Stay Grounded + Grateful This Season
The holiday season can be challenging for many reasons. There is a multitude of pressures from the outside world to get caught up in the purchasing of gifts, attending events, traveling to visit friends or relatives, consuming unhealthy foods and beverages, etc. However, we have a choice of whether to get swept away with the crowd or find our balance within, to be true to ourselves and to navigate it all with ease and grace. The answer is finding gratitude.
Feeling grateful lifts our spirits, melts stress on contact and connects us with universal consciousness. Practicing excellent self-care expresses the gratitude we feel for the opportunity to be alive in our bodies and respecting the absolute miracle that we all are with each breath. Every time we breathe in, we bring into our bodies what we would like and with each exhalation we can release anything we don’t desire. Inhaling some essential oil blends, such as rosemary and lavender, can have therapeutic benefits. According to Suzanne Fischer-Rizzi, author of Complete Aromatherapy Handbook: Essential Oils for Radiant Health:
Egyptians used rosemary incense made by burning rosemary twigs for ritual cleansing and healing. In Rome and Athens rosemary was considered a sacred plant, a gift to humans from Aphrodite. Out of gratitude, Greeks and Romans decorated their paintings of the gods with wreaths made from the plant.… Alchemists during the Renaissance… considered (it) a universal remedy. Paracelsus interested in the healing aspects of alchemy, considered rosemary one of the chief necessary components in medicines and used it widely in his practice. (160)
Lavender oil has been used in Persia, Greece, and Rome to disinfect… The fragrance of the essential oil is like fresh, tangy mountain air that’s happy and free. Its fragrance imparts a feeling of inner freedom that allows one to let go… The essential oil helps reduce mental ramblings… This oil helps stimulate and regenerate the nervous system and bring a feeling of calm. (110-3)
Taking time for herbal tea can also encourage calmness in hectic times. For instance, rosemary has various therapeutic qualities for the nervous system. In addition, experts say peppermint can assist with headaches, heartburn, indigestion and help with sleep. Sarsaparilla, on the other hand, may also provide some therapeutic benefits such as reducing joint pain and inflammation.
Shopping online for handcrafted gifts that can be directly shipped to your loved ones can reduce the stress of being in crowded stores and feeling hurried. You can carefully take your time to order the perfect gift. Even practicing grounding exercises and connecting to your breath can keep stress at bay. One example of a grounding exercise is to feel tree roots coming from beneath your feet connecting you to Mother Earth and branches of a tree coming from your head connecting you to the sky. Be sure to breathe in and out while imagining making these connections to the earth and sky.
Now with these approaches to relieving stress in mind, the best way to arguably feel better on an emotional and physical level is to take time to truly BE in the moment. This approach will not only make you appreciate all that you have, but also give you the wings to soar above any perceived stress and tension. So that way, you may fully enjoy this holiday season.
Patricia Nizalowski is the owner of Green Valley Herbal. She has practiced massage therapy for over 33 years and is a health coach who weaves elements of wholistic health into her handcrafted, botanical products which utilize the wisdom she has gained in working with hundreds of clients’ bodies. Visit her website greenvalleyherbal.com. Ursula Nizalowski, is a freelance writer and editor living in Grand Junction, CO.