Hornbeam
Tired at the thought of the day rather than after it, the Monday morning feeling
What it feels like
You are not actually tired. You slept fine. But the thought of the day ahead is exhausting before it has started, and you find yourself doing everything except the thing you meant to do. The dishes suddenly seem urgent. The inbox gets tidied. It is the feeling of standing at the bottom of the stairs with no enthusiasm for climbing them. Curiously, once you start, it usually lifts, and by mid morning you are fine. That is the giveaway. Hornbeam tiredness is in front of the work, not behind it.
Signs you might need it
- You wake feeling tired at the thought of what is ahead
- You put things off and do easier tasks instead
- Once you start, you are usually fine
- Weekdays feel like a routine you are dragging yourself through
- You feel mentally stale rather than physically worn out
- You need a strong coffee to face something you could do easily
What it helps with
The day stops looking so heavy from the doorway. People describe getting their get up and go back, particularly in the first hour of the morning.
Not to be confused with
Olive, which is real exhaustion after real effort, where rest is genuinely needed. Hornbeam is tiredness in anticipation, and it usually lifts once you get going. Wild Rose is flatter still, with no interest either way.
For those who feel that they have not sufficient strength, mentally or physically, to carry the burden of life placed upon them. The affairs of every day seem too much for them to accomplish, though they generally succeed in fulfilling their task.
The plant
A hardwood tree so dense that it was traditionally used for cogs, mallets and butchers' blocks. It holds its coppery dead leaves through the winter rather than dropping them, keeping hold of the old season while it waits for the new one.
How to take it
The usual way is two drops from the stock bottle into a small glass of water, sipped through the day. If you are mixing several remedies, put two drops of each into a 30ml bottle of spring water and take four drops from that, four times a day.
There is no need to time it around meals, and you can take it as often as you like. Most people give it two weeks before deciding whether it is doing anything. The full guide to taking them covers mixing bottles, timing and the alcohol question.
Often mixed up with Hornbeam
Often taken alongside
Blends that include Hornbeam
Combinations mixed for a situation rather than for a person. Each one is shown with the reason Hornbeam is in it.
Common questions
These are about Hornbeam. The questions about the remedies in general, alcohol, children, timing, live in the FAQ.
Is Hornbeam the Monday morning remedy?
That is the nickname it has picked up, and it is a fair one. It suits the tiredness that lives in the thought of the day rather than in your body.
What is the difference between Hornbeam and Olive?
Ask when the tiredness arrives. Before the effort, that is Hornbeam. After genuine effort, illness or a long stretch of caring for someone, that is Olive. If you are burnt out and also dreading the mornings, plenty of people take both.
Can Hornbeam help with procrastination?
It is the usual choice when putting things off comes from a lack of enthusiasm rather than from fear of failing. If you avoid tasks because you expect to be no good at them, look at Larch instead.
Not sure Hornbeam is the one?
Choosing works by recognizing yourself in a description, so if this one only half fits, it is worth seeing what else comes up. The quiz narrows all 38 in about a minute, and the uncertainty group holds the nearest neighbors.
Where to buy Hornbeam
Bach remedies are widely stocked. If you are buying online, check the bottle says Hornbeam and comes in the standard 20ml stock size.
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