It is not just the cookies and sweets this time of year. A sugar high factors into it but honestly it is just pure exhilaration of the time of year. There is not a child on this planet not in high hyper mode impatiently waiting for year end holidays. The anticipation of mailing that letter to Santa and waking up incredibly early on their own to see if that gift is there is pure joy. I know at times it is hard to keep a lid on all that excitement and focus on the tasks of the day too. It feels like a non-stop party and flurry of excitement when there are children and holidays mixed together.
I at times feel like I have a hard time relating to my son. I know it’s a horrible mom things to say because shouldn’t I get my child all the time and adore and crush on him as much as possible? The things is, I get wound up in the daily life of adulting that I forget he doesn’t have those same jaded edges. We are like two puzzle pieces that you are convinced go together but it’s an awkward fit so you keep trying the other points to see if they work better. Life does that to you whether you want it or not. The people we love the most are sometimes the hardest to keep that tight bond with and we are awkwardly forcing it to happen because it’s that one special time we should be living it up the most but we don’t feel it. Our minds are on a zillion other details and things outside that spur of the moment ask for a book to be read or a game to be played.
In a church service I heard one time it talked about God’s Command of us to look at life all the time through the eyes like children. Where everything is waiting for our discovery and how it is all so beautiful and feels good. While not everything in life is good or beautiful it seems there is some truth to making lemonade from lemons. As a I look at my growing son I am reminded that he doesn’t really care about the presents but about the fun memories, adventures, time with me that he will long remember more. Seeing things through his eyes changes my heart on a lot of situations. I just have to release the hold adulting places on me.
When it comes to applying these principles into adulting I don’t know that there is an easy answer. Like most things it takes practice of this I’m certain but it also takes determination to protect that space once we build it. Adulting likes to sneak back into the cracks wherever possible you know? It also about letting spontaneity and playfulness back into our lives. That’s really super uncomfortable too when we work so hard to keep things secure, stable and predictable. Routine, schedules and structure to keep things running otherwise we have chaos and a mess to clean up right? It is very often though when we feel the need to control something that we should do the opposite. Our very own need to control is what prevents us from enjoying those spur of the moment times.
It’s a vacation feeling. This is the best way I know to describe the sensation of releasing everything adulting and letting my hair down to play. The type of vacation where you don’t have a schedule and get to live as you please, picking and choosing what interests you in the moment. It’s about not taking life so seriously all the time and seeing the world differently. Bringing light to our day where we can let out a laugh and mean it. This has been one of the practices I have used to help me transition from adulting to child perspective when I know I am off balance in connecting with my son. I even say in my head it’s time to put my vacation vibe on for a while!
There are three oils I particularly like to use when I know I’m in my own way of having that childlike outlook of play and fun. (Please note I only speak from experience of what I have actually used and brands that have worked for me.)
doTERRA Wild Orange. This oil is known as the playful oil and helps us to feel lighter, more spontaneous and open to adventure. It is a light, crisp oil that smells clean. I like that it seems to change the vibe of how I’m thinking about the world by diffusing it.
doTERRA Red Mandarin. Another citrus oil for sure but with different benefits about it. This oil is known as the oil of childlike perspective! It is ideal for parenting where we let stress, overwhelming feelings and all the adult things get to us and we can’t release them easily. Diffusing this with a couple drops of Frankincense is perfect for releasing all that junk.
doTERRA Spearmint. This is the oil for speaking out truth confidently. Acknowledging to ourselves and out loud that we need to take a break and protecting that time to play is sometimes very necessary to let it happen. That means turn off your phone and forget taking pictures. What I like about this oil too is it helps us give permission to ourselves to do what we need in feeling what we feel. When we release those burdensome feelings that come with adulting it is like the weight comes off us for a little while.
The gift of feeling your inner child come out and having fun is energizing and helpful to our mental well-being. Problems we struggle with seem different to deal with when we return from playing. It gives us a break mentally and physically and I know adults don’t nearly take enough of those!
This holiday season I invite you to put on your vacation hat for awhile and let things flow naturally. Forget the bills, boss and all the things that come as adults. Let a few minutes in to smile, laugh, be silly and see through the eyes of a child the beauty of this season. Let their excitement of this time of year flow over into your own heart. I promise it will change how you see things and be so profound you’ll want even more of this feeling regularly.
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