Nickie’s Nook: Oils and Books

It’s obvious that I love essential oils. I use them to cope with many challenges and overall just improve my quality of life. What you may not know is that I love to find creative ways to diffuse oils. Some of the reason is that it’s fun to use the different ways of diffusing, but some of it is because using these unique ways of keeping essential oils around me actually helps me cope with my anxiety and distracts me from my pain.

In this blog post, we’ll be talking about my favorite unconventional diffusers and some of my favorite oils to diffuse. I created a cart which contains all of the oils I’ll be discussing so you can purchase any of the oils that you’d like to try. If you don’t want specific oils, just remove them. With Doterra’s refer a friend, you can get oils at wholesale prices without paying for the membership if you follow the link.

Fidgets are fantastic!

I can’t stress the value of using fidget enough! Fidgets are basically anything you can play with to distract you, help you cope or help you think. Fidgets can be helpful for many conditions like autism or many other sensory challenges. I personally find that they help when my brain needs stimmulation it’s not getting visually. Fidgets keep me more grounded when my anxiety, panic attacks or PTSD are acting up. I was introduced to the value of fidgets while going through psych treatment. While I sat around a table in Adult Day Treatment, we had a basket of various fidgets like silly puddy, Rubik’s Cubes, small stress animals and bean bags. It was amazing how helpful those fidgets were when I was anxious or needed something to help me focus. They’re also comforting and distracting when dealing with pain. There are many other options available to use as fidgets such as worry stones and fidget jewelry, but I’ll be focussing on options you can pair with essential oils as well as the oils I use with my fidgets most frequently.

Aroma Fidget Spinners

These fidget spinners are a great way to take your oils with you and fidget with them when you need to. Basically, they have a circular middle with three arms sticking out of the center. At the end of each arm is a pod which has a felt circle inside. The pod has holes which allow the smell of the oils to be exposed to the air. All you need to do is open each pod and drop the oils onto the felt. I find it’s easiest to put the felt circle on top of the open bottle of essential oil, then turn it upside down. When I think I have enough oil, I turn the bottle and felt back upright and remove the felt circle, place it in the pod and replace the lid on the pod and repeat with the other two pods. I usually place different oils or blends on each circle so that I ultimately have a unique combination of scents when all of the pods are combined. It helps me to take deeper breaths because I have to inhale longer as the spinner spins to get the full effect of the blend of the three pods. That’s helpful when I’m anxious. I also like the sensation of the spinning spinner. The spinner comes in a few different colors, but I preferred purple to white or black! The spinner comes in a nice little velvet bag.

Stuffed Toys

I love using stuffed animals as diffusers! I get the cuddliness of a stuffed animal when I’m anxious, depressed or in pain and the amazing benefits of the essential oils I apply to the stuffed animal..

Tiny Toys

I love stuffed animals! That said, it’s not always socially acceptable to carry one everywhere you go. I find it helpful to carry something to fidget with when I go out, especially if I’m feeling anxious, stressed or any other thing that requires distraction. My solution is this small bear I bought when Starbucks was selling them as ornaments for Christmas trees. It’s about 4 inches in height, and is stuffed like a regular stuffed animal. I can put any oil onto it that I might wish. You can find small stuffed animals at various stores or online sites, and they’re easy to conceal if you’re concerned about social acceptance. They work just as wel as an essential oil inhaler, but they’re way more fun and comforting!

Warmies

Warmies are stuffed animals filled with grain and stuffing which can be warmed up in the microwave or chilled in the freezer. They also have a bit of French Lavender in them. They provide the comfort of a weighted stuffed animal and the soothing effects of heat. You can get them in several forms. This one is a Warmies Junior called a Marshmellow bear about 9 inches tall. I find that the lavender smell doesn’t last as long or strong as I would like, but that’s actually a bonus because I can just add whichever oil I like after microwaving. I actually have several of them I’ve gotten to commemorate different experiences I’ve had. It’s important to add the oils after you microwave the stuffed animal. Because oils change when they’re heated, it’s most effective to add them after warming so the oils don’t evaporate in the microwave or change their composition. Below, I’ll be telling the stories of each of the Warmies in the image and discussing the benefits of the oils they’re pictured with. I’ve created a cart which contains all of the oils I’ll be discussing, but you don’t have to buy them all. Just remove the ones you don’t want and you’ll be good to go!

