The pull to write has been nagging at me recently. Posting more on social, blogging more… I joined four different on-line challenges to improve my life, health and productivity in 2021, that required connecting on-line with fellow challenge travelers. I started writing a newsletter on essential oils too on my essential oil website: (https://www.nursekathyoils.com) So….what’s the subtext of all these urges?
Connection.
That’s it. We’ve passed our one year COVID-versary. They’re saying we might be back to normal by Christmas 2021. There are rolling black-outs, severe winter weather, vaccine hunting & post-insurrection blues to keep us company until then. So I’m writing this today to ask: How do you cope during these crazy times? Do you sometimes feel like it’s time to hang up your spurs and call it a day? Give up trying? It’s a little bit of a battle, isn’t it? Staying ahead of chores, including those anti-aging to do’s to keep you from looking a total wreck and, if you’re like me, still raising a child with all that that entails (joys and all) can be challenging. Whether it’s a “Ugh, my gray roots are showing day,” or an “I just got botox and I feel absolutely fabulous day,” my secret weapon, is my oil collection.
First of all, I just love looking at it. Yep! For me, it’s like an insurance policy. The knowledge that, no matter what comes up for me, my family, there’s an oil for that. It definitely decreases my anxiety, even before I use them. I love those daily moments when I ask, what oil do I need now? This morning it’s Peace Touch, a unique blend of florals and mint, that will start off my day feeling connected to self and peaceful.
https://bit.ly/3pClQJR
It’s the smell
Did you know that “(t)here is a direct connection between your nose and your brain’s emotional control center, the limbic system”./1 The quickest way to shift your mood is to smell something. The olfactory bulb has the ability to detect trillions of odor molecules. It takes information directly to the amygdala. That’s part of the limbic system. It controls mood, memory and emotions.
Do you have a memory of a smell linked to a positive experience or time in your life? I sure do. Grandma’s cookies anyone? Have you been baking a lot during the pandemic? It seems to be a surefire way to decrease my teen’s anxiety over COVID. Mine too. But daily, we use oils to shift our mood, especially on those days when life is getting us down.
It’s the touch
Rubbing these oils on your body, or the bodies of those in your “COVID bubble”, diluted in your favorite base oil (coconut, grapeseed, jojoba, sweet almond) provides an opportunity to connect and experience these oils in a different way. Touch is critically important in these times of social distancing. As noted by renowned psychotherapist Virginia Satir: “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” Do you get your daily hugs? I know we could do a whole lot better with that.
Massage anyone?
One thing we do, however, is massage. I’m no expert. But, I do know the use of doTERRA oils can markedly improve the experience. It not only relaxes the person you massage, but you feel so much better/are getting the benefits too, as the oils absorb into your own skin, enter your limbic system! I am certified in AromaTouch Technique. But gentle touch needs no training. Whether you are giving someone you love a back/foot massage, or performing the hand-technique on your self, AromaTouch massage can be a really healing, powerful tool for connecting. Here’s a description from dōTERRA®:
“The AromaTouch Technique is all about creating an emotional connection, and the science behind that connection is as validated as it is compelling. Tactile communication is our first form of communication. We begin receiving tactile signals in the womb, and touch plays a critical role in parent-child relationships before verbal communication is possible. It is, in essence, the first sense we acquire. In recent studies, researchers have shown that emotional communication is very effective through touch….Not only is touch able to communicate the tone of emotion (whether it is positive or negative, intense or subtle), but it may allow for precise differentiation between types of emotion….Research has exhibited that touch can communicate multiple emotions—love, gratitude, sympathy, fear, anger—and with astounding exactness.”/2.
What I know
These are tough times! Yes, but there are ways to connect. These are some of the ways I try to connect with you, with family, even with my self. How are you doing? Are you connecting today? I’d love to hear how you are coping with these difficult times. What are your secret weapons? Lemme hear it! In the meantime, if you are struggling, need a little wellness education to get you through, check out my website: https://nursekathyoils.com. Reach out. I’d love to help.
Peace, love and aloha!
XOXO,
Mrs. Sassy Pants
