Your mood changing concoction

Turns out, sniffing citrus is a major stress reducer, according to science: When participants in a recent study spent as little as ten minutes inhaling yuzu (the super-tart and citrusy Japanese fruit), they saw a significant decrease in their overall mood disturbance, a global measure that looks at tension, anxiety, depression, confusion, fatigue and anger.

So eat a grapefruit, light a citrusy candle or spend a few minutes mixing up a batch of blender lemonade. Just be sure to inhale and… exhale while you do it.

Or you could just make blender lemonade. But here’s the genius part: You need only one lemon, not 12, to mix your drink. Dump the whole fruit–including the rind–into a blender, and minutes later you’re sipping pretty. Minimal cleanup required.

Here, a step-by-step look at how it’s done.

THE INGREDIENTS

Like we said, you need only one lemon. Then take 2 cups of water, a handful of ice cubes and a couple of spoonfuls of thyme honey for sweetness.

PREPARATION

Wash and scrub the lemon thoroughly. (Remember, it’s going in the blender, peel and all, so you’ll want to be sure it’s squeaky clean.) Next, use a paring knife to cut it into quarters and remove the seeds and the pith (that thick white stuff in the middle). When you’re done, toss the lemon quarters in the blender along with the water, ice cubes and honey. Now the fun part: Blend.

IMPORTANT DETAIL

Make sure you blend for a full minute ’til it’s ultra-smooth. Anything less and you’ll taste the pulp. Pour your freshly blended concoction in a glass and, if you’re feeling fancy, garnish with a sprig of mint. Enjoy.