Nature's Resiliency

Life in 2021 may not come with a clear map of our everyday journey. Still, everyone will experience twists and turns from everyday challenges or traumatic events with a more lasting impact. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions, and uncertainty.

Many things happen in our lives to disrupt our emotional balance and create thoughts and feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness. Unresolved negative thoughts remain in the body and can affect every area of our lives, from sleepless nights, poor health, relationship, or financial challenges. Emotional stress is linked to chronic inflammation, lowered immune function, increased blood pressure, and altered brain chemistry.

In the natural world, there are many species that are able to find useful solutions to difficult problems allowing them to adapt more readily to changing environments. We can learn valuable lessons in resilience from nature as we move forward and adapt for the future.

Let's take a look at a forest that can thrive and survive after a forest fire. Typically, species that regenerate by re-sprouting after they've burned have an extensive root system. Dormant buds are protected underground, and nutrients stored in the root system allow quick sprouting after the fire.

This inspires me to be grounded and to be aware of my daily actions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are the foundations to thrive and survive in this world. A healthy routine of adequate rest, proper nutrition, exercise, and let go of adverse situations can be enhanced by the use of aromatherapy.

The synergy of holistic healing is expressed in different aspects of our daily lives. Below are a few aspects that I have found particularly useful in maintaining good health for my body, mind, and spirit:

• Healthy Organic Nutrition.

• Plant Medicine Allies.

• Exercise/Movement.

• Meditation and Prayer.

• Time for Self-Care.

• Time in Nature.

• The Perspective of Gratitude.

• Right Livelihood.

• Enjoyment of Work.

• Clear Communication and Harmony in my Personal and Professional Relationships.

• Team of Support: professional healers such as massage therapists, nutritionists, energy workers, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and even a holistically-minded doctor/physician.

Aromatherapy Support

Essential oils can be applied in a variety of ways; including diffusion, a nasal inhaler, body oil, and in the bath. A drop or two in your palm with a teaspoon of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) oil and rubbed on the back of your neck or the chest and abdomen as support at the end of a long day.

Here are a few essential oils that can be incorporated into your day to help manage the everyday emotions we experience.

Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) – Soothes the mind, creating an atmosphere of peace by helping to eliminate anxiety, irritability, and nervousness. Chamaemelum nobile is a wonderful addition to the bath. Noted precaution: Not recommended for use with those that are allergic to ragweed.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – Promotes consciousness, love, peace, and a sense of well-being. Lavender aids verbal expression and helps address fears. Very nice in the bath.

Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) – As a very grounding oil, Vetiver assists an individual in becoming more rooted in life. It is profoundly relaxing and well-suited for anxiety, insomnia, and nervous tension. Can also be used in the bath.

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) – Assists in the release of anger and sadness. This oil promotes the freedom of anxieties and is helpful with insomnia.

Balancing Bath Blend

• 1 TBSP Dispersant- Solubol or Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) mix:

• 5 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

• 3 drops Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides)

• 2 drops Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)

Add the blend to the running bath water. Soak for 20 minutes or more. Focus your awareness on deep breathing, relaxing, and letting go of any tension.

Healing Deeper Emotions

There are times when emotional pain can be severe, inhibiting our ability to enjoy life. A divorce, the death of a loved one, physical abuse, or caring for someone very ill can trigger emotional reactions and create more significant problems in the form of physical pain or disease. To heal these lower emotions, one needs to access these into our conscious awareness, where they can be released.

Essential oils can provide us with the energy needed to enter the emotional realm and raise the vibration of the physical body. As the body lives in higher vibrations, lower energies, such as repressed emotions, become unbearable. These feelings want to release. Sadness, grief, stagnant anger, and low self-worth cannot exist in an environment of peace and balance, which essential oils help to create. They support the individual through their healing as feelings surface and are released.

A compassionate healer of the heart is Rose (Rosa damascena) essential oil which emulates a beautiful frequency. It is calming and supportive and is of benefit in reducing nervous anxiety and insomnia. The embrace of Rose (Rosa damascena) is revealed through its ability to heal emotional wounds by bringing soothing comfort and warmth to those wounded or abused. Rose touches the deepest of despair.

When we are overburdened or oppressed by the past and weighed down by over-attachments, Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara) essential oil can help us to break free. It can be used for states of agitation and worry, or when the mind is distracted and overwhelmed by thoughts. Balances both emotional and physical challenges.

Helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum) essential oil aids those with a history of challenging life circumstances, loss, or abuse and has the power to break through the most negative of emotions. Helichrysum can loosen the hardest of knots lying deep in the psyche, restoring compassion for others, and hope to the most discouraged. Following healing and transformation, it teaches an individual to have gratitude for their trials.

These essential oils may be diffused, carried in a nasal inhaler for use 3 to 4 times per day, or diluted (1 to 2 drops essential oil in a teaspoon of carrier oil) to and applied to the body to achieve their benefits.

Compassionate Healer Blend

1oz. amber glass bottle or roller bottle mix together:

• Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) OR St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which is photosensitive.

• 5 drops Rose (Rosa damascena)

• 5 drops Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara)

• 5 drops Helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum)

Apply topically as needed, particularly on the heart, upper chest, and abdomen.

Mindfulness Moment

Training your bodymind awareness on a daily basis will assist in developing healthy patterns, strengthen your immune system, overall radiance, and vitality in life.

Find yourself in a quiet space, you can be seated or lying down with your spine straight.

• Choose your favorite relaxing essential oil and either put a couple of drops on a cotton pad or in a nasal inhaler. Breathe deeply allowing the essence to penetrate.

• Close your eyes and bring your gaze to focus on your navel and feel the centering.

• Next, bring your attention to the bottoms of your feet and feel the connection to the earth.

• Continue to focus your awareness on your breath into the upper chest, abdomen, and back ribs; relaxing and letting go of the tension.

• As you feel a sense of groundedness and more relaxed, then, slowly open your eyes and carry on in a relaxed and centered manner.

While essential oils foster an environment for healing, they will not do the work for us. We must release trapped negative emotions before we can receive positive feelings. Meditation, journaling, and being present with your feelings can facilitate the healing process.

~ A sense of gratitude for what we have makes us better able to cope with stress, have more positive emotions, and allows for a more joyful life.~

Resources:

Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/TheDigitalArtist-202249/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=1076850">Pete Linforth</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=1076850">Pixabay</a>

What Nature Can Teach Us About Resiliency; https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/what-nature-can-teach-us-about-resiliency/; retrieved August 9, 2021

http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/anewtake.aspx

https://chopra.com/articles/healing-the-source-of-emotional-pain

Tisserand, Robert, and Young, Rodney, Essential Oil Safety, Second Edition, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.

Lawless, Julia, The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Conari Press, San Francisco, CA, 1992, 2013.

Mojay, Gabriel, Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT, 1997

Research provided by Natalie Zalenka, Aroma Apothecary Healing Arts Academy, Clinical Aromatherapy Mastery Program Graduate.