The winter season can be comforting, cozy and even rejuvenating. However the grey skies and cold weather can make it difficult (or impossible in some regions) to get enough sunshine and time outside to naturally boost our moods.
The result can have major emotional impact as some people find themselves experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). I remember the first season of experiencing this myself, I was living in Daly City, CA, a suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area. It was constantly cloudy and incessantly windy and often foggy in this bayside town. It was the first time I ever experienced the pangs of depression.
Now I know how to handle these feelings when I start to feel them creeping in during the winter season. Here are 4 Tips to beating the Winter Blues.
Tips 1-3: Diffuse Essential Oils
Did you know that diffusing essential oils can directly effect the emotional center in the brain?
When we inhale essential oils, we activate the Thalamus, the emotional center of the brain that talks directly effect the hormone center of the brain, the hypothalamus.
Certain families of essential oils can help to elicit certain types of emotions. For example, citrus essential oils are very emotionally uplifting.
Minty essential oils like Spearmint and Peppermint are invigorating.
Spicy essential oils like Clove, Cinnamon and Cassia help to connect us with the passionate emotions.
With S.A.D. in mind, here are 3 diffuser blend recipes that can help to uplift and enhance feelings of positivity naturally:
Recipe 1: Happy
This recipe is inspired by the 1990’s (toxic ;) perfume, Clinique Happy. I looooved the smell of that perfume and while I would NEVER where it now because of how bad those synthetic fragrances for our health, I love that I can emulate its gorgeous and uplifting scent with essential oils!
In a cold water diffuser combine:
-1 drop Grapefruit
-1 drop Tangerine
-1 drop Bergamot
-1 drop Hawaiian Sandalwood
-1 drop Geranium
Inhale and be happy 😄.
Recipe 2: Floral+ Fir
Lavender is often thought of for its calming effects. But Lavender may also help to naturally boost serotonin (the “happy neurotransmitter”)! This blend contains a mix of Lavender, Bergamot (also known for its mood enhancing benefits) and Siberian Fir.
-2 drops Lavender
-2 drops Bergamot
-2 drops Siberian Fir
Recipe 3: Peppermint Pep Rally
Peppermint’s invigorating benefits feel like a “breathe of fresh air” when inhaled. I almost always start my day with a drop of Peppermint essential oil rubbed into my temples and swiped across my forehead and back of neck because it helps to wake me up and puts me in a good mood immediately. This special recipe was one of the first ones I used in my home for combatting Winter Blues years ago:
-2 drops Peppermint
-2 drop Wild Orange
-1 drop Clove
Tip 4: Essential Oils Under Tongue
My final tip involves using Frankincense or Turmeric under tongue (or both).
Frankincense has been shown to help improve low mood. I will never forget that I had a patient of mine bring me a FULL bottle of doTERRA Frankincense that she had gotten for free in December. She said she didn’t like the smell of it and could NEVER see herself using it. She herself suffered from low mood in the Winter time.
In that moment it occurred to me that the Frankincense was what she was missing her treatment plan! She had brought it to my attention almost intuitively on her part! I told her that she must start using 2-3 drops under her tongue first thing in the morning and again during the day when she noticed her mood declining.
She reported back rave reviews! Her mood started to improve and it’s been an essential in her natural medicine cabinet ever since!
If Frankincense doesn’t do the trick for you (remember: different people respond better to different things), then you may want to try Turmeric essential oil under the tongue. Turmeric essential oil was shown to increase serotonin levels in the central nervous system of mice in one study.
BUY YOUR ESSENTIAL OILS HERE:
If you don’t yet have a doTERRA wholesale account, you can purchase your diffuser oils listed above here. This link has all the oils mentioned in this post, but you can edit the cart as you desire upon check out.