy who can do so: Wim Hof . Inability to tolerate mildly varying temperatures indicate hormonal/gut issues within you as well. I had cold urticaria when I caught a parasite from when I travelled to India. Went away once that parasite was removed.
3. Using Energy Star Rated devices/ appliances.
5. Mortgage - refinanced and got lower payments.Will soon be able to remove PMI! Yay!

The next important areas I want to save and haven't been able to make much of an impact are as follows :

1. Groceries - I am particular that I want organic, grass fed. And that makes it pretty hard to stay on track. My farmer's market produce is pretty expensive. Whole foods in my area is cheaper than my Farmers Market! Also doesn't help that I sometimes don't eat the leftovers that I make - some cuts are huge and I get tired of eating the same thing. I've made a step forward by buying an extra freezer so I can only take in sizes I want and can freeze what I cook to eat the next week. Thrive market also helps. And so does Dekalb International Farmer's market. 
2. Supplements - Oh man - this really is a killer. I am currently undergoing naturopathy and that really does put a dent in your wallet since it is not insurance supported. http://www.mygreensurance.com/ supports but some of my treatment is pre existing. Now if I find a cheaper way to buy all the supplements would be fantastic. The good news is that this is a temporary ( maybe a year more ) expense. 

Does anybody know of good ways to save money on above two ?