When I’ve been absorbed in marketing, it seems there’s an endless number of posts and products, events and meetings to manage. I’m thrilled by the interest and positive responses I’ve gotten. But, I’ve noticed I’ll start awaken every morning feeling kinda gray and tired. I don’t sleep as well as I could. Most of the day, I’ll feel like I’m running on empty. Even five minutes of simple meditation in the evenings often seems like a huge task, and I’ll be more moody than usual. In a word, I’m stressed.
Lavender is the perfect partner for stressful times. I draw on his essential oils mainly, though I could just as easily add lavender to my daily tea or even take a tincture of lavender. I love the way the scent of lavender can magically shift my mood…and that of folks around me.
Not long ago, I quietly planted a couple of drops on the beds of my men. They’d been fighting a lot. I reckoned they were mainly at each other as a form of stress relief – both were stressed by many aspects of life and found it easy to pick on one another, ruffle each other’s feathers, and let steam off through arguments. It was making our household feel like a battle ground. I was worried they were potentially damaging their relationship, too.
Two drops on each pillow was all it took. The next morning, my son decided to clean his room and his temper mellowed considerably with that effort. My man relaxed visibly. His shoulders loosened and he seemed to be breathing a little deeper. Lavender works on a magical level by helping you organize, clarify, and persevere. On a medicinal level, it eases the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn helps soothe stressed, tense muscles and lets the body return from flight-or-flight mode to rejuvenation-mode.
When I’m the one who’s stressed out, I draw on Lavender to help me get clear about my current capacities and find the strength to stick to my guns. I’ll add a few drops of Lavender to my favorite spritzer (ginger, Atlas cedarwood, and bergamot in witch hazel) and to my daily aromatherapy blend. The spritzer helps to shift my personal energy when I don’t want to alter that of the whole office, and the aromatherapy blend is perfect for when the environment needs a little clarity or organization. Lavender promotes peacefulness through action, helping keep my household and my office thrumming in an orderly fashion.
I need to make choices about how I use my resources. On the surface, my life, like that of my country, looks kinda chaotic. It’s like I’m holding the reins of a team that’s not yet unified. Deep down, I know new growth is happening. Unification is underway even if I can’t quite see it yet. I need to hold out longer, which means I need to be clear about how I use what I’ve got. Lavender’s help in finding that clarity has been most welcome. Lavender has helped me see that with the right organization and focused attention, I can persevere through this uncertainty long enough to break through to a place of plenty.
Other Ideas for Using Lavender:
- Lavender–cardamon sachets for your pajama drawer – For helping you digest the stuff you’ve encountered through the day while getting a good night’s rest.
- Lavender tincture–A few drops a day can help you bring balance to your life from the inside out.
- Lavender bath–Partnered with a little yarrow essential oil, a few drops of Lavender essential oil in the bath can help you release daily tensions and rebuild boundaries.
- Candle magic–Anoint a candle with lavender essential oil or tincture to help clarify and concentrate your intension.
- Incense–Lavender flowers help to purify and focus intent in a worldly, material sense.