Monthly Archives: February 2019

“Help, I’m Sick!” Using essential oils during flu season

The same day I received my first doTERRA package in the mail, in November of 2015, I got knocked on my ass with the flu. Just like the NyQuil commercial, I was a sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-headed feverish mess.

I knew next to nothing about essential oils–just hopeful that they would ease some of my pain from years of VRS interpreting (and they did!)–but I thought they couldn’t hurt. That flu was the best test of their powers, and by the time I had recovered I was singing their praises. They didn’t cure my illness magic-style, but they did ease the pain, help me breathe, quiet my throbbing head, and let me get enough rest that my body could do its job fighting and get me back on my feet again.

Now, when I help people get their first oils, I’m surprised by what a common story this is — to open your first box of oils just as you’re coming down with a sickness. I get asked all the time:

“How do I use my oils when I’m sick?”

I taught this mini-class on Winter Wellness so that I could share my answers with all of you loves. I outlined my notes below, but watch the whole video (15 minutes) to get the instructions. If the sickies do strike your house, I want you to know what to do and be prepared to handle it!

Using Your Top 10 Oils During Cold & Flu Season
What you need to know

Prevention Is Key

Oils that boost immune function and fight bacteria and viruses:

  • On Guard
  • Melaleuca
  • Oregano
  • Frankincense  

Additional supports for immune system:

  • PB Assist  
  • On Guard Plus softgels

When You’re Sick, Oils Can Ease the Pain

  • Breathe – soothes cough
  • Peppermint – opens airways
  • Lemon – reduces congestion
  • DigestZen – calms upset stomach
  • Deep Blue – soothes body aches and soreness
  • Lavender – calms emotions and sore skin

The Winter Wellness mini-class details how to use each oil — CLICK HERE TO WATCH

 

If you don’t yet have oils in your home and you have a pulse (99.9% of humans and pets should have essential oils in their medicine cabinet) — CLICK HERE to grab a 30-minute spot on my calendar. I promise you a zero-pressure conversation focused on your family’s needs. When it’s midnight and your kid wakes you from a peaceful slumber to tell you she puked all over her bed, you’ll be so glad you have them at the ready. Your oils won’t put the sheets in the washing machine for you, but they will soothe her tummy, help her immune system fight off the bug, and help you all get back to sleep — without worrisome ingredients or side effects.

If you want to learn more about using essential oils in your home for first aid, emotional support, personal growth, pain-relief and supporting healthy hormone-balance, follow me on Instagram here. I’m getting ready to re-launch my page with daily education and inspiration, weekly live videos and lots of love and support for you. Please let me know if there are topics you’d like me to cover!

Additional Resources

Here are two fantastic resources if you’re looking for the nerdy low-down on why oils are so darn effective:

Shannon Becker Ph.D. Essential Oils to Prevent the Spread of Flu.
Dr. Dave R. Steuer. Killing Bacteria with Essential Oils.

Stay well, loves!!

It’s a New Month!

 

Sunrise photo of Mt. Hood. "Today is a new day."We are one month into 20-shine-teen (thank you, Elizabeth Gilbert)!

According to US News, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February. How’s it going for you? Are you experiencing what you want to experience so far? Do you feel like you’re on track, or like you’re running to catch up?

January in my world has been a mixed bag (ooh, welcome to Life!). Ups and downs and a few loopty-loops later, and here we are in February. Today I’m taking a few minutes to reflect and refresh, savoring this opportunity to begin again.

I’m reminded of the concept of beginner’s mind – in which we are called to meet every moment, every person, every experience, with a knowledge that this is the first and last time we will ever be right here. We can meet this moment as a novice, accepting all that we bring to it, all that has prepared us to meet it, and all that we have yet to learn.

As an example, currently Life is bringing me many parenting lessons. I feel and see the growth that has taken place in me and in my kids over the last year, and at the same time, I’m on the very cutting edge of my own evolution (as are they). I have never been the parent of a 17 year old daughter before…let alone the unique, specific daughter I have today. She has never been this daughter before today. This is our first time! Every day is my very first day parenting this version of my children…learning and adapting to what they need at this stage in their lives. This idea brings me such comfort and willingness to stay curious and keep trying. I’m not expected to know it all or get it perfect!

So on this first day of February, with my to-do list growing by the minute and my kids needing different things than they’ve ever needed before, I’m reminding myself – this is a new month. A fresh opportunity to meet the next 28 days and all they hold with the wonder and curiosity of a child who’s meeting the sand for the first time.

I’d like to share some reminders and questions that are helping me today. Feel free to borrow them for yourself, mix them around, stretch them out, live into them in the way only you can, and let me know how it goes!

  • Begin again. Choose your own periods by which to measure time – 365 is a long stretch. Why not measure by each month, by the lunar cycle, or for very difficult periods of life: by each new day. What feels right to you for this phase of your life?
  • Become a scientist. Get curious, always gathering data and making improvements. Life is not all or nothing, it is often tiny successes here and there that make up a larger shift. When the calendar changes over to a new month, it’s a fantastic time to ask:
    • What worked?
    • What didn’t work?
    • Based on this information: What’s the next thing to do?
  • Be persistent. The trick to achieving what you set out to achieve? Just don’t quit. Photo of the sun breaking through clouds. "Fall down seven times, get up eight. -Japanese Proverb"

__________

Now, dear one, it’s your turn:

What do you do to start a new day or a new month fresh?

What reminders help you inhabit “beginner’s mind”?