Forgive, Heal, and Thrive | Your Guide To Emotional Wellness This Thanksgiving

The holidays signal a time of joy, love, gratitude, happiness and togetherness in the gathering of family and friends. Unfortunately, this time of year may also mark a difficult time for those who are coping with emotional trauma including post traumatic stress disorder. Leaving mental health issues unresolved can negatively impact one’s family and social life and finding professional support can be a crucial step toward healing and improving one's ability to deal with challenging situations. 

For those of us in supporting roles, we need to remember to keep understanding and empathy in our hearts and encourage those we love to seek the help they need. Instead of jumping to conclusions,  especially when we don't understand what another person may be going through, we should remember that some people may have a difficult time communicating their feelings. Forgiving, healing and loving are key elements in supporting those who need it to feel safe and find trust among those who love them.

The Power Of Emotional Healing

For people struggling with emotional trauma, managing symptoms can be particularly challenging since there is generally an expectation for everyone to be content and joyful. But when emotional trauma is unresolved, negative sentiments and depression can have a significant impact on family gatherings by straining relationships and potentially leading to tension and conflicts. The presence of those who played a role in any past trauma may also set off triggers that will affect the overall dynamics of social and familial functions. (1,2,3)

In anticipation of revisiting old trauma, an elevation of anxiety and stress in these individuals can lead to a deluge of feelings overwhelming one's fragile state of mind. In turn, this may initiate intense reactions such as outbursts or even withdrawal and dissociation. Trauma may also present itself physically with headaches, stomach upset and sleep issues. (1,2,3)

 When faced with unresolved issues, the sufferer can lead a life of persistent negativity. This adversity may render itself in any number of ways emotionally including pain, anger, hate, hurt, resentment and bitterness. These sentiments may impact mental health, affect relationships and may even close those same people off from social networks. The essential oils in Forgiveness & Healing essential oil blend, formerly known as French Lavender Sage, can support emotional healing and bolster one’s resilience.

A well-rounded herbal and floral blend, Forgiveness & Healing has the perfect amount of Sage to give it an outdoorsy feel with hints of sweetness from Grapefruit and its florals such as Lavender oil round out the blend without being overpowering. It subtly composes those who use its aromatic prowess to wrap themselves with tranquility and calm. It has the knack of setting a stage for open discussions with friends and family while keeping tension down and minds calm. Forgiveness & Healing essential oil blend frames the courage needed to move past old grudges to lay out in the open any grievances to begin the healing process. 

Preparing For Family Gatherings

Facing past demons and dealing with emotional trauma helps everyone involved to move forward in life. If there are family members at gatherings who do not understand another's experience, communication is broken down and confusion persists potentially leading to judgments that are in error. Addressing past trauma and healing emotional wounds can help those individuals confront their past so that they can move on from it, letting go of negative emotions such as anger, hatred and resentment. (4)

While it is important to note that essential oils do not replace mental health therapy for individuals with emotional trauma, aromatherapy does establish a positive environment that helps to support any emotion an individual may feel before and during gatherings with friends and family. Aromatherapy can be used at any time of the day for its calming effect and ability to ease anxiety disorder and stressful situations safely and effectively with a number of different methods.

Using Forgiveness & Healing essential oil blend when practicing meditation and mindfulness can help people emotionally prepare before an event that would generally bring up past trauma and exacerbate stress and anxiety disorders. Two prodigious exercises, journaling and art therapy, can be turned to at any point of the day or night to give those who have suffered through hardships the opportunity to convey opinions and feelings honestly and safely. (5)

Finding Strength And Comfort

The coupling of the pure therapeutic essential oils in Forgiveness & Healing essential oil blend helps us to let our guards down bringing a feeling of compassion, empathy and warmth to an environment. It is aromatically appealing with its combination of Sage, Lavender and Sweet Marjoram at the forefront which unite to stimulate the senses. This delightful blend of oils reassures the mind and helps ease the intensity of hardship and burdens while quelling agitation and providing stress relief. 

Sage is known to purify and release negative energy paving forth a calm positive energy that allows the determination and spirit to begin a healing journey. Sweet Marjoram can help ease emotions and reduce stress while floral oils in this blend such as Lavender, Cistus and Damiana support emotional wellbeing by reducing negative feelings, letting go of old grudges and opening up the heart. 

Grapefruit, Damiana and Cistus envelop the user with an elevated mood and better confidence while offering refuge from emotional pain. It is known among users for creating a calm environment while sparking joy and passion and most importantly, it accomplishes all of this by composing the mind, body and spirit in unity.   

