ESSENTIAL FEEL GOODS

Thanksgiving is literally just around the corner so you would be probably be busy right now doing all the needed preparations. Before you go about freaking out, here are some ways by which you can keep your sanity and cool while preparing for Thanksgiving:

1. As a rule, go for 1.5 lbs. of turkey per person. This would help make sure that there’s plenty for everyone and yet you’d still have some for leftovers.
2. Ask the people you have invited whether they are allergic to certain foods or whether they are on a special diet. They would really appreciate your asking.
3. Make sure you have enough utensils, plates and glasses for all your guests. You would also need to make sure beforehand that you would be able to accommodate all the guests that you invited.
4. Have some warm drinks on hand. This could help you buy time should your guests arrive way before you have finished making all the food preparations.
5. To keep everyone in a light mood, put out some aromatic candles or have diffusers placed in strategic locations. Make sure you use Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Spearmint.

At the end of the festivities, make sure that you remove all the stress from your body by relaxing in a warm tub of water with a few drops of your favorite essential oils or have a relaxing massage before you doze off.

Without our immune systems, we would get sick from every germ we encountered. For our immune systems to work at their best, we need to have a healthy diet, low stress level, and get plenty of sleep. This can be a pretty tall order to fill in this day and age. Essential oils can help make up the difference when we are aren’t eating right, under a lot of stress, and tired.

Essential oils can provide the body with the vitamins its not getting from our poor diet. These vitamins help the immune system fight off any microbes and pathogens that are trying to infect our bodies. Because essential oils are a natural “enemy” of these invaders, pathogens and microbes have not been shown to be able to develop a resistance to them. Essential oils can also help reduce stress. One way is through aromatherapy. Not only are you inhaling the essential oils into your body, the right combinations of scents can have a calming effect and reduce stress levels. Using the right essential oils, like chamomile in tea, can help us wind down from a hard day and get to sleep, which helps reduce both stress and fatigue.

Essential oils can help us stay healthy and for those times that we do get sick, they can help us get better faster. Our immune system is what keeps us from getting sick from every germ, virus or bacteria that comes along. Factors like stress, fatigue, and poor diet can lower our immune system’s ability to fight off invaders. We can support our immune system through the use of essential oils. The use of essential oils while we are healthy will help prevent illness in the first place. For those times when something does get passed our defenses, essential oils can shorten our recovery time.

Picture this: you’re in front of your computer. You are currently working on the financial statement your boss badly needs for his meeting in about two hours. You are about 80% through verifying all the numbers when suddenly…power shortage!

If you are the Dalai Lama, you would be able to handle this with a deep sense of serenity and calmness. Unfortunately, your not. Situations like these can lead to stress. Soon you’d have a headache, hypertension, anxiety and irritability. So what do you do?

1. When you start feeling stressed out, shut off outside noise by turning to white noise. Examples of white noise are relaxing music as well as the sound of flowing water.
2. Make use of essential oils. You can either have a few drops of them in your bath or on your handkerchief. You can also use them with a diffuser.
3. Indulge in some hand and foot massage. Many eastern medicine advocates believe that the soles of the foot correspond to a specific area in your body. A good for massage can, therefore, help ease muscle pains associated with stress.
4. Learn to delegate. Superwoman you ain’t so if you feel like you have bitten off more than you can chew, delegate. There will always be people who would be willing to help you.
5. Talk. Sometimes having someone to listen to your rants can provide you with a sense of catharsis so don’t bottle things up inside you.

It seems that in recent years Americans have become obsessed with treating even small maladies with prescription medications. The pharmaceutical industry might be benefiting from these gross over-diagnoses, but people often experience side-effects that in turn require treatment. It’s a vicious cycle that simply cannot be solved by over-the-counter drugs or prescriptions.

On the other hand, more and more people are eschewing this reliance on pharmaceuticals in favor of all-natural treatment options such as aromatherapy. For centuries, holistic medicine adherents have been breathing in aromatherapy essential oils in order to achieve a feeling of general wellness. Various aromas are thought to treat different conditions, and it’s important to match the oil to its corresponding ailment.

Just like with everything else that gets exposed to friction, our body is also prone to wear and tear or what we more commonly know as “stress”. Although most people see stress as something negative, this is not always the case.

