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It's the holiday season! The "happiest season of all! "The most wonderful time of the year!" *Queue all holiday songs* Manage stress during the holidays, or any season at all! It really the most wonderful time of the year?? For most of us, this season can bring both joy AND a whole lotta stress. Perhaps it’s the heavier workloads, large family gatherings, traveling, gifts to buy…the lights are nice though, right?! If you are stressed, you are not alone. Practicing mindfulness is key for keeping the holidays more merry and less stressful. Tips for calming the mind and body over the months of holiday happenings. Take moments each day dedicated to gratitude. Write or make mental notes of a few things you are grateful for. Grief and stress can EASILY take over our mind in an instant. Discontentment and stress are often fueled by something we feel we are lacking. By flipping the inner narrative's perspective to gratitude, we feel more peace. Bringing attention to what you do have (health, abilities, a thing you love about yourself) can drastically shift your mood to a feeling of more contentment. You can even do this while lying in bed for a minute before your snoozed alarm goes off! Another easy way to recenter the mind is to focus on the breath for a moment. Are you feeling rushed? Are you taking short breaths, or deep, belly breaths? Taking long, diaphragmatic breaths can lower stress levels. Our mind is often piling on more tasks, guilt of things we haven’t yet accomplished, people to take care of, etc. Taking a moment to focus solely on our breath and nothing else for a full minute can help calm our entire being. Lastly, this time of year can feel like SOO many things are happening. With more social events and family gatherings taking place over the holidays, it can feel harder and harder to catch up on mental and physical health. Perhaps the biggest challenge of the holidays is balancing all these gatherings, work, home life, and health. One of the nasty sides of holidays is the feeling of being obligated to attend something. If there are too many events on your plate, and you don’t want or need to attend one of them, what’s the worst that could happen if you don’t? Take a moment to evaluate which events you feel GOOD about going to and which ones you don’t. It should be your choice! It’s for your mental and physical health after all. :) The biggest take away, slowww downnnn. I write a lot of these tips as reminders for myself. They help me release tension in my mind and thus, in my shoulders, low back, feet…you get the idea! I hope they help you too. To make these action steps all the more effective, try pairing them with your favorite stress-relieving essential oils from the list below! It truly just takes a minute to practice retraining negative or busy mental chatter. Of course, it helps to stop and evaluate your thoughts as often as possible, especially as soon as you start noticing your mind slipping into stress mode. Start with a minute and see how good you feel! As Anthony De Mello puts it so simply “Awareness Awareness Awareness.” YOU are the only person who can truly calm your mind down. It’s our mind and subconscious thoughts that we need to become more aware of. The more aware we are of the stress we often cause in our own mind, the easier it is to let the thoughts we don’t want pass through and take less control of us. Over the next month (and months to come) I hope you have more and more peace of mind, moments of stillness, and an ever-growing list of things to be thankful for. Wishing you quality rest, rejuvenation, and cozy holidays, Rachel

Win in the battle against pollen and perennially runny noses Spring Sneeze-in is upon us! This short blog is your guide to a win in the battle against pollen and perennially runny noses. With 5 tips to boost your immune system & 10 natural at-home remedies to help you thrive amongst the spring sniffles. It’s about to be the time of year when we all want to go outside and rejoice that the snow has retreated back to tippy top of the mountains where it belongs and away from my freshly planted flowers! I don’t know about you, but I always jump the gun on planting my garden flowers. Every. Single. Year. I get way too excited on the first sunny day after months of Oregon rain. But alas, with the pretty flowers and sunnier days ahead, come the allergies. BOOO!! Allergies! Literal tears are flowing. I have some handy tips that will help you enjoy springtime to its fullest. These tips are easy, natural, and most importantly, they WORK. For starters, what are allergies and why do 40-60 million Americans annually feel like we’re chopping fresh onions when we’re outside?! Allergy symptoms are caused by your body attempting to do its best to protect you from allergens like grasses, plants, animal dander, bee pollen, dust mites, etc.