The holiday blues are real, and could be caused by several factors, including stress from all kinds of sources, family, social obligations and even changes in the seasons, to name a few. When we should be enjoying holiday parties and gatherings with friends and family, we might find ourselves lonely or filled with anxiety. Such a pity! Instead of responding to holiday depression with unhealthy things like binge eating, excessive drinking, or insomnia, try fighting the blues naturally. We’ve come up with a few ideas to help you kick depression to the curb.
There are many ways you can help fight holiday depression that don’t cost a dime. For example, prioritize your time, energy and money so that the holidays can be more manageable on several levels and you can enjoy the present moment. Reach out to long-lost friends. Help others by volunteering at a soup kitchen or offer to help you neighbor with something. If you don’t know your neighbor, bake some cookies and go introduce yourself. You might brighten their day beyond measure. Take a walk in the woods to stretch your legs, which is probably mankind’s original way to fight stress.
Something you can do in your home or office is to use an atomized diffuser, which are similar to humidifiers, but specialized because they get essential oils into the air. Essential oils are a simple concept – using the sense of smell to help boost mood. To demonstrate the power of the sense of smell, pretend you are back in grammar school. Close your eyes and imagine you just got a new box of crayons. Open it in your mind, and lift the box to your nose. Can you smell the crayons? I bet you can. That’s because the sense of smell is very important to us. Memories are attached to fragrances, especially with women.
Fast forward to how you’re feeling this holiday season. You have the power of essential oils to help combat the blues. We’ve all heard of the calming effect of lavender on children, right? It’s the same principle, but all grown up. We’ve found that a combination of ylang ylang, sweet orange, clary sage, patchouli and geranium help fight depression, jealousy, anger and low self-esteem.
These are all simple remedies meant to help give you an emotional edge when it comes to fighting the holiday blues. Only you know how you are truly feeling inside. If you are at risk for harming yourself or others, you should contact your doctor, call 911, a mental health hotline, or go to the emergency room. Aromatherapy with Joy essential oil is a wonderful thing, but it’s only meant to help, not cure severe depression. If you have any questions concerning our line of essential oils, please give us a call or visit our web store. Here’s to Joy this Holiday Season!
