Stress, Sleep, and Sadness
We all know that stress, sleep, and sadness are three words that do not pair well together. Too much stress usually equals too little sleep, which in turn leaves us more tired, more cranky, and more stressed. So how do we stop the vicious cycle? In this class we will talk about how we can stay more calm and relaxed during the day and enjoy better sleep at night to live a happier life. Let’s get started by taking a look at some statistics:
40% of Americans get less than the recommended amount of sleep
8 out of 10 Americans say they are frequently or sometimes stressed in their daily lives
Only 4% of people say they never felt stressed (must be nice!)
While we can’t claim to know their secrets, we do have some tips, tricks, and oils that can help you to stay more calm, relaxed, and grounded during your daily grind that in turn will also support better sleep habits at night allowing you to feel rested and happy in the morning.
Quality Matters
It is vital to know what goes into the products that you are using on a regular basis. Young Living monitors the process in their plant-based products from seed all the way to seal. They're actually the only company with a seed to seal guarantee and promise. They abide by very strict guidelines to fulfill this promise to us.
Plant material that is grown on corporately-owned farms or carefully vetted partner farms (that you CAN visit!)
Sustainable farming and sourcing practices, providing the purest oil
Great care is taken to preserve and protect natural resources
Hand-weeded fields and ZERO use of pesticides
Oils that retain all their natural constituents and therapeutic properties
Use of food-grade distillers with state-of-the-art design and distillation methods
Low pressure and low-temperature distillation, without the use of solvents or synthetic chemicals
Rigorous testing on each batch by internal labs and third- party facilities
Oils that are carefully reviewed through every step of production in order to meet or exceed industry safety and purity standards (beyond organic!)
All of these factors make a huge difference in quality and effectiveness. If a batch doesn’t meet YL standards for any reason, it doesn't get bottled up to distribute. YL would rather have something go out of stock than let an inferior product slip through to us. It's rare to find a company with such transparency and high standards. Check out the Seed to Seal process HERE!
Safety & Usage
Throughout this class, we will make suggestions for oils and products you can use every day to support your wellness. Before we dive into specifics, let's talk about usage and safety.
AROMATICALLY: Put 6-8 drops of an oil or a combo of oils in your diffuser. The diffuser will send the oil into the air and fill the room with your essential oils.
TOPICALLY: Apply essential oils to your skin. Diluting first is recommended. A conservative dilution would one drop of essential oil with 10-15 drops of coconut, grape seed, or almond oil and then apply it to your skin.
Citrus oils like Lemon are photosensitive. Please avoid sun exposure for 12 hours after application to areas where you have applied citrus oils topically. Avoid putting essentials oils in the eyes or ears directly.
INTERNALLY: Young Living oils are pure and are labeled as Generally Regarded as Safe by the Food and Drug Administration. Because of their purity, some people like to ingest their oils to avoid "smelling" like an oil, or to support their body from the inside out.
There is no right or wrong way. Chose one and try it out! Try out each option to see which ones you prefer.
The Morning Sets the Mood
How you start your mornings has a huge impact on the remainder of your day. It can even be a very good indication of how you will end your day. If you wake up with your mind already racing, frantically rushing around trying to get things done for yourself and everyone else with your nerves on edge, you are setting yourself up for a day that will be much the same.
D. Gary Young developed something he called the Great Day Protocol. It uses four specific oils to support our emotions, promote feelings of harmony and joy, and guard against negative energies that disturb our thoughts and send our emotions into a tailspin. You can also use these oils to combat occasional sadness. Let’s take a closer look at what each of these oils can do. Use all four early in the morning, following the application instructions given, to have a Great Day!
Valor - Promotes a feeling of courage and self-esteem and helps to balance the body’s energies. Use this oil each morning on your wrists and cupped over your nose and inhaled as you set your intentions for the day, visualizing what you want to accomplish and seeing yourself completing it.
