Surviving the Holidays Holistically & Naturally

One of my favorite holiday movies is Christmas Vacation. Clark Griswold tries desperately to create the perfect Christmas for his family going all out, literally, with wrapping his entire house in lights and going out the woods to cut down the perfect tree (complete with a squirrel). Preparing the perfect holiday dinner, cooking the turkey until it pretty much vaporizes.  The part I enjoy the most are all of the characters sitting around the holiday table, one more colorful than the next.  As the turkey implodes and the Christmas tree self ignites, Clark begins to melt down. His perfect Christmas is literally going up in flames.  If only Clark had known about aromatherapy, maybe Christmas wouldn’t have been so overwhelming.  

 Let’s face it, we all want the Norman Rockwell holiday but the bottom line is between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, life can get a little stressful…finding the perfect gift, getting stuck sitting next to Cousin Eddie at Thanksgiving…it can all get to be a little much.  Who couldn’t use a little holistic help now and then! Not to worry, I got ya covered.  Here are a few of my favorite holistic tools to help get through the holiday season. 

Aromatherapy for Stress & Anxiety

It’s no secret that Lavender Essential Oil is a superstar in the aromatherapy realm and for good reason, it does so many things so well!  One of lavender’s chief therapeutic components (that’s sciency to say its main ingredient) is linalool.  Linalool is known to help with sleep, stress and anxiety.  It helps to calm the nervous system.  A simple whiff of this calming oil will help you to calm down and exhale which is super important if you are in the middle of trying to mash potatoes as Cousin Eddy is extolling the virtues of the jelly of the month club!

So if lavender has a therapeutic component called linalool which helps you to calm down, there must be other essential oils that have this magical ingredient.  I’m glad you asked!  Why yes, there are other oils with this very ingredient and maybe if we pair them together we might have a super powerful holistic tool to help us?!  Other essential oils with linalool are: Clary Sage, Ho Wood, Coriander and Sweet Basil.  You may be familiar with the last two oils as they are used frequently in cooking.  These herbs that add flavor to your cooking also help to calm and relax your nervous system. So, grandma really knew what she was doing when she was throwing extra basil in the Sunday Sauce!

How wonderful would it be if someone put all of these ingredients into one blend to create a calming, sleep supportive product that anyone could use?  Well, today is your lucky day! This product does exist and it’s called Deep Sleep. Rolling this product on isn’t going to make you fall asleep at the Christmas table…you have turkey for that!  It will help keep you to feel calm and centered though.  The more you use, the more it helps you to fall asleep. So roll a little to anxiety and calming support and roll generously to help you sleep.  Easy peasy!

There are other holistic products too to help with quelling stress…mayebe a lovely hand and body cream containing Frankincense.  Frankincense has become the darling of the holistic beauty industry lately as it is known for its anti-aging properties.  Who wouldn’t like less stress and a youthful dewy glow too?

Another great way to relax after a day of holiday shopping is to take a little “me time”…enjoy a lovely cup of tea and a nice warm bath.  Simply place a lavender bath bomb under running water and suddenly your tub becomes a relaxing oasis! Add a cup of loose leaf tea containing nettles and lavender and you feel as if you have been transported to a luxury spa! If only there was concierge service to bring you more tea!

Crystals for Stress and Anxiety

Well, as long as we are dipping our toe into the hippy dippy waters, we may as well take a look at a few crystals that can help support peace and calming during the frenetic and busy holiday season.  Just as Mother Earth grows carrots and broccoli to help keep you healthy, she also makes beautiful crystals to keep your subtle energy healthy and unlike carrots and broccoli…they don’t go bad and you can use them forever! Here are a few of my favorite crystals to help me stay sane and centered any time of year! 

Labradorite

With its beautiful flashy sheen this mystical looking stone actually is known for its grounding (a fancy way of saying being present in the current moment), protective (cuz who needs to absorb Cousin Eddy’s energy), and intuitive (yes, you have intuition) qualities.  

Amethyst

We all know amethyst with its gorgeous purple hues.  Amethyst is a crystal known to help with sleep.  It is also known to help with emotional stress and emotional well being.  It also supports your intuition.  Wearing an amethyst ring or bracelet will help keep you calm and your intuitive senses alert…which is super important when you are navigating the mall for that perfect gift!

Citrine

This pretty yellow stone helps with self-confidence and helps to increase your energy.  On the physical level, it aids in digestion and circulation.  Carry a citrine tumble stone in your pocket and take it out a

fter your holiday dinner and quietly roll it around in your palms to help digest that turkey dinner.  Bonus: Citrine is the crystal known for wealth and abundance…I personally have three bowls of it at my shop! 

Opalite

Thanks to Taylor Swift this stone is all the rage right now.  Although Opalite is technically a man-made crystal, I think it's worth a mention here.  Opalite is known to reduce stress and anxiety, it also aids in communication. So what does it mean to be man-made as opposed to grown by Mother Earth?  Even crystals grown in a lab contain the same internal crystalline lattice structure as the crystals created naturally.  You can even grow your own using a kit available at any big box store.  To me, the biggest difference is that man-made crystals lack the energy of the earth.  Earth energy helps to charge the crystal with its beautiful grounding and magical elements.  It’s easy to imbue earth energy into your opalite…just bury it out in your garden for a few days and viola! You have a man-made crystal charge with Earth energy!

If you want to go really BIG…create a piece of jewelry using one or all of these crystals! We create custom crystal jewelry at our shop and we would be happy to help you create the perfect piece just for you.  It also makes a unique and thoughtful holiday gift!!  

Stop by the shop and let us help find ways to get through the holidays holistically and naturally and maybe pick up a great gift too! We are located right in the heart of Cranford at 11 North Union Avenue.