Inhalation is the simplest mode of transport for essential oils. Diffusing, whether slowly imparting the notes of the oils in the air with a Reed diffuser or more intensely with a nebulizing diffuser will all bring you to the same place emotionally. Edens Garden collection of diffusers brings you products for home and on-the-go use and work well with any of their Mood blend collection. And there are a few other options for those who would like to use it topically.

• Diffuse: Add the recommended amount of water and drops of essential oil according to the manufacturer's instructions of your device. A general recommendation is 10 drops of essential oil per 100 ml of water. If the diffuser has intermittent settings, you can choose this mode so the machine automatically shuts off after a specific amount of time.
• DIY Massage Oil or Cream: Using 1 oz of carrier oil or unscented cream, blend in 2% (12-15 drops) dilution of Forgiveness & Healing and shake the bottle gently. Massage the blend onto pulse points at the neck and wrists as well as onto the sternum. As an added use, after massing the oil blend into your skin, cup your hands over your nose, close your eyes and breathe deeply 4-5 times. Repeat as often as needed.
• Salt Bath: For a restorative bath, put 2 cups of Epsom Salts and ½ cup of Baking Soda in a bowl with 2 Tablespoons of Castille soap. Blend 6 drops of Forgiveness & Healing essential oil blend into the salt mixture. Meanwhile, run the tub with warm water and pour the salt mixture in and swirl to dissolve the salts. Light a candle and put on some ambient music. Climb into the tub, and breathe deeply and let go of the day.
• Room Spray: Mix 40 drops of Forgiveness & Healing essential oil and 4 teaspoons 190-proof grain alcohol in a 4 oz spray bottle fitted with a spritzer and shake well, let this mixture sit overnight or optimally for 24 hours. After that time, fill the rest of your bottle with distilled water. Shake well and when desired, spray 3-5 times into the air around your home or office.
• Beaded diffuser jewelry: the Capri and the Caymen beaded durable bracelets are made of Howlite, Tibetan Agate and Lava stones and are versatile to wear with nearly any outfit and bring you the comfort of your favorite oils whenever needed. They are also easy to clean so you can swap out oil blends.

A Beautiful Journey Toward Forgiveness

Essential oils are an excellent tool to support healing and create a constructive and harmonious environment for open discussion among family and friends. Transforming negative sentiments into positive ones can bolster the healing process for a united spirit and find equal footing to expand trust and compassion. 

Compassion for yourself, self-awareness and self-love are keys to forgiveness and letting go of the past to move forward. Mindfulness practices include visualizations, breathing techniques, journaling and positive affirmations that help to release patterns of anxiety and stress that follow in the footsteps of old trauma. Studies have also suggested that concentrating on the present time rather than the past brings a positive outlook and improves health and well-being, promotes sleep and possibly helps handle pain. (6,7)

Thanksgiving And Beyond

This coming holiday season let’s remember to reflect upon and honor our ancestors and always strive to be a better person with patience and understanding. Healing ourselves helps us to move forward paving a path of intergenerational healing which we owe to our children and their future. Turning to essential oil blends for support such as Forgiveness & Healing and other mood blends brings with it stress relief to bolster family wellness with compliance and enthusiasm, brightening outlooks for future family and social gatherings.

*NOTE: Forgiveness & Healing, due to its content of Sage essential oil, is contraindicated for use during pregnancy and nursing, especially in the first trimester - considered the most delicate period in pregnancy. We do not recommend using any essential oils around babies under the age of 2 years old as their systems are much more sensitive to the concentration of components found in essential oils. During this time we suggest opting instead for child-safe hydrosols. 

SOURCES

1. How Does One Traumatic Event Affect a Family for Generations? https://www.childandadolescent.org/how-does-one-traumatic-event-affect-a-family-for-generations/
2. Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Family Life From the Viewpoint of Female Caregivers Living in Urban Poverty https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990478/
3. Trauma and Its Effect on Relationships https://hartgrovehospital.com/trauma-effect-relationships/
4. Facing Holiday Associated Trauma https://discoverymood.com/blog/facing-holiday-associated-trauma/
5. How Journaling Promotes Healing from Trauma https://fherehab.com/learning/journaling-healing-trauma
6. Take Charge of Healing: Effective Forgiveness Worksheets for Coaches https://quenza.com/blog/knowledge-base/forgiveness-worksheets/
7. Mindfulness for Your Health: The Benefits of Living Moment by Moment https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/06/mindfulness-your-health