Does the holiday season have you on an Emotional rollercoaster?

Essentially Venus
Nov 30, 2015
3 min read

Do you love the holidays or are you one of the many who dreads the holidays? For me, it can be bitter sweet. The sweet is that I have a beautiful family with two little ones who look forward to every aspect of the season. Such as, waiting anxiously for the return of the elf on the shelf. My husband is so great as he seems to remember to put the elf in a different spot every night. Me... not so much! Our 13 year old fur baby also loves this time of year. The food, the presents (yes, he is family after all). I am so blessed!

The "bitter" is, like many, we all have a story. Several years ago my younger brother passed away on Christmas Eve morning of a terminal disorder. It was expected, but still unexpected. It's hard to know when you're 19 that your brother who has been with you for 8 years will never be with you again. It was like a dream because it almost felt like he was just away on vacation. To this day, I still find it hard to talk about him to my girls. Being an only child is hard, when all you wanted was not be one. Sorry, I digress!

As I was saying, bitter / sweet. I know it is the same for many! I worked in senior living for many years and know the loneliness Christmas can bring. Essential oils cannot help with the feeling of loss and loneliness. They can, however, help with the symptoms that may be brought on by the emotions. Emotions are good and important. Feeling of anxiety, sadness, insomnia, or stress--all emotions that can be brought on by loss, loneliness, or stress of needing to please.

Ideas on how you can deal with your roller coaster of emotions during this time is:

Don’t procrastinate and have a plan.
Have helpers in the kitchen during the holiday cooking, try not to have it all on you. Remember it doesn't have to be perfect.
Holiday parties? Plan ahead what you will wear, etc..
Take time for yourself. Read a favorite book, go for a walk, see a movie... Whatever tickles your fancy.
Try to stay on regular exercise routine--get the endorphins flowing. Exercise (walk, run, yoga) will help both your serotonin levels which are the "happy hormones."
Do you love long lines? No? Then shop on-line and avoid the masses of people.
FEEL! Yes, it is ok to cry! Allow yourself to walk down memorylane, acknowledge your loss, pain, sadness, stress, anger. Interesting fact as stated by Therese Borchar and DivineCaroline, is that crying "can elevate mood, lowers stress, builds community and releases feelings." I'm so intrigued by this, so I will cover this in another post.
Remember to eat and drink water.
Relax in a soothing bath or shower with your favorite scented oils.

Now to the part I love--Essential oils! In addition to the above, I will use my aromatherapy car diffuser and put in my favorite oils such as lavender. See here for the benefits.

I have amber and cobalt blue glass roller vials that I will add essential oils in. These are perfect for carrying in my purse and will roll it on temples and/or inner wrists. I also can just use it for the aroma. *Please make sure that the oils you are using do not require a carrier oil, or that it is ok for the purpose mentioned. Peppermint and lavender are the go-to oils for me. See here for the benefits.

A spray mist is also wonderful for spraying in your car, room, etc...

Here is my recipe that I use:

In a 2oz glass mister bottle combine 250ml of water and 8-10 drops of your choice of essential oils (see below for ideas). Shake well and spray on and around your face and inhale deeply.

Here are a few combinations for a mist:

*The Relaxer: 4 drops of lavender oil + 3 drops of chamomile essential oil

*Mood Lifter: 4 drops chamomile essential oil + 3 drops sweet orange essential oil + 2 drops peppermint essential oil.

*The pick-me-up: 2 drop eucalyptus + 2 drops lavender + 3 drops peppermint

I hope that you found these tips helpful and that your holiday is spent with gratitude and love.

If you have any recipes you would like to share using Essentially Venus products, we would love to post them on our blog. Send them to venus@essentiallyvenus.com

Essentially Yours,