Aaaahhhh, the topic that keeps coming up over and over with moms, dads, and well, everyone it seems lately is self-care. How do we take care of ourselves when the world seems to be spinning out of control, when so much is uncertain, and when there’s no time?
When time is of the essence, essential oils are one of my favorite ways to get a “jolt of calm.” Yes, there are other more meaningful and lasting ways to take care of yourself, but a lot of them are no longer an option after having kiddos!
I found it much more obvious and attainable pre-baby to do self-care; let’s face it, I had the freedom to move about without acquiring childcare first! So I could workout, dance, have meaningful conversations late into the night with friends, read, journal, go out in nature, and do other things that feed my soul– but now, not so much. Do you ever find yourself comparing to your former, pre-child life? How does that comparison make you feel? I try to keep it really simple and I aim for doing one thing for self-care each day so that I don’t feel dragged down by that tempting comparison trap.
Sometimes, that one thing is deciding to eat breakfast before noon! Lately, as EV has gotten older and more self-sufficient, the one self-care thing per day has been more spacious, like reading for 10 minutes before bed, going to yoga once a week, breathing deeply while I drink my tea in the morning, meditating for a few minutes during her nap. Basically, when I aim small and try to make simple things sacred, I’m a lot more fulfilled and satisfied with my life than if I compare to what I used to be able to do.
But, when I am short on time or patience or sleep! and I need some help NOW, I diffuse peppermint oil into the air and I immediately perk up, feel more energized and focused. Other times, I turn to a little spray bottle of distilled water with lavender and chamomile oils that I spritz in the air, like a reset button when I’m feeling stressed. Another mom pro-tip I learned from my sweet older sister was to spray a blend of essential oils (lavender, chamomile, and tea tree oil in fractionated coconut oil as the carrier oil) on baby’s bottom to ward off diaper rash. Every time I change a diaper, I’m reminded to breathe and let go of stress.
If you’re thinking, I don’t even have the time to look into how/when/where to get into this essential oil thing, here are some links to take the guess work out of it. One of my favorite healthy mom inspiration websites, www.wellnessmama.com has great tips and amazon.com has all the supplies you need, delivered right to your door.
Chamomile link on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X8FZODW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Lavender link on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZFAKV7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Coconut oil link on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKPGHDK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I used little spray bottles like these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010YFKO4W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Add 40 drops each of Lavender and Roman Chamomile. Once you put the oils in then you fill the rest with fractionated coconut oil, spritz, breathe, and let go of stress.
And if you’re feeling creative, you can experiment with these other lovely essential oils for anxiety, too! Dr. Axe’s website has a fantastic infographic and citations to articles about how these oils can help alleviate anxiety.
I would LOVE to hear how you use essential oils, or what your one, small, sacred act of self-care was today, or what you plan to do for your own self-care tomorrow!
References
Chen, M.-L., Chen, Y.-E., & Lee, H.-F. (2022). The Effect of Bergamot Essential Oil Aromatherapy on Improving Depressive Mood and Sleep Quality in Postpartum Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Nursing Research, 30(2), e201. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000459
Kianpour, M., Mansouri, A., Mehrabi, T., & Asghari, G. (2016). Effect of lavender scent inhalation on prevention of stress, anxiety and depression in the postpartum period. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 21(2), 197–201. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-9066.178248