Harmony - Helps to create a positive attitude, reduce stress, and repel feelings of discord and chaos. Apply this oil over your solar plexus, the area just below your sternum and above your belly button while setting specific intentions to harmonize with those around you.
Joy - A calming, uplifting aroma that is used to bring joy to the heart and mind. Place a couple of drops in your hand, inhale through your nose, then rub over your chest (heart).
White Angelica - Creates deeper feelings of security and protection by offsetting the negative energies that work to bring you down and invade your personal space. This oil will be your ‘shield’ as you navigate your day striving to stay stress-free, balanced and relaxed. Place a drop in your hands, rub your palms together, breathe in deep, then rub your hands over the crown of your head, down your neck, shoulders, and midsection, all the way to your toes as if you are putting up an imaginary shield.
You are now ready to tackle anything the day throws at you!
Mid-Afternoon Slump
Despite your best efforts, you may still have days where you find yourself slipping into the abyss of negative reactions, occasional anxious moments, and stress-filled interactions with others by mid-day. Have no fear... Stress Away Roll- On is here! This is the perfect oil to have on hand for those moments that sneak up on you and create chaos.
One swipe on the wrists or back of the neck and 30 seconds to stop what you’re doing and breath in the sweet scent of Lavender, Lime, and Vanilla will have you relaxing on the beach with your feet in the sand! When you snap back to reality, you will find yourself feeling calmer, more relaxed, and ready to tackle the rest of your day with ease.
When we breathe in the scent of a pure essential oil, it has a direct effect on our emotions. Our sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly connected to the emotional center of our brains. This gives us the power to retrain our brains, focus our thoughts on the positive, and release the negative emotions that have been stored there that hold us back from reaching our full potential. Stress Away is not the only oil that can help you get over that mid-afternoon slump. Here are some others to try...
Peace & Calming - A great oil to help you and even your kiddos work through and lessen their feelings of occasional stress and being overwhelmed.
Bergamot - Used to elevate your mood and found in other amazing blends like Acceptance, Believe, Gratitude and Harmony.
Vetiver - Grounding and calming, helps to overcome stress from past emotional trauma.
Lavender - Relaxing and balancing, helps to improve concentration.
Use these oils as needed throughout the day by diffusing in the office, putting a drop in your hands or breathing in from the bottle, or adding to your favorite piece of diffuser jewelry.
Early Evening Downtime
Finally... dinner is finished, homework is done, sports practices are over, the kids have been bathed and are tucked snugly into their beds... you sit down on the couch, let out a big sigh, and you...
Let your mind wander back to everything you didn’t get accomplished that day
Continue to stress over that argument or phone call that didn’t go your way
Already find yourself being anxious about everything you have to do tomorrow
If that’s you, it’s pretty safe to say you aren’t going to find much peaceful rest waiting for you on the other side of those eyelids.
What if your downtime went something like this instead... you sit down on the couch, let out a big sigh, and you...
Celebrate everything that you crossed off your to-do list
Feel at peace with the way you handled every situation you faced because you were able to stay calm and relaxed
Find yourself looking forward to tomorrow with anticipation of all the blessings that await you
Sound too good to be true? It doesn’t have to be! If you get into a routine of using your calming oils throughout the day, and set your intentions and your mindset to focus on the positive, you will set yourself up for one of the best night’s sleep you have had in a long time!
Here are a few tips to help you chill out during your evening downtime:
Turn off your phone
Sip on some hot tea - add even more benefit with a drop of Lemon Vitality
Take a relaxing bath - add one cup of Epsom salt with 10 drops of Lavender
Aromatherapy - get your diffuser going with some of the calming oils we talked about in the last post
Light stretches - nothing over the top, just some light stretches or Yoga poses to help ease the tension in your tired muscles and add in some Frankincense and PanAway to your feet for a more relaxing feel
Hey Mr. Sandman
If you have followed all the tips and used all the oils we have talked about, you should be calm, relaxed, and ready to sail right into Dreamland! But maybe you’re not. It can be difficult for some to completely turn their minds off and get into a state of full relaxation, and if that is you, we have something for you, too! Enter SleepEssence. This supplement is your bad dream’s worst nightmare! This one little capsule combines four powerful essential oils known for their sleep-enhancing properties along with naturally- occurring melatonin to help you enjoy a restful night’s sleep. Just take 1-2 softgel capsules about 30-60 minutes before heading off to bed, and you will be sawing logs in no time!
