The calm – positive mood during Christmas’ preparations 2020
We all agree this is not the Christmas anyone had wished for, and we are all affected in different ways. I am myself, not travelling home to see my family.
But let’s try to see it from a positive perspective …without all the Christmas lunches and Fairs, school activities, and running like headless chickens to get it all done, this Christmas might actually be giving us the chance to stop, slow down and enjoy our close family. Less speed and less stress, generates more connections. Nothing kills connections like speed does.
However, we do need to do some shopping and the queues are going to be long, waiting outside in the cold to follow social distancing guidelines, wearing masks all along…
Let’s share tips to go through the ramp-up of Christmas’ preparations in a positive-calm mood as much as we can:
Before going out for a couple of hours of shopping, If you have cold feet you can rub an oil or a blend of them at the bottom of your feet:
Remember we have 4000 pores in the sole of our feet and after 20 minutes they are in every cell of the body promoting wellbeing. Less is more. We only need a couple of drops they are very pure and they go a long way!
Some essential oils promote circulation, they are also immune stimulant and help prevent colds and flu, they will do more than one job. For example: Orange, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Ginger. These oils promote a warming sensation and because they are quite strong it is safer to apply at the sole of the feet. For people with varicose veins, and circulation issues: oils like Cedarwood, Cypress, Juniper Berry, Grapefruit and Ginger. Rosemary for low blood pressure and circulatory problems of the extremities.
For the prevention of cold and flu:
Clove, cinnamon, red thyme, orange. Thyme is antitussive. Again, bottom of feet as it is strong, but it is such a wonderful oil to keep infections at bay. Thyme and tea tree “one of a kind”. If you feel you are a bit off and you must keep going, choose the Immune stimulant oils like: Lemon, Basil, German chamomile, Frankincense, Tea Tree and Thyme which applied to the bottom of feet will give you that warming sensation and helping to boost your immunity.
As you enter the shops you will need a facemask. Choose to apply a drop of essential oil on the facemask for opening airways, protecting sensitive skin, more energy and therefore more patience: Peppermint, Spearmint and the Eucalyptus. Rosemary, Cardamom, Lemon and Tea Tree. Fantastic to open airways and energising. It’s important to choose the one that you feel drawn to, so after long hours of using the facemask they will keep you happy and energised. Remember to breathe in 2 and out for 4 through the mouth to keep stress levels at bay.
More ideas: Petitgrain: to help reduce irritability, Orange: sunshine in a bottle.
Neroli: beautifully feminine, especially when you feel enclosed in the facemask and give you palpitations and a sensation of claustrophobia. And you want to take it out….
👉There is a new word “maskne” (the acne generated by the facemask), so if you have very sensitive skin, and after a short time of wearing the facemask your skin is itching, red and dry, German or Roman Chamomile are very good choices. Both great for sensitive skin, they alleviate asthma, sinusitis, block nose and rhinitis. German Chamomile is more an immune stimulant while Roman Chamomile is calming, good for stress and headaches.
👉Both these oils are considered “children’s remedy”, they are ideal if your children choose to wear a facemask for whatever reason. Another lovely one for children is Mandarin or Lavender, safe, calming.
You can also have just Lavender in your purse, place one drop in your hands, rub them and offer your children to take deep breaths from your hands, when they are getting exhausted or frantic. If you entertain them with sweets, the sugar rush afterwards it is not going to help.
Apply one drop on the lower edge of your facemask, leave it for a couple of minutes and then put on the mask.
Finally, here are some ideas when we get home and need some tips to tackle aches and pains after a log day.
Did you know that here in the UK we spend out hundreds of billions of pounds per years on pain (this include prescription, social benefits, long term sick pay) and this figure is cumulative more than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined?
Within Aromatherapy we have good answers to help with pain. There are excellent analgesic oils like: Basil, Black Pepper, Ginger, Lavender, Jasmine, Marjoram, German chamomile, Coriander, Helichrysum or Immortelle, Frankincense or Lemongrass.
You can apply them in creams massaging your lower back, legs, shoulders and neck; or roller balls on specific areas, at the back of the neck for those headaches at the end of long shopping day; with Epsom salts either for bath or foot bath with arnica or magnesium.
More ideas: https://www.clarisaayllon.com/ideas-tips-to-better-your-sleep-routine/
If you don’t have time, just during the shower, put a plug in the shower water outlet, place 4/5 drops in the bottom of shower, so while you are showering the oils are absorbed through the bottom of your feet and the steam is helping to clear out the breathing and changing the mood.
During those 5 minutes of showering you can do a lot, and you come out feeling differently.
👉Enkephalins (very scientific name) stop the pain message getting to the brain. They Block pain signal. Exercise produce enkephalins. It’s good to mix these shopping outings with days in between where we can do a walk, or a yoga class, or just stretches, to produce naturally these enkephalins and reduce the pain sensations. The brain perceives pain as “danger”. The more stress we are the more pain we feel. The more in danger our brain makes us feel. So, by choosing tools to relax we are also reducing the sensation of aches and pains. https://www.clarisaayllon.com/stress-management/
As you can see, there are many natural ways we can help ourselves and our family enjoy the ramp-up of Christmas in a calm and positive way…
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