Fall always means a few different things for me: Switching from iced lattes to hot, promising myself I’ll get ahead on holiday shopping (but waiting until last minute like always), and having to pay a little extra attention to my mood.
I tend to get the fall blues. There’s a fancy and scientific name for it, but basically each year as the summer fades to fall I have to work a bit harder to stay upbeat.
It used to be a problem before I recognized the pattern, but now it’s something I’m able to combat by coming at it with a game plan.
Lifting my spirits with aromatherapy
Until a year ago, I had no clue what aromatherapy was. Now? It’s a huge part of my everyday life. Every night I diffuse lavender oil before bed, and each morning I try to concoct a new mixture of energizing oils to lift my spirits and mask the smells of lunch.
What is aromatherapy?
Before I get ahead of myself: aromatherapy is basically the idea of healing your body in some way with scents, usually via essential oils.
Before you start feeling too skeptical, think about it: Your life is massively impacted by five senses. Loud, blaring noises will cause you to feel stressed whereas a gentle harp can relax you. The same idea applies to your sense of smell.
Of course, unpleasant smells will spark unpleasant feelings, but nicer smells can spark positive feelings.
Different smells can unlock different emotions, too. It’s amazing the difference I can feel when I’m diffusing a lavender versus a peppermint or lemongrass.
My essential oils
Lately, I’ve been difffuisng artnaturals’ essential oils, choosing from their Top 8 Kit.
As I’ve mentioned, my go-to for the evening is lavender, but during the day I try different combinations. Right now my favorite is lavender, lemongrass, and peppermint.
As of lately, I prefer to just diffuse my oils in my artnaturals’ Bluetooth Essential Oil Diffuser, though there are so many different ways you can benefit aromatically from essential oils.
For example: In the past when I was suffering from migraines fairly frequently I would add a drop or two of peppermint in my palms and rub them together vigorously to warm the oil and then inhale the peppermint.
Just like that, my headache would start to dissipate.
There are essential oil gurus who can seemingly solve just about every problem with a cocktail of oils, but I have the most luck keeping it simple.
Aromatherapy candles
As much as I love my oils, there’s something about the ambiance of a flickering candle that some fall nights just call for.
If you’re spooked by the idea of different chemicals lingering in your candles, artnaturals’ also has aromatherapy candles that I’m head over heels for.
I tend to be a little picky with my scents, so when I saw that there was a six pack I figured I’d probably love two or three and gift the rest as stocking stuffers.
As it turns out, I love them all. Each candle has a different purpose written directly on the jar, and they all encompass their purposes beautifully.
For example, my favorite is the Jade Candle. It is meant to “uplift your spirit” and it truly is such a great and uplifting scent.
How can you use aromatherapy?
Remember those essential oil gurus I mentioned earlier? The great thing about them is that they’re so helpful and they’re active on forums, twitter, and their own websites. If I ever have an ailment I can usually google, “aromatherapy for _______” and find great recommendations for oil combos to diffuse.
Or, you can keep it simple. Figure out which scents you prefer, and use them in your space to create a pleasant ambiance.
Even if it sounds silly now, once you start embracing aromatherapy as a means of self-care, chances are you’ll never go back.