Rutavala and Tranquil are two roll-on blends that also help to calm the mind and body, ease the tension of the day, and usher in a peaceful night’s sleep.
Rutavala is a blend of Lavender, Valerian, and Ruta.
Tranquil is a blend of Lavender, Cedarwood, and Roman Chamomile.
Speaking of Roman Chamomile, this oil deserves to be singled out and talked about all on its own. I am sure you have heard of or maybe even tried Chamomile tea before, right? What effect did it have on you? If it made you feel calm and relaxed, imagine that times 100?!!
Roman Chamomile has the power to calm the crankiest babies, relax the most restless adults, minimize the biggest feelings of fear and worry, stabilize the most out of whack emotions, and foster the ability to release your most negative emotions. This one is worth stocking up on!
Another member fav is Dream Catcher. This blend protects against negative thinking. Use this oil to inspire creativity as you chase your dreams. Some people prefer using it in the evening, others prefer using it during the day. Play around with what works for you.
Once you oil up, if you find you are still having a hard time relaxing your mind and your thoughts are still racing, here are a few other things you can try:
Journaling - getting your thoughts on paper helps to get them out of your head. Keep a journal on your nightstand and put the brakes on those racing thoughts by jotting them down.
Gratitude - Instead of laying in bed thinking of all the things that could go wrong, force yourself to focus on all the things that have gone right. Need some help? Apply your Gratitude oil to your wrists and inhale
Get Up - If you find yourself tossing and turning and becoming more and more restless, getting up and finding a simple mundane task to accomplish, applying an essential oil, or even grabbing an adult coloring book can be just the thing to calm your mind enough to be ready for sleep.
Subscribe to Save & LOyalty Rewards
Ordering on the Subscribe to Save program will help you SAVE money, get free products, and qualifies you to participate in the Loyalty Rewards Program at the same time. #WinWin
SUBSCRIBE TO SAVE
Subscribe to Save (S2S) is a subscription program with LOTS of perks. You get to choose what comes inside your box AND how often it processes! Leave it as is or change it to get something new every order... up to you!
If you have at least one item on subscription, you will receive our 24% wholesale discount on all orders (subscription and shop)
Limited to ONE Subscribe to Save order per month
You can change the items you receive in your order each month.
To participate, you must have one item on S2S that processes at least once every three months (you may choose intervals of 1, 2, or 3 months)
No monthly PV requirement. If your month’s S2S order is 50+PV, you will earn 10% back in points that you can redeem for free oils & products.
You can still order additional items through a Shop order if needed.
Free shipping starting at 100pv order totals and exclusive free gifts beginning at 190pv (new gifts announced monthly)
Access to exclusive discounted subscription bundles like the NingXia Red & the Thieves bundles
LOYALTY REWARDS
Loyalty Rewards and gifts are available for consistent, consecutive monthly S2S orders of 50+PV
Earn Loyalty Rewards points on S2S orders of 50+PV towards future orders - the % back increases with time!
Months 1-3 ~ you earn 10% back in spendable points.
Months 4-24 ~ you earn 20% back in spendable points.
Months 25+ ~ you earn 25%. back in spendable points.
Earn Loyalty gifts at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months for the first year then once a year thereafter
Learn more about Subscribe to Save and Loyalty Rewards here.
Additional Notes
Information obtained here is meant for educational and informational purposes ONLY, and to motivate and empower you to make your own wellness journey based on your own research and partnership with your healthcare provider.
The statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Graphics and some of the content for this class are copyrighted and were purchased. If you wish to teach this class and use these specific graphics, you must also purchase them.