Natural Ways to Boost Your Holiday Mood

I love the aroma of turkey roasting on Thanksgiving morning. The smell of pine cones on the fire and apple cider makes me nostalgic on Christmas day. That's because holiday smells have an emotional connection. They bring back childhood memories. The aromas lift our spirits and make us think of home. Our sense of smell is the quickest way to change our emotions and boost our mood.

And the quickest way to lift your mood and banish fatigue is to energize your home with fragrances you love. The use of essential oils is a natural way to give your home relaxing aromas all year long. Certain scents distract you from everyday stresses that zap your energy.

When you come home weary from the pressures of the day, you need something pleasant and fresh to welcome you. Place a potpourri of citrus oils like lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit in the entrance way. Grapefruit is both soothing and uplifting. Lemons and oranges freshen the air and lighten your mood.

In the kitchen put a couple of drops of essential oils in a pot of water and simmer. Use orange, lime, lemon or grapefruit for a sparkling morning, lavender for a lift in the afternoon, geranium for a soothing midday and rosemary to relieve stress. Add rose or jasmine in the dishwashing liquid at night just for pure indulgence.

Don't forget the hallway where odors and stale air tend to linger. This is the place we usually greet visitors to our home. We want to make the best first impression. Geranium oil is an excellent choice when guests are due because it makes them feel good even before they sit down. A few drops of lemon essential oil will make guests say your house has a relaxing atmosphere...even though they won't know why. But you will!

Don't Worry, Be Happy

The long lazy days of summer are officially over. Autumn, with its beautiful display of red and gold colors, is here. But despite the beauty of the season, it is also a reminder that soon we'll be turning back our clocks. The days will get shorter, the nights longer. Some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. If your symptoms include tiredness, fatigue, depression, irritability, trouble concentrating, etc., then according to the US National Library of Medicine, you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), better known as winter depression or winter blues, is believed to be caused from the lack of bright light during the winter months. So what can you do about it? According to medicine.net the answer is light therapy. And the light does not have to be actual daylight from the sun. Phototherapy or light therapy is commercially sold in the form of a light box which is used for 30 minutes daily. This light is approximately 25 times brighter than your living room light.

*What else can you do to combat the "winter blues"? You can give yourself something to look forward to each day.

• Get out and enjoy nature - fresh air and sunshine are terrific mood boosters.
• Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers.
• Meet a good friend(s) for lunch and share trials and triumphs in a supportive atmosphere.
• Listen to music that puts you in a good mood.
• Replace negative thinking - the "why does everything happen to me" thoughts - with self-affirming talk (I deserve to be happy and healthy!).
• Interact with a child, laugh and let your "inner child" out to play.
• Create something with your hands.
• Pursue a goal.
• Buy something new.
• Get a massage - for two...

It doesn't have to cost much to give yourself small gifts of pleasure every day. Now you decide just what to add your list.

Namaste

*Excerpted from When You Need a Timeout.

For Stressful Times Take Five

You don't need the headlines to tell you these are stressful times. The mortgage crisis, jobs lost, inadequate health care, wall street and bank bailouts. If you're not directly affected, you probably know someone dear who is. On top of that you've got your own "stuff" - jobs, families and other responsibilities and the stress begins to take its toll. The outward signs may be hard to detect in the beginning, but one sure sign of stress can be seen in your eyes. Take a moment to look directly at your eyes in the mirror. Normally you see the whites on either side of the iris. If the whites are visible under the irises, that's a symptom of high stress. If you see the upper whites of your eyes, above the irises, that is a sign of chronic stress. These are signs that you need to take care of your overall health....now. Make time in your schedule to rest and release some of that stress and negative emotion. Try the following techniques for relaxing relief in just five minutes.

Rest Your Eyes And Clear Your Mind

Reiki, or energy therapy (sometimes called healing touch) is an ancient Japanese healing tradition for stress reduction and relaxation. Reiki Hands is a quick technique when you need a deeply relaxing break - especially for those times when you need to concentrate and think more clearly. So, let's get started by relaxing the eyes. Seated, place your elbows on a desk or table. Vigorously rub and clap your hands together to create warmth. Cup your hands over your eyes. Take slow, deep breaths and try to see nothing but black. Tibetan yogis believed that black is the color for optimum relaxation of the optic nerve. Stay with this exercise a few moments or until you feel relaxed enough to continue with your day.

Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming is the study of how language, both verbal and nonverbal affects our nervous system, thoughts and emotions. By using a simple NLP signal you can change feeling nervous, tense and overwhelmed into a much more relaxed state in minutes. All you have to do is touch your thumb to your forefinger (your NLP signal to relax) making an "OK" sign. Take a deep breath and as you slowly exhale say to yourself, "I am calm and relaxed. The outside world does not concern me right now. My thoughts are serene, calm and relaxed". Repeat until you begin to feel sensations of relaxation. Go to your place of special memories - something that makes you feel good. Allow a few moments to feel good about yourself. Practice this NLP technique and in no time you will be able to feel relaxed just by touching your thumb to your forefinger.

Fighting Mad - Blow it Off

The next time you hear news that makes you tense, stressed or angry, notice where you feel it on your body. Stomach in knots? Tightness in chest? Pain in neck or shoulders? Wherever you feel it, try the following technique to relieve it. Close your eyes and mentally get in touch with the area of discomfort. Visualize/imagine that this feeling has a size, shape and color. Then begin to manipulate the size - make it longer, shorter, wider, and finally smaller than a dot. Make the shape smoother, rounder, weightless. Make the color lighter, brighter, softer, - becoming billowy and airy. Allow this airy feeling to travel up your body. Imagine it reaching the back of your throat. Then take a deep breath and forcefully blow it out of your body! Scan your body. Do you still feel tense, stressed or angry? If so, close your eyes and repeat this technique a few times until the feeling is gone. You are now back in control.

