Learn how to manage your emotions with essential oils.

At the end of July 2017, I was invited to attend a doTERRA learn, make & take class at Enta, with a group of gorgeous women, all there to learn how essential oils can help with emotional management.

Mariana Suarez, our gentle heart-centre guide, shared, “We all do our best to look after our physical health, without realising that many of our physical ailments are coming from emotions we have been holding to; sometimes for too long and most of the time without even being conscious of it. Emotional Processing is not only a freeing but a very empowering journey. Instead of avoiding, suppressing or expressing how we feel in a hurtful way, embracing our emotions unlocks our innate capacities for happiness, health, creativity, love and inner peace.”

We learnt 5 easy exercises you can do when experiencing overwhelming emotions, and suggested essential oils to match the exercise, to feel better in an instant which I thought were so powerful, I just had to share them with you:

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1.Breathing – to emotionally reset and reground.

When feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious:

1. Pick an essential oil and rub 1 drop between the palms
2. Cup hand near face, and inhale deeply – 6 slow counts in, 6 slow counts out (try with 4 if 6 is too long for you)
3. Close your eyes and breathe for a few minutes or until you get a sense of being more grounded.

Suggested essential oil:

Bergamot – this oil assists with feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, confidence  and high stress emotional states. It is photosensitive, so do not expose the skin to sun exposure for 24 hours. It can also be used in a diffuser.

 

2.Emotional release – to address and release overwhelming emotions

When strong uncomfortable emotions are interfering with life:

1. Pick an essential oil, and rub 1 drop between the palms You may also apply oil over the heart.
2. Close your eyes, and take 3 deep breaths
3. Notice any emotional or physical sensations that may surface
4. Express the emotions by writing on paper – without judgement. All the emotions to flow onto the paper.
5. Continue writing until you notice a shift, either a lightening or emotional release

Suggested essential oil:

Geranium – this oil is useful in dealing with grief and associated feelings. It is great for use with children as it enhances feelings of unconditional love and safety – it can be used over the heart area.  Useful also for tummy cramps. Personally, I prefer to blend it with lemongrass (which can be used as a face oil), however you may like it on it’s own. Geranium, white fir and frankincense can be blended for a full body essential oil dressing

 

3.Cognitive retraining – to emotionally reset and introduce feelings of well-being

When feeling stressed and ‘stuck’ in life:

1. Pick an essential oil and rub 1 drop between the palms
2. Cup hand near face, and inhale deeply – 6 slow counts in, 6 slow counts out (try with 4 if 6 is too long for you)
3. Close your eyes and breathe for a few minutes
4. Choose one of the calming phrases below and alternately breathe and repeat phrase until the cycling thoughts change or an emotional change is felt.

Calming phrases

I am safe.

I am connected and comfortable in my environment.

I trust God/theuniverse to provide what I need.

I invite peace and harmony to rest in me.

I love who I am, and I allow myself to be me.

With God, all things are possible.

I am lovingly supported by God/the universe.

All is well in my world, and I am at peace.

 

Suggested essential oil:

Clary Sage – this oil is one now of my favourites (I discovered it at this session!). It has an earthy, woodsy smell and has been shown to clear receptor sites in our bodies, helping us to emotionally “reset”. It is gentle, relaxing and helps calm the muscles and emotions.  It has shown to also support hormones concerns and thyroid function.

 

4.Sensory Grounding – to bring your mind back to the present moment, restoring a feeling of calm.

When feeling scattered, fearful, or emotionally overwhelmed:

1. Sit with your feet flat on the floor
2. Take 3 deep, slow breaths
3. Describe 3 things you see in the room
4. Notice and feel 3 objects near you (e.g. your clothing, a book, a shoelace)
5. Notice 3 things you can hear. Take some time to listen to them.
6. Notice and smell 3 objects near you (eg. A leaf, an essential oil, a sweater)
7. Say 3 times, out loud, “I am right here”

Suggested essential oil:

Lavender – this is an oil that has been used for centuries for its calming benefits and ability to stabilise mood. It has been shown to promote deeper sleep, significantly lower feelings of anxiousness and low mode, and increase parasympathetic activity (rest and digest).

 

5.Emotional Integration – to help release resistance to feeling painful emotions and integrate them into our life experience.

When caught in a cycle of fear and painful emotions:

1. Sit comfortably
2. Pick an essential oil and rub 1 drop between the palms and take 3 deep breaths
3. Close your eyes, and place your hand over your heart
4. Imagine as you breathe in and out that the space in and around your heart is large and deep.
5. Notice the emotion that you are feeling (e.g sadness, anger, fear etc)
6. Detach from the story behind the emotion, and breathe the emotion deeply into your heart space. Understand that no matter how strong or deep that emotion is, the space around your heart is big enough to hold it.
7. Continue to breathe the emotion in for 2 minutes.

Suggested essential oil:

Litsea – this oil promotes feelings of balance throughout the day. It has a scent similar to Lemongrass and Melissa essential oils, and promotes feelings of fresh energy to your day. Litsea works well blended with complimentary oils such as Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Rose, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Geranium, Vetiver, or Fennel. It can be diffused during meditation to help clear the mind, and rejuvenate energy.

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As a group, we concluded by implementing our learnings and creating our own essential oil blends that we could take with us and start using straight away. I decided to make a perfume uplifting scent as I’ve been wanting to find a perfume replacement for a very long time. Since then, I’ve also started using Clary Sage which is just adore as my preferred

We were also given a beautiful workbook written by Megan Burnside, as a take home reference for all the practices we learnt, which included the exercises above.

It was a wonderful evening away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I was lucky to share with a very dear long-time friend of mine, Lisa – and we absolutely loved it.

If you are considering learning about essential oils in a relaxed and practical way, a learn, make and take class is perfect. Be sure to follow the Enta Facebook page for upcoming events, or contact me for more details.

 

‘This silence, this moment, every moment,  if it’s genuinely inside you, brings you what you need.’ – Rumi

 

If you have any questions or want to know more about essential oils, please leave me a comment or send me an email hello@everydayawakenings.com

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Bonus essential oil suggestion!

White Fir – this oil comes from the classic Christmas tree. It actually smells like a forest and that beautiful fir smell associated with it. It creates a feeling of grounding, anchoring and empowerment, and can stimulate the mind while allowing the body to relax. It’s a new discovery (and fave) of mine since attending this session.