EMOTIONS & WELL-BEING
How we cope with stress has a big impact on our overall health. Stress can be emotional, mental, or physical. Stressors have measurable psychological and physiologic effects. Ultimately, stress can lower immunity by lowering the count of white blood cells. Simply driving accross town to pickup the kids from school can create a stress response in our body governed by the hypothalamus, which is part of the limbic system. If we continue to overdo it, we will reach a point (if it hasn't happened already) where we can no longer adapt to the stress effectively.
The olfactory nerves (sense of smell) connect directly behind the nose to the center of the brain (just above the roof of the mouth). The center of the brain coordinates our emotions and is called the limbic system. Additionally, the limbic system is responsible for how we respond to stress. Scents and odors have a direct pathway to the limbic system. It is clear that essential oils used for aromatherapy can have an effect on our emotions and response to stress.
The opposite of stress is JOY. Essential oils such as Lavender, Rose, Bergamot, and Frankincense have shown their potential to reduce stress and increase feelings of peace and joy. You are probably familiar with how smells can effect emotions because smells you associate with happy memories can help reestablish feelings of happiness. When you use essential oils to turn on feelings of joy and happiness, the influence of stress on your body will be more manageable.
HAPPY DAY ROUTINE
Doing this everyday
can change your life!
VALOR
on the bottom of the feet
HARMONY
on the belly button
JOY
on the heart
WHITE ANGELICA
worn on wrists and neck
like perfume
All essential oils have emotional impacts. Additionally, all emotions have physical impacts. While exploring how emotions can be stored on a cellular level and effect gene expression in our DNA, it is important to discuss epigenetics.
Epigenetics refers to external modifications to DNA that turn genes "on" or "off." These modifications do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how cells "read" genes. It is through epigenetics that we know our emotions have an effect on our physical body. How you FEEL can be stored at a cellular level and passed generationally. For example, a study of Holocaust survivors finds trauma was passed down to their children's genes.
It's commonly known that essential oils such as Lavender can be relaxing. Furthermore, using essential oils to effect how we feel can have an even greater impact on our physical body. I invite you to explore how essential oils in blends like Joy, Harmony, Valor, or Acceptance have an effect on your body. When you use Young Living's blends for emotional balance, don't judge how the essential oils smell from the bottle. Instead, notice your breath, your thoughts, how your muscles tighten, or if you feel more focused. Notice how the essential oil has an effect on your physical body simply by tapping into your emotions through your sense of smell.
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