Our senses are powerful gateways to our feelings and emotions. Without even realizing what is going on our senses are sending messages to our body and brain to say we like something. This can change our posture, facial expression and even our mood.
Retailers and marketers know that certain colors, music and scents trigger people to make unconscious purchasing decisions. Using these tactics also helps influence us to say we like shop certain places or we feel good when we enter that store. These experiences to our senses trigger feelings that make us feel happy, calm, comfortable and open to browsing the shelves which of course drives up sales for that store.
We are Our Own Personal Store
The same technique used by retailers and marketers can be used in your emotional health. When you diffuse certain combinations of essential oils in your home, through jewelry or directly on your skin you are creating those same effects you can get from going into certain stores. The good news is we can control our wallets in these situations and intentionally focus on enhancing how we feel.
It takes less than 2 seconds for our brains to receive messages from our sense of smell. In that 2 seconds we are already processing information about what that smell is, if we like it or not, and what memories we have associated with it. By using the right oils in our diffusers we can greatly influence our moods and that of our families to support our well-being in a chemical free way.
There are many oils to choose from depending on what you are feeling and needing. Sometimes we don’t know what we are feeling and it takes some experimentation to determine what would be ideal for us.
The difference in using essential oils versus lighting a scented candle is the elimination of chemicals. Sometimes chemicals can trigger opposite effects and create increased anxiety, frustration, headaches and even bodily aches. When you’re trying to feel better the last thing you want to do is create a situation where you are making it worse!
Essential oils are all natural so they don’t have the nasty side effects of chemical filled products like candles. Your body knows how to use and respond to natural essential oils so you can actually get to the results you desire.
Here’s a great article about why chemically produced scents are the new respiratory hazard that is considered just as dangerous as secondhand smoking.
Your Typical Night at Home with the Kids
Let’s say the kids are bouncing off the walls with non-stop energy and everyone is just about out of patience trying to get them settled for the evening. You and your husband have been with the kids all day and both of you are exhausted. You’d like to sit down and watch a movie with everyone and end the day on a good note but you’re starting to feel agitated by all the rowdiness and rough housing.
You can change that experience of those feelings by selecting a couple essential oils from this list and getting them in a diffuser. The entire family will feel calmer and you’ll be able to come down from that frustrated level of feeling so you can enjoy the rest of your family evening together.
This oil helps you feel centered and calm. It has a large woodsy-leathery aroma that is strong and controlling. The aroma is one of soothing calmness that is both peaceful and content.
An ancient oil that was once more valuable than gold, Myrrh continues to deliver incredible benefits to our physical and emotional health. This oil is helpful when we need to feel secure, safe and nourished in our soul that all will be ok. Sometimes we all just need that hug and comfort of someone saying this will pass and everything will really be ok – this oil can do that.
The crispness of this oil can be used in a diffuser to help be open to what is occurring around you including other opinions and perspectives. It can give you the patience to realize the kids may need to burn off a little more energy before they can watch that movie and maybe you can join them in a little play to help that along.
This cooking stable is also a therapeutic oil for our heart to help manage anger and frustration. It is an earthy aroma that helps change our feelings and feel calmer. When we feel like our top is going to burst from anger and ugly things are going to spew out, this oil can help us take that necessary step back and deep breath. I call it the count to 10 in a bottle.
Another earthy aroma, Patchouli helps us feel present in the moment and let go of things we cannot control. It helps us appreciate the now and feel blessed. We can accept what is going on and not feel the need to control so much of it. We are at peace with our situation as it is right now.
This powerful citrus oil helps us accept the ebb and flow of life and all that it entails. We can go with the flow and let what happens happen without the need to control or influence it beyond what we are able to do. Grapefruit is an oil that is used a great deal when working through anxiety and stress of life.
Interested in more?
Sometimes we all need a little support with our feelings in order to enjoy the time with those we love the most. It’s ok to have all our feelings but its also important to recognize when we need to change our mood to not let it ruin those precious moments that are happening right now.
If you have questions or need help please reach out! I’m happy to share what I know about these oils and how we use them in our home to support our family.
amyk@dragonspitapothecary.com
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