Self-care is Critical to Being Your Best Everyday, Especially in a Pandemic
Everyone knows self-care is important, but not everyone makes time for themselves. Some of us, have the personality type that puts everyone first Always!! (ME!!! - Briggs Myers personality ISFJ) But if this pandemic has taught me one thing, it is that we all needed to slow down, take a moment and exhale. And that in order to continue to deal with the stresses currently engulfing us on a daily basis, we need to create some self-care protocols and practices.
On a daily basis, I use my essential oils for me and my whole family to create little rituals that support our bodies. From a drop of Balance on my feet in the morning to get my red blood cells flowing and to create harmony in my body, to ending the night with a cup of tea, a copaiba softgel and serenity blend in my diffuser to unwind and relax. There are daily rituals like this that we can honestly take for granted and forget that we do them to ease our stress. They are just another step in our day, like brushing our teeth or taking a shower, we just do it.
So, first I ask you to look at your day and do certain self-care steps with your essential oils with intention and purpose and even be grateful as you use them because you know they will support you and your whole family and aid you on your wellness journey! It will be like a mini mindfulness meditation of gratitude! Here are just a few ways you can incorporate oils into your life and start daily mini rituals of self-care.
Daily Rituals:
1) Lemon Water: Start your day with 1 drop of DoTERRA Lemon Essential oil in a 12oz glass of water to cleanse your body.
2) Balance: Apply 1 drop of Balance to your feet first thing in the morning to help your red blood cells flow freely and to create balance and harmony in your body. Also Balance helps combat stress!
3) DoTERRA Bath Bars: Use your favorite DoTERRA soap in the shower or bath to bring you peace and harmony, while also cleaning your body with all natural and nourishing ingredients! Released during Convention last week we finally have the Balance Bath Bar in our everyday inventory, but there is also Serenity and Citrus Bliss! Both smell heavenly and are wonderful for our bodies!
4) On Guard Toothpaste: our On Guard Toothpaste has been reformulated, adding Myrrh to support healthy gums, peppermint and wintergreen for a fresh mouth feel and Calcium hydroxyapatite which has been clinically shown to support strong and healthy teeth. As you brush with this fluoride free toothpaste you can be grateful for the powerful ingredients the support your oral health.
5) Immunity Support with On Guard Products: From cleaning to supporting your body the On Guard line is here to support you. My husband takes one On Guard softgel as his vitamin for the day to boost his immunity. I use the on guard hand sanitizer daily to sanitize my hands, my steering wheel or a grocery cart... There is the concentrated cleaner that is the best cleaner ever!!! It takes the elbow work out of cleaning, and it is so versatile... the concentrated cleaner can be used on dishes, or dilute in a spray bottle with water to use as an all purpose cleaner, use it in the kitchen, the bathroom... everywhere!!! Then of course there is the oil. Add a few drops to a diffuse to purify and clean the air in a room, or apply a drop with a carrier oil to the bottoms of your feet at night to support your natural immunity. You can also use the Kids Oil - Stronger which comes in a roller bottle to swipe on yours or your kids feet and spine daily to boost your natural immune system!
6) Don't forget your Vitamins!!! DoTERRA Life Long Vitality vitamins were designed with maximum nutrition to increase energy & focus, relief from discomfort, and improve our overall well-being.
Here is a research paper on the effectiveness of these vitamins:
7) Create a special blend just for you!!! Something that lifts your mood or helps ease stress! These special blends can be put in a roller bottle and worn to help your mood and stress management or you can use similar blends without a carrier oil, and just a few drops total in a diffuser to fill a room with your favorite aroma and shift the mood!!! When using a roller ball blend, give it a shake, and roll it on your wrists, heart, back of neck and even a bit in your palms and deeply inhale! You will feel an immediate shift in your energy and mindset!
My go to blends are:
Serenity & Balance (equal parts - 15 drops each in a roller bottle with a carrier oil)
Citrus Bliss & Balance (equal parts - 15 drops each in a roller bottle with a carrier oil)
I AM Magic - (4 drops clary sage,4 drops peppermint,2 drops ylang ylang,4 drops siberian fir,4 drops bergamot,5 drops grapefruit in a 15 ml roller bottle, topped with a carrier oil.)
**Don't forget the Kids kit has beautiful blends that are already diluted, which can support you or them both physically and emotionally! Steady is a great blend to ground and center. Brave boosts your confidence and smells unbelievably good!!! It just makes you happy! Calmer is excellent for easing tension and stress and helping support our bodies to relax. I find these blends to be incredibly helpful and supportive to adults and kids!!!
8) Face Care Ritual: Wash, Tone and Moisturize with your favorite all natural doTERRA skincare line, my personal favorite is Verage! It has all the best skin oils, packed with anti-aging benefits, and it is gentle enough for sensitive skin. Every morning and night, get into a self-care ritual of washing your face. Make it a 10 minutes just for you!!! If you have followed me for a while you know about my pre-cleansing oil. Fill a jar (maybe use an old empty essential oil bottle),with a bit of olive oil and just 5 or 6 drops of lavender, use a dime sized amount of this oil blend to remove make up, loosen up any dirt and nourish your skin before you even cleanse. Then you straight into cleansing. IT will actually reduce breakouts and improve your skin complexion in no time. It is a total game changer!!! Then cleanse. Slow down and take your time and really massage it into your skin for a few minutes. You might even use a silicone skin scrubber for added exfoliation a couple times a week. Tone the skin by applying the toner to your hand and placing it on the face. Apply your serum and moisturizer, while being grateful for these beautiful products that feed, nourish and pamper your skin!
9) Bath Ritual: At least once a week, take a bath with bath salts. Make some time once the kids have gone to bed, or maybe even on a Sunday morning (that's my quiet time often). Shut off the TV, grab a book, a nice cup of tea, play some relaxing music, maybe even pick out your favorite meditation app and play it while you take your bath. To make the pampering even better, whip up an easy little face mask that will nourish and hydrate your skin too!!! Apply the mask, and soak in a bath for 20 minutes. Meditate, Read, Do Nothing! Just focus on rejuvenating you and filling your cup!
1 cup Epsom Salts
1/2 cup Sea Salt
1/2 cup baking soda (optional)
15 drops of essential oil of choice. (Serenity, Aromatouch, Wild Orange and Eucalyptus are a few of my favorites!)
Here is a link to my Hydrating Dark Chocolate Face Mask
10) Set the Mood for Sleep: Whether its your kids or yourself, setting the mood and creating a bedtime ritual is key! With my son I pull out the kids kit, his usually choices are calmer and rescuer. I apply them on his feet, spine and heart every night with a little massage too. I also fill his diffuser with wild orange as that is his favorite for sleep. ( It keeps fears at bay and helps with nightmares, allowing him to fall asleep and stay asleep. For Me, I like to fill the diffuser with serenity, lavender or a blend of serenity and breathe. I get that going at least 30 minutes before bed so it fills the room and calms the mood in the room. I also take a copaiba softgel or a few drops of copaiba under my tongue to relax my body. If I need added relaxation or support I massage a bit of deep blue or aromatouch to my back or feet and inhale deeply. After applying oils I sit with a cup of tea, journal, meditate and then lights out for a great nights sleep that restores my mind and body!
If you are new to oils and need some added support or if you need advise on how to get oils into your hand, please reach out so I can support and guide you on your wellness journey.
My wish in this time of chaos is that you may find a bit of peace and that you discover how to empower yourself to create the wonderful moments that fill your life with gratitude, contentment and joy.