How essential oils will improve your mental wellbeing
“Being outside, hearing the birds and smelling the trees is my therapy”
In many studies, it has been proven that essential oils help to reduce our feelings of anxiety, stress and feeling overwhelmed. When inhaled, the scent molecules in essential oils travel from the olfactory system to the amygdala inside the brain. The amygdala is found inside the temporal lobe and plays a big part in our memory and learning processes.
The role of the amygdala is to form a core of a neural system and processes fearful and threatening stimuli, the flight or fight response. A key element of anxiety circuity is found in the amygdala and by taking deep breaths, practising mindfulfulness helps to calm the amygdala, which in turn helps to reduce anxious thoughts.
So, by using key essential oils on a daily basis along with mindfulness, meditation and time spent outside in nature, you can improve your mental wellbeing. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, let us show you how you can feel happier, relaxed and free from stress.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different. Enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which is will), being with an unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it wont).
I have spoken about Forest Bathing many times, time spent in a woodland surrounded by trees is very calming and grounding. You can simply walk through a woodland, slowly, noticing how the light changes, the scent of the trees the sound of the rustling. By walking slowly, you are being mindful of your surroundings and, therefore, allowing your brain and your thoughts to slow down. Maybe find a comfortable pace to sit for a while, close your eyes if you wish to and listen.
You can practise mindfulness anywhere, I love to sit in my garden early, especially this time of year, and watch the bees, birds and other insects busily getting on with their day, this allows my thoughts to slow, I set my intentions for the day ahead and consider what I need to do.
If you feel anxious, try this quick meditation:
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes if you wish to
As you breathe in, visualise a calm breath filling your lungs. A green colour really helps with this.
Try and hold for a count of up to 5 but less if you struggle.
As you exhale, visualise all your worries and emotion leaving your body, count to 5 if you can
inhale again, imagining a calm breath filling your lungs.
Once you feel calmer, try a bodyscan.
Begin at your head and notice any tension, pain and discomfort, spend time releasing this tension by deep breaths. You notice worries, visualise them drifting away on a breeze or slow stream
Work slowly down your body, noticing and accepting as you go. Its okay is you find tension, just stop for a moment and accept. By giving space to your thoughts and feelings, you are releasing tension.
Once you have finished your bodyscan, open your eyes slowly and smile, this releases endorphins into your bloodstream.
Inhale the sweet and flora aroma of this Balancing Reed Diffuser, like a deep breath for the soul, it will relax you
May also sees the arrival of the main hayfever season, although we are currently in tree pollen season, the grass pollen gets us all sneezing. This can stop you having a good nights sleep so here are our tips to help.
have a shower before bed if possible to wash off the tiny pollen granules
close windows in the afternoon and place saucers of water to catch the pollen grains. Add 2 drops of “help me, i’m feeling under the weather” blend to help open your airways
some find popping a little smear of balm at the nostrils helps to trap pollen
eating local honey, made by bees from local flowers, give a homeopathic response but you would need to start this in January to have a big impact but still worth doing. Try to find a local beekeeper who uses a natural beekeeping practise. This is when the honey is split 50/50 between the bees (for their food and health and us) Too many hives are stripped of the honey, leaving the bees constantly fighting for enough to see them through the autumn and winter months, its not right and as consumers, we should support the natural beekeepers who only take a little.
And finally, pro biotics contain a natural antihistamine. You can find the cultures in yoghurts. Drinking enough water helps to flush out the histamine. Fancy a curry? include turmeric as it has a compound called Curcumin, this is a natural antihistamine.
lets all say “hello to summer”
When my workshop is filled with the scent of sage, rose geranium, pink grapefruit and lavender, I know that summer is not far away. The scent is fresh, floral and very summery.
Sage essential oil has a woody scent, is excellent to clear your sinuses and will help to make summer evenings spent sat in the garden, a little easier as it is believed that flying insects dont like the sage scent. Sage is also reknown for its energy clearing benefits, have you heard of smudging? Many people use sage sticks to clear negative energies within their home, you can achieve the same by enjoying our summer candle.
Rose geranium essential oil is a wonderful oil to promote relaxation, soothe and calm an anxious mind and when blended with both lavender and pink grapefruit essential oils, you will enjoy a balanced mind. Pink grapefruit is often used to cleanse the mind of negative thoughts.
Our summer scent is available in a reed diffuser, candle, blend, wax melts and is featured in all of our gifts including a letterbox gift.
Our News:
May is No Mow May so leave your mower in the shed and enjoy your garden in its spring glory. I love dandelions, there is no nicer flower for the colour. The bumble bees love them and they are such a good food source
National Hedgerow Week starts the 6th May, why not plant a native hedge full of berries, seeds, nectar and home for insects and birds
June 1st sees the arrival of our “help me have some garden therapy” scent. The scent will evoke everything we love about time spent in the garden, a little hint of the scent, rosa damask. I dont need to add anything to that do i? It will be available in a soy candle, blend and will feature in gift boxes too!
May is a wonderful month to let your shoulders be a bit looser. The weather will be warmer, the days longer, brighter and warmer so make the most of this time of year. Only an idea but promise yourself to not watch the news, scroll facebook more than 10 minutes a day, your mental wellbeing will thank you. We are very careful not to over post on social media, we want you Instead be outside, be with people who add to your soul, turn your face to the clouds and be silly, if we have something to say we will post. We ve all stopped being silly, laughing so much that our tummy hurts. I know life is a big issue for too many but everyone can give themselves a little time each day to sing, dance, hug and smile, sometimes that’s all we need to do. Some of my favourite tunes to put on if I need to lift my mood are its a beautiful day by Micheal Buble, Reach by SClub7 or Greatest Day by Take That, you will have your own too. If you have a consistent worry, try mindmapping the problem, breaking things down to manageable pieces really helps to improve matters, I use them all the time!
And grow food, salads are so easy to grow. You just need a pot, soil and a packet of seeds, the warm sunshine and a little water will do the rest.
Have a wonderful month, Linda xx
“i’d rather be all by myself, barefoot with wild hair, talking to the moon than be just parts of me that fits in with how people expect me to be”
