I’m not sure if I’ve told you this already, but I have been working as a women’s advocate in the anti-violence against women sector for 38 years now. I’m the Executive Director of a shelter for women and their children.
As you can imagine, this work has been, at times, heartbreaking, frustrating, and emotionally draining. There have been times when I have wanted to quit. There have been times (many times) when I have cried, out of feelings of helplessness and frustration at a system that often fails women and their children.
There have also been some happy times, fun times, and times of celebration, and I have clung to those for dear life!
So why am I telling you this? Well, there came a time during my career as a women’s advocate, when I realized that I am not invincible, not even close. I was exhausted, worn, and my usual way of coping with stress (wine anyone?) was not even a little bit helpful.
I have been fortunate to have been able to attend different conferences and workshops focused on Vicarious Trauma, and Compassion Fatigue over the years, and have come to realize the importance of Self-Care and understand that it is absolutely not selfish to take care of yourself. It’s necessary!
You can’t do a very good job of supporting and empowering others if you are struggling to hold it together yourself! If you’re going to be in this fight, you need to stay healthy and strong. You need to bring yourself back into balance when the hateful realities around you threaten to throw you down and keep you there.
For me, essential oils have been an amazing tool that I have used to bring myself back into balance. Putting on Valor (a beautiful blend of Black Spruce, Blue Tansy, and Frankincense) helps me feel calmer, stronger and less anxious. Whenever I have to do something I’m a little scared or worried about, I reach for that bottle, put a couple of drops onto the bottoms of my feet, on my shoulders and then just breathe it in.
Peace & Calming essential oil blend is one of my favourites for relaxing and bringing myself back into a state of calm after a particularly stressful time. It’s a wonderful blend of Ylang Ylang, Orange, Tangerine, Patchouli, and Blue Tansy. It’s a great blend to use just before bedtime to help you wind down after a long day.
Stress Away is another blend that I’ve been really happy I have in my essential oils collection! It’s a great combination of Lime, Lavender, Cedarwood, Copaiba, Vanilla and Ocotea and as the name suggests, it can be a great support to help you de-stress.
Can I be real here for just a second? Honestly, if I had to go searching around for products that could help me stay healthy and balanced, I think I may have just given up. Before I started using Young Living products, I had tried different things, taken different supplements (well, I bought them anyway....) but I never really made any significant changes to my lifestyle.
I honestly believe that using these essential oils everyday helped create a pathway for me to start taking my health seriously, to start caring enough about my own wellness to start making time and space for self-care.
And being able to just login to my account, order what I need, and have it be delivered to my home has made it so convenient and easy for me to keep up with my wellness goals!
I am incredibly thankful for that, because I know myself, and if it was too complicated or hard, I know I wouldn’t do it. I would have just gone back to my old bad habits. Can anybody else relate?
I think most people are like me. If it’s too hard, or time consuming, they are not going to follow through, so why not de-complicate your life? Go get yourself a Young Living account and start taking care of yourself. You’ll be so happy you did! And I’ll be right there cheering you on along the way!
0 Comments