It rained for about three days. In New Mexico, we don't regularly have rain in March. Our monsoon season starts around mid June-July and can last until August-September. The rain we had for the past three days was just a slow, steady drizzle. We love getting spring rains at our house. We get to let nature work her way in our garden. I noticed something about people in the Southwest. We love to get rain, almost always claim we are in a drought and need it. But, if you give us the type of persistent rain that other parts of the country sees, by day three, many people walk around with full-blown depression written all over their faces. I do it too! Its as if the rain has determined our state of mind. This differs from Seasonal Affective Disorder, this is just a serious case of the doldrums. Do people in other parts of the country experience this phenomenon? What if a majority of depressive symptoms and Depression were a direct result of humans not understanding nature and how to be more in tune with her? I believe this can be the case in many instances, but I don't know if there is research to support it. I do know that there are ways for us to help ourselves in becoming more in tune with the natural world around us. For this post I want to focus on essential oils.
I started a post about a week ago that was supposed to be an introduction to health and wellness. I was going to begin focusing on mental health, but I just couldn't figure out how to introduce it to my satisfaction. After I learned about selling essential oils and began my journey of discovery, I decided that would be my avenue. I am relatively new to them myself. About a year ago I bought my first introductory kit and have learned all manner of uses for lemon, peppermint, and lavender oil. Since I signed up to begin selling essential oils, I have learned some new areas that they can help.
Before I begin, (Disclaimer!) I would like to make sure that everyone reading knows that there are serious mental health concerns that can be helped with essential oils and other natural means; however, seeking a professional is often the best course of action. I am here to provide information so that you can have the knowledge to best help you in consulting others. Professionals who deal with mental health include psychologists, counselors, some social workers, and some nutritionists and herbalists. Nutritionists and herbalists may not have professional education for mental health, but they can offer you more detailed information on natural ways to deal with mental health. If you have questions for me that are private, my email is in my profile on this blog. I am not a licensed counselor or social worker; I have a lot of good information that can help in seeking one. I have an understanding of mental health, so I can give advice and information. I am neither a certified nutritionist nor herbalist (yet), but I have information that can help on your path to gaining help from others. I am also not a medical doctor or midwife, so nothing I share should be taken as medical advice. I also would like to encourage everyone to seek out a spiritual advisor or friend. I believe in the mind-body-spirit connection and find it healthy to maintain positive spirituality (whatever that path may be for you). Seek your religious or spiritual leaders or friends who hold the same belief, or email me if you want someone to talk to about spiritual matters.
I wrote another post about my vision for my blog/business. I would also like to take this time to briefly describe my degrees. My Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in Philosophy and History basically means that I like psychology, considered becoming a psychologist, but found a new focus later on. I learned a lot about psychology for my BS, but I also love philosophy and history. My Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with focuses in Counseling and Social Work was created because I loved differing characteristics in both fields. I like the aspect of counseling where I learned about working with people one on one to help them reach the best health possible. I learned a lot of techniques in helping others and how to provide information. This provision of information is partially what led me to Social Work. Social workers are unparalleled in helping people find the information they need. They can work with small groups, large groups, communities, cities, and individuals. They have a broad vision for equality and believe that every individual has a story that matters. I liked both areas, but didn't want to function solely in either area so I focused on both to create my own definition of helping people in conjunction with natural and conventional methods of treating health and wellness. This means that part of my future is to get certificates in nutrition and herbalism.
As I shared before my commercial, part of my continued learning is my newest passion for essential oils. You can email me from this blog with questions or from my blog's Facebook page. Essential oils are oils extracted from nature. Every plant has an oil base that can be extracted under the right conditions. Many plants have some sort of medicinal property. With the company I signed on with, you can get these oils in various blends or products, or individually. All of DoTerra's oils are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade, and beyond 100% organic. This means that they are of the highest quality. If you are interested in exploring essential oils, you can follow the link and see what types of products are offered on the website. If you want a basic beginner's pack, I suggest purchasing the Introduction to Essential Oils Kit. If you are looking for something specific, you can ask me for advice and I can point you in the right direction. There are also other packs available like Family Physician, Emergency Preparedness, and AromaTouch Technique.
I have had family and friends recently make references to some ailments they are facing. A couple of them deal with high anxiety and stress. I have begun to research some essential oils to help them with their high anxiety moments, panic attacks, and stressful situations. In the AromaTouch Technique Kit, there are two oils that work to manage stress. The first is the basic Lavender blend, the second in Balance. Balance is a blend of Spruce, Ho Wood, Frankincense, Blue Tansy, and Blue Chamomile oils. These have been put together by DoTerra for the specific purpose of helping individuals release stress and feel grounded. (Remember, my post on Walking Spirituality has other grounding techniques). Balance helps to promote whole body relaxation and evoke feelings of tranquility and balance. The best place to rub essential oils is on the soles of the feet, but other areas for stress can be on the wrists and back of the neck. You may do the same with lavender, or you can purchase an atomizer or diffuser that works to spread the scent into the room. Even opening the bottle to simply smell the oils can help create a relaxing effect within your system. AromaTouch can help in relieving tension as well. It is created to work with the muscles in our bodies to promote relaxation. AromaTouch combines Basil, Grapefruit, Cypress, Marjoram, Peppermint, and Lavender oils.
Another use for AromaTouch blend is to improve circulation and soothe joints. I have family members who suffer from chronic joint and leg pain. With what I have begun to learn about these oils, I am going to begin recommending AromaTouch and Deep Blue blends. Deep Blue contains Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Blue Tansy, German Chamomile, and others to help soothe sore muscles and achy joints and support healthy circulation. Deep Blue can also be purchased as a rub. Both of these can be used to help sooth pain and promote restful sleep.
There are so many other things I could address, but I think these are some of the most basic to begin with. So many of us suffer from stress and anxiety. So many of us have some kind of persistent pain. Taking a minute to use an essential oil or two to help with these things can help us in our journey to better health and wellness. Remember, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me from my blog or leave a message for me on Eclectic Peanut's Facebook page.
Light and Love,
Amber
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