Lavelle a Marshmallow bear Warmie with Lavender and Balance

I got Lavelle to mark and celebrate my 10 year anniversary of not needing psych hospitalization. That was a huge milestone because at one point, I didn’t think I’d be able to do that. My chronic pain had made me so depressed, I didn’t see a point to living. When I was dealing with such severe suicidal ideation, I’d had 5 hospitalizations in the span of 2 years. So after 10 years of not needing psych hospitalizations, I was ready to celebrate with a tangible landmark. I named the bear Lavelle to include some part of the word lavender. The oils I’ve paired with her are great for promoting a peaceful and grounding atmosphere.

Lavender is well-known to assist with promoting calm. As a floral oil, it can be quite soothing. It is excellent for soothing the skin. I use it along with eucalyptus and spearmint or peppermint to soothe tension in my head. It also tastes great in teas, hot chocolates, and sweets like cake, cookies and milkshakes. I also love it at bedtime for assisting me in getting ready for sleep.

Doterra’s Balance blend is referred to as the grounding blend with good reason. It mostly consists of tree oils which are grounding, just remember that trees have steady roots. Balance also contains floral oils like blue tansy and blue chamomile. All of the oils in balance can promote a sense of calm.

Labender with Wild Orange and Spearmint

I continued the tradition of including part of the word lavender with Labender. Labender is a yellow lab I got to celebrate moving into my own apartment for the first time. That is something I’ve always hoped to do, which is why I paired Wild Orange and Spearmint with Labender.

Wild Orange is very uplifting as a citrus oil. When we smell any citrus fruit, it’s incredibly cheerful. Wild Orange essential oil is also energizing, but as a citrus fruit, it’s an adaptigenic oil which means it can also be calming. I sometimes pair it with the Serenity blend at bedtime. Physically, it can be purifying so I use it in homemade cleaning products and add a drop or two to water or other drinks to support a healthy inflammitory response.

Spearmint is one of the most gentle mints. It’s not so cooling, which in my case is a good thing. I like it because it’s both uplifting and peaceful. As a mint oil, it may help the digestive system so it’s used in the Tamer and Supermint blends. Doterra also uses it in the Peace and Adaptiv blends which are calming blends. I love the taste and smell of blending Wild Orange and Spearmint together. They’re my favorite combo to add to my water.

Venessa, A Warmies Junior with Roman Chamomile and Madagascar Vanilla

I got Venessa to celebrate my one year Anniversary of moving into my apartment. These oils are both calming and comforting oils which go well with each other

Roman Chamomile is a calming oil. Chamomile’s well-known for it’s use in teas to promote relaxation. It’s used in the Peace and Serenity blends. When used internally, it may calm the body and promote a healthy inflammatory response.

Everything goes better with vanilla in my opinion! It’s a comforting smell or taste. It can be diffused with many oils to add a sense of comfort and luxury. Because Doterra extracts it with Co2, it can be safely used internally.

So many oils, so many possible ways to blend

I chose all of these oils because they’re great to diffuse and can blend well in so many awesome ways! The sky is truly the limit as far as ways to combine them. While I’ll offer a few suggestions, it’s up to you to find your favorite blends!

• Orange and Balance:Balance
• Orange, Balance and Vanilla
• Spearmint, Orange, and Balance
• Spearmint, Lavender and Roman Chamomile

So grab your favorite oils and unconventional diffuser and get creative. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you can do!

Please remember that these statements have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration andare not meant to Diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any illness. Please check with your doctor if you need to.