When my daughter was a baby, she had terrible skin irritation on her cheeks, and ask she got older, she developed spots on her torso and inside her elbows and knees. All the doctors could suggest for relief was steroid creams and ointments that really did nothing to heal her skin, plus they were expensive!
Many years later, I began making my own laundry detergent to save some money. The homemade detergent was a concoction of ingredients I could count on one hand. While I didn't notice it right away, my daughter's skin irritation diminished and eventually went away. I didn't make the connection until long after that her skin issues could have been the detergent and other products I was using on her clothes! Those products leave residue in our clothes that sit on our skin all day long, day in and day out. Her skin irritation was her body trying to detox.
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Summertime is full of fun activities, but do your best to not overschedule yourself. If you’re taking a trip, don’t wait until the last minute to pack. If you’re throwing a party, take it easy on yourself and make it a potluck. The less pressure you put on yourself, the less stressed you’ll be in the long run.
1. Acknowledge and accept your feelings.
Whenever you are experiencing any challenging feeling, it’s always important to stop and acknowledge the feeling you’re having. In this case, acknowledge the overwhelm and try to accept it. Overwhelm is normal and expected when you have a lot going on. Acknowledging and accepting your overwhelm is the first step to letting it go.
2. Determine where the overwhelm is coming from.
We feel overwhelmed when there is too much of something: too much to do, too many feelings, too many things to think about, too many people or things pulling us in too many directions… you get the idea! After you acknowledge that you are overwhelmed, ask yourself what’s causing the feeling. For me, it’s often caused by the feeling that I have to give all the people and all the things all of my attention right now and I have to do it all perfectly. That’s a very overwhelming feeling!
3. Figure out the truth.
Once you know where the overwhelm is coming from, you might notice that you’re telling yourself a story that isn’t true. Like in my example from above, it might feel like I need to take care of everything all at once and I need to do it all perfectly, but that simply is not true. The truth is that some things can be set aside for now. The truth is that everything will be okay if I let go of perfection.
4. Ask yourself what you need.
This step can be challenging at first but it is so important. Once you know that you are overwhelmed, you know what’s causing the overwhelm, and you’ve been honest with yourself about it, it’s time to ask yourself what you need right now in this moment. Maybe you need to tackle a task and get it out of the way, maybe you need a break, or maybe stepping outside for a walk will help tame your overwhelm. There is no right or wrong answer here, just figure out what will give you a bit of space to breathe and feel a bit calmer.
5. Take one small step.
Now that you know what you need, take one small step to help yourself. If you need a walk, take one. If you need to check something off your list, do it. One small step will usually lead you to one next step, and before you know it, you’ve calmed yourself down and you’re ready for the next thing.
I hope you find those tips as helpful as I have!!! See you next week!
As the name indicates, aromatherapy is a therapy that uses aromas. Aromatherapy is a branch of botanical medicine that uses volatile and aromatic plant compounds. Because of the unique direct relationship between emotions and olfaction within the brain, essential oils can help “unlock” stored memories and emotions. When you breathe in essential oils, molecules enter the limbic system and elicit an emotional response. An aversion to a particular oil may indicate something more than just personal preference. It could actually be stirring an unpleasant emotional reaction. Conversely, oils that bring about positive emotions are likely favored.
Intentional imprinting is a POWERFUL way to take control of your emotions by using essential oils, well, intentionally! Below are the steps:
1. You will be choosing (4) different essential oils and/or essential oil blends to correspond with one of the following emotions:
- Anger/Frustration
- Sadness
- Overwhelm/Stress
- Anxiety/Fear
2. Now, keep these oils on you or in places where you experience the opposite of the
emotions above. You will inhale your selected oil to start imprinting your limbic system to elicit the particular emotional response you want to occur when you want the emotion experienced.
For example, the opposite emotion of anger/frustration is calm. I choose to use
lavender essential oil in times of calm or when I experience a sense of calm in my life.
Examples of calm moments in my life might be in the evenings after my children have been put to bed or when I am in the shower taking a few moments to myself for self-
care and relaxation. I will inhale lavender at these moments of calm as consistently as I
can. Now, when I am feeling angry or frustrated, I need to take my bottle of
lavender and inhale deeply. If I have been consistent for about 30 days, then my limbic
system should be triggered by the lavender aroma to bring about a feeling of calm.
3. Be consistent. Try to inhale your chosen oil when you are feeling calm, happy, peaceful, or courageous every time you feel that emotion. It will take about 30 days to imprint your limbic system. Be patient with yourself if it takes longer. You need to remember to be intentional and conscious of your use of oils with your emotions.
Below are listed the (4) emotions we will be focusing on and the opposite emotions that we want to elicit. There are also suggested essential oils and blends for your consideration. Honestly, there is no right or wrong oil to pair with an emotion. I suggest trying to pick oils that you are drawn to.
Anger/Frustration – Calm
- lavender, bergamot, cedarwood, cypress, rose, melissa, orange, frankincense, geranium, helichyrsum, lemon, mandarin, sandalwood
Sadness – Joy, happy, blissful
- orange, geranium, helichrysum, joy, lime, lemon, citrus fresh
Overwhelm/Stress - Peace, tranquil, relaxing
- stress away, vetiver, peace & calming, cedarwood, lavender, tangerine
Anxiety/Fear – Courage, valor, bravery
- valor, peace & calming, sandalwood, bergamot, clary sage, geranium, juniper, marjoram, orange, Roman chamomile, myrrh, rose, ylang ylang
The way you start your day matters and essential oils can enhance those first moments. As you inhale their scents, they stimulate memories and emotions through the olfactory bulb, which is part of the limbic system. Essential oils can be used to help release memories - good or bad - stored in the body.
Young Living founder, D. Gary Young, put together the Great Day Protocol, an empowering essential oil routine to enhance your confidence and mindset to manifest your goals. Incorporating these oils into your daily routine will help to cultivate the right mindset to achieve your greatest ambitions.
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