*(1) Your immune system is scanning these allergens as evil intruders. The allergic reactions you may experience are your cells sending out histamine in which blood vessels expand and cause symptoms like runny noses, itchy/watery eyes, headaches, sneezing, and coughing.*(1) Gee, thanks body! In its defense, your body is on your offense team. It’s just tryin’ to help. To keep allergies at bay, it’s best to support your body in all its tireless efforts to keep you healthy. We can do our part to support our immune system by clearing allergens from our environment and quickly calm these allergy systems with all-natural remedies. Here are ways to support our immune system plus 10 easy, natural tips to clear up allergy symptoms. 5 Ways to support our over-worked immune system naturally: Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is paramount to good health. Stress management. Way easier said than done, but take time out of your day to practice mindfulness and mental relaxation. Essential oils work wonders for stress release! Wash bed linens frequently to prevent allergens and dust mites for accumulating. Bonus- freshen the sheets between washes with Nightly Ritual air & body spray to reduce dust mites and help relax and calm the mind before bed. Use all-natural skincare products. Products made with synthetic ingredients and fragrances are filtered through your blood, which can be harder for your body to process and in turn makes your immune system work much harder than it needs to. By switching to you support both your skin and your body’s immune system. Use all-natural cleaning products for many of the same reasons above! By using essential oil-based cleaning products you are using natural antibacterial agents to remove germs, purify the air (instead of masking the air with non-natural fragrance odor), and also support your immune system. Clean & dust regularly. Think of it as when you use non-natural cleaning and skincare products, you are stressing out your immune system. We don’t want that- My mind does more than enough stress I’d prefer to manage, thank you very much! ESSENTIAL OILS FOR ALLERGIES and how to use them Essential Oil Steam - Calm inflammation and clear your respiratory tract by adding 1-2 drops (no more than that!) of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, or Respiratory ReLeaf to a bowl of hot water. Close your eyes, cover your head over the bowl with a towel, and breathe deeply in and out for as long as possible. Try to do 2-5 minutes for the best results. Aromatherapy inhalers are the BEST if you are out and about. Particularly the Breathe Easy inhaler. So handy. Diffuse leafy, respiratory-supportive essential oils like Eucalyptus, Ravintsara, Peppermint, Basil, Fir, or the Respiratory ReLeaf blend. This supports your immune system AND helps neutralize airborne allergens in your home. Flush sinuses with water saline solution with a Neti Pot. Use an aromatherapy room spray! Bergamot Forest works wonderfully as an anti-allergen room mist. Herbal Tea: Drink Nettle or Eucalyptus Mint Tea (Traditional Medicinals has a great Breathe Easy tea!) Take an aromatherapy bath. By adding 6-8 drops of Lavender or Eucalyptus to 1 tablespoon of castile soap or a carrier oil of your choice, you can ease stress and tension while opening your breath and supporting your immune and respiratory system. Rub it on. Super stuffed up? Try applying the ReLeaf Rub on your chest, throat, and a small amount under the nose to clear sinus congestion and act as a traditional vapor rub. Sinus Relief Tissues! Add a few drops of Eucalyptus or Respiratory ReLeaf essential oil to the cardboard sides of a tissue box to clear your sinuses every time you grab for a tissue! Try a daily aromatherapy shower by adding a few drops of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Peppermint, or Respiratory ReLeaf to the shower flower, out of the direct stream of the shower and create a spa-like steam that opens airways, clears sinus congestions, and awakes the mind and body. Essential Oil Steam Shown Here So, why do essential oils work to help with allergy relief? Essential oils are made up of molecules that relieve inflammation, coughing, phlegm/mucus, runny eyes, and congested airways.*(2) The 2 key components are 1,8 cineole (found in oils like Eucalyptus) and Terpinen-4-ol (found in oils like Tea Tree). 1,8 cineole helps clear breathing and calm inflammation. Terpinen-4-ol is a well known antihistamine, helps reduce inflammation, and relax the muscles. *(2) These are just a few of the benefits that essential oils and natural remedies can offer to support your immune system and give you the relief you need this spring. Questions?! Email me topsyblends@gmail.com and I’m happy to offer more in-depth information and personalized support depending on your needs. With wishes of good health and wellness, Rachel, your neighborhood aromatherapist *(1) https://www.webmd.com/allergies/allergic-reaction-causes#1 *(2) - Jennifer Peace Rhind - Aromatherapeutic Blending