Nickie’s Nook: Oils and Books

Tension, stress, anxiety or whatever you want to call it, we all face it. I don’t know many people who like it. So it’s fortunate that we have many coping tools to deal with tension. I use many different coping skills such as deep breathing, stretching, yoga or relaxing music.

Recently, I created a blend which has become almost as comforting as a teddy bear to my emotions. As you can see, I applied it to my bear. It’s great to use for soothing my tension, but I also find it comforting me when I’m sad or grieving. But without further adieu, let’s dig into the oils in the blend.

As always, this recipe isn’t specific in number of drops. I used one to two drops of each oil on my hand and rubbed it into the bear after warming it in the microwave. (Please make sure that the stuffed animal is designed for microwaving before you try this.) If you don’t have a Warmie, you can just use a regular stuffed animal. I’ve listed other ways to use the blend at the end of this post.

Geranium

Geranium is a sweet, floral oil. It reminds me of rose in some ways. It’s known for its calming effects on the nerves. Doterra uses it in many skin-care products for its beautifying benefits. People who are dealing with sadness and grief may find it comforting. It’s also known for its benefits for women during “that time of the month”.

Truthfully, I didn’t like geranium when I first smelled it. It was one I didn’t like because it seemed too strong. Honestly, I couldn’t put my finger on what I didn’t like. But I have grown to like geranium’s benefits and, as often happens, the smell has grown on me. It’s coming up on the time of year when I feel the grief of losing my mom even more strongly than usual and I’m finding that I almost crave geranium. I find myself taking deep breaths of geranium and feeling it make its way into my heart. It lifts my spirit and my tension decreases like when I used to get a big hug from my Mom.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood has a sweet, warm and woody aroma. Like any wood or tree oil, it has a grounding and soothing aroma. It has many uses, physically, it can be used in skin care because of its soothing properties. It’s probably most known for its use during spiritual practices like meditation. Grounding is helpful for many reasons. When dealing with stress or tension, reconnecting with our roots and grounding ourselves helps to calm our minds.

When I’m struggling with tension, stress or anxiety, my thoughts go all over the place. due to my PTSD, I used to dissociate and my mind would get lost in thoughts of the trauma I’d experienced. Grounding myself, bringing myself back to the present, sometimes reconnecting with my own body made the difference between being overcome by the memories and knowing that the memories were only memories. As always, I’m not suggesting that any oil is a treatment, cure or prevention for any illness, rather giving an example of the value of grounding. Even for those without PTSD, grounding is useful for dealing with tension or stress. If your mind is racing, bringing it back to the present can be a helpful way to cope. Incorpoating sandalwood into your meditation may be a helpful tool.

Madagascar Vanilla

If you’re thinking “She always wants to add vanilla to her blends”, I’d say that I resemble that remark. I love the soothing sweet smell of vanilla. Its sweet smell brings a smile to my face and reminds me of the innocence of childhood. It’s also just plain soothing.

Lavender

Lavender is widely known for its calming properties. It’s high in linalool, which is a calming constituent. It’s a floral oil known for its ability to promote a calming atmosphere and help promote healthful sleep. It’s also included in blends like Rescuer and PastTense which can help soothe head tension. I use it in any blend for promoting comfort.

Roman Chamomile

You’ve probably heard of Chamomile for its use in teas. Chamomile is frequently used to promote calm, decrease tension and increase relaxation. Like lavender, Doterra uses Roman Chamomile in calming blends like Peace and Serenity and in PastTense. Roman Chamomile can be soothing to the skin in addition to the emotions.

Spearmint

Spearmint is a cooling oil, but it’s more gentle than peppermint. It’s used in calming blends like Peace and Adaptiv. It’s also used in Tamer which is great for soothing the digestive system. Finally, it’s used in Rescuer to help soothe discomfort.

Spearmint is another of my favorite oils. The cooling sensation feels great on my head when I’m experiencing tension there. I also like the cooling sensation when breathing spearmint in. It’s literally a breath of fresh air!

Final Thoughts

This blend has both physical and emotional benefits. The grounding benefits of sandalwood bring you back to the present. The oils of geranium, lavender and Roman Chamomile are calming and soothing. Finally, the blend of lavender, Roman Chamomile and spearmint are soothing to the body. With each breath, they can help melt away physical symptoms of tension.

I apply the blend to my Warmies teddy bear, but they would work on a passive diffuser like a lava bead bracelet or even a roller bottle blend. Because this recipe is just a suggestion, you can easily adjust the number of drops of each oil up or down based on your personal needs or aroma preference. I’d also recommend including a citrus oil if you need to cut the sweetness of the floral oils.

As always, have fun playing with this recipe