Holiday Recipes for Mindfulness & Stress Relief
Stay merry & bright: essential oils for mood support!
It’s easy to let the holiday season sweep you away, and before you know it . . . you’re stressed out! Let’s talk about how to use meditation and essential oils for mood so you can stay merry and bright all season long.
Before we dive in...
Give yourself a moment right now to pause. Take a few deep breaths.
Feel the warm solidity of your body. Look around the room and just take note of everything in it. What can you see? What sounds are greeting your ears? Can you smell or taste anything?
Notice that right now, in the present moment, there’s an undercurrent of peace that flows beneath everything on your to-do list.
This peace is always available to you.
Be mindful & find your peace
A good way to access this peace is by practicing mindfulness.
In a blog post, we shared part of the Mayo Clinic’s assessment of mindfulness. Here’s more of what they have to say about its proven health benefits:
The overall evidence supports the effectiveness of [mindfulness] meditation for
various conditions, including:
Stress
Anxiety
Pain
Depression
Insomnia
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Meditation can help you experience thoughts and emotions with greater balance
and acceptance.
They also pointed out that mindfulness can decrease job burnout and improve attention span.
As the holiday season gets busier, you can use essential oils for mood support to more easily slip into mindful moments and to hang onto that peaceful feeling longer.
Recipe 1: Mindful Meditation Diffuser Blend
Why this recipe works
It’s made with oils that help you feel serene and secure in the present moment. The overall aroma is rich, exotic, and earthy, with sparkly hints of lemon.
Diffusing this recipe can help you stay present with your body and environment.
It’s relaxing, uplifting, and a touch exotic—allowing you to find the peace and beauty all around you. As you diffuse it, remember to thank your mind for all the hard work it does to protect you and take care of all your responsibilities. Then just be present in the moment!
Patchouli is a classic essential oil for meditation. Studies show it has anxiety-calming effects, and it’s especially supportive for helping you feel connected with your body and physical environment.
Lemon essential oil adds a bright, happy citrus note to this blend! Its sparkly scent dances atop the richer aromas, complementing them with a hint of sweetness. Lemon oil contains d-limonene, a proven mood-boosting component that can help you stay positive.
Tamala ct linalool has a soft, almost cinnamon-like scent. It’s rich in the relaxing component linalool, which calms the nervous system. While tamala oil allows tension to melt away, its rich, exotic scent can help you see the beauty in your everyday environment.
Mindful Meditation
Diffusing this recipe can help you stay present with your body and environment.
Ingredients
3 drops Lemon Oil (Citrus limon)
3 drops Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
3 drops Tamala Oil (Cinnamomum tamala ct linalool)
Equipment
Diffuser
Directions
Add the drops of essential oil to a diffuser and enjoy!
Recipe 2: Holiday Happiness Roll-On
Why this recipe works:
This is a convenient roll-on blend you can use to keep stress at bay all season! The essential oils for mood support in this recipe smell floral and evergreen, with a subtle hint of clove bud.
Roll it on to calm your nervous system and find your emotional balance.
Black spruce is a perfect oil for this blend because of its bornyl acetate content. Bornyl acetate has been shown to help you relax after long hours of computer work—without getting too sleepy!
Adding lavender oil—the most famous essential oil for mood support—brings the profoundly soothing presence of linalool and linalyl acetate. Mountains of research show these components (and lavender oil itself) can calm the nervous system.
And finally, a drop of clove bud essential oil gives this blend depth and spice. It contains eugenol, a natural component that may inhibit an enzyme (known as MAO) that breaks down “good mood” hormones like serotonin.
Be safe with clove bud! It’s a strong oil. Eugenol can irritate skin and mucous membranes. If you have a clotting disorder or impaired liver function, avoid clove bud oil. Do not use this recipe for children younger than 5 years old.
If you prefer to avoid clove bud, substitute a drop of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) or ginger (Zingiber officinale).
Holiday Happiness
This is a convenient roll-on blend you can use to keep stress at bay all season!
Ingredients
10 ml Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
2 drops Black Spruce Oil (Picea mariana)
2 drops Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
1 drop Clove Bud Oil (Syzygium aromaticum/Eugenia caryophyllata)
Equipment
10 ml roll-on bottle
Small funnel (optional)
Directions
Pour the jojoba into the bottle using a funnel.
Add the drops of essential oils to the bottle.
Snap the roller ball top into place, and you're done!
Support yourself and others with natural anxiety relief. In our spotlight course, Natural Anxiety Relief with Essential Oils, you’ll gain familiarity with three chemical components found in essential oils that help calm the nervous system, ease anxiety, and even relieve pain! You’ll also learn how to make safe and effective natural remedies to address anxiety symptoms.
REFERENCES
Fukumoto, S., Morishita, A., Furutachi, K., Terashima, T., Nakayama, T. and Yokogoshi, H. (2007) Effect of flavour components in lemon essential oil on physical or psychological stress. Stress and Health 24, 1, 3-12.
Ito K, Ito M. (2011) Sedative effects of vapor inhalation of the essential oil of Microtoena patchouli and its related compounds. Journal of Natural Medicine 65, 2, 336-43.
Lima, N.G., de Souza, D.P., Pimenta, F.C., Alves, M.F., de Souza, F.S., (2012a) Anxiolytic-like activity and GC-MS analysis of (R)-(+)-limonene fragrance, a natural compound found in foods and plants. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 103, 450-454.
Linck, V.M., da Silva, A.L., Figueiró, M., Caramão, E.B., Moreno, P.R.H. and Elisabetsky, E. (2010) Effects of inhaled linalool in anxiety, social interaction and aggressive behaviour in mice. Phytomedicine 17, 679-683.
Matsubara E, Fukagawa M, Okamoto T, Ohnuki K, Shimizu K, Kondo R. (2011) (-)-Bornyl acetate induces autonomic relaxation and reduces arousal level after visual display terminal work without any influences of task performance in low-dose condition. Biomedical Research 32, 151-157.
Mojay, G. (1997) Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press
Siahaan, R., Rahardjo, T. B., & Ranti, A. (2015). Effectiveness of Indonesian Essential Oil Mixture of Lemongrass, Cananga, and Patchouli in Relaxation through Inhalation: A Clinical Test on Healthy Woman with High Potential for Stress. Makara Journal of Health Research, 143-151.
Tisserand, R. and Young, R. (2014) Essential Oil Safety 2nd Edition. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Yoshifumi I. (2006) “Effects of Eugenol on the Central Nervous System: Its Possible Application to Treatment of Alzheimers Disease, Depression, and Parkinsons Disease”, Current Bioactive Compounds 2006; 2(1). doi.org/10.2174/1573407210602010057