You Deserve To Be Happy and Healthy

If you are like most of us your day begins at 7:00 am and doesn't end until 10:00 pm or 11:00 pm. That's approximately a 16 hour day - or 960 minutes to schedule five minute relaxation breaks just for you. Surely that's not too much to ask for your health and well being. Whether you are in a state of high stress, chronic stress, or just have a desire to be proactive in your approach to stress management, the above techniques can be applied quickly and easily to bring you relief.

*Adapted from my book "When You Need a Timeout", http://www.thecalmingbreath.com/ .

Happy New Year's Resolution 101

Take a Deep Breath. Exhale. Relax

Stressed because it's mid January and already your New Year's Resolution "resolve" is wavering? Maybe weight loss is your goal and you decided to cut out that morning coffee cake. Consciously you feel good about your decision. Subconsciously a little voice is asking, "where's my coffee cake?" And it keeps asking until now all you can think about morning, noon and night is the sensual pleasure of eating coffee cake. That's the way it works when you try to expunge a habit before preparing your mind for change.

And, unfortunately, it doesn't matter what your resolution is: to lose weight, stop smoking, get out of debt, find a new love, change careers, etc. Most New Year's Resolutions falter within the first couple of weeks and are forgotten before the end of February. So don't beat yourself up for wavering. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Relax.

The fact is most resolutions are a recipe for failure because they lack three important ingredients:

Ingredient #1: Ask Yourself "Why?"

You need to understand why you want to make this change at this time in your life. Get down to the emotional core of what it will mean to you - how it will impact your life. Meditate on it. Reflect inward and listen for solutions. Peel back the layers until you find the emotional need your present behavior satisfies. Be honest with yourself. Keep asking "why" until you find the core, the reason why you want to change now. Change for the sake of your family or other relationships is unacceptable in this exercise. You must learn how this change will benefit you. How willl it improve your life, your self-esteem, your feelings of self-worth? Dig deep. When you reach that "risky shift", your truth, that layer that says "I don't need this to feel good about myself. I'm not going to do or take this anymore", you are ready for change. You've found what is compelling you. You've got leverage. Now make your resolution - it will become your goal. You've taken the first step.

A Compelling Reason Why:


Thirty years ago my family lived in the city. Our apartment was hot in the summer, the houses were too close to to the neighbors, the neighborhood kids were increasing unruly and disrespectful and their parents defended rather than disciplined them when the need arose. The worse of it, though, was when we had to enroll our daughter in private school because the public school system was failing. Talk about stress! Our mini escapes, especially on hot summer nights was to drive up to the mountains and suburbs, enjoying the spacious quiet and beautiful homes. We soon decided that this is where we wanted to be. We had many compelling reasons to make a change. Our goal: to build our dream house in the suburbs.

Ingredient #2: Have a S.M.A.R.T. Action Plan

Once your mind accepts that change is coming you'll feel emotionally and physically free to work with the change process. You've probably heard the saying "If you fail to plan.....you plan to fail". So start by writing down the steps you need to take to achieve your goal - your action plan. Make it S.M.A.R.T., i.e., strategic, measurable, as if it's happening now, realistic and timely.


Be sure to build in some flexibility for unforeseen setbacks. Write down the distractions and temptations you are likely to face as well as several options to neutralize them. For example if your goal is to stop smoking in two weeks, it would be wise to note when and why you smoke. Come up with substitutes or obstacles that will make it harder to reach for a cigarette at those times.


A S.M.A.R.T. Action Plan:


When we signed the contract for our house, the builders were five months away from breaking ground. The projected closing date gave us 14 months to come up with 20 percent down payment plus closing costs. We figured we would need approximately $20,000. How did we plan to raise that kind of money? Step 1: Identify our resources: (a)We had $3500 in savings. (b) We both worked full time jobs. (c) We could shave our budget down to the bare bones. Except for our daughter's needs, we scrimped on everything (d) We still would not be able to save enough so my husband added on a part time job. Step 2: Action Plan: We planned how much we would need to save each month. Then we broke the figures down to smaller bits - what we needed to save each week. We created a large poster divided by months and subdivided by weeks and attached it to our pantry door. We faithfully recorded each week's deposits on that poster. Step 3: Create Momentum: We were aware, on a daily and weekly basis exactly how much progress we were making towards accomplishing our goal.

That brings us to the final ingredient.

Ingredient #3: Actively Pursue Your Goal

Beginning on day one, do something everyday toward reaching your goal. Create forward momentum by giving yourself motivational affirmations and rewards for the smallest accomplishments. Figure out what is the last thing that has to happen to let you know you've accomplished your goal. Close your eyes and envision how wonderful you will feel......how happy, healthy and fulfilled. So weight watchers, go out today and buy that sexy dress you hope to fit into. Hang it where you'll see it constantly and look forward to the day when you can wear it. Posts pictures of a younger, slimmer you on the refrigerator door, bathroom mirror and car dashboard for incentive. Start each day affirming your love of the body you have even if you haven't lost a pound!


The Goal


Even after thirty years I can still remember the emotional impact, the almost surreal beauty of waking up that first morning in our brand new home. Nothing can quite describe the satisfaction of accomplishing your goal.

So now you know why keeping your New Year's Resolution requires more effort than desire. But if you add the three main ingredients (1) Ask Yourself "Why?" (2) Have a S.M.A.R.T. Action Plan (3) Actively Pursue Your Goal

You will (keep your resolution).......if you want to.

Namaste