In reality, there are two types of stress – eustress and distress. Eustress, or true stress, is usually associated with feelings of fulfillment as well as other positive feelings. On the other hand, Distress is the kind of stress that is associated with feelings of being worn out. It manifests itself in a number of ways such as headaches, body pains, weight loss, and feelings of lethargy.

One of the ways by which you can relieve stress is with the help of essential oils, but which essential oil?

1. Bergamot is one such essential oil that can remove stress. Its citrus aroma helps elevate one’s mood and has been known to keep anxiety at bay. One to two drops of this essential oil can be carried in your handkerchief which you can inhale every now and then.
2. 10 drops of chamomile essential oil in your warm bath can also help relieve you of the day’s stress. You can also add a few drops of this to a carrier oil and use it for massaging your back and neck area. It has been proven to be quite effective in treating insomnia and headaches.
3. Another refreshing aroma that you should not be without is the one from the orange essential oils. This oil can also help fight off anxiety, apathy and burn out.
4. If you want a milder scent, you can try the essential oils from lemongrass. Aside from relieving stress and soothing your nerves, this essential oil can also help you become more focused in your work.
5. Lastly, you can also go for Lavender essential oil, one of the most sought-after essential oil when it comes to relieving headaches, relaxing aching muscles, and giving you a good night’s sleep. What’s more, Lavender essential oils is one of the few essential oils that can be applied undiluted to your skin.

The changes in technology has brought before us both good and bad effects. Although it has made doing transactions pretty much easier and faster, it has also contributed to more and more people feeling the stress of living in a fast-paced environment. If you are among those people, here are some ways by which you can relieve stress:

1. Stressed out by work? Stand up and take short trip to the next department. If you can, offer to run errands for your colleagues. This would take your mind off of your work and let you breathe some fresh air.
2. Relaxing music is one good way to relieve stress. This could be any classical or jazz music or just about any slow tune that you have. Make sure, however, that you do not play this too loud.
3. Have some essential oils within your reach. If this is not possible, make sure that you put at a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to your handkerchief. You can then take this out every now and then for a smell.
4. At the end of the day, take extra time for a hot bath or a massage. This would help ease any stress you have accumulated the whole day. If you do not have time for this, at least set aside a day in a month where you can have a spa treatment.
5. Reading a good book before you doze off is also a way to relieve stress. You can even do this while having your favorite aromatherapy candle lighted.

There are more than a hundred ways by which you can relieve stress. The most important thing, however, is to make sure that you take everything in a stride.

Keeping skin hydrated will also help keep it looking fit and healthy. Creams tend to be thicker than lotions and gels and have better hydrating properties. Choosing creams with pure plant oils like almond, apricot, sesame, or cocoa butter helps skin retain moisture and elasticity, both of which are crucial for skin health. Additional ingredients in creams that can help fight cellulite are algae, strawberry, and sweet clover. Vigorous massage while applying the creams can help increase circulation and reduce cellulite, especially if the creams and massage are focused on trouble areas.

Living a healthy lifestyle, which includes a skin care regimen that increases circulation and hydration, can significantly improve the look of skin and reduce cellulite. Exercise is one of the best ways to increase circulation and reduce cellulite deposits, which in turn makes skin look healthier. Sitting for prolonged periods of time not only reduces overall circulation, but also severely reduces the circulation in the upper thighs. This area tends to have the highest cellulite deposits and is also the part of the leg that comes into contact with the chair.

Dry brushing, hydration, and exercise are all excellent ways to care for your skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

One of the more popular alternative treatment techniques has always been reflexology. The primary focus of reflexology is the foot and the hand.

Reflexologists believe that specific areas in your feet and hands correspond to various organs in your body. By applying pressure to this “reflexes,” endorphin is released which, in turn, relieves the body of pain.

If, for example, you are experiencing tooth pain, you can apply pressure to your ear lobes. By massaging the half closest to your head in a downward motion, you are able to desensitize your tooth from pain. On the other hand, if you are experiencing headaches, you can pinch the muscle located near the point where the bone in your thumb meets the bone in your index finger. This area is called Hoku.

Some reflexologists make use of essential oils in treating their clients. This serves as a dual purpose as, aside from relieving you from pain, you also get to be free from stress.

If you would like to do your own reflexology, the first thing that you need to have is a reflexology chart to help guide you on which are you should place pressure on.